Hey everybody! I just made this ad for my redesigned website that will be launching next week. The theme for my new website is CMYK, so I'm making posters for all four of the colors. All I have done as of now is magenta.
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Magenta Is Hypnotic
- Thread starter ClassicFan
- Start date
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no offense, but that looks like a vampire, or someone drooling on themselves.
i would rethink that portion...
i would rethink that portion...
AIYEEEE my eyes!
Jeebus, that's what I get for surfing in a dark room! That magenta is vicious!
Obviously, you haven't met PMS 806
I think the illustrations look really flat. I think they could be alot better. But my main issue is the kerning. You need to seriously work on that!
-je
Edit: examples
M A GEN T A
HYPNO TIC
CY AN
I think that covers the worst of it.
-je
Edit: examples
M A GEN T A
HYPNO TIC
CY AN
I think that covers the worst of it.
no, no... you got it wrong. why is cy an scand alous? i don't know what that means, but i'm hoping that means their are not going to be lazy eyed, blue porn starts on your website. i don't know how much work you would get from that one (maybe a lot of hits though!!). oh, and did magenta just finish, erm, going down town? or she drooling or a vampire? either way, what is up with her eyes? Sorry, i'm still not getting the whole thing, and i even walked away from it and came back. oh well.
-je
Is this for like a community college just-learned-adobe class? Because the competency level here is just really low. The illustrations are strange, bad, unappealing, trying very hard to be controversial but just falling flat because they look like terrible pencil-drawn scans. The font is boring, and the kerning is awful as others have pointed out. The layout concept just gives me nothing. I don't even get how cyan is more scandalous than magenta. The whole thing is just strange.
But my criticism may be way over the top if you're just trying to pass a class instead of actually making something great.
I liked when my professors always wanted to keep my class projects to show students in successive years good examples of design assignments, but I know not everyone is that way...
But my criticism may be way over the top if you're just trying to pass a class instead of actually making something great.
I liked when my professors always wanted to keep my class projects to show students in successive years good examples of design assignments, but I know not everyone is that way...
You guys are so friggin' critical! Most of the things you've pointed out are intended to be that way. I've fixed the type issues already! The drawings are supposed to be flat, it's supposed to be very simple. And, as a 13 year old I'm aware that I don't know everything, but to me, these are good. After all, they are my creations...
As a 13 year old trying to learn and create, keep up the work. You've got a lot to learn and a lot of time that you will need to invest in learning.
With that said, with learning and asking for help, comes critique, and you must not complain about people telling you how to make things better. If you don't take the advice that others give, it won't allow you to grow.
But definitely keep working on stuff, and never let a bad critique change your outlook on your art. Use it to make yourself better.
With that said, with learning and asking for help, comes critique, and you must not complain about people telling you how to make things better. If you don't take the advice that others give, it won't allow you to grow.
But definitely keep working on stuff, and never let a bad critique change your outlook on your art. Use it to make yourself better.
I'm sorry that you felt the above posters were too critical, ClassicFan. Perhaps some could have shown more tact in their replies.
However, whenever you display your work online, you should be prepared for criticism. This forum (the Design and Graphics one) isn't really a place to advertise your new site. It is however, a place to get your work critiqued, talk about techniques, tools, skills, and other design-related topics.
Plus, developing a thick skin early on will help you in the long run.
Couple questions of my own regarding your concept:
Can you tell me why magenta is hypnotic? Why is cyan scandalous? Why aren't they reversed?
EDIT: I should learn to check for replies before hitting send.
Magenta could be scandalous as well but I felt that it was more hypnotic as it's a very bright, deep color. I chose cyan for scandalous as it's a very bold color, representing bold, yet sometimes provocative moves.
I'd like to see your updated versions with the fixed kerning.
As far as your critique-ers being too critical, get used to it, and be thankful for it. I go to a school where the kids are too afraid to critique harshly, and people just sit around and talk nicely about students' work even if it is total trash. It is only the students who seek advice from those who will give it honestly, and sometimes, bluntly, who end up going anywhere in our school.
