Graphic Design Blog

Here is all the work that I've done over the semester. Enjoy! :)

A new Chrysler needs a new logo, no?

by Jeremy Korzeniewski (RSS feed) on Apr 21st, 2010 at 10:27AM

What image enters your mind when you think about Chrysler? For us, it's the Pentastar logo. Perhaps that's because many of us Autobloggers are children of the '80s when the iconic five-pointed logo was unabashedly emblazoned on everything from minivans to Lasers to New Yorkers.

More recently, Chrysler has abandoned the Pentastar brand in favor of a couple of winged logos and a version of the brand's old golden-hued wax seal. These logos are much more modern than the Pentastar, but none of them are as memorable or anywhere close to being as well established as the admittedly dated Pentastar.

With a bankruptcy and new savior in the form of Italy's Fiat still fresh in our memories, perhaps now would be a good time to rethink Chrysler's brand positioning and corporate marketing materials. In fact, the automaker has already done just that, revealing the latest version of its winged logo late last year.

But is Chrysler going down the right path with its latest reinvention? Our colleagues at AOL Autos wondered if the brand might be able to do a bit better. To find out, AOL Autos commissioned three design firms to redesign the storied automaker's brand, and the results are as interesting as they are diverse. See for yourself in the image gallery below and be sure to check out the full article with background information and more images. So... got a favorite?

Well I've decided to create an umbrella for my specialty item. I'm going to sew a new canopy with the logo, address, and pattern I used in the stationary. It's kind of a daunting task because everything will have to line up perfectly, but I really like to challenge myself. This is the design hat I'm considering for the canopy.



I'm not sure if the gradient should be getting lighter on the inside or on the outside. I think I like it better with the lighter on the inside, but I will see what my classmates think.

The tagline for my ad is, "Patio furniture so comfortable, your couch/dining room table/bed will be jealous." Obviously, the object will be changed out with each ad. I am going to be taking photographs this week. The pictures in my drafts were just place holders that i yanked from the internet and do no necessarily indicate how the ad will look. Along with the layout of the text.

I love the colors and the layout in the 3x10.5. I will probably try to keep that color scheme throughout my new design.

During critiques today I got a lot of great ideas. Here are a couple of my favorites

• Show a hammock with pillows and a blanket on it like someone was sleeping out there instead of on their bed. I'm liking this idea a lot. It really conveys the idea that I'm going for with my ads.
• Have the image from outside looking in. Have the couch moved up to the window, facing it to make it look like the couch is wishing he were the patio furniture. This could be a cute was of going about it.
• View from inside the house. Have the interior slightly desaturated. Show a window to the outside with family having a good time out there with brightly saturated colors, maybe a little bit blurred. This would give the idea that couch is sad that he's on the inside and no one is paying any attention to him.
• Kind of an elaboration on my previous idea. Show the bed like in my old ad, but have the covers all undone and not made. This is to show that someone used to sleep here, but now they are gone.
• Close up shot of each piece. For the patio table, show maybe a little 1 sq. foot section of the edge of the table and a little bit of the the chair. Be sure to show grass and/or deck flooring and a drink on the table.

I'm planning on taking several pictures of each of these ideas and see which one turns out the best. I think that will give me the best idea of how they will turn out in the end. I want to make sure that I've tried every option.

I'm struggling a little bit with the ad. Patio furniture companies aren't exactly the most exciting stores in the world. I work much better with light and playful subjects, so I'm trying to bring this idea into my ad to try and lighten up the store a bit. These are just some design pieces that I liked. Not necessarily the direction that I'm going.

I know type is my weak point so I tried to push myself with it. Hopefully it shows.

I've been doing a lot of work on my mailer lately. The idea is to have the coupon in the middle punch out. Between the front and back sheets will be a transparency with 3 different types of furnitures sets on it. The recipient can then look through the transparency at their back yard and slide the transparency sheet back and forth to see which type of furniture looks best in their yard.

The design idea is to have the image from the logo used as a design element to portray clouds. I'm not 100% sure on this idea as of yet, but we'll see how the in progress critique goes.

Well it's down to the wire and I'm really trying hard to get my logo right.

The bottom two are ones that I came up with in class yesterday. I'm not a fan of either of them.

The top ones I did just this morning. I'm trying to play around with placement of the image, although I'm noticing that I tend to favor the top right.






My least favorites are 4, 5 and the bottom two.

My favorite I think is #2. I changed up the umbrella a little bit to make it fit into the implied rectangle a little better. I think now it looks like a kite, or a sky with clouds in the negative space.

I have to work today so I'm scrambling to get it done. Way to wait until the last minute.