April 4th, International Day for Mine Awareness: Colombian Campaign

Posted on April 4, 2011 by Hernan

I was instantly hooked with this campaign after one of my Facebook friends posted the above video on her wall. Sure, 97% of the people depicted on it are Colombian celebrities, and there may not be anything unusual or fresh about that, but the connection between that guitar riff in combination to their facial expressions really made a strong impact on me, and when I come to think of the reason why, I realize it’s probably because the way the message is transmitted. It’s always very engaging to see a very serious topic being addressed in a serene; almost friendly, fashion.

The video was a great call to action, it made me want to visit their website and learn more. Once in their website, I continued being impressed with its hybrid layout, and color treatment, but above all, I really enjoyed the experience. On their website, visitors are encouraged to upload their pictures and videos supporting the cause. Visitors can also download avatars they can use to post on their profiles in social media sites; being a Beatles Fan, I couldn’t help downloading one with a very fun version of their Abbey Road Album cover and tweak it my way.

The UN General Assembly has declared April 4th, the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action. Events are planned around the world to raise awareness about landmines and progress toward their eradication. - un.org

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Me encanto esta campaña que una amiga en Facebook puso en su muro. Aunque a primera vista quizás no tenga nada inusual (Ya que la practica de ver celebridades en un video de tipo social se ha vuelto recurrente), creo que el merito estético de este vídeo se encuentra en los contrastes de la serenidad que transmite la música con la expresión facial de las personas retratadas en el mismo. Me parece que esta campaña es un buen ejemplo de que cada vez que un tema bastante serio se transmite con una metódica abundante en serenidad, el mensaje puede llegar con excelente proyección e impacto.
Obviamente, el video sirvio de enganche para visitar remangate.org, y saber mas sobre la campaña. Me gusto la estetica del portal; su formato híbrido en contraste con la gama de tonalidades sepia, pero sobretodo, me gusto la experiencia que recibí porque invita al publico a sentirse participativo al ver que pueden subir sus fotos y videos promoviendo la causa.

Vulnerable, Yet Strong

Posted on January 5, 2010 by Hernan

I love it when a design solution seems too obvious but then it isn’t. Take a look at this album’s title for instance, the phrase “Y Not” seems vulnerable and small, and yet it demands our complete attention by being in complete power, all thanks to the surrounding negative space framing it! …A clear sample that shows how bigger is not always better.

Light Fiction: Vintage Novel Covers

Posted on September 24, 2009 by Hernan

Mills & Boom, an English publisher, have been famous for the publication of romance novels since the early 1900s. Their business began to take shape just about the same time when the need for book jacket design was becoming more popular. Like other publishers, Mills & Boom standardized their packaging design in order to stabilize and promote their brand. Through a book cover, publishers can target a particular audience or specify a particular literary genre.
Here are some of my favorites, each one of these was created in the 60s, I particularly found it interesting how these book covers not only resemble movie posters, but also movie stars of the time.

iphone Paper Stand

Posted on September 18, 2009 by Hernan

Personally, I don’t see what’s the big hype over smart phone these days. Sure, they’re a great commodity, but having so much available at the reach of our finger tips can have its downside as well. For instance, is it really that hard waiting to get home and read your email? Isn’t it logical to keep certain things to yourself and your attention focused on the road while driving? In some respects, I feel that smart phones are a trap more than a service, a new necessity that has been imposed over people from the conglomerate simply to generate more revenue. But that’s just me…Anyway, for those of you who have an iphone and also a creative bone in your body, I thought you’d find it cool to download this template and create your own dock station!

>>Click here to learn more and get your template!

Soothing Graphics

Posted on August 29, 2009 by Hernan

Here’s a quick selection from Relaxing Graphics (…), a publication from Pie books cataloging some really innovative samples of Food and Beauty Packaging, Home Furnishings and Logo Design produced over the past few years. With this book, we learn how brands position themselves as environmental friendly and trust worthy. For instance, the food and beverage industry makes more emphasis on Safety through warm, neutral tones. (as shown above). Cosmetics and Fashion products, along with Home Appliances, have transformed the idea of luxury where humans are shown comfortably interconnected with nature.

Abbey Road Album Cover:
It Was Fourty Years Ago Today

Posted on August 8, 2009 by Hernan

To continue with the Beatles, I realize most major news agencies are reporting on the 40th anniversary of their Abbey Road photo shoot. Here’s a direct quote from
The Seoul Times describing the creative process. I have also included additional links referring to the magnitude of this event and even an interesting myth surrounding this legendary album cover.

