MD NEWS :: Miles Design Branding, Design, and Business blog

Visual Hierarchy at the Supermarket

Last night I was at a major grocery store outside of San Diego. Most of the aisles looked like what you see above... After experiencing this, I'm considering writing a series on visual hierarchy. This same problem applies to branding, website design, and marketing in general.

My premise: if all of the products on the shelf are red, bold and tagged, then is anything actually important? If everything is "on sale," what is it you want the consumer to pay attention to? If marketing is about cutting through the clutter, what do you do when your brand is the clutter?

Pirates in Saint Augustine

I stumbled upon this pirate-themed hostel (Pirate Haus Inn & Hostel) a few weeks ago during a weekend trip to Saint Augustine, Florida. I don't know much about their business, but we did meet a young guy who was staying there for the week. He said group rooms were about twenty bucks a night. Unlike traditional western hotels, hostels generally have room for more people who share a group room. What struck me was both: a. I've never seen a real hostel in the US, and b. this particular one had some really fun hand-illustrated typography on the stairs leading up to the rooms. I really enjoy the simple touches (even on a budget) of the rope lighting and calligraphy that add so much to this place's character. Aargh... it looks like a great place to rest your bones!

Labels: illustration, travel, typography

Design Firms Exhibit at Gallery Show

Miles Design was proud to participate in "The Public and the Personal Design Views" show at The Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Gallery at the University of Indianapolis.

Here's a little background on the show:

"Visual Communication Design professionals work in the public milieu producing work for clients, solving problems and creating solutions and strategies for an array of projects. In addition, designers may create work that is not client oriented; work that may be more personal, though it certainly may still be "public."

This invitational design exhibition explores the relationships, overlaps, separation, or confluence between these spheres of visual activities, the public and the personal."

The Design Invitational Exhibition featured several Indianapolis-based designers and design firms. Our design team opted to create something unique for the show as a group.

Instead of trying to describe our work, here's what's featured at the exhibition:

"Design is a tool of vision, revealing hidden truths.

Design is a faster, bolder kind of language. It communicates without being bound by words - and yet it is inspired by them. The terms to the left reflect the essence of our clients' brands. Look through them to see how design reflects - and enhances - their meaning."

Our featured clients include: Vine & Table, Sollievo, Reachmore, Wheeltags, and Brand Photodesign.

The show is open through May 1st, 2009. More info.