Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv

Graphic Designers work together with the client to create a logo that captures the idea they want to show in a few letters or in an image. There are so many logos out there but there are only a few that work well and are well known. The designers Ivan Chermayeff and Tom Geismar are great designers and one of the few designers that have accomplished many well-known logos. They have a firm in New York called Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv; Sagi Haviv became their partner in 2003. Some of the logos they have done are for Chase, MOCA, Mobil, PBS, Showtime, NBC, and many more.

The logo that stood out to me was the MOCA because it creative and interesting. Though its just geometric shapes it has meaning in this case they are the foundation of the letters. In Typography when you work on the letter M you use the square to help you design the letter. The same thing applies for the letter A which is the triangle and the O which is circular. As you can tell you can make a comparison between the shapes and letters. The C is the only one without a shape in the design because you already have the O. The letter C and the letter O resemble each other which is why they might have chosen not to give it a shape like the others. It would not work as well as it is now and it would not make much sense either. As it is now works really well and it is inventive that they used the base of the letters to make the logo for the museum. It also goes really well with it because the museum is called Museum of Contemporary Art which is where they have current pieces of art. The logo is modern, creative, and most of all recognizable. 

Google Glasses!

 Google glasses also known as project glass was first announced around April 2012. Though the prototype was created in 2011 and it weighed about 8 pounds. The current ones weigh much less which are the ones that started in April 2013 and are priced around $1,500. There are only certain people that qualify for this product which are called Glass Explorers.  Google has to invite you in order for you to get one of these glasses or has to approve you. The reason behind this is that Google wants to target developers first so they can help develop the idea more. In May 2014 they broaden a bit more by allowing residents of the US and UK 18 years and older to become a member of the Explorers. They do shipping but prefer that they go to one of the Google offices in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and in the London for UK residents.

The glasses work like a mobile device but on your head with a small screen placed on the right side. The lenses are separate and it is extra cost to put in a certain lens. In order for this device to work it would need to connect to Wi-Fi or via Bluetooth. It can work with any android device.  It has a touch pad on the right side, has the camera in front which is on the right side, and works with voice commands. The idea itself is a great idea the design itself not so much. Having a small screen only on the right side seems dangerous because the person is focused mostly on that side not paying attention to their surroundings.  Also everything seems to be focused on the right side having it stand out more. A suggestion would be to come up with an idea where the system of the glasses is not only on the right but on the whole design like going around the front to the left side. To find a way for the system to blend in with the design so that it can have a good surface and work well. This is just a prototype so Google stopped producing them as of this month but will continue to develop the idea so we just have to wait and see if they fix the design and issues.

Eco-Friendly

 There are many types of water bottles but not many that are eco-friendly such as Niagara drinking water. They have designed many sizes starting from 8oz up to 1 gallon, but the most popular item is the 16.9oz bottle. The reason for that is because it reduced its use of plastic by 60% making it 100% recyclable. They call it the Eco-Air Bottle which has received some awards such as the Southern California Edison and Water Innovation Award. By doing this it is helping reduce the carbon dioxide emission, which helps us and our environment. The idea is great but I would suggest in improving their label there is too much going on in the front. They have the name brand, the day it was established, shows that its echo-air, has a phrase, and states that it is purified drinking water. It would be better if they could remove purified drinking water and est.1963 to the back of the label if they want people to know that information. The phrase stated is a good idea so it’s fine in the front but they could enlarge a bit more. That way they can focus on the name of the product and emphasize that is an eco- friendly product.

Dollar Tree

There are many dollar and less stores all over the world but there is one that owns a big chain of dollar stores which is the Dollar Tree. They started off around the 1950’s in Virginia and gradually began to expanded their store into many parts of the US and Canada. Like many other discount stores it offers a variety of products such as household, school related, food and many other inexpensive products. The logo represents well what there store is about. The logo is a simple tree with the number one being the trunk. Instead of having leaves they have two directions of lines one going all across and the other stopping below that one.  The lines are also kept within this circular design which could represent unity or cents meaning savings. Overall the logo represents money and it caught my attention the way they emphasize on the 1 more which is what their store is about, helping people find what they need by saving them some money.

Big Belly Bin!

Trash cans are placed everywhere to keep our streets, parks, beaches, and other public locations clean. The trash cans that are public are circular with no lid, which causes trash to over pile and fall to the ground. This is a big issue because the trash that falls just ends up everywhere on the ground creating a bigger mess. It also attracts animals and insects making it an unpleasant area to be around. Not that we want to be around trash cans but it affects the parks, beaches, and other outdoor areas. 

