Taking It All In

The Last Post

2005-12-13T12:37:00.000-08:00

This is the last one. I don't have any specific ads or art to talk about, so I figured I'd just give a little summary and goodbye.

I had fun writing this blog all semester. You may or may not have known that it was for my writing class at Boston University. My professor really wanted to keep us writing often, and blogs were a great way to do that. Plus he's a big blogger himself.

It was definitely cool to be more aware of my surroundings and all. Most people don't realize how many ads and logos and design pieces they see every day. Design is every where. Good and bad. And if you've been reading since the beginning, you know I haven't loved every piece I've seen.

There is some really great stuff out there. Being an advertising student myself, I find myself extremely aware of ads. One of my friends even told me that she kind of looks at signs and logos differently now, after reading my blog. That's really exciting to me! I guess I've had a bit of impact on my small amount of readers. Haha.

So that's all folks. Have a wonderful holiday season! Thanks for reading!!

Video Art

2005-12-07T13:17:00.000-08:00

In Downtown Crossing somewhere I saw the strangest art exhibit. It's modern art, which can always be a little bit, well, different. The exhibit is called Boston Art Windows, Street Seen. The artist is named John Gayle and the piece is called "Collected Girls."

The artist's summary of the exhibit says:
"These portraits are of strangers I met randomly or was introduced to by friends. Our relationship existed through the time it took to make each of these three minute looping videos."

So that's what it is. 2 sets of 9 different small-ish television sets in a window display with different looping videos on each screen of various girls. They stare at the camera, and that's pretty much it.

Most of the girls begin to show signs of awkwardness, as most people do in front of the camera. One girl starts crying. Some girls love the camera attention, a bit too much.

My guess for this exhibit is that the artist wanted to study human reactions and existence. It's always interesting how people react when in front of a camera. Some freeze up, some get awkward, some just love it.

This exhibit really caught my eye as being totally different and unexpected. I don't know how much I like it because the girls are a little difficult to watch, but it's very compelling. Everyone that was walking by would say something along the lines of "Have you seen this? It's really weird." And well, it is.

Sloane Tanen: My hero

2005-11-30T13:24:00.000-08:00

About a couple years ago, I found this adorable book in a Virgin Megastore called "Bitter With Baggage Seeks Same," by author Sloane Tanen. Sloane photographs mini pom-pom shaped chickens in various situations and settings. Not only are her photographs extremely detailed and carefully laid out, but her writing is clever and witty as well. A short 1-3 sentence line accompanies each picture. Miniature chickens? Having slumber parties and taking baths? Genius.

Tanen's sequel to Bitter With Baggage came out just recently, called "Going for the Bronze: Still Bitter, More Baggage." The new book is just as cute and clever as the first. My favorite page has a chicken dressed as an Orthodox Rabbi buying a hot dog to break his Yom Kippur fast.

The point of this post--I saw an advertisement for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority on the New York Subway over Thanksgiving break. It's part a series called "Arts for Transit." The image (shown above) has Tanen's chickens, dressed in old-fashioned, maybe 1940s style clothing, at the historic opening of the New York Subway.

What an adorable way to portray such a special event in New York's history!
Love it.

Ansel Adams

2005-11-21T13:15:00.000-08:00

Last Friday afternoon, I went to the Museum of Fine Arts to check out the Ansel Adams exhibit. Ansel Adams was one of the most famous black and white nature photographers, and it was pretty amazing to see his work.

The exhibit encompassed a wide range of his work, including photographs from as early as the 1920s, and onto his final works. I enjoyed seeing all different stages of his work. I got to see how the paper quality changed, as well as his techniques and styles. With natural technology advances, his final works were extremely clear and beautifully developed, while his earlier images looked reminiscent of the year he took the pictures--a bit blurry and low contrast, though beautiful still.

Ansel Adams had this innate ability to capture the perfect moment in nature. A moment when the sun casts a perfect shadow over a given mountain top, leaving others shining. I've been told he was known to wait in the natural surroundings for hours at a time, just to get that perfect shot. His dedication is truly admirable.

Now if only I could get into that Photography Intro class next semester...

It's Art To Me

2005-11-09T10:36:00.000-08:00

For most of you northerners fall is just another season. The bridge into winter. The calm before the storm, if you will. But for this Florida girl, it's more than that.

