digital graphics evaluation - pro forma

Graphic Narrative Evaluation

Use this template to help you evaluate your project.

You should give specific details about your work.

You should provide both written and visual examples to explain your project.

You should find areas to praise in your work. Be specific about why you think they are good or why you are proud of them.

You should also find areas that could be improved. Look for areas that you could make better if you went back to them. Be specific about what you would improve.

Add additional slides as you need to. Don’t be restricted by what is here.

Any blank slides should be deleted before submission.

Does your final product reflect your original intentions?

Compare your planning/digital flat plans/ storyboards to your final product

I originally wanted to use 8 pages, however I ended up using 13 in the end.The sizing of my images were consistent throughout.

The story element remained the same however the dialogue I originally planned had to be redone to fit into the slides in a minimalistic manor.

How well have you constructed your images?• How well have you constructed your images? You could talk about the

overall visual appearance and well as the use of texture and colour.

I think I have used a somewhat minimalistic style, which in my opinion makes it more suited to be a children's’ book, with less going on in the image the child has more time to focus on the story and the illustrations.

In this image for example the characters are shown as very simple designs, you can still tell what they are supposed to represent and get an idea of where they are looking and what they are doing, I added in some small details to the landscape in the back and foreground such as the small footprints in the front of the image and the bunched up trees in the back.

I intended this to be the case for most of my images in the book, for example in this image, the room is clearly defined and has some detail in the texture and uniform, however I would still consider it to be very minimalistic.

The colour and tonality I have used is very reflective of the mood of the main character.

How well have you used text to anchor your images-You should talk about the combination of words, images and text.-

I believe that in most of my images the text is imperative to understanding the image, I believe the text I have used relates heavily to the images I have used and can clearly describe what is happening in the image.

Is your product suitable for your audience? • Reference your proposal• Give an audience profile and describe suitability in reference to content

I think I have met the age range well, however maybe some of the language in the book is better suited to older children, the class section is right, my book applies to both, I think the story itself is based around growing up in judgment within systems like public schooling, so they fit well, my book was written in English and should sill as I believe be sold in mostly English speaking nations.

What do you like/dislike about the techniques you have used?Reference specific tools you used with images

In order to create most if not all of the backgrounds to my images I have created hills and scenery by using the shape tools, I have done the same with characters, this made it easier to add details and patterns to the image to make the image seem slightly more appealing and full, I like the fact that the images have a similarity and the template was easily created and edited, which meant that I could change the image whenever I wanted.

The characters I created were simple and easily modifiable also, this could mean that they are boring however I found them to be easier to change and create different characters and personality.

What do you like/dislike about how your final product looks?• I think on some of my images I had the idea to stick to a routine on some

of the menial things like how thick a line was or how dense an object could be, I believe this is a downfall of my images as some of the details in a couple of my images aren’t very good compared to others, I believe this is also due to time restraints mostly and the amount of images I used.

These are two examples of images that could have had more detail in the background, and even could have had some more characters involved.

I like the minimalism of my images however, I believe they suit the audience profile well and would make it easier for children to process and follow, I feel the colour in my images is a good representation of the main characters emotions and feelings, I think that is a really good way of letting children especially understand what is happening in the story.

Why did you include the content you used?

• Images, fonts, effects, colours

When creating the images I decided that it would be best to use the most childlike features to create my book, and to make the book as accessible as possible to a younger audience, while also having a flair on some of the things that I created, for example the font and style I used on the font, I used a stroke to create the effect and generally changed the colour of the font to the colour of the background, I think this created a really nice and child like approach.

The language I used in this image is in my opinion some child friendly humor and text.

What signs, symbols or codes have your used in your work?• Choices of colour, style, locations, character design

and tone all give additional meaning to your work.

I think the only big things that I have used to symbolize anything in my book was the colour of the different birds depicted in the book.

Most of the symbols are in the texture layers.

For example I used this to symbolize a patch of grass, I use this lots in my design.

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Audience ResponsesCultural competence:

Media texts require us to have a certain level of cultural understanding to be able to interpret them.

At a basic level, this could mean being able to read the language that a magazine is written in.

At a deeper level, it means being able to interpret signs and symbols that we use a visual shorthand to communicate ideas.

We recognise these signs in our own culture but find it harder to understand when looking at others.

We create and attach meaning to signs and symbols in many different forms.

Creative Media Production 2012

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What is this?

This is a Norwegian Pine tree, covered in snow and with a red ribbon on.

Our cultural understanding allows us to interpret its meaning.

To us, in British society, it means Christmas, presents and family.

This is because we share a cultural knowledge.


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There are many other signs and symbols that we attach meaning to.

A leather jacket can imply rebellion.

A sports car can imply wealth and power.

A cross can represent religion.


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Visual representations of everyday objects are often the same the world over. A car appears as a car, no matter what country it appears in.

What that car means however, can be very different depending on your cultural background.


What representations can be found in your work?• How are men, women or children shown in your work? Does your work

feature different ages, races, social groups or religions? Does a lack of any variety of character types create its own representation?

The growth shown in the book could be seen as a form of exclusionary racism, for example the chick or duckling is a different species than the ducklings around him and is excluded because of this, however the point of the book is to show that a person needs to seek independence and acceptance and do what is necessary to find these things, I don’t believe anyone would be harmed by the views in the book, just as thousands before weren’t.

What style have you employed in your products?• Discuss influences/ existing products

• What visual style does your work have and why did you choose it?

I mostly tried to create a minimalist style and keep everything in the image simple and keep language down to a primary school level, I tried to remove anything that didn’t give the image value, In the traditional-minimalism style.

For example in this image, the swans are forming a pattern, the image is very simple, but sends a solid message when following the story.

What were the strengths and weaknesses of the pre-production and planning

• How did the planning and research help– When creating my product, I had an audience in mind to create the

product for, I also had a psychographic and class in mind to make the product for.

– I had a good idea of how I wanted my designs and style of the designs.• How well did you manage your time

– I think with the amount of images I had to make I managed fairly well, however because I used a minimal style and based my images so heavily on the already created designs from my planning, I had time to finish my work.

Historical and cultural context• How does your work compare to what has come before? What other

similar products have existed in the past? What current products exist?

The traditional Ugly Duckling books are mostly hand drawn or painted and in either pastel or watercolour, they look very traditional, there are more modern versions, however I don’t believe that they are very similar to mine.

Peer Feedback

• Summarise peer feedback and discuss– Responses you agree with– Responses you disagree with

digital graphics evaluation - pro forma

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