OUGD404: Book Exhibition

Today we went to a Book Exhibition at The Tetley. I enjoyed seeing all the different styles of books displayed. There were small constantine books which were vibrant and stood out in the first second because of their colours and illustrations. Similar to ones that seemed like a more fanzine style with artist works and the children's styled books. There was also a very large book in the exhibition which had to be turned by members of staff. I feel like this would be too ambitious for a 10 page spread for design principles. The content and style would be very difficult to organise to that scale which would work fluidly.

From this exhibition I have taken away the use of colours and illustrations because I found the more vibrant colourful work more prominent but the black and white section was also nice to look at. I will take into consideration maybe creating a children's book for Studio Brief 02 because of the use of colours and illustrations but I would need to consider the layout more. I really like my original idea for Studio Brief 02 about making it more photography heavy but this could be an alternative route to illustrate a children's book.

OUGD405: Studio Brief 02 - Final Resolution - Evaluation

I'm quite happy with the final resolution because throughout the project I had been asking for feedback and critique whereas before I didn't go out and search for feedback. This time I asked an extensive variety of people. I mostly asked students (which were aged between 18-22) because that is the age range my leaflet is aimed towards. I also asked a few older people to see if the leaflet would be applicable to them to and they had agreed that the concept does work and it would be appealing to all age ranges because of aesthetics. It is a simple black design which makes it feel personal to the reader.  I found it a massive help to get different perspectives and opinions on the design which I took into consideration to create this. I really like the sleekness of the black which contrasts with the white. The concept behind the tunnel vision is also quite strong in my opinion because when you are intoxicated you feel like you can't see anything. Putting that into the perspective of someone that would get behind the wheel, the white depicts that it's too late and the incident has already happened. It's also clear that the paragraph gets blurrier as you read onwards which was the concept for the typography to demonstrate the effect of alcohol on your eyes. 

I think that this concept could work as a range. I was given the feedback of "not only could it be a leaflet it could be a selection of things such as posters and on a billboard or even at a bus stop advertisement. It doesn't have to stop at the leaflet. It could be a genuine consistent idea. You could don't have to create mock ups but at least consider it." I think that my concept could be adapted to a range of things because it is so simple. It is straight to the point and direct to the target audience of younger people but can also be applied to older age ranges.

The only parts I would change are the stock. I settled for matte 200 gsm paper. I think that the matte stock was the right choice but 200 gsm is too thick. The ink cracked on the sides when I folded the paper which was what I was trying to avoid so I should have used a thinner stock probably within the 100s as 90 would have been too thin. I also think that the black lines around the centre text were not essential but they were there so I could construct the leaflet. It also segregated the texts more prominently which is I think is a pro to the design but it also looks slightly unprofessional so I should have experimented with removing that or having it a lighter shade of grey. Overall, the execution and production of the concept was poor but I now know what to take into consideration next time so that the same mistakes do not happen during the production so that the resolution has a higher outcome. However, I really like the concept and the design. 

OUGD405: Studio Brief 02 - Draft Mock Ups

The 5 draft mock ups consist of my initial design for the layout fold. Then I added my initial content. The next one is after feedback. The one after that is more feedback. The black one is how the black stock would look on the outside because my concept is going to be the tunnel vision idea as suggested in a crit. Where the not only is the typography is blurred to suggest the drinking having an effect on your eyes but how your state of mind is blacked out until the collision comes and it's too late and everything becomes white as demonstrated by the inside. The design does this by having a black outside and a white inside. I created this mock up to see if the colours would work that way and I believe they do if the text is kept monotone which it will be because it is cheap to produce in mostly black and white tones.

Feedback:

Is there too much text compacted into the space available on the leaflet?

"It looks good however it feels like you are cramming too much text into a small place. Smaller font or less text maybe."

"I think you should have the text in each flap the same size. Standard point size for print is between 10 and 12 including .5 sizes so as long as it's no smaller than 10 it's good."

"Maybe, you should try making the paragraphs a more similar size."

Does the black and white concept work?

"Yes. It uses the idea that the outside is ambiguous and the inside is the clarity."

"You could try reversing it so that the black is on the inside it might show that the darkness comes after the light which means you have had too many drinks making things dark and scary."

Should both sides be the same tone?

"I feel that they would both work white but it could be quite bland. The same goes with black."

"No, because then it loses the concept of tunnel vision."

"The black would look quite sleek if it was all black but the concept so far is good."

"No."

"The black looks professional and will stand out against other letters."

Feedback for the finalised design mock up:

“I would say the ambiguity of the external design makes you want to open it. The inside design relevantly and effectively communicates the subject of the leaflet using visual illusion to enhance its message and ultimately reach the target successfully.”

“I feel as though a thinner paper stock would have been a better choice to avoid the ink from splitting once the design was folded. Other than that the concept is clear and effective towards the design choices made.”

“The text is shit quality so next time change the resolution on photoshop for a more crisp look. The blur line inside is wonky so some parts of the letters are more blurred than they should be. Letters too big, kind of in your face when you open it since its so small. Since the letters so big it kind of made my eye twitch plus the combination of blurry text. Other than that concept is strong its just your crafting should have been more polished so your ”

“It’s a serious book for a serious issues and the colour scheme, layout and style reflect its well to create a leaflet the draw attention straight away via the tone of voice of the cover, it’s direct yet board because it target anyone who drives but anyone can see directly the purpose.”

“I just really loving the blurry effect. Also it’s  very handy because its quite small and travel friendly so you can take it with you. I am also loving the photography skills.”

“I think the folding is really unique and as a self contained leaflet it works really effectively if it’s going to be posted out to people. I think the plain black works in your favour cos it’s intriguing for people to open, and provides a stark contrast with the white inside.”

“I like the orgami envelope. It’s very unique. It engages the audience to interact with it. Black is sophisticated. Would it be difficult to read because the text is in different sections? I can’t read it either way. (blurred or segmented). I like the black and white it goes well together and I can see the black text. Is opening it difficult or would it be difficult for idiots to open? Seems alright to me. I like it.”

“Should have a picture of beer on it. Apart from that, I’d read it and feel special inside because it looks important like I’m the chosen one.”