Since I haven't seen any art, ads or design around that have caught my eye this week, and I have been taking in my fall surroundings, I decided to write about that.

I live on campus at BU in a brownstone on a nice tree-lined street called Bay State Road. It's calm. It's pleasant. It's peaceful and this time of year absolutely beautiful. Some buildings have vines and ivy covering the brick walls. The trees have turned from green to gold. I just can't help but smile walking to and from my building.

The trees aren't the only reason I love fall. There's a scent in the air, almost a smoky, crisp smell that reminds me of cold weather. The smell I would smell for only about a week each year in Florida. It's the smell that reminds me how different my life is in Boston and how I've gotten to experience so many new things, seasons being a major one.

I know smell isn't really art, but my blog is really about sights in the city that I get a reaction from, good or bad. The golden trees, scent in the air, light jackets and scarves all remind me of how lucky I am to live on such a nice road, in such an awesome city, with such a different lifestyle than what I grew up with.

Kind of like a flipbook

2005-11-01T12:43:00.000-08:00

Somewhere on the red line, I believe between Kendall and Central, there used to be a really awesome advertisement for Target. (But isn't everything about Target really awesome?) Well if you've been in Boston for at least a year and have taken the red line, you should know what I'm talking about. Everyone always ooohh'ed and ahhh'ed when the train went past it.

The ad was comprised of a long series of still images on the tunnel wall, but when the train went past them they appeared to be moving. It was almost like a film reel type of effect, except the film wasn't moving, we were. Almost like a flipbook.

Well recently I saw another one of these, in the new North Station stop. Only it wasn't an advertisement, it was simply art for enjoyment. The artsy sepia-toned images were of a family at the beach, playing with a beach ball and having fun.

This display is unique and definitely eye-catching. I love how when you are on the train it looks like a little silent movie. It certainly adds a bit of excitement to those boring T rides, and it's better than staring at grungy man sitting in front of you.

Portable Living Room?

2005-10-26T10:17:00.000-07:00

Even if you don't live in an apartment, you have heard of IKEA. Everyone has. Well, IKEA is opening a location in the Boston area, somewhere outside of the city. And it is opening with a boom. This is going to be huge, at least the company is making it seem that way because of its advertising. I have seen SO many IKEA ads all around, especially in T stations, on the actual T cars, etc. All the ads generally have images of furniture and say something like "IKEA is coming." (Except it is coming to a place called Stoughton? Who even knows where that is?)

The other night I saw a CRAZY ad for IKEA's opening. A living room attached to a truck, being driven all around the city as a form of advertising. An actual living room, complete with couches, tables, lamps, rugs and decorations. And there was a girl sitting inside, just reading a book as if she were lounging in her own living room and not being stared at by tons of Bostonians in awe. The room was very brightly lit and the IKEA logo and copy were on top.

This could quite possibly be the craziest, most interesting piece of advertising I have seen, at least in a while. If this isn't non-traditional media then I don't know what is. The advertising industry is such a creative one. Any innovative idea that can be at all effective, works. It is a constantly changing industry, with room for so many cool ideas, just like this one. (That's why I'm studying it!) This ad will really help strengthen IKEA's already strong image. It makes them appear unique, fun and original, qualities I'm sure people would like to see in their new cool couch. Way to go, IKEA.

The Boston Globe

2005-10-18T10:34:00.000-07:00

Most cities have a couple different newspapers, though one is usually more prominent. In Boston, it is the Boston Globe. It completely surpasses the trashy Herald, and those are the major two (aside from college newspapers). So does the Globe need to even advertise? Everyone in Boston is familiar with the Globe. But I guess you could say that many popular companies don't need to advertise...the iPod for example.

But every smart company advertises. The Globe has put out a series of ads all around the city, claiming how well it knows Boston, and covers every story big and small. I've seen these ads all around--downtown, in Allston and around BU. The first ad pictured above on the left is on Boylston street downtown and it reads "children's Literature," with an arrow pointing at the Boston Public Library, and "Boston Marathon" with an arrow pointing at the yellow marathon finish line. The second ad, in the middle is on commonwealth Avenue by BU. It reads "Tuition Costs," with an arrow pointing at a BU office building, and "Vacancy Rates," pointing at a Kidney Center. And finally, the third ad is also by BU, further west on Comm. Ave. It reads "College Hockey," pointing at BU's new hockey arena, and "Fitness Trends," pointing at Healthworks Fitness Center. At the bottom of each ad, a copyline says "If it's here, we cover it," followed by the Globe's logo.

