Design Opinions

[Tuxedo Mask]

Hey all you artistic and creative Iwakuans out there!

So the reason for this post was that I need all of ya'lls opinions on a design for a flyer I'm making for the Denver blues dance scene. It's a contest in which if I win I get to go to a sweet blues dance event for free!

So please give me your critiques!

(I ask that the critique is on the overall design not the nit picky details please, though you can add those too :]] )

 

[Diana]

I like it! Very sweet! My only critique is that it took me a moment to realize that was the silhouette of a dancing couple. XD I don't think the shape is well defined... otherwise I love the design style!

 

[Pirogeth]

Yeah same here, like the design. My minor critique is on the margins between the words and the rain lines. Make it a slight bit easier to read.

 

[Kooriryu]

Hokay, granted I'm the illustrator and my sister's the graphic designer and she has stressed many, many times that illustrators do not have the right mindset when approaching graphic design-- but shit, it's not like I didn't pick up a few things.

Piro's right on the space between the text and the rain lines. You're going to want more space because the eye wants to read the text but the rain lines effectively pull the viewer's eye to the lower right corner of this poster. If I had to suggest a fix, either have the rain stop in the middle or a little above the middle mark of the length of the poster and have the text at the bottom so the rain lines pulls the eye down the poster and gives the viewer the chance to process the information on it. You could either keep everything very solid, or have the rain lines slowly become transparent the closer they get to the middle mark-- what's more important? The text or the the fact that there's rain coming out of the gray clouds?

The dancing couple is a very nice touch but I'm with Diana, the couple should either be an entirely different shade (darker, I think would work nicely) and maybe have them off to the right side since that's where the rain is falling. But you know, having the rain fall with a softer incline would have the same effect and wouldn't be such a drastic element to your design. It's understood that gray clouds have rain and that the rain will be falling on these dancers and be very "Dancing in the Rain". The point of graphic design is to convey a message with eye-catching visuals but not have them be -so- interesting that they detract from the message. It's a hard thing to balance... which is why I went for illustration. :D

Now for the typography part of the design. I'd advise playing with font sizes. Everything is the same font, the same size... kind of bores the eye to the point where the viewer opts to concentrate on the rain and completely forgets whatever it is being advertised. Since the cloud, rain and couple is simplistic I'd keep the fonts the same but in order to catch the eye and keep it on the text long enough for the viewer to ask whether or not they'd like to go dance to Blues music.

Don't get ridiculous with the font sizes for all the text, just remember to account for the where, when and other pertinent contact information. And looking at it, that is a LOT of information to read. So the two options I see is either have the words that talk about the subject matter and use the art to lead the eye to seeing the information that covers the exciting words in big font or your other option is to find a way to reword everything to be more "compact".

And I think the best piece of advice my sister can EVER give in regards to graphic design is thus and I quote her verbatim:

"Papyrus font fucking sucks, don't EVER use it. No graphic designer who knows their shit uses 'papyrus.'"

 

[Tuxedo Mask]

Thanks Diana and Piro! :]] Those were as you said minor and I would get around to fixing them later I just was done trying to fix little stuff.

Koo all of your points are valid and I did consider many of them while I was designing the flyer as I've taken design schooling. You are certainly very insightful and have without a doubt picked up a few things for sure.

As for your first critique the only problem with stopping the rain midway is then the poster isn't balanced. You will have all this activity on the top half of the poster and then nothing on the bottom half it just doesn't work ://

For the second critique I didn't really play with a softer incline, I will most certainly do so as it may lead the eye more downward then to the down right. I was hesitant to even use a couple at first because they are used so often in blues dancing poster designs. I caved and finally used one in hopes I could convey them through negative space but alas you may be right in having to make them a darker shade. As we do want to attract those you haven't danced before and they all won't pick up on it.

As for the typography is all boils down to hierarchy. All of the information below the title is of the same importance so I find it difficult to increase one font size over the other. As for the amount of information on the poster thankfully that isn't as important as the design in the long run. I say this because in the original info she didn't include the prices, which I would want to know if I saw a flyer. However there is always room to compact it.

Just because here is an extreme example of terrible:

Spoiler

I mean churches are just terrible at this sort of thing, haha.

Haha your sister sounds like a party. She certainly knows what she is talking about. You should totally show her this comic if she hasn't already seen it. As I truly hate papyrus as well. It's freaking everywhere.

Spoiler

Thanks for your critique mate it's really appreciated!