Matt Warren Graphic Design

The designer’s struggle (feat. the “crying meme girl”)

Matt W — Fri, 27 May 2016 21:47:26 +0000

I created these memes to spread public awareness of the real struggles designers go through, every day, all around the world.
Enjoy.

5th-grader ad gets blockbuster treatment

Matt W — Tue, 02 Jul 2013 19:37:03 +0000

Our agency recently took on some pro-bono work helping local elementary school students produce PSA anti-littering ads and radio spots. The kids first came up with the ad concepts, then some of us Art Directors recreated it. They were able to see the process of how an idea becomes a convincing peace of art which “adverts” attention. The ad I chose to recreate for the kids is shown on top. I thought the kids would get a kick out of a mock movie poster. They especially liked that I included their names in the credit block at the bottom. The bottom image is the ad seen at a local mall.

*special thanks to my talented cousin Alex, who modeled for the project and is always willing to help me with my art projects.

Those silly tobacco companies

Matt W — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 21:39:00 +0000

I’ve heard of tobacco companies targeting teens, but this nearby tobacco shop appears to be targeting pre-schoolers.

Space Jam is still jammin’

Matt W — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 16:38:31 +0000

The website for the movie “Space Jam” is still up (from 1996). I hope it remains there indefinitely, as a monument to the dizzying background patterns, bright colors and animated GIFs* of 90’s web design.

* but let’s be honest, animated GIFs are still pretty awesome

This (anatomically correct) logo is not the whole package

Matt W — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 14:13:44 +0000

A friend came across this website and promptly emailed me. As you can see, the logo is terrible in so many ways.

Where to start? Aside from cramped anatomy, the mark falls into the oft-believed design fallacy that a logo must portray the product or service being offered. A cupcake shop must have a cupcake rendering in the logo. An online store must have a gift bag. A dentistry logo must have a tooth or smile. You get the point. The way the “of” fits nicely between the lines is just laughable. And as you can probably tell from the title of this post, the kidney/bladder logo kind of looks like it could be… something else. Not exactly something you want your logo to resemble. Are you telling me this logo passed at least one round of internal and/or client revisions without anybody of importance pointing out that it kind of looks like man parts?

Romney goes vintage

Matt W — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 15:09:04 +0000

Amidst a sea of boring and bland political logos and endless serif typefaces (with stars and eagles and whatnots) Romney does this….and I love it! I’ve bashed on Romney’s toothpastey logo in the past, but I think with these retro designs he’s totally redeemed himself. Makes me wanna grow out my hair and sing the Doobie Brothers all the way to the ballot box.

Horrified

Matt W — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 22:03:23 +0000

When I saw the movie poster for “The Innkeepers” I was horrified. Not because of the bizarre, grotesque imagery (which is expected for a horror film) but because of the bizarre use—or misuse—of the 60’s/70’s retro typography found in the film’s title. When reading the movie synopsis I expected to discover that the story takes place in ’72, or that the killer used vintage acoustic guitars to bludgeon his victims to death. But no. Just a regular ol’ horror movie…with horrific title type.

amper-sads

Matt W — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 21:41:04 +0000

Here are six of the worst ampersand executions I’ve seen in the last couple weeks:

An archeological treasure

Matt W — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 02:13:00 +0000

I know what you’re thinking: “I hope somewhere out there, somebody has perfectly preserved and scanned a businessman/office photo from 40 years ago, and has made it accessible via my favorite stock photo website.”
Well my friend, today’s your lucky day! Straight from the hermetically sealed vaults at Getty, and for only $400 you’ll get 50 Megabytes of pure photographic genius. Now, if only you can find a floppy disk big enough to store your new photo…

GettyImages.com (119679202 )

I spilled, and I’m proud of it!

Matt W — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 20:48:58 +0000

Mitt Romney’s logo neither sinks nor swims. It wins in the sense that it’s different (and at least attempts to be iconic). It loses in that it looks like a toothpaste brand. I noticed a banner ad showcasing “Romney gear,” and believe it or not, they showcased this hoodie. Of all the Romney products, they chose the worst one. From up close it looks like the top scoop slipped off a patriotic ice cream cone, then rolled down the front of the hoodie. From a distance, it looks like a patriotic neck tie.

But, I guess either way it’s patriotic.