InDesign...Evaluation

I found this brief incredibly challenging as I am very new to using InDesign, however I did pick up some hints and tips along the way which may help me in a future project. For example, the 'W' key enabled me to see my document without my grids and guides, and preview how it would actually look. I used a 3 column grid with 5mm guttering and found it helpful for laying out, although on paper I don't find them useful as they can get quite messy and confusing.

I do think I have answered the brief, legibility was an issue to be carefully considered, and I think that I have produced a legible piece. The article has just over 300 words and contains two images, which is another set of criteria for the brief.

I am pleased with my final design, although I maybe should have used a larger photo of Elliot, as of course the interview was about him. I think my design is appropriate as I used Futura Bold for the titles and quote, because this is Elliot's favourite font, and I really wanted to personalise it to his taste. Also I tried to steer away from using bright colours, as this is something Elliot is not a fan of however, he does like colours that make an impact, hence using black and white, with the light blue to pick out the questions and quote.

With my final print, as I have not printed with a printer that is callibrated to the computer's colours, the black is not as black as it should be, but on screen it looks much better, and I hope Elliot likes the design too.

Due to the software being new to me I did experience a few obstacles, and found it slightly confusing having to prepare the images in Photoshop and then placing them in InDesign, as I kept trying to insert them straight into the document. Using the text boxes over the grids made it so much easier to see how the document would look, however next time, I should probably prepare the typed content in Microsoft Word or something similar, as it would be easier to see as I was typing, as 12pt text in a full document view was quite minimal, and to zoom in would mean I was missing parts of the document.
Also, I did get confused occasionally with distinguishing the bleed outline to the actual page bounding box, but once I got used to the set up it worked fine.

I had a lot of fun, all be it being quite stressful learning a new software and trying to produce a document and I look forward to creating more magazine layouts in the future. It was interesting to speak to Elliot as well, as up until the start of the project I had only spoken to him a few times. So the brief has worked well on all levels.

Speaking From Experience... Crit

Today I had a crit with Natalie, Jo and Charlotte due to missing Friday's crit. I found it highly beneficial due to having a variety of personal problems which although I tried not to let them effect my work, they have had quite a profound affect on this project. As the people in my crit were aware of my circumstances I found it easier to present my work, and their support was incredible and really helped me to focus, and get into the swing of things again.

The first point mentioned was to scrap calling the week, Trip Week. Jo thought it sounded quite primary school- like, this is something that definitely doesn't need portraying. Also Charlotte and Natalie said how the name isn't very motivational, they were two people that I found didn't do anything for Trip Week, but wished they had done, which is the general case I found in my primary research.

From here we began bouncing ideas off each other foussing on the fact that I found inspiration for my book project in London, so we incorporated the word inspiration to some taglines.

- Prepare to be inspired - prepare is one of the key words here, as you do have to prepare it yourself, and then obviously the word inspired is what hopefully people will be. This reminds me of the Alton Towers tagline for the ride Air, 'Prepare for Air...'


- Inspiration week - a better variation of trip week.

- Inspire yourself - this focusses on making people aware that it is down to them to sort out their excursions, as again trip week may bring across the idea of something pre-planned.

- Be inspired - this is quite instructional, as all designers need inspiration.

- Are you ready to be inspired? - This is just a question that may feature on posters around college as a reminder to students to get ready for the week in February.

From here, we began to discuss the potential products I had come up with, the idea of the DVD was pretty much all agreed, that not everyone would be bothered to put the DVD in and navigate around to find information, as people would be more likely to use a website, and from here a blog was mentioned. I had briefly covered this in a mind map but not thought of it any more, the blog could be a place to share experiences, or organise groups of people getting together to go on trips suitable to them.

Another interesting idea the girls came up with had a game theme to it, for example, sending people to a city to photograph 20 specific objects which may be of use to their future briefs. As something I got from trip week was building up a stock library of images, and they too could benefit from that.

Or creating an A2 photo frame that can be rolled up and carried around, and the idea is using the photo frame as a view finder, the students have to take the most interesting photograph in pairs, with proof of visiting that place which may include collecting items like receipts, travel cards, photographs, post cards, leaflets etc. again these are items that can have use at a later date. Once the week is over, the students can upload their images to a blog and get people to vote for it, with the winning pair winning something graphics related, or some library vouchers.

Tying in with the blog, to promote it, it was brought up that I could create small business cards. I could have one side with the slogan on and blog address on the other, this will be handy to keep in purses and wallets, and a place for other students to share their experiences to inspire the new students.

Another game idea is to provide students with a series of images in a specific city, it could be Leeds for those who can't afford to go elsewhere, or London for those who want to travel, and the students have to research into the images, and visit the places themselves. This would link in my next potential product, a road trip CD, this would combine entertainment with travel, the CD would feature songs picked from this years Graphic Design group in the response to the question, "If you could pick a song to listen to on a road trip what would it be?" The CD cover would have the design on that would feature on all the products, and the inlay would have a fold out section with small maps on it for towns and cities around Leeds. It is slightly gimmicky, but everyone likes a free CD!

