Graphic Design Interpretations
What happens when a renowned Graphic Designer asks a rhetoric question: What is Graphic Design, and then offers prizes to the most creative answers? An explosion with over five hundred different interpretations.
I don’t envy Veerle to pick her winners. In the last several days I’ve been getting immense doses of inspiration by browsing all the entries. The contest ends on February 15. I know it’s a rather short notice, but if you can spare a couple of hours to express your understanding of the graphic design and upload your design to the Flickr’s pool you could win some very cool prizes.
When I found out about this contest, I checked a few entries and decided to stay away and let the meaning of Graphic Design’s slowly formulate in my brain. Then yesterday I started a brainstorming session in my mind:
Graphic design inspires us, makes us smile or cry, forces us to buy, compels us to think… there are so many things that we will do just by looking at a powerful combination of type, colours, shapes, images. Then it all suddenly became clear in my mind: Graphic Design Controls Our Brain.
Afterwards the pieces of the poster’s puzzle came together pretty quickly. I drew an illustration of the human brain in Illustrator, pasted it into Photoshop and arranged all the verbs - forces of Graphic Design - fading in the darkness into our subconscious, and displaying the actual message below.
I wish I had more time to communicate this idea better, and to be honest with you after seeing some of the works submitted to this contest I’m very jealous of the skills and talent of those graphic designers.
I look forward to seeing whom Veerle will select as winners, but if I were to judge, these 14 entries would be my favourite due to various reasons - a clever message or a witty approach, a choice of type or colours, or the amazing textures and skillful execution. Each of the poster thumbnails below are linked to the original image on Flickr. I urge you to take a look and get inspired.
Graphic Design is…
So what is your understanding of Graphic Design?
Contrasting Approaches To Web Design
We Do Not Serve Your Type Here
What Can Be Done In The Name Of Design
February 14th, 2008 at 11:42 pm
I love that last example: “Beats me. But I’m pretty sure it involves Helvetica” That is so me.
Stumbled.
February 15th, 2008 at 12:48 am
I liked all of them. I’ve always wondered if graphic designers manage to create exactly what they have in mind, or they try, but get something else, which is still good, so they go for it?
February 15th, 2008 at 4:16 am
Wow, I thought I was subscribed to Veerles blog, I was in the original what is graphic design discussion and would have liked to have been in the poster comp. There is some great talent there. I liked the beats me poster too
February 15th, 2008 at 7:42 am
Gotta love Veerle. She’s awesome, and this contest is a great idea. I like your entry very much! I’d hate to have to choose the winner. LOL at the Beats Me entry.
February 15th, 2008 at 9:20 am
Ronald, thanks for the Stumble. Yes, Beats Me poster is a very clever one.
Simonne, in my case I rarely design something in the exact way I had it in my mind. During the design process I may come up with other ideas and solutions, and choose to stay with them.
Jacob, sorry for the late warning. I was planning on posting this earlier, but didn’t work out.
Randa, thanks for the compliment on my entry. It is hard to pick the winner there, isn’t it?
Btw, I forgot to mention in the post that the very last poster on my list - Taking Others Ideas - is almost the exact copy of Veerle’s own interpretation of Graphic design. I thought that was pretty canny too.
February 15th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Wow, there are some great pieces of art in that flickr pool!
There is so much inspiration to be had from all of this.
February 15th, 2008 at 11:59 pm
Glad you too found the pool inspirational, Jacob. There were so many different techniques that it’s impossible not to take away something from those posters.
February 18th, 2008 at 6:44 am
i enjoyed looking through the flickr pool, many cool works, too bad i missed the contest
February 19th, 2008 at 1:56 am
Omega, I’m really glad that you found the flickr pool of this contest inspirational.
Next time I’ll make sure to let everyone know about the interesting design contests way in advance.
February 21st, 2008 at 9:50 am
Vivien, I submitted my design to that competition only in 24 hours before the deadline :p
Your definition about graphic design seems so obvious and you have a great concept to visualize what was in your mind..well done