Designs that work:

This ad for band aids advertising their flexibility is genius to me. Everyone is familiar with the Hulk and the image lets the viewer realize the main point of the ad. The type on the product’s package works as the caption of the image. The two elements are very well combined because the idea behind them makes total sense.

This image is designed with type alone. The world play is clever, the words “PERSEVERE” and “PERISH” combined because they both have the same root. “PERISH” has perished and “PERSEVERE” is still standing. The type is used to illustrate the meaning of the words.

I think it is very interesting and confident to do this with a design. Basically the main idea is left alone while the rest of the details and the brand are crossed out with a red line. It is almost as if they were saying “Here is all you need to know, now carry on”.      I like it.

Designs that do not work:

I think this design looks really cool, but the amount of effort that takes to be able to read it throws me off. They sacrificed efficiency for aesthetics.

What does not work for me here is the color contrast. The bright purple does not work with the feel of the drink. The same design exists with a yellow label, and i think is way better than this one.

In this design, I am not getting the message. The meaning and the human parts on the type relate on a very shallow level. I get the heart the girl is holding is supposed to add to the meaning, but i still think this design is not saying much. Plus i feel like it lacks class.

When it comes to the “right” design, I think the answer isn’t always the same. Personally, when I think of a form of good design, it’s usually something that has word play or has a strong relationship between concept/content and design.

For example, in these three designs, the exact words and their semantics directly reflect the design. My favorite would have to be the third design: “I Never Finish Anyth-.” It is clever not exactly in the choice of type, spacing, etc, but rather in the actual meaning of the statement. For all I know, the designer could have written “I love cats and-,” which would still get the message across.

On the other hand, my idea of not so good design other than Dr. Zizmor’s subway ads, would have to be something that confuses the meaning of the design. This could be done many different ways such as using images that have no relevance to the meaning or even using such an illegible type that nothing is understood.

For example, this piece, unlike the ones above, overlaps its lettering, which makes it difficult to read and understand the meaning.