Composition

Book Cover:

I really like most of  the Harry Potter book covers, especially the fact that they always extend the image beyond just the front, and one has to look at the whole cover to get the most out of it. What I really like about this one is the fact that the 2 scenes on the cover tell the most important aspects of the story, even if it is 650 pages long. Harry and Dumbledore looking into the Pensieve is an important aspect of the story because throughout the book, they are always looking into the past to discover more about Voldemort and find out how to kill him. The students looking up at the Death Mark is an image from the climax of the story, where the Death Eaters invade Hogwarts and kill Dumbledore, causing Harry to pursue killing Voldemort without the aid of his mentor.

Magazine Cover:

 I don't really read magazines, but I feel like Esquire has a nice cover because they manage to keep it uncluttered, and even go as far as covering up part of the title, knowing that readers will recognize the parts that are shown.

Music Cover:

Very nice font all around, very modern looking and sleek. The artwork is also interesting and adds another dimension. The whole cover manages to look minimalist and yet full of life and full of depth. The track itself is also iconic, described by many as a progressive house anthem and one my own personal favorites. 

Broadcast Design:

I actually have two posters that I really like. The one on the left is the poster for the movie Expendables, whose strongest point is perhaps not the plot, but the fact that they gathered so many big name action stars. The poster really plays off of that aspect of the movie, featuring only the names of the actors, and as if that didn't make it clear that this would be a bad-ass movie, the designers dropped a skull and an assortment of weapons underneath.
     The second poster is for the movie Ides of March, a movie about the dirty side of politics, and one man's story of revenge against those that used him. I really enjoy the idea of juxtaposing the two men's faces, with Ryan Gosling's character still looking young but with a pained look, especially when compared to George Clooney's confident look. The poster is just perfect, without really a reason to explain it, except that it is very creatively done. It also helps that the two actors have similar facial features that can be blended together.

Package Design:

Good design of both the case and the bottle. Keeps the message of the brand name by having the bottle appear to be in the process of being sliced in half, as if by a samurai sword. The case itself is very nicely designed, with a simple white font on a black box.

Advertisement:

Great advertisement from FedEx that really underlines its ability to transport things all around the world, while making it as simple as passing something to your neighbor.

Digital Interface:

I think Civilization 5 has a really good interface for how complicated the game can be and how much information is available to the player. The important things like production, policy and unit orders always require a response from the player, and the basic information like gold, production, culture and resources are always available to the player at the top. The more advanced things like city menus are also fairly simple to navigate and look very clean and properly separated. Overall, it is a good design for the wealth of information present.