OUGD504 Studio Brief 01 - Feedback

Feedback:
For the final crits we got into small groups of no more than 6, to discuss through the design decisions and whether they are successful or not. One of the main things that was mentioned when talking through my book was that with the content I should have gotten more varied people. Everyone within the book was of a similar age and doing the same thing, my publication could have been a lot more interesting and engaging. However the handwriting that is in the publication is all unique and distinct to each other which is what I was trying to portray - individualities.

Another aspect that was mentioned was the tedious flicking back and forth when checking what handwriting was done by someone. This could limit the experience and it was suggested that I could have put the information on the same page as the handwriting. However I had thought about doing that but I felt that I wanted the handwriting to do the talking without you immediately knowing who did it. I felt that it might shock and surprise the user to find out who had done what, and the flicking back and forth was part of the discovery experience. Overall that would help to keep attention and interest on the book as displaying just writing might not interest everyone I needed an element which gets the reader more involved.

I received positive feedback on the layout of my publication with people saying that it was clear and reflected the overall design well. The placement of the handwriting help it to give a more natural feel as it didn't need the structure and rigidness of a grid. They agreed that the design did not need to be overcomplicated, it works cohesively with the purpose and the content of the publication. It was also noted that simplicity can be hard because you need to know when to stop and step back from the design, you feel as if you haven't done enough which can make you less confident with your decisions.

Regarding the front cover it was agreed that maybe I could have picked a different method of finishing for the title as the embossing is quite faint and the cover looks blank from a distance. However they did understand the link with the publication and why I thought it would tie in with the design nicely. If I was to produce it again more consideration could be taken with this, although this does allow the content to do the talking.

It was felt that the binding method was appropriate and worked nicely with the book, they didn't mind that some of the pages had some give as they believed it worked with the handcrafted nature and tactility of design. The type choice within the publication they also felt was justified as it works with the original traditional nature of the content. It also provides a nice juxtaposition between handwriting and digital type. It was said that the introduction to the publication could have been longer and more in depth but it still works well at explaining the publication. The information at the back was said to be clear and ordered which helped to aid readability of lots of information.

I found overall the feedback was positive as people found that the content worked well with the design. It is also important to know where there are areas for improvement as this will help me to develop my work further in the future.