question 7 evaluation
TRANSCRIPT
7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have
learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
Cover Comparison
Although I used the same two pieces of software (Adobe InDesign and PhotoShop cs3), it is evident that I used many more
features to better effect in the full product
• I used many of the same conventions such as a header/footer, barcode, date and issue
number, masthead and colour scheme.
• I’ve learnt to use colours to a better effect in my full product, as in my preliminary task
I tried to use a range of bold colours in order to try and achieve an eye-catching look. However, they clashed quite a lot
which made the features such as the sell lines difficult to read. Learning from this mistake, I stuck to a strict scheme of red, white and black, and then when a feature needed something extra, I used yellow or
blue. I feel that this makes the product looks much more professional as the colours work
together very well.• I also used more boxes and transformations to slant object and make them appear more
visually grasping.
Cover Comparison (continued)
• In the preliminary task I was already quite familiar with many PhotoShop tools, and I tried to apply things such as gradients and drop shadows all over the product. Upon
reflection, it seems cluttered and that it needs a pinch of simplicity with a ‘less is more’
approach, which is what I tried to do in the full product
• In the preliminary task, I used quite a number of sell lines to try and frame the subject of the image, but I knew that this would be difficult in my full product as I had my mind set on a band as the main feature, which would mean using a group shot, so I steered clear of using any sell lines. This way you could see the band
more clearly, which is what I wanted
•More specifically, I used the levels tool quite a lot to edit the subject and the background of the cover image in my preliminary task. After
realising that the desired effect of contrast wasn’t achieved, I made the background very
dull and plain in my full product
Contents Page Comparison
• It’s quite clear to see that the layout of the two contents pages are very similar,
as I was quite pleased with the one I produced in the preliminary task, so I
decided to build upon it
•However in the full product, I used less gradients, and focused more on the
colours and layout in the interest of the reader. I used a ‘polaroid’ style
photograph to demonstrate some vintage style (which is popular in indie),
doing a similar thing as last time. Although, in the full product, I set it backwards and slanted it to make it appear wedged onto a clipboard for
some visual effect
• I also used my knowledge of InDesign to add a drop capital on the beginning of my briefing of the band, and well as
a QR code that would link to their website
Conclusion
I believe that since my preliminary task, I have developed a broader range of skills within InDesign and PhotoShop, using features more effectively to appeal to the target audience
I think that my sense of design has also improved, in that I have become much more disciplined in using the layout and effects of features/objects, rather than just using every skills I know when it may not be relevant to the task