The principals of C.R.A.P. are quite clear. Contrast is used when two or more items aren’t the same, creating variety for the viewer due to objects appearing different from each other. Repetition occurs when you repeat a design throughout the final image. Having text or pictures centered or neatly lined is called alignment. Lastly, having related items organized together on a page, with less related items farther apart; is labeled as proximity.
I’ve been trying to decide lately if I should create a poster based on a fictionist movie, so I browsed the Internet and found some great examples that use Robin William’s C.R.A.P. Principles for Design. Here’s what I came up with:
The first poster I came across was for the movie ‘Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull’. I think the designer did a pretty effective job showcasing what this movie entailed. Having Indiana on the left of the image, as apposed to the centre, allows the background to appear less aligned and more entertaining for the viewer. With that being said, centering the bottom text makes the title of the film and release date very easy to navigate on the page. Having the main title slightly slanted on an angle allows the focus to become even easier. The designer also uses proximity with the font style used in the subtitle and the release date, creating a connection between the two, allowing the fonts to be two different colours yet still be able to match with the finished product.
‘Gran Torino’ was the second movie poster I discovered on the Internet. This design is the simplest out of the four I chose. The main focus here is the alignment that was made with the text. With the words all being displayed to the right, Clint Eastwood’s character can be easily seen covering up the left side of the page. Although using repetitive font does make the letters seem great together, I personally believe choosing something less dull could have made this poster more pleasing to the eye.
The next poster is a classic among movies. ‘Casablanca’ seems to have a pretty appealing poster by following the principles of design. Using contrast for the title text from everything else in the poster allows the red in Casablanca stand out perfectly among the rest. You can also witness repetition on the right side of the design, with all the characters faces in the same blue colour; create a simplistic border from complex profiles. Aligning the actors’ names at the top and the bottom of the poster allows the text to be easily read and organized from all the rest. To wrap it up, the designer then uses proximity by placing certain aspects into groups (ie. the main actors’ names at the top and the blue faces on the right).
My final poster, ‘300’, is my favourite design I managed to find. Using the bright red of the font on top of the dark brown of the cliff allows the colours to contrast effortlessly for everyone to read. The repetition of the soldiers on the left not only creates a nice border for the poster, but allows the alignment to seem effortless as well. Having text on angles and in capitals also helps the overall look to this amazing poster design. Keeping the font all on the right side of the cliff shows great proximity with the soldiers as well, making the poster not appear too cluttered.
Having these C.R.A.P. principles, as a design aid will benefit anyone who wants a powerful display, whether it’s on a poster, CD cover, magazine, or billboard. Simply by referring back to these four rules will definitely make anyone’s designs better. Knowing these principles in advance to my first project will help quite a bit!
Oh, and by the way, I made this.
Additional Sources
Petrou, Laurie. Design Principles: Colour Theory And Composition. Ryerson University, Toronto. Lecture. 15 Sept. 2009.
Williams, Robin. The Non-Designer's Type Book. Peachpit Press, 1998.
Images
Indiana Jones And The Crystal Skull. 2008. (Movie Poster)
hhttp://www.iwatchstuff.com/2007/12/am_poster_post_indiana_jones_a.php
Gran Torino. 2008. (Movie Poster)
http://uncinema.wordpress.com/2009/03/
Casablanca. 1942. (Movie Poster)
http://welovetypography.com/3/tag/connected/
300. 2007. (Movie Poster)
http://www.reviewstl.com/300/
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