The softer side...
mara06 (2755 pencils) | Tue, 2012-05-15 15:02What's with all these empty gray critiques lately? Oh well.
It seems that the screened red I used in one of my client's magazine ads didn't sit well with some of you. I'm kind of seeing that now. That may be why I screened rather than opaqued, in an attempt to tone it down a bit while still picking up a color from the photo to add some life to an otherwise monochromatic piece.
But now for something else *really* completely different. This was the first ad I did for the same client. I gravitated toward a calmer palette. Did this work better? By the way, the color of the hairline rules was sampled from the very dark maroon portion of the floor pattern. I was hoping the client and I could stick with something simpler like this, not so much text, changing border colors to suit different photos, just to set the company's image and drive people to their website.
So, whatcha think? I'll be doing another series of ads for this client pretty soon, so your comments are all very helpful as I seek to refine this "look."
Mara
Commenting on this Image will be automatically closed on July 10, 2012.
I think it's more comfortable for their target.
Don't like the way you placed the enclosure on the bottom frame. Particulary I prefer pure frames without borders. I know you tried to make something near those furnitures.
The enclosured name is big enough, it needs to be resized maybe actual 95% will be good.
You can add more information like their fast call number, another small picture of the place or designer or owner, client, something to give a more confident relation with the reader.
The bottom text need a bit more margin.
Didn't like the shadows and it'll not be good on printed version.
I like decoration too, in the past I collected the british edition of Elle Decor, it was an amazing magazine.
yes I'm brazilian xD
i wonder if you might reduce the photosizes in both these pieces and get some of the text OUT of the photos and into the negative spaces.
enlarging the headlines would help as well. the whole things just look too passive for promo pieces...
Still not getting originals for some reason. But based on what I see - I'd like a bigger head (again), qwerty's suggestions (95% on the name and no shadow on the KO text) and the KO text can be a lighter weight as well. Also might want to crop into the photo a little further (just a hair) - getting a lot of floor there. Nice feel.
I wish I could be in charge of photography, but they've already paid for these and insist on using them. They don't want anything cropped out or placed on top, except text, which in this piece I tried to keep minimal.
As far as print quality is concerned, these magazines are very high-end, something like Architectural Digest. The reproduction is flawless. I agree that as a stand-alone promo piece, this might be dull, but for the magazine in which it appeared, it was a tasteful (I hope!) alternative to some very busy and ugly ads. This blends more with the editorial style of the magazines.
That said, oh boy do I agree with you, ArtD, about all that floor. That's not even what they did in this kitchen and it dominates the photo. *sigh*
Qwerty's totally right about the bottom text being squeezed. It was originally wider by about 1/2-inch, but this ate into the photo and they told me to pull it back.
So is the consensus that this general look that I've worked out for this client is good, if I tweak the text issues and think more carefully about color, or am I just totally off-base? As I said, I have some new ads coming up, so your advice will have a direct impact on what I produce this time. Thanks!
Mara
What size is the real thing?
The photo looks like a standard photographer vs. designer situation... the photographer managed to get everything in the photo and he's convinced the client that's the way to present it. The designer would rather feature the kitchen accordingly than try to squeeze in every unnecessary detail. Have you tried the headline at the bottom? That might be one way to fix the situation.
The size is 4.875 x 7.375 (half-page ad, no bleed).
The photographer had come and gone before I came on the scene, unfortunately. I wish I could have directed the shoot. To my client's credit, they realize the deficiencies, but still, I'm stuck with these pics.
I'll try your suggestion about positioning.
Mara