Prada shoe 2012

The new Prada shoes in 2012 inspired by the 50's Cadillac style...

Who already thought that a fashion designer will one day be inspired by a car design!

Levi's Ad

Analysis of the image:
-Hierarchy--> the first visual attention is the two persons in the middle of the picture. Then, the red known logo of Levi's is noticeable.

-Balance--> the picture is balanced, and the two persons form a symmetry. It really creates an equal distribution of visual weight.

-Proximity--> the proximity between elements is respected. In fact, we can distinguish between the text, the two bodies that form one entity and the logo.

-Repetition--> There is a repetition in the text. In fact, we can see in the left the part that concern the guy and on the right side (at the same level) the part that concern the girl.

-Scale--> The scale is respected for the most important element of the picture (the two persons)

-Contrast and Colors--> the colors are very basic. The most attracting color is the logo, and it is on the top right corner in a small size. The contrast of the blue jean on a white/cream background emphasize the important of the product.

Why did I choose this image:
First, when I saw the image I thought that it was one body, then when I clicked on it to enlarge it I understood that it was two bodies that form one entity. It reminds me the advertisements of Calvin Klein that always use sexual attraction in their ads. According to an article that I have read on Abercrombie and Calvin Klein, those types of ads are called "sexvertising".

Interesting article on Facebook

A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule.

A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk.

A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.

The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. 

Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the top musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written,with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.

Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats average $100.

This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station 

was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty?

Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?

One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?

Design analysis:

1) The guy is the first visual attraction because it is recognizable. Then, we can see the smoke that forms a gun. So, the hierarchy of this picture is good because we first focus on the guy, and then there is a continuity with the smoke in order to keep our attention.

2) The picture is shared into two parts. The part in the left is occupied by the guy and the other part in the right by the smoke. So, we can say that there is a good balance because there is an equal distribution of visual weight.

3) The two elements are well separated, so there is a proximity.

4) The smoke creates a rhythm in the picture

5) Concerning the scale of the elements, they have relatively the same size, so they have the same importance.

6) The colors are "black and white" which create a good contrast. Those colors create also a melancholy.