Good design/Bad design

I am going to be evaluating the progression of the Starbucks Logo.

1971- The first logo that Starbucks came up with was too detailed without enough clarity.  From up close you can make out the Greek Goddess but from afar it's hard to tell what you're really looking at. The goddess is also topless, so it was inevitable that she would need to be covered once their chain branched out to be more conservative.  It also displays the words "coffee", "tea", and "spices".

1987-The next logo they produce was more simple, just having the words "Starbucks" and "coffee" and the goddess is less realistic.  The logo went from brown to green with a black center.  The logo has more contrast between the white, green, and black, and it is easier to see the woman in the middle.  This logo makes me a bit uncomfortable the way the goddess in the middle is spreading her fin-legs, once again a little sexual.

1992-As time goes on, the logo gets more simple, and less sexual.  The next logo zoomed in more on the goddess's face, so you can only see her fins on the side.  This logo still has "Starbucks Coffee" on it.

2011-The current logo no longer displays Starbucks' name.  It is zoomed even closer up to the woman and is only green.  This logo is the best logo because it is simple, like a logo should be, and it is more conservative to protect Starbucks from any issues among conservative communities.

Although the colors have changed, I like that Starbucks has kept the same Greek goddess and the focal point of every logo, making an identity for themselves, and the consistency makes them recognizable.

Contrast, Balance, and Harmony

This image is a picture I took this summer when I was in Cannon Beach, OR on my brother's iPhone 4.  My older brother, pictured, has studied karate and other fighting types for many years and he was doing a flying kick that you might see in a Jet Li movie.  It took several attempts to time the picture just right so he was suspended in the air, but I finally got it right before he ran out of breath.  The massive rock in the background to the left is Haystack Rock which is right on Cannon Beach.

Contrast:  There is a lot of contrast in this image.  My brother's silhouette is contrasted against the bright sun which was setting at the time behind him.  The sun's glare off of the wet sand also contrasts Haystack Rock, as well as the dark sand, ocean, and sky surrounding it. My brother looks massive compared to the 3 other people in the background taking pictures and because they are all only silhouettes it is an illusion because we can not tell the depth which they are apart. 

Balance:  Although this image is asymmetrical, the balance comes from my brothers positioning in the air.  He explained to me, in length, how difficult this kick is to execute because each part of the body has to be perfectly in place for it to work.  His right foot had to be tightly tucked underneath his left.  The right arm had to be at an angle while the left arm and leg are straight and parallel to one another.  It seems even more challenging when you think about how all these movements have to happen in less than a second while he was at the peak of him jump before he landed.  Although his body is asymmetrical, you can see he is balanced in the air because his body is parallel to the sand below him.

Harmony:  This image is harmonious because of all of the contrast and the form of my brother's body, as well as the context.  Cannon Beach is a harmonious place for me.  I've been there a few times, the first two when I was a little girl, and the most recent time was this summer, and 10 years had past since the last time.  I remember visiting Haystack rock when I was younger and being in awe at the massive size of the rock and all the tide pools around it filled with starfish and other sea creatures.  Those are very happy memories for me.  The beach is my happy place.  Because his body is so dark in contrast to the bright sun, the focus is on him form instead of any other distracting pieces of clothing or his facial expression.

I thought I'd also include this picture because this was my weak attempt at imitating him.  It was a lot harder than it looked apparently.