peel back the pounds

Communication Arts - Design Annual 2010

There are many ways these calendars could be interpreted, but from a design perspective, they're so creative.  I will say that the female calendar is much stronger than its male counterpart.  Since the woman appears to be putting her weight on one leg, and bending the other, her body shape is much more recognizable than the male's.  The man stands vertically flexing his muscles, however there is little "fat" below his arms in the heaviest figure.  I don't see a body shape in the male's largest outline.  The designer made good decisions about the colors in each version.  I think that these designs are so strong, but I wonder how they would sell as actual products.  I don't think I'd ever be tempted to purchase a calendar like this, even if I were on a weight-losing mission.  Unless things went better than I imagine they could, I wouldn't ever want to change the month!  In addition, this isn't the kind of calendar you'd give someone as a present.  Even people who like the product may be wary of hanging it in a public space because of what it says about its owner.  Nonetheless, it demonstrates a creative solution.