As far as your critique-ers being too critical, get used to it, and be thankful for it. I go to a school where the kids are too afraid to critique harshly, and people just sit around and talk nicely about students' work even if it is total trash. It is only the students who seek advice from those who will give it honestly, and sometimes, bluntly, who end up going anywhere in our school.
I have nothing against criticism... it's just that some people word it so harshly. I like criticism when it's worded in a way that it's helpful but also questions the designers choices, but not in a harsh or blunt way. Like when people say, "It looks so flat!" I want to know why it looks flat and how I can improve it.
Hey,
If you're starting out and looking to learn, feedback and criticism is essential... You do need to get a much thicker skin.
As a couple of ideas, your stuff is fine, but all the critiques are fair- sorry. You say you "fixed" some things, care to post the revised drafts? Some people can post and come off as angry, but if you want to do this for a career you'll need to get used to this- bosses, clients and coworkers can and will be real ******s at times.
You need to learn more about grid systems and general layout-
-The kerning is all over the place- try to squint at the word and adjust the spacing until the word appears even
-the space above and to the left of the headlines is distracting, try a consistent margin
-the drawings can be tweaked and stylized a bit more- the line weights should be more consistent... squint at the cyan one- the "censored" sign is way too 'heavy'.
So, where are yellow and black?
If you're starting out and looking to learn, feedback and criticism is essential... You do need to get a much thicker skin.
As a couple of ideas, your stuff is fine, but all the critiques are fair- sorry. You say you "fixed" some things, care to post the revised drafts? Some people can post and come off as angry, but if you want to do this for a career you'll need to get used to this- bosses, clients and coworkers can and will be real ******s at times.
You need to learn more about grid systems and general layout-
-The kerning is all over the place- try to squint at the word and adjust the spacing until the word appears even
-the space above and to the left of the headlines is distracting, try a consistent margin
-the drawings can be tweaked and stylized a bit more- the line weights should be more consistent... squint at the cyan one- the "censored" sign is way too 'heavy'.
So, where are yellow and black?
Well it still reads:
MA GENT A
IS
HYPNO TIC
And why is the hypnotised woman(?) drooling semen from her mouth?
MA GENT A
IS
HYPNO TIC
And why is the hypnotised woman(?) drooling semen from her mouth?
ok you want a real critique.
Illustration:
Magenta: her eyes are too symetrical, and you should try to vary you line weight throughout the illustration. Seriously, if you aren't intending for her to look like she just orally pleasured a man, then you should do some damage control on that illustration. I honestly think that if you actually drew a pretty woman's face, with a sexy expression, you wouldn't need drool or whatever that is to make her look "hypnotic".
Cyan: the lazy eye doesn't look like it's "winking", everything is just too even. there is NO life to it, the breasts are too round, the hand has no motion to it, and your eye brows just look like round sticks floating about lifeless eyes. (sorry if that sounds harsh, but that's the best way i know how to say it.) One last thing out of curiosity, why use Myriad on the "censored" sign and helvetica everywhere else. that distracts me a lot. if you are going to use two different type faces, make them noticeably different or use a different style of the same one.
Type:
Still want to see it with the kerning fixed. work on the type some too, I love helvetica as much as the next person, but helvetica needs to be styled properly to look right. also, it looks like you are just using Helvetica..do you have Helvetica Neue? it's a much prettier typeface. Subtle changes went a long on that one. I think the way the type is layed out is fine, though i would think about the way it falls. Maybe mix up different weights and styles of Helvetica Neue to have some type of grid. Like Helvetica Neue 75 Bold on the Top, Helvetica Neue 53 Extended for the "IS" (so it is the same width as the "M" or "C", and Helvetica Neue 35 Thin so it's the same width as "IS". or something similar, i think really i'm just liking the idea that the type isn't all the same and that everything lines up with the first letter of the word at the top. Though have you tried something other than helvetica? i mean, even staying in the same type style, Akzidenz Grotesk, Univers, etc... are beautiful fonts that to me have a little more attitude to them.
