Starbucks – This colour scheme is very on brand, it features elements of the recognisable forrest green, with white, black and grey for the background and content. This green does well with being associated natual, healthy and fresh ingrediants. The pallete for this website is rather muted as the green is the notably the only pop of colour, this portrays a more sophisticated product ranges allowing the company to set their products at a higher price point, further solidifiying the consumer perception of the brand.
Bunsik – The colour scheme of this website perfectly matches what the business produces, hotdogs. The light red heading, line breaks and links helps the user relate the website back to the warm, spicy yet sweet south-korean streetfood for which the brand is known for. The colour scheme also features another warm colour, a dark yellow which can be linked to the ingrediants and condiments of the snack, mustard, corn, potato and cheese. I think this colour scheme is perfect for the brand as the pallete is warm and reminds visitors of the physical product.
Morgan Lewis – As expected of a global law firm, the chosen colour scheme revoles around one ‘pop’ of colour, purple. As purple is often assosciated with nonility, luxury and power, purple is the perfect colour for a global law firm who only take on clients and cases that will yeild above a certain threshold. The purple pallete can be seen accross their pages with different saturations and hues, only matched with black or white. Like with Starbucks the clean black and white body of the page helps establish the website as sophisticated with the purple adding luxury.
BeautyBay – I like this typography because its bold yet sleek. It’s easy to read and portrays a clean and fresh look, which goes well with the brand being a cosmetic retailer selling the newest and on-trend beauty products. I’m also drawn to this typography because of it’s striking resemblence to bahnschrift, a personal favourite of mine.
Nando’s – I think this is great typography becuase it evokes a sense of exotic culture, remiding you of bursts of spice and flavour as well as rich portugese culture. The design features uneven edges, curls and small lowercase letters which I feel gives off a warm, friendly and makes the reader feel welcome.
Club Penguin – This typography riddles me with nostaglia, hours and hours playing this game now gives me an apprection for the typography used across the site. As modern minimalism takes over companies and brands that stood out in the early 2000’s, club penguin somewhat remains true to it’s milleniall roots. The type features chunky, rounded letters portraying a fun, child-friendly amd exciting aesthetic. The heading also features a both a gradient and two-tone fill colour which streches across the word club, I believe this to be a staple of graphic design 20 years ago and think that it perfectly captures the essence of a childrens game where the more colour, the more engaing the website is.
Good design is more than aesthetics and visuals, good design is a concept that has been forged over a long period of time covering all bases. Good design is achieved with something that not only is innovative but gets the job done in the most effective way. The concept of good design may be considered subjective because what may be functional or innovative to some may not considered as much to others. Below, I have showcased three products which I would consider having been well designed.
Jewellery box
This jewellery box was hand crafted in Morocco by a local skilled woodworker. The entire piece is crafted with wood and features two metal hinges concealed within the centre of the box. This box was designed with a puzzle element to it, which is a popular gimmick in markets in Asia, it opens by twist the lid rather than pulling the lid upwards as you’d expect. Personally, the puzzle element is what drew my attention to this piece as I appreciate the innovation and the geometric shapes it presents once opened. Not only did I like the gimmick, but I also admired the fact that the hinged were concealed and every component fits quite flush, hiding any mechanisms from the user. For me, two small compartments are perfect to fit rings, which I why I needed the box, therefore this jewellery box fulfilled my need as a customer.
Crocs
Crocs, the gen z/ millennial equivalent of marmite, either you love them or hate them. The design is this object seems simple to me, the entire shoe is constructed from CrosliteTM, a resin material that makes you feel like you’re walking on clouds. Personally, crocs are extremely versatile, a few years back you could only get away with wearing them in the house, now that they’re a trending fashion item, you can feel free to wear them at home, to the shops, and even when out with friends without extensive judgment. The croc features a strap which can be moved to suit the position you desire, often referred to as casual mode and sports mode (perfect for driving in). The crocs also feature a number of holes around the front of the shoe, promoting breathability allowing the user to feel comfortable when wearing the shoe. The shape of the croc presents a wide and curvy aesthetic, an iconic design for the brand but more importantly it’s a design that offers good spacing, further making it a comfortable fit. Crocs are available in a wide range of colours and have been known to pick up collaborations with some of the most unexpected brands from McDonalds to Balenciaga.
Car boot storage
This storage box has been designed for use in a car boot, it’s a storage box that I used daily and believe to be a good design. The box arrives flat packed and has Velcro edges which are used to connect to one another in order to build the structure of the box. I think that this feature helps prevent wear and tear, because if the box came ready built, after some usage I think that the edges and corners of the box would probably wear down and ruin the structural integrity of it. The box also features a handle located on the lid, allowing the user to easily move it around the boot and also pick up and take out. The size of the box is ergonomic for me as it fits inside the small space in the boot but can also house plenty of essential items like groceries, sports equipment and even items for a beach trip. The black leather and red stitching works well with the interior of my car which features both red and black on the seating and dashboard.