Abstract
It can be exciting to create a subway car print campaign for a brand such as Nike. There are so many elements that go behind the design of the artwork and loads of creativity. The essay looks at the designing of a subway car print campaign for Nike as Herbert Matter, the designers. The design would focus on the elements used by the designer in his work and the way he used images fonts and graphics in his compositions. The print campaign will take inspiration from his works and will be based on his thought process. It should be kept in mind that the customer is important here, and he has no time or patience. So, the campaign should be compelling enough to grab his attention and force him to have a good look at the ads. The print campaign for the subway car should carry all the right elements and ingredients to connect psychologically with the customers.
Introduction
Campaigns and ads in subways are coming up in a big way, what with an increasing number of people traveling via subways and the way people ride them is changing. The subways are a good way to catch the attention of the people, and an effective campaign can be positive for a product or service. It is no surprise to see subway car wraps getting increasingly popular with advertisers.
The designer chosen for a full subway car print campaign is Herbert Matter for the product Nike. He is chosen because of his vast experience and expertise in the field of designing. Moreover, he has worked with a large number of famous designers and artists during his career. He is known for his mastery in using color and typography in an expressive manner, and this would be perfect for making a creative and catchy design for the subway campaign. His design work carries heavy use of photography and often blurs the boundaries between art and design (Herbert Matter, 2016). The subway car print campaign by Matter, promoting Nike will be visible to customers on platforms, who are boarding the trains and those riding.
Herbert Matter was exposed to the finest medieval graphic art collections in Europe from an early age as he was born in a Swiss mountain village. Herbert Matter learned geometry from Le Corbusier, typography from Cassandre and abstractions from Fernand Leger and made use of those design sensibilities in his constant experimentation (Clifford, 2013 p.82). He collaged different photographs together to create different perspectives and striking change in scale to create an expressive art. Paris soon beckoned the artist where he expanded his artistic horizon. The scope of graphic design was unlimited and soon and Matter began his imaginative and manipulative photography that was to cast revolutionary influences. He was intrigued by the magic of collage and montage and the photograms. He was an expert with typography, and his works carry a very distinctive personal vision. He soon became an expert with typography and logos (The visual language of Herbert Matter, 2011). Matter carried great experience as a freelance photographer. He was known to manipulate and retouch images in unexpected ways. The guidelines of his light pencil are visible under his steady, expert hand as he draws and paints in bold solid colors. He is known as a driving force behind the modern art that left permanent marks on the perception of graphic art.
Before starting his work, he will study the Nike brand and its past commercials and see how he can create something more interesting by following a different approach. He needs to convince the customers about the quality brand and why it is cool to wear Nike. Looking at the past campaigns by Nike, it is apparent that they send a positive message that inspires everyone. At times, their ads are humorous too. Nike advertising inspires customer loyalty by making a hero out of them or bringing them closer to their heroes in life. Nike motivates its buyers not just to buy a quality product but add quality in their life. The brand works on the emotional side of marketing and encourages the people to identify with their human side and imperfections without ridiculing them. The customers feel superiors hen they are associated with the brand in any way. Thus, as a designer, Herbert Matter would need to keep those aspects in mind and create a work that inspires the masses yet again and makes them feel special.
How will Herbert Matter design the subway car print campaign? As people today have little time to read to the content of an ad, it is essential that the campaign carries impressive graphics so that they grab the attention of the customer. The campaign has to plaster itself across full subway cars. The vinyl wraps that cover the car need to be bold and narrative. Herbert Matter is the right choice for this campaign as he carries adequate experience in advertising posters and working as a photographer for leading magazines such as "Harper's Bazaar","Town and Country" and "Vogue". As a photographer, he has decimated several celebrated artists. As a designer for the subway car print campaign for Nike, Herbert Matter will make use of photomontage and typography, what he is best known for. He will make a series of posters to create a series of designs for the subway.