I really like these ads. They sort of go beyond a simple advertisement. Most ads are just placed where there is space, not having too too much to do with the surroundings. I enjoy how these ads caused me to look around and feel like I am a part of the city. I immediately recognized my surroundings and all the neat places and events the city has to offer. It is important for a newspaper to reach out to its readers. Boston Globe readers trust it for its comprehensive reports and truthful stories. These ads convey these qualities, and a sense of well-roundedness. I also liked how the ads had no images besides arrows and type. It's almost as if the places and buildings the arrows are pointing at ARE the ad's images.

Simple, fun, eye-catching and different--all qualities of an effective ad.

Not so Fresh

2005-10-11T19:04:00.000-07:00

Near the Landmark Center is a restaurant called Fresh City. I haven't actually eaten there, (probably because it's on the second floor) but you can't miss the logo displayed right in the center, outside the main building. Another bad logo. Only this one is just too hectic, too colorful and a bit too crazy. Maybe that's their image? But come on, it's a salad place, so I'm thinking not.

Is it just me, or does the typeface look like the title of a scary movie? It's kind of creepy, on-edge, like it should say "Night of the Living Dead" or something. I like the curls at the ends of some letters, even though curls are a bit cliche, they are still cute. This logo also uses about seven colors! Seven! If you notice some really effective logos, they are usually two, maybe three colors at the most. (example: Target, Gap, Macys).

If the Fresh City graphic designers took out the coffee cup and maybe the lemon, leaving only the carrot, the logo would appear much cleaner. They should also probably get rid of the squiggly lines above and below the copy, "Built on Great Taste." The blue and green outlines surrounding the whole logo are also completely unnecessary. They only add to the clutter. This logo certainly could use a makeover.

A Whale of a Town

2005-10-04T13:07:00.000-07:00

Walking down Newbury Street after a long shift at work, I saw an awesome piece of art. That's why Boston is so great-it throws an incredibly unique sculpture at you when you least expect it, making you love and appreciate the city so much more. Right at Newbury and Fairfield Street, in front of the restaurant Ciao Bella sits a sculpture of a whale. Painted on it are various Boston landmarks and icons, such as our great sports teams and culture and history, as well as creative murals and designs.

I researched the art and found out it's an entire exhibit called "The Whale Trail," with 50 whales total. Most of the sculptures are located in Southeastern Connecticut, and Westerly, Rhode Island, with three in Newport, RI, New York and Boston. A local business or organization supports each whale, while also supporting the local arts community. A different artist painted each whale, making each unique with various artistic styles. One, for example uses stained glass, while another is covered in beans. The exhibit is on display from July through October and at the end each whale will be auctioned off to benefit various non-profit organizations. The artist for the Boston whale is Dixie Whately, sponsored by Mohegan Sun and will benefit the Boston Center for the Arts.

This exhibit is so completely original and fun. I love that each city gets its own whale with characteristics unique to that city. I really felt proud to be a part of Boston when I saw it. It's almost a general expression of how I think most people feel about Boston-proud. Although I've only been here for about two and a half years, I feel like a real Bostonian. I'm proud to be part of a city with such great culture, history and fun. The whale made me smile. I think Boston just does that to people.

Logos and Peace Signs

2005-09-25T13:38:00.000-07:00

I work at T.G.I. Friday's on Newbury Street as a hostess. Newbury is the 'Rodeo Drive' of Boston, some would say. (Though I doubt Rodeo Drive has a Fridays). Upscale restaurants and shops as well as trendy shoppers willing to spend good amounts of money fill the street. It's a pretty exciting place to be on the weekends. Door to door are stores such as Urban Outfitters, Jasmine Sola, The North Face, Puma and Diesel, and restaurants such as Armani Cafe, Kashmir (Indian), Croma, a really cool Tapas place and finally Stephanie's On Newbury.

