Monday is back + so is "Monday Means Business" blog focus. I haven't shared any posts on this topic in awhile, because I have been bogged down working on several design projects for one particular business client — Redbox. They are significantly known for their $1 movie rentals, and as of this year, you can rent $2 video games, too. For today's post, besides highlighting some of the work that I have created for Redbox, I want to go more in depth and define what Visual Communications is. I bring this up, because I continually get asked, "So what do you do again?" and then I specifically have to go into a list of all my capabilities, and it's still not fully understood. Visual Communications seems like a broad term, but the idea is pretty simple. However, it comes in so many forms that the average person doesn't recognize it. It encompasses a range of fields from advertising, graphic design, product design, illustration, photography, environmental design, signage and even film.
As defined according to
Wikipedia, "
Visual Communication as the name suggests is communication through visual aid and is described as the conveyance of ideas and information in forms that can be read or looked upon ... primarily presented or expressed with two dimensional images, it includes: signs, typography, drawing, graphic design, illustration, colour and electronic resources. It also explores the idea that a visual message accompanying text has a greater power to inform, educate, or persuade a person or audience."
And my even more simplified definition is —
if it involves type and/or imagery and a message is being visually conveyed whether good or bad, it's a form of Visual Communication; and it exists everywhere in the environment + digitally! From the App icons on your iPhone, the news article in the paper or on the iPad, the instruction manual, labels on products that you use, the graphic on your T-shirt, junk mail, signage/banners in retail stores, and the list just keeps going. And more than likely, a designer like myself had a hand in the development of its design.
The work that I have produced thus far for Redbox has utilized most of my skills as a designer ranging from print to digital communications. I have been working with their marketing department to develop attention getting graphics to support their seasonal promotions and branding efforts. This first few images you see are part of their "10 Days of Deal" promotion. I created a custom die-cut Sticker Decal that was applied to the actual Redbox kiosk in retail stores and continued the messaging to support various digital applications for email and on their website.
10 Days of Deals – Sticker Decal on Kiosk
10 Days of Deals – Online Banners on Redbox.com
I have produced a variety of promotional stickers to go onto the Redbox kiosk, but one of my favorite and most memorable one for me was the Rango New Release sticker. I saw it in person this past July as I was walking past it in a Jewel Osco grocery store.
Rango New Release – Sticker Decal on Kiosk
The Social Media Sticker stayed in concept phase due to production/budget restrictions, but I thought it was a great way for Redbox to connect further with their users directly, because it would've been applied on every single DVD that was rented from the kiosk. For this, I customized the social media icons to reflect the Redbox brand.
Social Media Sticker on DVD disc
This isn't your award-winning ad, but it showcases my retouching and Adobe Photoshop skills. Like most projects in this world, we have budget constraints and can't afford a photo shoot or high-end stock photographer. As a designer, we have to problem solve, work with what we have and make it look good. For this ad, all I had were three separate images (Redbox kiosk, a football and a section of grass), and I had to compose it into an 8.5" x 11" ad size where they would work seamlessly well together. The grass area was the most time consuming, because I had to color correct, blur, repeat and extend it into one larger plot of grass so it would look somewhat natural and to scale. On top of that, I retouched the football and Redbox kiosk into the grass so they appeared to be sitting in the grassy environment. A slightly tedious assignment, but I like a good challenge in testing my Photoshop skills.
Print Ad Sponsorhip
Print Ad – Close-up of Retouching
No only can I do small print projects, but I can design graphics for large-scale spaces such as Redbox's environmental booth for their debut at the
Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles this past June. It's an annual trade show for the computer and video games industry, and Redbox officially announced they now offer video game rentals at 27,000+ retail kiosks.
Environmental Graphics
I have created countless digital banners for Redbox for their eblasts, website and banner ads, and they aren't the most creative, but they communicate the message clearly in these small, fixed banner ad sizes that we are confined to on the web.
Digital Graphics for Email, Redbox.com + Banner Ads
[Graphics ©2011 Design With Chon]
If anyone out there is still unsure what I do, please do ask. I don't mind explaining my services, because at times it can get complex. And if I don't have an example in my design portfolio for what you seek, just ask yourself this question —"Does it involve type and/or imagery?" And if your answer is "Yes", then more than likely I can design it for you and your business.
