Work the Metaphor

Kevin Lucius


Kevin Lucius is a designer/artist from the US. I think it's his style of photography, illustration and type that drew me to look into his work when I first saw it.


This piece is called 'Immigrants'. It has a really interesting composition in the way that the type and the photograph are positioned clearly in the foreground in different places in the frame and yet because of the opacity it's really difficult to tell which is closer in the foreground. Because of the type is blue in the greyscale picture it stands out more and becomes the main foreground just because of it's colour. If it was grey as well it would probaly sit exactly in line with the photograph, mayb even behind it.
The photography is really interestingly edited aswell because it has a really low contrast between black and white. There is actually no black in the image, it's all different shades of grey which are quite similar and give the effect of a really faded image which is where the image gets the very aged style to it. Couple with the old clothing and black and white photography it is clear that the image references history. You can't say for sure but it is very likely that the image refers to the US, not only because of Lucius' background but because the globe is positioned between asia and the US and the family in the photo are clearly white.
The type is really bold in what it is saying but is given transparency to make it fit with the old feel of the image. The colour almost gives it a link to the present and the past so that the viewer understands that the context of it is based around the past and present.
Also, immigration is a big problem in a lot of countires in the world so the image is definitely based on contemporary issues.
I think the poster is basically saying that everyone in America is an immigrant because they are not the native people of the continent and they should cut immigrants some slack and not being so close minded and judgemental.
I think it portrays this meaning really well and really strongly. It's just subtle enough that you don't understand it at a first glance but it is bold enough for you to be struck by it and read into the image a bit more to understand it. It is so clearly addressed at you that it makes you take a step back and examine the way you think about immigrants and morals. I suppose it could be argued that the black and white photograph is kind of metonymous with the past and history as a whole.

This is a really great logo design again by Kevin Lucius. It's kept really simple qand only uses a few colours to make it clear and neat. The black and white have a high contrast to make type and image stand out and make the type easily readable and the red and orangey yellow are pretty similar colours and really close in the colour spectrum which makes them easy on the eyes and gives off a warm calming feeling (kind of like a hot cup of coffee in the morning). The choice of colour is really good and well thought about; the red on its won would look much more sinister on the large amount of black background because it would connote blood and death.
The type is really clear and bold with a relaxed feel because of the slightly curved edges of the characters. It is clear that this sign is not of dire importance or anything to be stressed about. It's something comforting.
The font is changed on the word Cafe to a hand-drawn style script font to suggest a bit of elegance and it's a reminder of more fancy little french cafes.
The main thing that stands out is the rooster because it is the only actual symbol on the image and it is really well chosen. Everyone clearly relates the rooster to sunrise and early mornings when a rooster is known for making a lot of noise. It's a really simple image with no detail at all but hasjust enough to perfectly represent the rooster and the morning time. The outward expanding beams of yellowy orange represent the sun low on the horison behind the rooster, again linking to the idea of a morning and all linking in to the cafe name "Morning Brew".

This image is much artier than many pieces of contemporary graphic design because of its use of seeminlgy random shapes and styles like the circles in the background which I can't really place as having any purpose in the image. But this is still a really great way of representing an idea without using any words except a title; "New Fashion". This is another piece by Kevin Lucius.
I think it is trying to relate new and old just as with 'immigrants' but i'm not entirely sure why.
Aside from this, there are some really good methods of communication. I'm pretty sure that the image is litterally trying to say that new fashion has nothing to do with the way something looks but is completely driven by what people say is fashionable. In fact the televison could be a representation of the media, meaning that magazines and television are the things that tell people to wear certain clothes because they are fashionable.
The link to the past with the old style of imagery could be to do with the moment that this type of "new fashion" began in history but it isn't completely clear.
I really like the way this is laid out in the frame, it is clear that we are not supposed to focus on the woman as a whole but only really her body and the bright red bold clothing that she is wearing.