Evaluation

Evaluation

Producing Print Based Media

Visual Language:

CompositionWhen choosing how to set out my recipe cards I designed 5 different layouts, each one was different from the other. The layout I chose to do was very basic but would be effective for the target audience. The layout I chose was very simple, having an enlarged image of the recipe on the back of the card with a ‘chef’s tip’ on the bottom of the page. The front page of the card had the title on the top left corner, an image of the food on the right hand corner, and the ingredients and method underneath it. I chose to keep the layout very simple so that it would be easy to look at, due to the target audience being young children aged 4-13. I think that the recipe cards have a good image/text ratio because each side has both an image and text. The first side is mainly text due to it being where the method and ingredients are, but we still managed to feature an image in the top right hand corner. By having an image on the side where the majority of the page was text, it helped to separate the text apart and was effective at making the page look more attractive. The second side was very simplistic, having the entire side be an enlarged image of the recipe and having a small piece of writing at the very bottom of the page. We decided to do this so that the recipe card was even more effective at being attractive to the target audience; we also discovered in our first drafts of layouts that this design (having the image enlarged on the back) was favourited by the people who gave us feedback.

Image ConstructionFrom the start we always wanted the images to taken from stock images, we decided this because it would be easier for us to make the cards seem more professional and more like a set than if we had both gone off and photographed unprofessional looking images. We tried to make sure that each image we used looked like they were part of the same set of photos taken, which for the most part we did, only a few of the images don’t look that way. The colours we used on the recipe cards vary a lot, we decided to use bright and bold colours that would be appealing to our target audience. By having eye catching colours, the children would be more likely to grab the cards and want to look at them, and then decided if they wanted to try the food on them. The use of colour is a way for the cards to grab the attention of people who might otherwise ignore the cards. Each card is a different card, with different colours used for the fonts. We wanted the text to stand out apart from the cards so by using even more colour on the cards for the text, the bright and clashing colours were attractive. This was proved for us when we received peer feedback and each person had said that they loved the use of ‘eye popping colours to draw the audience in’’.

RepresentationDiscuss the semiotics and connotations created from the content you have included.Bright and bold colours are used with has a connotation of fun, which is linked with who the target audience are. Most children like to have fun and mess about at the target audience age of 4 to 13, which is great for these cards as they look attractive and exciting. The colours used also relate to the images used in the recipe cards, for example when we have used greens or reds, usually red or green has been used In the image as well. We have also tried to find images that have greens in them, which help represent vegetarianism, which is also shown by having the ‘Vegetarian Society’ logo on each one of the cards.

Audiences:

Create an audience profile of your chosen demographicThe target audience for our recipe cards are children ages between 4-13 who are just starting to discover what foods they like and don’t like. We didn’t have a specific gender in mind due to the food not being gender orientated, for example if we were to do only feminine styled desserts then the target gender would probably be female. Due to the target audience being such a young age we don’t have a target geodemographic for them, although if we were to be targeting the children’s parents as-well then we would most likely target adults who are ABC1 on the NRS social grade. We also didn’t discuss the hobbies or sexuality of the target audience because the recipes aren’t specific enough to have had to think about that.If we were to think about the hobbies of our target audience then I would say that the children were playful and energetic and willing to try new things, perhaps were creative or enjoyed playing sports.

How have you constructed your work to appeal to this audience?We used a lot of research to discover what our primary audience would want from a recipe card. Ni order to appeal to our target audience of 4-13 year olds we had to think about the colours we used. The colours would have to be bold, bright and eye catching for the children to even glance at them. We also used ‘bubble writing’ style fonts so that the target audience could see the cards as being fun and interesting to look at. We constructed the layout of the recipe cards to be simple and therefore easy for the children to look at and still be interested in, so we also used a little text as we could, trying to focus more on the images.

We created mood boards filled with colours, images and ‘buzz’ words that children would be attracted to. This helped us to see which

colours we should be using on our recipe cards and which colours went well together. By looking at different images, both cartoon images and professional photographs, we decided that professional looking images

were more suited to our recipe cards, even though cartoon images would’ve have been

better for our target audience.