“Paul McCartney has given a sketch to the photographer Iain Macmillan. It shows what appears to be an aerial view of the road and the crossing – a suggestion, using dots, that the four Beatles can be photographed walking symmetrically across the crossing.
As the morning progresses the four Beatles make their way to the recording studios. Recording usually starts at about two in the afternoon- often going into the early morning. The photo shoot will happen earlier. There will be less people on the street, less likelihood of fans disturbing events.
The Beatles have been holed up in the recording studio for weeks . It has been a busy week. They have been working diligently. A quick photo shoot will solve the problem of the album cover, allowing them to enjoy some free time before returning to the studios.
Iain Macmillan is a friend of John Lennon’s and Yoko Ono’s and is a professional photographer who has been pulled quickly into the photo session. He has been responsible for photographing the catalogue to a recent Yoko Ono exhibition.
He arrives with a step ladder, late in the morning, and with some assistance from police, begins to direct the Beatles in a series of six photographs, one that will become the famous album cover.
In a couple of photographs the Beatles walk from both directions and are out of step. Cars turn into frame and there is one photograph of a London bus moving towards the crossing. Paul McCartney removes his shoes for four photographs. The day is getting warmer. In the fifth photograph there is nice symmetry. This will be the photo chosen for the front cover”.

It Was 40 years Ago Today, NY Times

turnmeondeadman.com: Is Paul Dead?

theseoultimes.com: A Simple Walk

The Beatles: Remastered Music Packaging

Posted on August 7, 2009 by Hernan

I’m very excited about The Beatles’ Remastered Catalogue due next month,
check out this cool infomercial to see what I’m talking about!
Being a huge Beatles fan I can’t help drawing a smile on my face as I keep watching. Sure, many of you may say ”What’s the big deal about it anyway?” well, I can only speak for myself when I say that the big deal is that finally their albums are presented in a tasteful manner! Holding an unprecedented place in music history, shouldn’t their body of work be presented as it deserves?
I remember when I first started to build my Beatles collection the only thing I disliked was their generic packaging. Besides later releases such as Live at the BBC, and The Anthology, I always thought their albums packaging were a bit lame, and it would be cool to give it a face lift; so thank God those in charge finally decided to do it. What follows is a direct quote from The Beatles Official Site atthebeatles.com

The collection comprises all 12 Beatles albums in stereo, with track listings and artwork as originally released in the UK, and ‘Magical Mystery Tour,’ which became part of The Beatles’ core catalogue when the CDs were first released in 1987. In addition, the collections ‘Past Masters Vol. I and II’ are now combined as one title, for a total of 14 titles over 16 discs. This will mark the first time that the first four Beatles albums will be available in stereo in their entirety on compact disc. These 14 albums, along with a DVD collection of the documentaries, will also be available for purchase together in a stereo boxed set. Within each CD’s new packaging, booklets include detailed historical notes along with informative recording notes. With the exception of the ‘Past Masters’ set, newly produced mini-documentaries on the making of each album, directed by Bob Smeaton, are included as QuickTime files on each album. The documentaries contain archival footage, rare photographs and never-before-heard studio chat from The Beatles, offering a unique and very personal insight into the studio atmosphere.

Proventil HFA : Cool Pharmaceutical Design

Posted on August 7, 2009 by Hernan

A couple of days ago a nurse gave me this trial medication, being who I am I couldn’t help noticing the nice packaging design and I even mentioned it to her. Obviously, she just smiled and changed the subject. Being a graphic designer I’m quite used to it by now, anyway, I just liked how this package reminds me of classical graphic design styles and the absence of white, which has always been so common in pharmaceutical design. The pallet combination based on secondary colors and the linear components makes the box look warm and inviting, things that are always welcome when it comes to medicine!

Learning from Fabien Baron

Posted on July 5, 2009 by Hernan

Sometimes when I’m out in the world and come across with an interesting piece of advertisement or whenever I find myself flipping through the pages of a magazine, I can’t help taking my time to look closely and absorb as much as I can. Soon after trying to figure out how it was done and giving myself the challenge to emulate whatever I liked about it, I can’t help wondering who did it. I actually think it would be great to see the name of the creative director printed somewhere just so that the world knows who worked on it, in the same fashion artists like Michelangelo or Vincent Van Gogh would do to show their pride for their work well done. Looking at the work of Fabien Baron has taught me that being obedient and having a clear direction will inevitably reflect on the quality of one’s work, just as it’s seen on some of his now iconic works.

Ingrid Bergman: An Indulgence from Old Times Cinema

Posted on June 24, 2009 by Hernan

Check out this awesome DVD cover, isn’t great? Perhaps I think it is simply because sometimes I have the brains of an old geezer…Truth is I like watching old movies, and for a number of reasons I tend to prefer the ones in black and white. Everytime I watch them I learn a thing or two about light and shadow, soft edge and hard edge and so forth… Anyway, when I spotted this DVD I couldn’t help being attracted to the picture on the cover, as is not common to see images of Ingrid Berman being so defiant! Obviously I’m not advocating for cigarettes, nor I’m a smoker anymore, I just love her gaze, the way she’s wearing her hat just as much as she’s being hit by the light. By the way, the movie is really good too, I won’t be surprised if someday it gets re-adapted.

Visual Observations

A Blog by Hernan Restrepo

Category Archives: Packaging