There are millions of photographers out there with a camera, but very few whose ideas on paper can leave and impact and influence others. Herbert Matter was one of those few and has designed one of the finest posters in the industry. The self-taught photographer always looked for infringing freedom and spaces to nurture his creativity. He chose his viewpoint very carefully and never relied on the convincingness of the subject alone (Kreider, 1944 p.36-37). The brilliant photomontage poster works by him have influenced generations of young designers.
Herbert Matter would use photographs and stats about the sports heroes and athletes to promote the Nike brand. However, the photos of the campaign would-be the true glory. Herbert will shoot the sports athletes in action. The focus would be on the heroes while showing the Nike sneakers floating in the air and full view. Herbert Matter’s designs and collages show his penchant for straightforward and pure geometric designs. One can clearly see the design sense he employs as a graphic designer and a photographer (Shapiro, 2016). His work reflects his exposure and training in architecture, painting, and typography. He will use his skills in the ad campaign here. He wall use images of the models of Nike brand to be promoted and photographs of the most popular football stars from all across the world covering Australia, China, France, Brazil, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Spain, and the United States. He can show those football stars in action on the field or their personal moment with their Nike shoes, like cleaning them or trying the laces.
The Graphics
Herbert Matter’s experiments led him to develop a unique brand of abstract photography. He made use of several darkroom techniques and devices to create rephotography, reverse printing, montage, and collage through photo manipulation. He likes to use unlikely materials to make his artwork and photographs. He raised the level of photography to Abstract Expressionism, and thus bridged the worlds of art and commerce as a designer and photographer (Sweet, 2016). It was he who introduced avant-garde inventiveness to commercial glamor. He will probably use the same technique here and show the football start in their abstraction but fairly recognizable by their fans. He would use his photographic skills and different software to achieve the effects he is looking for. He will manipulate photography to expand the creative scope of graphic design, giving it a geometric perfection and a very distinctive personal vision. Matter’s finesse lies in his visual approach and as a technician, he makes use of light, form and texture to achieve his vision. He will manipulate the images and graphics using every possible methods and tool to crop, enlarge, retouch and light draw so as to achieve the fresh look from his perspectives. Matter's sympathetic imagination and his "sure" sense of design allow his to develop a winning design.
The fonts
He will experiment with different fonts – big and small, and different colors. Herbert Matter’s work carries his signature photomontage technique. His progressive techniques in graphic designing and photography developed a new visual narrative in his work, where the image extends beyond the frame. He is known for his bold use color and size for placement in typography. Those techniques are characteristic of European Modernism and the post-war expression (Herbert Matter: Modernist Photography and Graphic Design, 2016). Matter is known for making unique contributions to commercial graphic design because of his innovative explorations in photography. He will apply an elegant typographic style to the posters of the ad campaign. Fonts have always carried a major role in his work, and one can expect him to use the letters Nike in an unusual way and bold and striking colors. Matter’s use of colors and how he places the elements in the ad are going to be his foray. He is well known to use bold and striking sans serif font that often looks striking against the photos in the background.
The logo
He will not tamper much with the Nike logo, but will make it more interesting by filling it up with images of different sports activities. The boundary of the logo will be done with a bold black color so that the shape of the logo remains easily visible. However, he may keep the logo simple in white or black, according to the background of the poster and the image. The logo and the Nike words wall are placed at an angle with the photographs of the soccer star in the background. Looking at his past work, Matter will probably use a dull background and place a colorful image of the soccer star. The logo and Nike would be done in the black, white or red font in bold style. The model of the sports shoe has to get a prominent place in the campaign.
The slogan
There will be a catchy slogan placed on the posters, but it will be short and effective. The winning brand needs to create a powerful and inspirational message for the subway car print campaign. The slogan should leave a psychological impact and make an instant connection with the consumers. Brand fans are likely to take an interest in the photographs of their favorite sports stars and a direct message from them can help add credibility and awareness in the ads. This is an excellent way to increase loyalty and good will. Thus, different words of encouragement from various soccer stars can make the subway car print campaign more interesting and increase loyalty and goodwill among the customers.