We created more mood boards that were filled with different fonts and colours of

texts that children would be attracted to. This helped us to see which colours we should be using on our recipe cards and

which fonts were easily readable and easy to see. By seeing the fonts large, we had a clear idea of what fonts we would want to feature on our recipe cards and

what colours they should be.

We designed around 5 different layouts for our recipe cards, each was very

different form the other. By doing this we got a chance to ask for peer feedback on them to see which they though out target audience would prefer. By doing this, it helped us to narrow down our designs and choose the final one we wanted to

use.

Historical and Cultural Context:

What did you use as your design influences and why were they chosen?(What existing media products influenced the final look of your work?)Existing media products that helped influence the look of my recipe cards were other recipe cards that were already out there. These helped me to think of an appropriate layout and design of the recipe cards, but mainly children’s books and games helped to influence the colours and fonts I used on the recipe cards.

Do vegetarian products have a specific design aesthetic and how does your project reflect/contrast this? Why?Vegetarian products use a lot of green colours and pictures of vegetables which are very commonly used in vegetarian products. This is very stereotypical and in our recipe cards we tried to do the opposite of this, due to our target audience not being a typical vegetarian. Our recipe cards are a very different from the typical recipe card due to them being very colourful and not just using greens as the primary colour used.

Finished Products:

Does your finished product reflect your initial plans? How? If there are any differences, describe why changes were made.Our final product reflects our initial planning exactly, by having a very though out post production plan we knew exactly were we wanting things to go on our recipe cards.

You can see from our original flat plan designs that our first page of our recipe cards is

exactly the same as how we designed it, with one change. The only change is that we added a ‘prep time, cooking

time and how many it serves’ underneath the main title in

order to meet the brief.

Does your finished product match what you were set in the brief? How?Our final product meets the brief that we were originally set. We made sure of this by constantly going back and checking the brief in order to make sure we met the requirements. One thing that we hadn’t done on our recipe cards was to make sure that we had put how many it serves, was it vegan , how long it takes to cook and how long it takes to prepare. When we saw hat we hadn’t done this we went back to our recipe cards and made sure we found space for them and added them in.

How did the use of peer feedback help you in your production?A major part of the peer feedback that helped us was to do with the font we used. We had originally used two different fonts for the method and the ingredients, the feedback had told us that the method was very difficult to read and you had to really concentrate on the text to see it. Taking in this feedback we decided to change the font to the same font as the ingredients. We then asked for feedback again and the feedback said that the fonts were much easier to read and generally looked better.Another piece of peer feedback that helped in our production was when the feedback told us that the colours of the recipe cards and the colours of the texts were sometimes difficult to read or see due to the brightness of them. We then went and changed the difficult to read colours to ones that were easier to see.

Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of your final product regarding its technical and aesthetical qualities.I think the strengths of our recipe cards are that they are very colourful and therefore attractive to the target audience. This is a major strength because it will help the recipe cards become popular and get used. Another strength is that they are easy to read and clear, this makes them strong as a set of recipe cards because of the audience we targeted. Another strength is that each recipe card looks like it is part of the same set, which is really great considering 4 were done by a different person. I think that because they look like such a good set it shoes how well our post production work was, if our planning hadn’t as been as good as it was the cards might have come out looking differently. A weakness of the cards is that on some of them, there is much more text on the page than there are on others, and although that is because the recipe is slightly harder or has slightly more things to do it in, for our target audience this could be annoying and prevent them from wanting to read the cards or look at them. I think that the cards are aesthetically pleasing to our target audience, the cards use bright, bold and eye catching colours that will draw the target audience into the cards.

What skills/knowledge have you gained/developed in this project? How could these be applied in future practice?I feel that my skills in photo-shop have been much further developed whilst doing this project. I have also learnt how to work more efficiently in a group, including how to plan more effectively. By planning very well we were able to complete the production of our recipe card efficiently and effectively. I will be able to apply these things in the

future, when using photo-shop or when working as part of a team and especially when planning projects.

Production Processes

Do you believe your work is creative and technically competent? Why?(Reference specific examples (use images if this will help) of where you believe your work is particularly visually or technically impressive)I think the recipe cards were creative due to the colours and images we used on them. The colours were bold, bright and attractive to the audience. I think they were technically competent because they do the job they are designed to do, they are recipe cards and feature the ingredients, method and prep time needed to know how to make the recipe on the cards, as well as showing images of the food.

