EvaluationRyan Goldsmith

Producing Print Based Media

Visual Language:

CompositionHow have you chosen to set out your designs and why?(Reference layout, image/text ratio, busy/simplistic etc)The front of the cards were laid out with the title of the meal in the top left hand corner of the card as that is the first thing that will draw your attention as you read through the card. There was then a small image of the dish in the top right hand corner to show what the finished product should look like. The method was written in left hand side of the card which takes up a large portion of the card. The ingredients are written on the right hand side underneath the image in the corner. The text/ image ratio on the front of the card is very one sided towards the text whereas on the reverse of the card there is a large image of the meal which takes up the entire space with some overlaying text of a sentence. We just felt that this design was right for what we were trying to achieve which was to make a set of cards that could be used by both children and adults with children in order to get them more interested in the vegetarian options that are available to them. They have a nice clean finish to them which we feel is pleasing of the eye and the fonts that we have chosen to use makes it interesting to read and keeps your attention.

Image ConstructionDiscuss the contents of your final images and reflect upon decisions made.(Content used- image/text/graphic, use of colour, original or stock images etc)Our images are all stock photographs, this was our plan from the start because we felt like this would give the best representation of the dishes and they would work best with our chosen theme. We used plenty of colours on our cards and this again was used to keep the attention of the younger readers and make them more appealing to the younger children by using primary colours which they would usually associate with some of the things that they are exposed to anyway, such as TV programmes, toys, books etc. The images are fairly simplistic but at the same time they look professional and clean cut which gives a clear view of what dishes we are trying to show off.

RepresentationDiscuss the semiotics and connotations created from the content you have included.(What meaning or suggestions are created from the images/colours/designs you have used?)The colours suggest that the cards are for a younger generation and the same goes for the choice of text. The images that we have used aren’t really applicable to any specific age range they are fairly neutral and don’t lean towards and adult or a child audience which is perfect for what we were trying to achieve with our cards.

Audiences:

Create an audience profile of your chosen demographic(Age, gender, psychographic, geodemographic, NRS Social Grade, hobbies, sexuality [if appropriate] etc)Our target audience is children of any gender aged 4-13 and the idea is that they can use the cards with their parents. There is no specific geodemographic for this.

How have you constructed your work to appeal to this audience?Use box below for text or page space to include an annotated copy of an example of your work to help illustrate how you have done this. You can use a combination of the two.We have used vibrant primary colours and playful texts that will help the appeal to the younger children. We also made sure that the recipes aren’t overly complicated and hard to follow. Because there was quite a large amount of text when it came to the method and the ingredients we thought that it would be best to use a font that isn’t boring to read and that will help to make a young child focus rather than using a standard text which could seem quite droll and boring. The layout was kept the same right throughout the series of cards so to not cause any confusion and to make sure that they worked well as a full set and were aesthetically pleasing as well as being useful and informative.

Historical and Cultural Context:

What did you use as your design influences and why were they chosen?(What existing media products influenced the final look of your work?)While in the development and research stage of the project we saw some examples of recipe cards with a similar layout and also while designing a few different ideas we decided that certain elements of those designs worked well. We felt that this design was simplistic, clean and easy to follow for the children whilst still having some appeal to the parents of those children. The use of the large and the small images of the meal was a nice touch and gave a nice balance to the ratio of text to image.

Do vegetarian products have a specific design aesthetic and how does your project reflect/contrast this? Why?I think that some vegetarian products can go for a certain aesthetic look to their designs however we didn’t follow this almost stereotypical look that a lot of the vegetarian products have with the vegetables and simple greens etc. because we are trying to show that there is a wide variety of choice when it comes to meal choice and it goes a lot further than fruit and veg. our cards are trying to show that just because you aren’t a carnivore it doesn’t mean that you are different to other people which perhaps some children may be worried about when they are at a young age because of their peers.

Finished Products:

Does your finished product reflect your initial plans? How? If there are any differences, describe why changes were made.(You can use visual examples of flat plans and finished products to illustrate this)Our product turned out as we wanted and as we planned for the most part, the use of primary colours and stock images remained the same right from the beginning. The only thing that really changed was some of the font choices and this was due to the fact that in large quantities some of the fonts were difficult to read and blended in with the background of the cards too much, this was easily and quickly changed to a more suitable font that is easier on the eye and gave an all over nicer aesthetic finish to the cards.

Does your finished product match what you were set in the brief? How?Yes it does. This is because we have managed to create a new set of 8 recipe cards that have a clear theme running through all of them. There is something on both the front and the back of all of the cards which means that we have maximized the use of the available space and we have created something that makes the vegetarian

lifestyle look appealing to those people that are either thinking of becoming vegetarian or are new to it and don’t have a lot of information about the choices that are available.

