#transparency effect

One of the most frequently asked questions we get is - "How to replace a background in a transparent image you bought?"

These are some transparency effects that I tried out in my Extended Perception (Color Theory) class. We didn’t do much of these in class so they were all done in the wee hours of the morning in my messy living room. I think they turned out well enough for the project but I probably needed to do one or two more. My favorite is the one with the purples and oranges.

In the new age of ethically conscious consumption, companies are now working hard to extend, and in some cases exploit, the terrain of ethical consumption. An example of a company that teeters between that line is the Los Angeles-based clothing company American Apparel. The company advertises its vertical integration model, producing all its goods under one roof. Its advertising also boasts "brand-free" and "sweatshop-free." The transparency effect comes into play when American Apparel uses images of their employees as part of their marketing and branding. When globalized outsourcing was revealed as highly exploitative and the media covered those exploitations, companies like American Apparel took the opportunity to build a market and brand identity selling the opposite. Their marketing tactics have come under criticism because their advertisements feature pictures of happy, smiling, minority workers in a quasi-imperialist kind of way, where Western consumers can "help" by buying the clothes and making sure these employees still have jobs. The no-brand, transparency effect in a way can also be understood through their minimalist designs--clear shopping backs, white buildings, Helvetica black font, solid colors, simple designs. Even in their shops, they try to be as transparent as possible. Their clothes are understood to have hidden gimmicks, just high-quality basic clothes. Their employees wear the clothes they're selling and resemble the models and employees used in the advertisements.