westondeetsdesign

Believe in Under Armour

Why this ad?

This ad was found through a basic Google Image search for “Under Armour Ads.” I chose this ad for many reasons; one including that I really like this brand and how they have marketed their products in the past. I liked the typeface used in the ad and the simple phrase, it really appeals to anyone trying to work out or achieve goals. The ad was pulled from this website: https://brobible.files.wordpress.com/2018/03/project-rock-under-armour-collection-new1.jpg?quality=90. I couldn’t find the designer or photographer for the ad, I just know it came from Under Armour. The male in the photograph is Dwayne Johnson an actor and former wrestling personality.

Why this design works for me.

The alignment on these words are center aligned, but then moved to the left portion of the ad. The center alignment also helps to focus on the main words of the ad; build and belief. The alignment also makes for a very smooth transition into the logos for Under Armour and the Project Rock logo. The reader is smoothly moved from the words right into the logo and the brand that it is trying to push. I think the alignment made for a very strong and nice ad.

How does color affect the ad?

The color choice on the ad worked very well together. Please reference the red and blue arrows; the gym is painted yellow and gray. It is no coincidence that the athlete is also wearing gray and yellow. The colors go very well together and keep harmony in the ad. The text in the circle is white and really helps to pop off of the ad. White was a clean and simple choice to not be distracting from the message of the ad.

Strong typography makes stronger ads

The typography had to be a strong and clean type; to help convey the message of strength. I feel that the designer did a wonderful job choosing a very strong typeface to keep with the overall feel of the the ad. The blocky and even lines are easy to read and are not a distraction to the overall message.

My take on the same campaign

This is my original design, that could be included in the same ad campaign.

What Proximity Can Do

I decided to keep the text and the model of the ad very close together. I feel this keeps focus equally on the text and the athlete. This campaign is about motivation and hard work, so I wanted the athlete and the message to both come through equally in the ad.

Color Continuity

This was a hard choice for me to choose the color of the text. I played with several colors from other parts of the photo and original colors as well. Ultimately, I chose to keep with white text to help tie this ad to the original and keep the campaign’s cohesiveness. The white helps the text stand out in the ad.

Typography Strength

This was very difficult the original ad had a perfect match typeface and I struggled to find as strong a type. I settled on this one looking for a very uniform stroke and thickness. I prefer the original text, but had to use what was available. I added a slight drop shadow to help the text stand out a bit better.

Lessons Learned

I really liked doing this assignment I struggled to find the ad campaign that I wanted to start with. After finding this ad I tried to think of the text that would work with the campaign, I feel that the motivation factor is still in my ad. The message of building and working to gain our belief is apparent in both ads. The athlete is still highlighted in my ad as well Under Armour is banking on the marketing Dwayne Johnson in this campaign, so I of course found an image of him to center my ad on. I hope you can see the correlation between the two ads.

A Picture to Help the Cause

Taken from the June 2019 issue of the *The Ensign of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.*

This magazine layout will be used to show differences in type and some basic photography guidelines the photograph was taken by Alan Fullmer, it is a photo of the Kansas City Missouri Temple. This layout is from the June 2019 issue of the Ensign. I found this photograph and layout very appealing and easy to look at.

Typefaces

Zoom of the same layout. Ensign June 2019

There are two types of typeface used on this layout. The first that is used is; Sans Serif it is highlighted in the red box. This typeface is all the same thickness and missing seriffs, thus making it a very simple sans serif.

The body of the article is written with a Modern typeface. The letter I in the first yellow box. The typeface has a very dramatic thick/thin ratio and also includes serifs. The second yellow box has more of the body text of the article which is also a modern text because of the varying thick/thin and vertical stress of the typeface.

Typeface Contrasts

The two texts are drastically different the thick/thin ratios couldn’t be any different the red arrow points to a sans serif typeface that has no thick/thin ratio. The blue arrow pointing at the I, has a very large thick to thin ratio. Having the title be non serif creates a very soft title and easy feeling about the layout. The body needs a more traditional text to make it easier to read and gives some authority to the article.

Rule of Thirds

I added some reference lines to the layout. As you can see the temple is the focal point of the picture. The rule of thirds is the natural way that are eyes are drawn to something. The text also follows this rule of thirds and is placed on a vertical third line as well. I was very drawn to this photo and it is beautiful representation of this temple.

Alternate Images

Chose to keep with the theme of Church buildings. I think it makes for an easy connection to the article. The first photo is a local meetinghouse in my town. I tried to keep the rule of thirds with the steeple being on the whole of a vertical line. The second image is the wonderful sandstone and granite sign in front of my hometown temple. I tried to get the words Vernal Utah Temple to be on a horizontal third line. The third image is the whole temple. I attempted to put the front steeple near the intersection in the upper third. I also kept with images of buildings to stay in line with the original.

Summary

I have been amazed at how the basic principles are key to successful media. The typeface contrast creates intrigue and focuses my attention on where the author wants it. The proper use of photography principles creates such appealing photos that become very powerful when used the correct way. I feel that the original layout did a wonderful job of being simple yet professional.

Nike Just Did It

Paul George ad after breaking his leg. He is jumping for a slam dunk. — This ad was found through google and links to a Pintrest page https://www.pinterest.com/pin/441845413421431805/?lp=true The athlete is Paul George who is currently a Nike sponsored athlete.

Contrast

The single greatest way to catch my attention is to offer some contrast. This ad has done an amazing job in this area. I have highlighted the athlete, he is the focal point, his image is sharper, and also more vibrant. This draws your eyes to the center of the ad everything else becomes secondary the arena in the background and the words.

Repetition

The designer created a very sporadic pattern, even as this pattern seems chaotic it helps to tie the entire ad together. The speckles help to give the effect that the athlete is coming off the page. The effect is used throughout the ad which even in form of randomness gives the ad consistency.

Alignment

The left align of the text is a great way to help give the text strength. The ad is all about the athlete being able to overcome a horrific injury. If the text alignment would have been softer is would have detracted from the overall message of the ad. Having the logo right aligned brought my attention to the shoe, which by the way is what they are selling. The line doesn’t quite extend to the basketball, but it is close.

Proximity

The space between the three clearest objects on the ad are very similar. That said the text and the player seem closer, which helps to ensure that the text is about the athlete and not the brand. The logo is placed just faraway enough to stand on its own. If the logo was closer it could cause confusion about whether the athlete or the brand had to rise through adversity, by placing the logo a little further away the designer helped the consumer know it’s about Paul George.

Color

There are some very easy color design aspects from this ad. First, blue and yellow are two very easy colors to put together and the Indiana Pacers have done it nicely using different shades of each blue and yellow on the uniforms. Nike also did the same on the shoes for that particular game. The colors work well together, except for the orange splatter near the ball. The color doesn’t fit with the rest of the ad and is distracting.

Conclusion

I really enjoyed this activity and putting my very limited knowledge about design to practice. I feel that whoever designed this did a very good job utilizing the basics of design to produce a great ad that sends a message along with subtly getting the brand out there as well. For the design to work well you have to be able to melt all of the principles together in unison, that makes for a very appealing product. I think the designer did that for the most part and I enjoyed trying to break it down a little.

The Journey Begins

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton

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