There is a company called Big Belly Solar that came up with a solution. In 2003 they created a trash bin that has a trash compactor. The Big Belly Bin can take 5 times the capacity of a regular trash can because of the compactor inside. It has a sensor beam that lets it know it is time to compress the trash to fit more. When it is full it sends a sensor indicating that it needs to be emptied out.

The design does not take up space because it is about the same size as a regular trash can. Its material is made out rubber and is solar powered making it a bit more eco-friendly.  The purpose of this product is to save time and fuel keeping the garbage trucks out of the city. That way trucks lower the consumption of fossil fuel and contribute to reduce the pollution in the cities. It also was designed to keep our streets and parks clean. There are only a few places that have them for instance Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and some parts of California such as Ventura and Oakland.  I have seen two in Los Angeles, CA mainly in downtown LA. This idea is great and works, it is helping our environment and we just need to do our part and use it. 

Gorilla Glue

 There are many types of glues but not many like this. It is called Gorilla Glue it is used for wood, stone, metal, ceramics, and much more. It is very easy to use, one simply makes sure that where it is going to be applied is dry and then just apply it on. As stated on the front of the bottle it turns white when it is dry. The front of the bottle has a gorilla holding the products name using the colors yellow, brown, and orange. It goes well with the product because the gorilla represents strength showing that this glue is strong and trying to tell the consumers that it works. The label also states right away what it does and has great and useful information to grab customers’ attention.

    This product is used by many people because it is simple to use with little or no mess. I have used this product for an art class where we worked with wood and metal. The product turns white and expands as it dries, which is why when used you only apply a bit. The problem is that when I used it on MDF wood or Medium-density fiberboard it did not work well. The glue would not hold the pieces of wood together even though I left it to dry for a whole day. Aside from that I have used this on plastic and it worked really well. Therefore it does work but not on all the products it stated. It would be good if the product stated on the front the specific type of material it can be used on. If not that then state that it only works on specific type of material and state them on the back of the label. This would help the product sell more because the consumers will know with detail where they can use it on.

3D Printing!

  

  There are many printers but not many like these 3D printers.  We always think about the changes and advancements technology will develop. This is one of the amazing technologies that show us that the future has great possibilities.  For these printers the idea might seem knew but in actuality they were developing in the 1980’s. The idea was by Chuck Hull who developed stereo lithography which is a process where one is able to print solid figures. This is able to work with something called additive process which is a method that allows an object to be created by polymer and ultraviolet lasers, creating layers of materials to build one at a time. By using this information and new technology they were able to create these processes of printing.

    In order to have the 3D object printed it first has to be created or transferred into a programming of 3D modeling.  From there it takes a couple of hours to be processed into the object desired. The first printers started off with plastic as the material, most basic 3D printers still use it but others gradually have made it to work with about 20 different materials. Some of the materials are powder of metal, plastic, ceramic, and glass. There is also this type of liquid that helps to develop this cross section pattern and then hardens to create the design. The good thing about this is that with material chosen it is able to become any shape imaginable. These printers are also like regular printers there are different brands and functions to them so it depends on the 3D printer used that determines what material can be used.

    This design was originally invented for engineers to build prototypes for their designs in a more convenient way. That idea has changed into something bigger now; it has been used in just about everything. They are starting to use it for clothing, accessories, industrial design, space, military, food and even in the medical field. The medical field is starting to use it to create organs, help skin growth, prosthetics and many more things that can help many sick or injured people and make a great impact on many lives. The possibilities are endless with this product one has the power to create anything. They do range about $300 to approximately $200,000. There are some places that offer these services such as Staples, UPS, and other locations. This product is great for the industry and also for the consumers it is a glimpse of what to except for the future.

TRESemmé hair product

This is one of many hair products by TRESemmé. It is distributed by Unilever a company founded in 1930 in the United Kingdom. The product is intended for people who have unmanageable hair and wish to have workable hair. This product helps to manage frizzy and dry hair, making your hair nice and smooth. The front of the bottle states that it lasts up to 48 hours and illuminates shine. The product itself is really great it does help your to be smoother such as one would have it when it is straightened. Also has a pump at the top to control how much to pour in your hand that way you won’t apply to much.  The down side to this product is the front label of the bottle. The color choice for the text is hard to read due to the text being so light. It also has a reflection and blends with the liquid inside. Especially the text on the bottom left you cannot really see what it says. It would be better if they had gone with a darker color such as a dark red close to a muted color. They could even keep the same hue just trying making it darker so it could be visible. Aside from the color the text at the bottom left does not really have to be there. It is already stated at the top which says Keratin Smooth; therefore there is no need to state the same thing again. Instead they should remove that and make the text that says helps eliminate frizz and illuminates shine a bit bigger to show the main function of the product. By doing so it will make the font easy to read and will also grabs the consumers’ attention.