This week we were tasked with a design blitz, the sequel to the ever popular photo blitz. I luckily went to the grocery store this past weekend, which gave me the perfect material to snap. There were ads, signage in the store and products that all had unique designs and elements that exhibited good design. For the design elements that I couldn’t capture in the grocery store, I used signs from the area or products I’d seen before. Let’s jump right into the analyzation! Note: I consolidated my pictures into one post so you can see the full collection HERE, but I will be posting screenshots of each individual example.
For alignment, I found this ad for positions at Wegmans. I’m a perfectionist and stickler for things being evenly spaced and in line so this sticker design passed my approval test. The text, as well as the graphic, is lined up nicely and with good spacing. I actually like the color scheme as well so that’s what caught my eye originally.
Next up is this sushi sign for hierarchy. When I saw this sign, I was in a car so I made my dad go back around and drive by again because I knew the simple design of this neon sign checked off some boxes of the 8 elements. I chose this sign to demonstrate hierarchy because it’s simple and stresses the SUSHI part so there’s no mistaking what you’re getting there. For those who want to eat sushi, it’ll get your attention and you’ll know you can come in for it right away. I also just love neon signs in general so I had to include it.
Contrast was difficult for me to find but I eventually settled on this sign that I captured in New York. It’s the most basic of contrasts: bright white text on a black background, but it works.
Also on my grocery journey, I found this bag of candy. The design was appealing to me in general so I snapped a picture to look at it more closely later. There are examples of a few elements here but one I zoned in on was repetition. There’s a cohesive theme throughout and even the company’s logo matches the color scheme of the candy name. Everything blends together white and peach colors/images which leaves you with a lasting idea of the candy’s brand.
This sign in the meat section caught my eye because the layout closely resembled the example Adobe used for proximity. It has a lot of the same impact and intention. Different “sections” of the sign give you different information and it’s visually coded so each piece of information is separate but cohesive together. You can understand what deal you’re getting easily by following the visual cues of the design. Bonus: it has that classic yellow and red color scheme of food products to draw you in and make you hungry.
Balance was difficult for me to understand without a visual example but I think this simple wine label manages to accomplish it. The design flows nicely, uses color in an understated way and is not overcrowded. The text fits together and has fonts that don’t clash or overwhelm the each other.
For the element of color, I chose this cute can of Hello Kitty green tea. The first thing I noticed was the correspondence between the product (green tea) and the color (green). Doesn’t get more blatant than that! But there is also a blend of color throughout the whole design. Colors of the company logo like blue, white and red, are bought down into the major image on the can to make a drink that is pleasing to the eye and understandable.
Finally, I found this yogurt that played around with white space. The space is quite literally white but it also contributes to the brand’s tag line of “simple ingredients”. The design is just as simple to imply an almost home grown, trustworthy brand. The white space allows shoppers like me to zone in on where the colors and images are which makes us more interested in the actual product.
I went at this with a marketing centered viewpoint but I think the elements of design can be expanded to any area of work. It all comes down to what you want your design to say and by playing around with focuses on each of the elements, you can achieve any kind of goal for communicating a message.