Ok, pet peeve time:
don't use your age as an excuse. that's lame. either (A) own what you did and tell people that you see what they are saying, but in your gut you think it's the right creative decision, or (B) own up to it needing some work and not being perfect. your age has nothing to do with it. I don't care if you are 13, 25, or 75. The work has to be there. Take the criticism, learn from it, try to improve and move on. You seem to want people to give you a pass because you are 13, well i won't do it. if you want to be a "designer" you gotta know when it's good and that "good enough" is never really "good enough".
-je
Illustration:
Magenta: her eyes are too symetrical, and you should try to vary you line weight throughout the illustration. Seriously, if you aren't intending for her to look like she just orally pleasured a man, then you should do some damage control on that illustration. I honestly think that if you actually drew a pretty woman's face, with a sexy expression, you wouldn't need drool or whatever that is to make her look "hypnotic".
Cyan: the lazy eye doesn't look like it's "winking", everything is just too even. there is NO life to it, the breasts are too round, the hand has no motion to it, and your eye brows just look like round sticks floating about lifeless eyes. (sorry if that sounds harsh, but that's the best way i know how to say it.) One last thing out of curiosity, why use Myriad on the "censored" sign and helvetica everywhere else. that distracts me a lot. if you are going to use two different type faces, make them noticeably different or use a different style of the same one.
Type:
Still want to see it with the kerning fixed. work on the type some too, I love helvetica as much as the next person, but helvetica needs to be styled properly to look right. also, it looks like you are just using Helvetica..do you have Helvetica Neue? it's a much prettier typeface. Subtle changes went a long on that one. I think the way the type is layed out is fine, though i would think about the way it falls. Maybe mix up different weights and styles of Helvetica Neue to have some type of grid. Like Helvetica Neue 75 Bold on the Top, Helvetica Neue 53 Extended for the "IS" (so it is the same width as the "M" or "C", and Helvetica Neue 35 Thin so it's the same width as "IS". or something similar, i think really i'm just liking the idea that the type isn't all the same and that everything lines up with the first letter of the word at the top. Though have you tried something other than helvetica? i mean, even staying in the same type style, Akzidenz Grotesk, Univers, etc... are beautiful fonts that to me have a little more attitude to them.
Ok, pet peeve time:
don't use your age as an excuse. that's lame. either (A) own what you did and tell people that you see what they are saying, but in your gut you think it's the right creative decision, or (B) own up to it needing some work and not being perfect. your age has nothing to do with it. I don't care if you are 13, 25, or 75. The work has to be there. Take the criticism, learn from it, try to improve and move on. You seem to want people to give you a pass because you are 13, well i won't do it. if you want to be a "designer" you gotta know when it's good and that "good enough" is never really "good enough".
-je
Firstly, I guess you posted here for feedback so when you get it don't complain.
I agree with the poster above, the problem with the illustrations is the symmetry, the are very unnatural. If you say you want them to be like a drawing you're not hitting that mark because it looks like you've drawn one half of a face, duplicated it and then nudged them around a bit. There's no emotion in the drawings.
The drawings would probably work better if they were reduced to a detail: for the magenta one just lips, for cyan the winking eye.
I think you should try the type running across the top and down the right hand side. Also why not try bleeding off the type along one edge? You should also play with different weights of type. Using roman for everything doesn't give enough visual interest.
... and one last thing, sometimes if your hand kerning short words such as this it is much easier to do that with the type turned upside down. I take it you're using illustrator, so swivel it around – move the letters around - and then swivel it back.
I agree with the poster above, the problem with the illustrations is the symmetry, the are very unnatural. If you say you want them to be like a drawing you're not hitting that mark because it looks like you've drawn one half of a face, duplicated it and then nudged them around a bit. There's no emotion in the drawings.
The drawings would probably work better if they were reduced to a detail: for the magenta one just lips, for cyan the winking eye.
I think you should try the type running across the top and down the right hand side. Also why not try bleeding off the type along one edge? You should also play with different weights of type. Using roman for everything doesn't give enough visual interest.
... and one last thing, sometimes if your hand kerning short words such as this it is much easier to do that with the type turned upside down. I take it you're using illustrator, so swivel it around – move the letters around - and then swivel it back.