CRAP!

C: Contrast

This image, the logo for the popular sitcom Modern Family, works well as an example of contrast for a number of reasons. First, the fonts in the logo contrast one another; the word "modern" employs a more simple font, whereas the word "family" is written in a Times New Roman-esque type, typically considered old-fashioned. Also, where the first word is written in black, the second is accentuated by a brighter orange; while they are not exactly complimentary colours, they are clearly differentiated. Clearly, an effort was made so that the words "modern" and "family" would appear very distinct when placed side by side, which is why this image effectively exemplifies contrast.

R: Repetition

In this image, repetition is used to convey the old-fashioned Western theme of the poster. Used to promote a Toy Story-themed attraction at Walt Disney World, the same font style is used in the phrase "Classic arcade fun- bank on it!" as well as "Always exciting, never boar-ing!" This font repetition is used in other parts of the poster as well. This serves to unify the poster in order to unquestionably get the Western theme across to the target audience.

A: Alignment

This use of alignment is effective because the beginning of each line is on the same side of the disc cover, making for easy reading. The viewer can read the song title and artist on the left side, look further down on the left to notice the parental advisory warning, and subsequently look at the picture of the artist. In this way, the image also falls under the proximity category; it serves to organize the space on the image well, everything in the image appears to fall into its own category and the image does not appear cluttered, yet almost all the space is used up.

P: Proximity

This poster, promoting Ryerson's 2011 Week of Welcome, is an excellent example of proximity. Related items, in this case the events happening during the week, are grouped based on the day on which they occur. These groups are easily identifiable because each day is a different colour. Because each day is separated into its own row, it is also an example of alignment, and the colour scheme is also somewhat repetitive as well; white and yellow are used repeatedly to make the text stand out.

The benefits of the CRAP system are limitless, as seen in the above images. The system serves as a guideline to ensuring an effective piece of work which will create a connection with its viewer. However, one slight issue I have with the system is that it kind of limits creativity; yes, the examples above are still highly creative and unique in their respective designs, but there really are no rules to creativity; sometimes, something just looks good because it does. You could say it has a visual x-factor, that indescribable something that makes it visually appealing. I do recognize, however, that such cases are highly uncommon and that the CRAP system does serve a very useful purpose, with countless examples surrounding us everywhere.