How did the use of peer feedback help you in your production?(Reference specific examples and their final outcome in finished product)The only complaint that we had with regards to improving on our work was that the initial font that we chose for the method for our cards was difficult to read because the letters had no fill to them so it was just an outline of the letters. We took this information on board and we changed our fonts to one which had a fill so the entire colour of the fonts was different to the background.

Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of your final product regarding its technical and aesthetical qualities.Use box below for text or page space to include an annotated copy of your work to help illustrate how you have done this. You can use a combination of the two.Reference what you like and dislike about the work with consistent reference to correct terminology of tools/effects used.I feel that one of the strengths of our product is that it is simplistic and easy to follow which is good for the audience that we are targeting. A bad thing about a select few of the cards is that sometimes the colour of the fonts clash with the background colour and make it difficult to read, this could be fixed quickly and easily by simply adjusting either or both of the colours to a more suitable and legible one. We used a flagging effect on the titles to give them a nice flowing feel to them and we tried to keep the percentage amount that we flagged them as near as the same depending on how long the title was.

What skills/knowledge have you gained/developed in this project? How could these be applied in future practice?I think that I have learnt a bit more about what good planning can mean for the later stages of a project. I say this because we planned our project so well that we had almost everything that we needed by the time we got to the production stage. This can be transferred to future projects and will reflect in new projects further along the line. I think that I have simply developed my group work skills further and rather than taking a back seat and not having much of a say in what goes on in the project I put in my ideas and discussed what could be done to improve upon what we had or simply just to voice my opinion.

Production Processes

Do you believe your work is creative and technically competent? Why?(Reference specific examples (use images if this will help) of where you believe your work is particularly visually or technically impressive) I think that our work is creative because of the different fonts and colours that we used in order to appeal to the younger audience. I feel that it also works well as a recipe card with the layout style and execution of the design as a whole.

How effectively did you manage your time?(Could you have used time more wisely? Did a particular aspect of the project take longer than expected? Did you complete everything on schedule?)I think that we managed our time well, we had all of the plans done on time, everything that needed uploading to our blog regarding this project was done so on time and up to standard and when it came to the production stage we worked at a level of efficiency where we had fully completed all eight of the cards after just a week of production. I think the only other thing we could’ve factored in would have been to make the dishes ourselves either to use take photographs of or to use as a type of alpha test for what we are trying to put out to the public.

If you could repeat the process what would you do differently?If I did the project again I would make the dishes myself and take the photographs so

I could set them up as I wanted and ensure that it ran hand in hand with the rest of the theme for the cards.

Working to a Brief in the Creative Media Industries

Constraints Experienced:

What constraints did you encounter and how did you consider/avoid them?Legal ConstraintsWith our cards the main legal issue was copyright and this was because the recipes and images that we used are not ours and we took them from the internet, if the owner of this content felt that it was necessary to take legal action they could do so.

Regulatory ConstraintsWe don’t feel like we have any regulatory constraints to worry about with our project.

Financial ConstraintsIf we were to go ahead with the actual printing and distribution o these cards we would encounter large printing costs as well as the cost of sending them worldwide, there would also be the matter of paying the people that designed and developed the cards and that just generally helped with the making of them.

Management:

How did you work as part of a group?(Did you lead the project? What parts of the project did you take charge of? Did you enjoy working as part of a group? Why?)Savannah was more the leader of the project I took on a lower stance in the group where I still had an equal share in what jobs we did but she came up with most of the designs. We split the work load equally in order to ensure that it was fair and that there would be no chance of someone feeling like they’re working harder or doing more. I enjoyed it because it was good to be able to get an idea of what other people think when you are working on the same thing and to get an insight into what they like and don’t like. It was nice to have the backup of another team member if I was undecided on something or unsure.

How important is communication when working in a group?(Use specific examples from working in a group on this project)Good communication is vital when it comes to success when working in a group because if people have different views on what is being one or what they think should be done if you’re both working on separate parts of the project you could end up with different themes and feels in the work. A breakdown in communication could

prove to be detrimental to the schedule of the project and could result in you missing your deadline and therefore losing money if you are a profitable audience and also losing credibility.

What have you learnt about working in a group and how will you apply this to future practice?I have learnt to take note of what ideas all of the members of the group might have so that further along in the project you could use some aspects that might work well with other idea from the group.

What have you learnt about working in to a brief and how will you apply this to future practice?I have learnt that you don’t have to follow a brief to the letter; you can ensure that you cover all of the bases to make the employer happy in order to not lose work. This can be used in the future to give myself more freedom when working to a brief and allow me to express myself.