Judging a Notebook by its Sticker

When walking around the digital media aisle at Walmart, or any aisle in Best Buy, often you'll come across a sticker that looks a lot like this:

And often, you might come across something quite different on the adjacent display:

Some I'm sure are aware of the differences and can tell me what each of these stickers entail, but this argument is not valid for all. 

For most folks browsing an electronics store, they are completely in the dark when it comes to making a purchase. They are unaware of processor speeds, RAM, motherboards, GPUs, etc. What they are aware of however, is the design of these tiny stickers. 

During my time working as a computer salesman at Best Buy, I would spend most of my time staring off into space, and the other portion of my time was spent staring at these stickers. When comparing these two brands' logos, it's important to take into consideration the color choices within each design.

                       

Intel, favoring the blue and white, with  AMD favoring the dark red and black. Now, with regards to these colors, it's obvious both manufacturers designed their logo with contrast in mind. Not only are the competitors' color schemes complimentary to one another, they each hold their own contrast with the calming blue and white, and  the powerful red and black. Considering context, within each design is the clever use of shape and line that hints at the image of a circuit board. Interestingly, the Intel "circuit board" does not contain any diagonal lines, whereas the AMD's "circuit board" contains plenty. 

Taking into account the different applications of gestalt theory, I've personally always preferred Intel's design choices of simplicity and subtle continuity in their logo. Before I understood any technological specifics behind either option, I laid my trust in Intel. The reason for this personally, is that the AMD logo to me is rather busy. It has too much going on in a very confined space, where Intel leaves room for their fonts and imagery to breathe. AMD defies the rules of simplicity and forces the eye directly to the complex "circuit board" design in the center of the logo. The lettering and seemingly unorganized layout of the model number next to the model name causes the design for AMD to pale in comparison to the simple design of it's competitor. 

Knowing this, it comes as less of a surprise to hear that Intel is a much more popular brand; regardless of the know-how of it's consumer base.   

On Contrast, Balance, and Harmony...

The image above is rendered gorgeously, and is a prime example when it comes to the basics of artistic and visual design. The texture of the tiger's fur instills a sense of touch; making someone almost believe that they know exactly what the fur feels like against their hand. The colors chosen in this photo bring to light the sheer animosity of the subject, with the bright orange eye popping out over the drab gray-scale and radial gradient of the background. The eye draws the viewer's attention almost immediately solely from this color choice.

The shadows present in the tiger's stripes in context to the bright highlights of the fur showcase the intricate and mazelike pattern, giving a sense of balance from dark and light. The positioning of the subject in the frame indicate a sense of urgency. The rule of thirds has been moved slightly left, positioning the tiger closer to whatever or whomever it's gaze is focused on.

Harmony of the piece is achieved directly through this photo's contrast and use of balance, in likeness to yin and yang. In cultural context this tiger could also be representative of the struggle to avoid extinction, with the snarling mouth and pointed ears. This tiger is clearly in a defensive position; holding back his ferocity until provoked into further stages of his instinct of survival.

Visceral Response - Comm3560

The first glance at this little metal ball isn't particularly gripping. In fact, some might not even know what this ball  is meant for. Of course, the argument can arise that this ball may be  plain, but it does have a sort of magnetism. The simple lines and shadow of the ball encapsulate something almost mesmerizing.

For those that are unaware, this is what's called a "Blender Ball". It's goal is simple: to make mixing various drinks and powders easy. This is not why I find this piece of metal beautiful. About ten months ago, I had hit rock-bottom. I was overcome with depression, self-loathing, my grades had hit the lowest point of my scholastic career, I was an absolute wreck. When I woke up in the morning, I felt zero motivation to do much else besides roll over.

A coworker approached me one day and asked if I had been feeling okay. I replied honestly, and told him that I had never felt worse. That coworker introduced me to what would eventually become my stairway out of the prison I had been locked in. He introduced me to fitness. The very first piece of fitness gear that I purchased was a little plastic bottle. The bottle itself was nothing to look at, but inside sat this little shining ball of metal. As silly as this may sound, when I saw that shine for the first time, I felt inspired. I felt as though I had found an escape after blindly finding my way through blackness. The round form elicited a sense of dignified perfection, the way the metal holds itself in a spiral resonated with me, telling me that if this little ball can hold itself up, so can I. It's hard for me to explain why this little piece of metal means so much, and it sounds silly to call something so simple "beautiful". This ball played an integral role in finding myself, and loving myself.

If someone understands what it takes to commit to something, to overcome something, to achieve goals, I'm sure they can see the same beauty in this simple design that I see with each and every use.