The Effects of the Pandemic

     

 Our lives now.

      

                  Recently, I've been seeing ads on TV, in papers, and online where it feels like the pandemic of Covid-19 must be addressed in some fashion. Commercials for restaurants which urge you to stay home; pictures of auto-shop workers in cloth masks; political campaigns where one side blamed the other for the problems of the virus. It's a bit hard to believe that a 30 day shut-down has escalated so much into our lives that it feels normal. This has me thinking about how much the design philosophy has changed to reflect current events. I then realized however that this isn't the first time we've had to change it.

               Think back to the early days, let's say the first two World Wars, where propaganda against the enemy and support for our countries was through the roof. We were in an era of change, where we couldn't do things the way we used to and had no idea when we could go back. There had to be rationing of  foods and gas, new laws made, and even deals struck that created products in their form today. For example, the Twinkie used to have banana cream before we had to ration bananas out. Now think about anything today that could be affected by the pandemic in such a way.

Images from allthatsinteresting.com

                    I can already imagine food delivery becoming more popular after this is over.  There is also the fact people could want more focus on vaccinations for future viruses. So many things that have changed, so we need to find a way to design with it. Create logos for special masks, advertise new hand sanitizers, etc. I'm sure that as long as we stay in things, it will be alright. With that said, thank you again for reading, and stay tuned.

Hidden Details

               In this sentence, i have hidden something. I won't tell you what it is, but I think you'll notice it if you have a good eye. That is sort of what this blog post will be about, just an appreciation of hidden details on media. Many designers and writers tend to do this as a way to have fun, test the audience, or just to build something up. These details can range from obvious like the A to Z smile in the Amazon Logo, to secretive  like the arrow on the FedEx logo. Both have a special meaning that you could understand if you look closely.

Images property of respective brands.

            So, why is it that hidden details seem so fun? I like to imagine it has to do with the feeling of accomplishment. As if you were able to insert or find something new about whatever you looked at. It could also be pretty embarrassing though, as it you just noticed it, and conclude what you saw should never have been in. Now I am not going to make an example of this, for the sake of protecting other designers. That being said, I think we all know something like this.

            Keeping what I said in mind, I hope you all pay more attention to details in any work, be it yours or not. Stay on the look out for what's in plain sight, and thank you for reading. Hopefully you found the detail I hid in the first sentence. With that said, comment below your thoughts, share this blog, and tell me if you liked it or not. As always my valued readers, stay tuned!

Basic English

             It's time for another class my readers. This month is all about Basic English, and getting better at writing. The good news here is that hopefully not only will I become a better writer, but also that I'll get better at communication. One area I struggle with is putting myself out there, and my main goal with this class is that I'll be able to spin words into something that helps advertise me better. Another area it will help me improve in is getting me better at narrative telling. I always wanted to tell more stories here, and hopefully soon I will be able to. Having a story that helps show my creative side will do wonders for me if I can get it done.

 Front Page of my Basic English class

                As I continue on in this class though, I'm sure some of you have noticed that I'm starting to switch to a bi-weekly format. This is because with my new job and school, I need to remove stress and not do these as much. I promise to get them out when if I have a free week, I just want to become committed to doing them on a different schedule. Make no mistake though, I'm not giving up on this any time soon, as I'm still committed to a job well done! This relates to the class as I once again plan on doing good in it, and keeping my future goals open.