How effectively did you manage your time?(Could you have used time more wisely? Did a particular aspect of the project take longer than expected? Did you complete everything on schedule?)We made ourselves a very strict schedule to work by and I feel that we did so well. By working to this we found that we completed our recipe cards ahead of schedule and were able to go back and receive even more feedback for us to improve our recipe cards. I think we used our time very well, and due to the extensive planning we did, we completed our project on time and were able to hand in complete. The project didn’t take longer than we had expected, it actually took less time then we had anticipated, but we used the time to go back and edit bits of the cards.

If you could repeat the process what would you do differently?If I were to repeat the process I would try and be more creative in what we put on the recipe cards, perhaps make the images more interesting and try to use less text. I think that by using less chunks of text on the cards they will be even more attractive to the target audience.I might also change the theme of the recipe cards, maybe making the food on them much more specific, for example, just desserts or just finger foods. I think that by doing that it would make the recipe cards more niche and purposely for a specific type of vegetarian.

Working to a Brief in the Creative Media Industries

Constraints Experienced:

What constraints did you encounter and how did you consider/avoid them?Legal ConstraintsThe legal constraints we would’ve come across would be copyright of the images and text used. The recipes we used were not our own and we found them on the internet, which were accompanied by the pictures we used.

Regulatory ConstraintsWe didn’t feel that we have encountered any regulator constraints.

Financial ConstraintsFinancial constraints we would’ve come across would be the cost of producing such a large amount of recipe cards and how much it would cost to send them worldwide, as well as the printing costs, and also the wages of the people helping to create the cards.

Management:

How did you work as part of a group?For the most part I have enjoyed working as part of a group because we were able to share ideas. We were good at diving jobs between each other and make sure we were both doing an equal amount. I didn’t enjoy it when my partner didn’t turn up n days when we needed to complete big tasks, such as actually making the recipe cards, I then had to make sure I was getting regular emails with the updated versions of things. This was very off putting for me, as I usually like to work independently and this kind of confirmed that for me. I didn’t like have to reply on someone else for the work and I felt like I had to do the majority of it anyways. We split the work equally which was effective because then one of us wasn’t stuck with the majority of the work, even though my partner wasn’t here a lot and I had to do it anyways.

How important is communication when working in a group?Communication is very important when working as part of a group, especially on a project like this because we had to make sure that our recipe cards looked exactly the same and that we were both doing the set work given to us, as well as deciding who should do each piece of work or whether we were going to work together.

What have you learnt about working in a group and how will you apply this to future practice?I have learnt that you need to be very clear about what it is you are doing and that you need to constantly be communication between each other. Otherwise the work you produce might be different to each others. I will apply this to future practice by ensuring that who ever I am working with and myself know exactly what we are doing, when it needs to be done by and how it needs to be done.

What have you learnt about working in to a brief and how will you apply this to

future practice?By working to a brief I have learnt that the client wants a very specific thing and you must do the project exactly how they want it doing. It was good for me to be more disciplined in what I was able to do but sill be able to be creative and put my own spin on it. I will apply this to future practice by making sure that when I receive a brief, I make sure i work to it and make sure I do what the brief wants in my work.

How does your work compare to the recipe cards you have researched?My recipe cards are aimed at a specific age of person and that makes them stand out from other recipe cards that are already being produced. When comparing my work to the work that I initially researched, my recipe cards are much more vibrant and audience specific as well as having a much more ‘fun’ look.

This recipe card is one of the very first existing products that I looked at. When looking at this I decided I liked the use of having an image on one side taking up the entire page. I decided that this would be a good idea and a great way to make my recipe cards more individual and more attractive to its target audience. This is probably one of the main similarities between my work and existing products. When comparing my recipe card with this existing recipe card I can see that they both have a very professional look about them and that they both have a quality look about them. I think that another main difference is that on the excising recipe card, the fonts stay the same and are in a very easy to read font, whereas my recipe cards has changing colours, changing fonts and the sizes vary as-well, which can make it difficulty to read for some people. I think that the image quality is also very different on the professional recipe cards in comparison to mine, due to mine being taken from stock image, I think that if I were to have taken the photos of the food myself they would’ve been of better quality.