The iPhone app idea was dismissed by all, originally it did seem like a good idea, and I did recognise that not everyone has an iPhone when making evaluation points on my ideas. And this was an agreed point among everyone, using my current group as an example, around 5 out of 57 have an iPhone, so this will not be a successful way of communicating to my target audience. However, it was mentioned that if I was wanting to communicate in an electronic way, I could design a multimedia message to be sent to mobiles, or an email to be sent out, which will be a great way of reaching out to my audience.

Overall it was a very positive and inspiring crit, and it was interesting to see Natalie and Charlotte's work as I had no idea what they were doing. And it was even more interesting to see how Jo's work had progressed from the last time I saw it.

PPD

Which of these words describes you as an individual?

- Determined

- Considerate

- Confident

Which of these words best describe your approach to life?

- Reflective

- Punctual

What do you want to be?

- Organised

- Decisive

Which of the following qualities do you look for in others?

- Honesty

- Confidence

- Commitment

- Creativity

- Humour

- Punctuality

- Flexibility

Which of these words describe your ambitions as a designer?

- Creative

- Effective

What do you want your work to do?

- Persuade

- Shock

- Change

- Entertain

- Inform

Which of the following words do you associate with your work?

- Message

- Media

- Type

Which of the following areas have you developed your skills in?

- Type

- Colour

- Photography

- Composition

- Print

- Research

- Problem Solving

Which of the following areas do you need to develop your skills in?

- Video

- Idea generation

- Drawing

- Image

Which of the following are you interested in developing skills in?

- Typography

- Illustration

- Motion graphics

- Advertising

- Photography

- Book design

Communication Is A Virus... Final Crit

This had to be the worst crit I have ever participated in, and after speaking to others afterwards, I know I am not alone. Due to a certain member of the group constantly talking and distracting others, it was virtually impossible to hear what members at the opposite end of the table were saying. Especially Brady and Naomi's idea, an idea I was looking forward to hearing after having no prior knowledge of the idea, so I gave feedback later on after the crit had ended.
When it was mine and Meryem's turn to present, we barely received any feedback, this was due to the individual still chattering on resulting in the opposite end of the table hearing next to nothing what was said. We were a little downhearted, as we were feeling more confident than the first pitch.
However, we were told our point of sale was a little specific, and we should consider the product being available in larger shops. Another consideration was a to create a blog website, following on an idea Meryem already had in the format of website like http://www.textsfromlastnight.com/ a website where people share drunken text messages they have sent 'last night'. This could be an interesting way of people sharing their compliments, although I am aware it does contradict our verbal, 'non-digital' attitude. So this would need some careful consideration.

Communication Is A Virus... Pitch Review

The comments were very positive, and there were suggestions which Meryem and I need to discuss whether to carry out or not. For example, the stickers with blank write-on boxes, and love heart sweets idea.

The main issue I wanted to sort out was the iPhone app idea, we did not have any visuals for this proposal, as it was just an idea, but after the great feedback, we have decided to carry it out.
I do feel that Meryem was quite nervous during the talk, as I seemed to fill in the gaps, this may reflect the fact that we were unsure on our idea, so for the next presentation it is important we are 100% confident on what we are doing.

Communication Is A Virus... Pitch Feedback 2

Assessed by: Nick & Kim

PRESENTATION
How professional was the verbal element of the presentation? Was it delivered with clarity? What might have improved it?

Yes, was clear what they wanted to do, good amount of information...more visuals?

How professional was the visual element of the presentation? How well were the boards designed? What might have improved them?

Good! Clear connection of all three boards and thmed throughout - more statistics.

PROPOSAL
What is the message?

Get people to compliment each other more.
Is there a clear sense of audience? Who is the project targeting?

Unsure.

What context(s) will the message exist in? How does the proposed solution answer the 'virus' element of the brief?

Distributing a product - a flip book.Overall, what do you think of the proposal?

Good! Think they could have a lot of fun with it.

Communication Is A Virus... Pitch Feedback

Assessed by: Steph and Josh

PRESENTATION
How professional was the verbal element of the presentation? Was it delivered with clarity? What might have improved it?

Impeccable.
Made sense- order to it.

How professional was the visual element of the presentation? How well were the boards designed? What might have improved them?

Clear, concise- not too busy.
Remember the 'little book of charm'.

PROPOSAL
What is the message?

Be nice to people.

Is there a clear sense of audience? Who is the project targeting?

Everyone?

What context(s) will the message exist in? How does the proposed solution answer the 'virus' element of the brief?

Compliments the spread from one person to another.

Overall, what do you think of the proposal?

Cupcakes - yeah!
Be good but what if the person giving a compliment doesn't get one.

How feasible is the project? If you were the client, would you be prepared to fund the project so it could go ahead? Have you been convinced?

I can see the project being made successfully. It's a good idea that people should find easy to do.