Contrast

Good Use of Contrast:

This is a poster for the television show, Mad Men.  This poster is a great example of good use of contrast.  The usage of only three colors (red, black, and white) allow a clear message to be conveyed.  These colors "pop out" perfectly on this poster.  The silhouettes of the characters and the way they are portrayed with the colors is perfectly designed.  This poster is easily readable because only three colors are used, and those colors are the most recognizable and commonly used in advertisements to draw attention.  With the usage of black and white for the background, the title of the show is able to stand out, just like the characters stand out.  This poster is simple yet the usage of black, white, and red makes for an excellent poster design.

Picture Works Cited:

http://en.paperblog.com/mad-men-poster-high-contrast-adaptation-176686/

Bad Use of Contrast/Contrast Failure:

This is a scientific poster, but you can barely tell what it says let alone know that it is a scientific poster. The only way that I know it is a scientific poster is because the website told me so.  This poster is not designed well according to contrast.  The designer used all dark font colors and backgrounds, which makes the poster hard to read.  There is low contrast in this poster due to the bad usage of color.  The tones are all wrong and the color choices create a headache for people trying to read what the poster says.  This would be a more effective poster if the designer had used either a dark background with light font colors or a light background with dark font colors.  Overall, this poster is a contrast failure.

Picture Works Cited:

http://www.makesigns.com/tutorials/poster-design-layout.aspx