The composition
He will place the images of the soccer star, the Nike logo, and the Nike model prominently on the poster for a poster campaign. As is apparent from his style and work, the Nike words wall be in bold font and done in contrasting colors to the background so that the customer is easily able to read the content from afar. Brief information on the model of Nike will be printed on the poster, but care would be taken that the font letters are not too small, or the customer will not make an effort to read them. It is the background of the poster and the soccer star that will draw the attention of the viewer. He will use abstraction in the background and show the Nike model and the football star with an apparent precision and sharpness. The fonts used will be bold white, red or black. Each of the soccer stars will show their personal side in the images that will connect emotionally or humorously with the masses. The idea is to bring the brand and the stars closer to the ordinary buyer and make him feel like a star and special when he looks at the subway car print campaign. The notable photomontage technique and the use of type in these posters will create an interesting composition. The use of strong diagonals across the work keep the viewer’s eye entertained and wandering. It will be interesting to see the very distinct language of Herbert Matter in the subway car print campaign.
Abstraction in the work
As Herbert is known to create a different angle in his work, he will probably design the posters for the subway car print campaign in a different and unique manner. It could be the way he shoots his subjects, or shows the model of Nike in his design. He will use different techniques to turn an otherwise ordinary shot into a unique masterpiece with the way he will use the colors, and textures. He will make use of blurry backgrounds, smoke, light painting, shadows or interesting patterns to add to the level of abstraction. The masses will probably see their sports heroes like never before and will connect with the brand in a new way. However, he will control the abstraction in his work so that the final result does not deviate too far away from the actual purpose. After all, abstract photography is the way an idea is created and presented. The photographer will bring out the essence of what he is shooting effectively because of his experience and expertise.
Herbert will make sure that there is always a bright focus on what he wants the public to see, and these will include the brand and the soccer stars. He will highlight those by adjusting the exposure when necessary. Interesting patterns of clouds, strange textures and bodies of natural elements can be repeated in different posters and in an interesting way. The consumers will be forced to look at those strange objects in the poster staring down at them and how they are related to their favorite brand or soccer star. He can use curves and lines to direct the viewer's attention and move it towards the primary focus of the ad, which is the Nike brand. He makes an interesting use of perspective and depth to create a fantastical landscape that is somewhat believable, despite the abstraction.
Herbert Matter will exploit every method to achieve his vision of the subway car print campaign regarding texture, light and form. As he likes to use different materials and textures in his works, it will not be surprising to see him use a real Nike shoe for his ad work. He will retouch and rework on the graphics until he is satisfied with the results. His remarkable creative variance and the clarity with which he will use his medium are sure to create a unique design. He will achieve very dramatic images by working on their abstraction and focusing on the details. He will look at his subject in a different way to bring out a different style of work in his photography and the campaign. His work will let things fall in place and without any explanation. He will incorporate many different styles to create a visual expression in the ads that will not only inform the viewer but also keep him engaged and excited as he travels in the subway.
References
Clifford, J. (2013). Graphic Icons: Visionaries Who Shaped Modern Graphic Design. Peachpit Press, 14(2), 1–240.
Herbert Matter. (2016). Designishistory Retrieved from http://www.designishistory.com/1940/herbert-matter/
Herbert Matter American photographer. (2016). britannica Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/biography/Herbert-Matter
Herbert Matter. (2016). herbert-matter.Retrieved from http://www.herbert-matter.com/
Herbert Matter: Modernist Photography and Graphic Design. (2016)., stanford Retrieved from https://library.stanford.edu/spc/exhibitspublications/past-exhibits/herbert-matter-modernist- photography-and-graphic-design
Kreider, R. (1944). Popular Photography - ND. Magazine, 14(2), 1–96.
Shapiro, E. (2016). A Matter of Technique: Logo Designs of Herbert Matter, printmag Retrieved from http://www.printmag.com/logo-design/logo-designs-herbert-matter/
Sweet,C. (2016). Herbert Matter Photographs on Artnet Auctions, artnet Retrieved from http://www.artnet.com/magazineus/news/artmarketwatch/artnet-auctions-herbert-matter- photographs-9-16-11.asp
The visual language of Herbert Matter. (2011). herbertmatter Retrieved from http://www.herbertmatter.net/matter.html
