You look mahhhvelous dahling!
Prada, Christian Dior, Donatella Versace, and Ralph Lauren are some of the names and brands that are synonymous with fashion.

Fashion has a trickle-down effect in the industry. What you see on 5^th Avenue and Paris runways eventually influence what you may see on the clothes racks of your local department store or clothing outlets.
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Let the ads begin!
Fashion design ads are the mainstay for designers in getting the word out about new lines of clothing and coming trends. Fashion advertisements can sometimes run into bumps along the road if attention to detail is lacking in the design phase.

In this installment of Graphic design mistakes and blunders we’ll look closely at some fashion advertisements and see, literally, where things went off course.

Look and laugh but above all, learn from the missteps that can sometimes occur even to the best of us.

InStyle out of style?
InStyle magazine says that it provides ‘…the best of what’s in fashion’ plus glimpses of  ‘celebrity lifestyles.’

In this advertisement from InStyle, Amy Adams strikes a pose for the photographer and shows off her colorful gown. But there is something about this photo that seems odd.

Can you spot the error?

While the lighting for this photograph is good, the pose is not. Amy tries to give her best model pout pose but it turns into something comical because she looks as if she has the beginnings of a headache.

What also looks odd is her posing like a stork–if you look closely she only seems to be standing on just one leg.

We are guessing that Amy’s other leg is exiting out on the other side of the dress but the pose doesn’t indicate this at all.
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Elegant but wait…
In this ad for Calleija Jewelers we see the model in full wedding attire amidst muted pastel pinks. It works well on many levels.

The color palette for the set is nicely done, the pose is good, and the advertisement has an upscale feel to it.

However, there seems to be something a bit askew with the otherwise serene setting of the photograph.

Can you spot the error?

The movie ET, directed by Stephen Spielberg, was a blockbuster hit. The main character, ET (extraterrestrial) is stranded on Earth and longs to find a way back to his home planet.

The model in this ad seems to have taken a cue from ET–she also sports a rather long neck. Was this a Photoshop error or just a bad camera angle? We don’t know but this mistake could have been prevented before the ad was published.
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GQ or DQ?
GQ stands for Gentleman’s Quarterly and is a mainstay magazine for men who are into fashion and the good life. DQ stands for disqualification in sporting events. In this particular GQ ad, we believe it has been dq’ed for bad art direction.

We like the concept in the Ralph Lauren ad but unfortunately the execution of the idea has crashed due to the way the shadow on the wall is depicted.

Yes, it could have been on purpose, but to what purpose we are at a loss to explain. In any event, the otherwise classy advertisement comes off as funny and a bit disturbing.

Graphic design school and advertising
If you are interested in advertising, enrolling in a graphic design college is a good first step in the right direction. You’ll learn about design principles, proper layout, computer graphics, and many other topics that can help you in your design career.

Make an appointment with a graphic design school representative to see how an education in design can help you to qualify for jobs in the advertising industry.

Billions and Billions of Ads
Carl Sagan, a renowned astrophysicist, astronomer, author and host of the Public Broadcasting television series Cosmos, was fond of using the catchphrase “Billions [and] billions of stars…” in his distinctive nasal pronunciation.

Although there may not be “billions and billions” of ads since the very first one was produced, (probably on a cave wall), there can be no argument that the shear number of them is quite staggering.

Art directors and graphic designers are the gatekeepers for preventing design errors from reaching the final stage of publication in advertisements, graphic designs or other media. But as we all know, sometimes these little gremlins sneak past the guards.

Can you see the errors in the following examples? Look at the ads closely and then read the Do You See It? answers to find out if you are correct. (The mistakes can be seen by clicking on each photo.)

Have fun!

Props R Us
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We’ll start with an easy one here. The photo for this ad from the Banana Republic website shows a woman modeling a pantsuit. She looks happy and the clothes on her fit very nicely.

Do You See It? (Click on image to see mistakes)
All photographers should be able to point out this error immediately. A standard piece of equipment in every pro photographer’s bag is the 18% gray card.

The model is holding it above her head so that a light meter reading can be taken off the card. The resulting information from the meter gives the photographer information on the proper exposure to use.

This photo was probably just a test shot during the photo shoot to calibrate the light meter and was never intended to be used for the website.
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What’s in Your Wallet?
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This is a high profile ad for Louis Vuitton handbags. No doubt the fashionable accessories are well made and highly prized. The staged set is dynamic with the models assuming their standard issue pouting poses.

Do You See It? (Click on image to see mistakes)
One of the hardest scenes to photograph is when mirrors are in the shot. The reflections off of mirrors can show the surrounding studio equipment and camera people. These errant images are usually digitally removed for final copy.

In this case the art director has opted to enhance the realism of the set by replacing the offending reflections with Photoshopped images. The problem with these insertions is that the images do not reflect (pun intended) the actual model posses. The reflection on the left mirror shows the model’s arms together, but in the real scene she has them apart.

There also seems to be some inconsistencies with the reflections of the lights and lamps in the center mirror as well.

Details, Details, Details
None of the errors we’ve seen are deal breakers by any means. But they do demonstrate that mistakes can happen to the best of us.

What is important to realize is although it is important to receive the best career training from graphic design school centers or graphic design colleges; the level of attention to detail is our personal responsibility.
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Next Time…
We’ll post up some more “boo-boos” related to marketing ads in our next installment of Gotcha! Graphic Design Advertising Mistakes.

Until then, keep on designing! (…and look out for those mistakes.)

The Web Marketing Association 7th annual Internet Advertising Competition (IAC) Awards is currently excepting entries. The IAC Awards are the first and only industry-based advertising award competition dedicated exclusively to online advertising.

The Internet Advertising Competition Awards are open to all organizations and individuals (advertising and interactive agencies, corporate marketing departments, etc.) involved in the process of developing Internet advertising.

Awards will be presented within each of the industry categories and advertising formats such as online ad (including banner, pop-up or interstitial), rich media online ad, email message, online newsletter campaign, Website and integrated ad campaign and ads the client did not choose.

Best of show award for each medium will be selected from among the industry winners. Ads eligible for entry in the competition must have run during the period from January 1, 2008 through January 30, 2009.

Deadline for entry is 30 January 2009. Visit the site to learn more.

GeniusRocket would like you to combine your graphic design skills with guerrilla marketing tactics to create an Online Banner Ad & a Poster/Flyer to help drive our College Outreach Campaign. You’ll have to rely on your time, energy and imagination instead of a big marketing budget.

Your job is to promote GeniusRocket on Facebook, promote your school’s group on GeniusRocket. Judging Criteria is based upon the best ad execution and the most effective and creative ad placement via screenshots (for banners) and digital photos (for poster/flyers). The grand prize? $3,000!

Deadline is 30 April 2008. Visit the site to learn more.