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Art Patrol – We’re Back!
June 15, 2011
Before (Click to Enlarge):
After (Click to Enlarge):
Time spent: 55 minutes
Notes: What is it with landscaping companies and their love of crappy clipart and one-color printing? As I mentioned in a previous post, full-color postcard printing is so inexpensive these days that, unless there’s a very good stylistic reason to go one-color, it doesn’t make sense to avoid the rest of the color spectrum.
Beyond that, landscaping companies (at least the ones in the Seattle area) feel the need to cram every. single. thing. they. do. onto their postcards. Worse, they cram it all onto one side of the postcard; these cards are inevitably blank on the back. I understand that you’re trying to save money by only printing on the one side, but postage is generally your biggest expense with direct mail, and it doesn’t cost more in postage to mail something that’s printed on both sides of the card. But I digress.
For this particular design I just cleaned up the layout to make it look tidier and more organized, then added the large photo of an outdoor waterfall feature (because if you’re going to specialize in something, by all means show it off). I got rid of the clip art (it’s meaningless) and replaced it with the strip of grass at the bottom, as mowing is likely what gets the bulk of the business. And, as mentioned earlier, I added full color. The end result may not get me to pay for your services, but it will at least get me to pay attention to it. Which is more than I can say for the before.
Absolute insanity
May 31, 2011
I don’t know if it’s the weather or the onset of spring or what, but things are crazy, hence the lack of posts. Art Patrol will resume later this week.
For now, here’s a Swatch face from 1986 I rebuilt for a project I’m working on.
(Which reminds me. Anyone know where you can buy a Swatch these days, other than online?)
Art Patrol – Davis Optical
May 25, 2011
Before (click to enlarge):
After (click to enlarge):
Time spent: 41 minutes
Notes: As a challenge, I opted to use the same basic colors, the same text, and not add or subtract any elements. Just rearrange them on the page. The problem I have with the before (other than the fact that it’s ugly) is that the main tagline gets lost. It’s smaller than “mow the lawn,” for cryin’ out loud! Also, the letter spacing is inconsistent and just, well, off.
My solution was to give the headline obvious presence based on size, and to make the questions consistent in their weight, since each is of equal importance (at least, that’s the implication I got). Making the question font thinner (in weight) and lighter (in color) pushes it into the background without making it invisible, and really draws attention to the headline. Plus, I like how “just good vision” rests on one line, just above the logo and URL.
Art Patrol – A Personal Invitation
May 24, 2011
Time spent: 32 minutes
Notes: So, I know there’s no “before” here, but today I’m offering an Art Patrol public service. This is a personal invitation that can be handed to your children to do their chores. It’s snarky, and more than a little passive-agressive, but it’s beautifully designed, appropriately formal, and apparently the world needs such a thing. Or at least the world of children does. At least sometimes.
Download a 4-up Adobe PDF version of the invitation here, which you can print out on your inkjet or laser and cut to suit your family’s needs. And you’re welcome 
Art Patrol – Adult Fast Food
May 23, 2011
Before (click to enlarge):
After (click to enlarge):
Time spent: 51 minutes
Notes: Wow. The before is a mess, isn’t it? Where do I start? I hate the name. Calling something “adult” immediately makes it sound tawdry, not like a place I would want to take my kids. I’m also not a fan of Betty Boop in anything other than Betty Boop cartoons, but especially as a logo element for any restaurant not called “Betty Boop’s.” And what does “new way lunch” even mean? I have no idea.
So, I started from scratch and ended up doing logo work (which, dangit, I said I wasn’t going to do). I like the friendliness of the hot dog (it looks like it’s smiling, doesn’t it?), and the overall roundness of the letterforms on “adult,” so Avant Garde (the typeface) works pretty well here. Also, it’s hard to see but the bullets in the blue bar are a hot dog and a hamburger. Fun.
The after design does look like a place I would eat at and take my kids to. Provided the food is good.
Art Patrol – Track meet ribbon
May 19, 2011
— 1 Comment
Before:
After:
Time spent: 24 minutes
Notes: While there is nothing seriously wrong with the “before” ribbon (it’s an elementary school track meet award), it’s kind of boring. Adding some playful type and speed lines makes it a little more fun.
Art Patrol – wa-probate.com
May 18, 2011
Before (click to enlarge):
After (click to enlarge):
Time spent: 49 minutes
Notes: The lawyer who sent this in to me said that the information on this site is great, but the layout is iffy. I can’t speak for the info, but I agree on the layout. I added a header and flipped the information (more important) with the testimonials (less important). It still looks bloggy, but it should make it easier to find the information you’re looking for.
Running late
May 18, 2011
I’m working on a project right now that I’m very excited about, which is good. Accordingly, today’s Art Patrol will be up later this afternoon.
Art Patrol – Lynnwood Cleaning Services
May 17, 2011
— 1 Comment
Before (click to enlarge):
After (click to enlarge):
Time spent: 52 minutes
Notes: As I mentioned on Friday last week, there’s no excuse for a postcard that looks like it was printed on a laser or inkjet printer. So I won’t get into that again.
This postcard showed up in my mailbox yesterday just begging to be redesigned. I upgraded the typography (too many fonts!) right away, added a headline (“Janitorial Service” may say what you do, but it isn’t particularly memorable or exciting) and substituted the photo of the hand (in rubber glove, no less) for the word “hand.” Little touches like this add an element of quirky to a layout and make me happy.
Art Patrol – snappitz.com
May 16, 2011
Before (click to enlarge):
After (click to enlarge):
Time spent: 1 hour
Notes: Another instance of the clock running out before I was finished. I still hate the way this site looks under the header, though I did manage to get rid of the hideous “Additional information” box and move that up with the rest of the navigation. Most of the time was spent doing logo cleanup (which I know is against the rules, but it was SO BAD! I couldn’t let it stay). The after (I can’t call it “finished”) still has flaws (with more time I would remove the chrome look on the “Snappitz” text, as it detracts from the lightning bolt), but at least it doesn’t look like it was drawn in Microsoft Paint.
One other note: The original uses three different fonts (one in the tagline, one for the subject header and a third for body copy). That’s at least one font too many, especially when the tagline and subject header say basically the same thing. Pick a font (or two) and stick with it. If you differentiate with font weight (bold, light, etc) instead of a lot of different fonts, your work will automatically look better—so long as that font isn’t Comic Sans.
