Author: Connie H.

Mustang – Go Further, In Reverse

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Ford created some ad campaigns several years ago at the same time they were set to release a redesign of one of it’s most popular cars several years ago. This was one of those campaigns. It featured a bold splash of color as the background and the car, in this case the Ford Mustang, prominently featured on the page or billboard. Very little else was actually stated in the ad other than the words, “Go Further”, somewhere on the page. The idea being to accent the car itself in a bold way. While I was able to find this ad, as well as others within this campaign, in use by car dealerships, I wasn’t able to find a link to the original ad or information about the designer. This ad, in it’s simplicity has to speak to a certain audience. So, how does it do that? Repetition & Typography There are two things you notice first in the ad. One is the car. It is the subject of the ad and the star. Right behind …

What’s in a Design? – Double Page Magazine Spread

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Just as with ads, how an article is designed conveys a message and draws the eye of the reader. The use of typography, the type of photos as well as their placement create a mood and communicate ideas. Typography The above double page spread utilizes typography in three different ways. The first is the the most noticeable. The title, done in a bold sans serif all caps font. In fact, except for some extremely slight deviation in the letter “R”, every letter in the title is without decoration and it is presented in black. It creates a strong statement taking up almost the entire third of the page opposite the photograph. The choices for the sub-heading are the second choice . In this case it is set above the main title, the text is smaller than the title and a serif font is used. The third option on the page is in the caption. They use a san serif font. The font size is a little smaller than the sub-heading, but it is a red …

“Design with Communication in Mind”

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Coke has been around for a long time and so have their ads. The shape of the bottle, the swish in the type, the color of their logo are all the things they used from the beginning to set their unique brand so that you instantly knew what drink you would want even if you couldn’t read anything in the ad. In this ad from 1947 their iconic emblem is traveling from the futuristic factory right into your hand. The ad is all about communicating to you that you can trust Coke to be a quality drink all the time and you want one. So what principles are they using to do that? Repetition, Proximity & Alignment Anything in a design can be repeated to add emphasis. It can be a: word object ruled line color etc. In this ad the bottle is the main element repeated. At the time it was the iconic shape associated with their drink and they wanted it instantly recognizable. Other design elements are used with the repeating bottle. They’ve …

Summer Walkabouts : Arlington Cemetary

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Summer has been busy here.  We’ve had family visiting from other places, gone to visit family ourselves, and had a wedding reception.  Most of that was within one month!  It’s been a great summer! We took an opportunity when family was visiting to go with them to some of the sights nearby.  One place we visited was Arlington Cemetary.   The view of Washington, DC from Kennedy’s tomb is spectacular. We also went to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.   And saw the changing of the guard.  It was 95 degrees that day.  Not including the heat index.     There is someone guarding the tomb 24 hours a day / 7 days a week, rain, sleet, snow or sun.  The qualifications for the assignment are intense and those that receive it, take it very seriously.   We didn’t complain about the heat.  

Street Art : Via Colori

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Via Colori is of my favorite events each year in Downtown Fredericksburg.  They block off Sophia and Charlotte Streets and artists from around the area are given a section for a fee to draw with pastels on the pavement. The fees go to benefit The Grace Oughton Cancer Foundation. They have some excellent programs for families of pediatric cancer patients in the Fredericksburg area. I LOVE this event!  I think the process is fascinating and the colors simply leap off the pavement. There are artists of every age.     On of the featured artists, Iryna Hamill.  The attention to detail is amazing.   She was rather gleeful that her character looked “slightly off his rocker”.       Art with a message.           You can see some of the finished art on the Via Colori-Fredericksburg Facebook Page.   With all of that creativity I didn’t even care that it was hot.  

Photochallenge : Animals

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I spend my life surrounded by animals.  With 3 labs, a couple of whom are around 100 lbs.,  it’s difficult not to be.  Dogs everywhere.  And when it starts to warm up for the summer one place you can find Jackson is lying on top of the vent.   If his tongue is sticking out, then he’s really OUT! However, if the dogs then go to get up and get up too quickly, turn their head or ….. Whatever it is they do, then their tags will get stuck in the vent. Then they end up wearing the vent like giant bling.       Sometimes they need to be rescued (like Maggie did here).  Others, they figure it out on their own.  We have come home to vents in strange locations.  

Spotsylvania : Wilderness Battlefield

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Fredericksburg and the surrounding area saw some of the worst battles during The Civil War.  The Civil War, like any war, is about more than one thing.  It’s complicated and messy.  At times brutal, others inspiring.  There was good and bad on both sides.  It was sad note in our history. The Wilderness Battlefield was the site of the beginning of General Grants Overland Campaign.  Nearly 30,000 soldiers died during a battle that lasted 3 days and it led to another battle a few miles away at Spotsylvania Courthouse where another 30,000 would die.  The Battle of Wilderness is the 4th deadliest battle of The Civil War. Whenever I visit it’s impossible not to imagine them walking across the fields             And wonder how they felt.    

Photochallenge : Falling Water

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Let’s say you decide for a “Falling Water” prompt you decide to take a picture of the local river.  You even know where there’s a small waterfall.  Perfect.  And you have about 45 minutes between appointments, it’s plenty of time, because this spot is on the way.  Of course, this means, you’re wearing your regular, everyday clothes and shoes.  No problem.  You’ll be fine, right? If you were me, you might make it down the hill, just fine.  You’ll make it most of the way out on the rocks, just fine.  But this is when that little voice pipes up and says something about how it’s NOT a good idea to take that next step and falling in the water.  If you were me though, you’d ignore that voice.     And slip and fall in the river.  That voice is always right!