Any Newbury Street shopper is familiar with Stephanie's. They have a $15 minimum just to eat on the patio. Their interior design is beautiful with dim lighting, fireplaces, and elegant tablecloths. But their logo? Not so much. You would think that a place as nice as Stephanie's would have a well-designed logo. I often stare at their logo because Friday's directly faces Stephanie's across the street. It never occurred to me until the middle of this summer that their logo is awful. I have seen many logos that have maybe one letter flipped around or changed, and this can sometimes be a neat look-but only if it's done well. Stephanie's is not done well. The first E in Stephanie's is a small capital letter, then the rest of the word continues as lower case. It just doesn't work for me. Then the 'on' is italicized, which is OK, but I think would flow better if the whole word Stephanie's looked like 'Newbury'-all in small caps. Whenever I look at the logo (usually when the business at Friday's is slow) I pretty much cringe.

The only other thing I had for this week is a big wooden sculpture of a hand making the peace sign in the Park Street T station on the red line. This station is a pretty big one because it is where the red and green lines intersect. The sculpture is up towards the ceiling, and kind of random. I just glanced up and there it was! I felt that even though it was pretty unexpected and caught me off guard, it was kind of nice.

Art in Stores & Ads in Repetition

2005-09-18T17:46:00.000-07:00

I have noticed that many stores try to stand out among others by having some sort of art display, often repeated with a constant theme around the store. I was recently in H&M and the first thing I noticed after walking in was a pile of Polaroid pictures on the floor below a table of clothes. My initial thought was that they fell out of someone's bag or were there by accident. So thinking they could be neat, I bent down to pick them up realizing they were purposefully taped to the floor. After shopping around the huge store, I saw Polaroids taped in other places such as mirrors and below mannequin displays. Polaroids are a bit overdone, but still have an original factor to them. They seem to give a unique, artsy type of feeling wherever they are used. The same applied to H&M.

Who doesn't like a good quote about music? Especially in a the biggest college town where quotes are used in away messages, profiles etc, quotes are just always appreciated. On the escalator up to the second floor of the Virgin Megastore on Newbury Street, the left wall is adorned with quotes about music displayed in decorative typefaces and edgy layouts. When I looked at all the quotes I wanted to write them down because they were fun, unfortunately that would have taken too many trips up and down. :)

To get to Newbury Street, many college kids take the T and go through the Kenmore station. For probably about a year now, Kenmore and some other big stations have had advertisement series' so that one brand covers every place for an ad, walls and floors. Over the summer Kenmore had the iPod/JBL ad series for the iPod dock. The iPod sat in the dock while pink butterflies (for the ladies) and skulls and crossbones (for the punks?) came flowing out, bringing imagery to music. Although not being able to look at anything besides butterflies and skulls gets a little overwhelming, I really enjoyed this ad series. The butterflies were fun and vibrant, and the skulls were edgy and alternative, appealing to the younger, hipper audience.

The ad series that covers Kenmore right now is for Johnnie Walker brand whisky. The ads are certainly eye-catching with simple orange silhouetted images of a man on a sidewalk, against a black background. Intriguing yes. Effective? No. The only thing that let me know the ads were for a brand of alcohol was the small type on only a few posters reading "drink responsibly." I like the ads, because they are neatly designed, but the target audience is obviously not me, because well, I'm only 20.

The First Post

2005-09-11T15:51:00.000-07:00

When deciding the topic of my blog, I knew I wanted to write about something I am interested in. What better than art and design? I can't even count the times I notice an interesting ad, or an eye-catching logo (good or bad). There is so much that goes into an advertisement, or anything involving graphic design--coming up with the primary idea, the tag line, the colors, the layout, the targeted audience, and where it would be seen. For every ad, logo, photograph and art display we see, there was a team of people who worked extremely hard to make it happen. It's not always good design that I see, however. I will often discuss some art that I simply dislike or don't understand. These pieces are important though, because the design world is constantly growing, with new ideas emerging often. And after all, nobody's perfect.

I went to Espresso Royale to have coffee with a friend and perhaps get some work done. The painted tables, spray-painted walls, framed photography and collages make it clear that they are no Starbucks. Being surrounded by art and creativity is a nice feeling especially in a coffee shop. It made me feel relaxed and at the same time inspired. It's not to say that I don't enjoy a good Frappucino once in a while, but Espresso Royale is a unique change.

There is an advertisement for Lucky Jeans in Kenmore Square, and near Boston University's west campus. The ad clearly appeals to the wealthy BU girl. Basically, the one who can afford Lucky Jeans. I found it interesting that this ad appears twice in the BU area. It just kind of made me think, "you would never see this ad in the financial district." Advertisers know their audience!

Pictures coming soon!