Communication Artifact

Warmhouse Coffee Advertising

I chose two communication artifacts: an advertisement and a rewards card. Both artifacts are a way for our company, Warmhouse Coffee, to market its business. Because I don't have any graphic design experience, I spent probably way too much time making both the ad as well as the card. However, I'm very pleased with the results. Let me explain the design elements I used for each piece below.

Magazine Ad

(would format to fit a standard 8 in. X 10.5 in. page)

original photo (below) by Andrea Watkins Photography

photo illustration by Katelyn Boulton

When I created this ad, I had a vision - It's a chilly evening in Tacoma, Wash., (the location of our company) and the winter has found its way with its first snowfall. Cold weather might've stopped people from leaving their houses before, but thanks to Warmhouse Coffee, it isn't stopping people from leaving their houses now! Instead of keeping to their inside quarters, the young couple above decided to beat the weather only for a short time until making it to Warmhouse Coffee, where they know they can "Stay Warm."

The red and brown shades in the ad create a warm tone, while the soft, gray colors of the trees seen through the window make it obvious that it's a cold evening outside. The couple is dressed for colder temperatures, but they are able to shed their coats and wear only light layers while inside Warmhouse.

The rule of thirds is incorporated into the ad, with the subject (the couple) positioned in the bottom right third of the photograph. Even though they're sitting, their height is extended up to the top right third of the photograph. The window is positioned in the top left third of the photograph, and the table and empty chair extend across the entire bottom third of the advertisement. The rule of thirds is also incorporated in the window, with the window frame positioned in a grid-like pattern, where the intersections of the lines meet at particular points. However, the offset window framing is intentionally asymmetrical to illustrate that the window extends out of the photograph's frame. This is an example of the law of closure. I added a filter to the photograph of the trees outside, allowing for the snow to be in motion, as if it's snowing in present time.

I placed the saying, "Stay Warm", beside the couple to draw the viewers' eyes toward the couple, as they are the subject of the ad. I then placed the Warmhouse Coffee logo in the bottom right of the ad because that's where the human eye is naturally drawn. I also outlined the logo in a tan color, the same color as the framing in the window allowing again, for an asymmetrical balance between the two corners of the image. I left negative space above the couple so that the ad is easier on the eyes and not too text or image heavy. The negative space also send the eye down toward the subject of the photograph.

original photo by Andrea Watkins Photography

Rewards Card

Lauren designed our logo and used two font types. The cursive of Warmhouse was strategically used because it's a softer font type, resembling a mother or grandmother's handwriting, two people who make everyone feel at home. The cursive is welcoming and inviting.

For the back of the rewards card, I chose a serif font type because serifs make individual letters and words easier to read when on print material. I chose a paper-sack-like color to fill in the background of the card because our products are also packaged in paper sacks which are recyclable, an element of Warmhouse letting our customers know that we strive to take care of the earth we live in. Outlined in an orange border, the card and logos are able to pop out and make the card easy to find in a wallet with several other rewards cards piled on top of each other. The burnt orange color was used throughout our products because it's a warm and bold color and is said to make people hungry. I spoke with several people who drink coffee, and a handful of them liked particular brews that had bold flavors; their opinions support our decision to have burnt orange as one of our company's colors. The use of the logo and colors of our company on our rewards card, as well as our magazine ad, is an example of the law of continuity.

The grid-like pattern of the logos is easy on the eyes, due to each logo having an equal amount of space between each other as well as the four sides of the card. Because the logos are placed around the outside edges of the card, it helps to frame the text in the middle of the card; this is important because it draws people to the center, so they know right away that this card is the Warmhouse Coffee Rewards Card.

Project Bloopers

Like I said already, I don't have any graphic design experience, so I spent hour after hour, day after day (literally) putting together the ad and rewards card. Not only was I trying to be a graphic designer, I was also trying to incorporate as many design principles as I could. In the ad, I played around with the placement of the logo, different tag lines, and the window framing. In the rewards card, I played around with the placement of the logo (or logos), color and font. Below, I've included a number of "bloopers" along my way of creating these designs. There were a lot of "takes" throughout this project.

Ad - Take One