OUGD504: Design Production - Design For Print and Web, Interim Crit

In order to give us a better understanding of where we are in terms of the Print and Web brief and how we can progress from this stage, we were able to attend a informal interim crit with other member of the class.

We were asked to present everything we had to date for the Print and Web brief, including the re-written brief we produced following last weeks studio session in order to receive feedback about whether our new concept was appropriate and whether it will be plausible to achieve this is the timeframe available.

I began explaining the original ISTD brief I chose, Type Factory and how and why I had re-written the brief to be a selective design institution which require and strong, visual identity.

I also showed the logo and icon designs I have produced for institution and the range of deliverables for the brief which I personally felt would be appropriate.

My Feedback:

OUGD504: Design Production: Design For Web Final Critique

Similarly to last weeks crit for the 'What is Design For Print?' brief, we were asked to present and then leave our final outcome for the 'Design For Web' brief in order to receive honest and constructive feedback on our design.

In order to give the people who were critiquing our work a better understand of the development process behind it we were also asked to present a minimum of five design boards explain our concept, content etc.

My Feedback:

• I think you need an image or possibly some kind of info graphic I think you should create a logo for your website
• I think you have a reasonable amount of content and the right amount to go alongside your images
• Your website is too plain I like how easy it is to navigate but the white background with small text doesn't look appealing, change the typeface for navigation?
• Show people what it is you do on the homepage really try and sell your "marketing campaign" plan by making the user feel like he should pick you i.e. picture with happy faces
• Make a different template for each page or else it looks to simple and won't keep the user engaged
• Choose a better body copy font
• What is the point of having failed campaigns?
• You need a title saying what the company is called. Maybe you could move the intro paragraph down or add an image slider to fill up the page space?
• An intro is needed for each page - it jumps straight in! Pretend you're talking to people who have no idea what you are talking about
• You need an indication that there is more content and that I needed to scroll down - I didn't know! Maybe a image of a arrow pointing down and or a different background colour,
• More images are needed
• Make logo a link to the homepage
• Maybe add a background image? Site looks too bland
• It is not immediately clear what the website is for, what is it's purpose. This may be as it is not finished but I think a logo and/or feature title on the homepage would be largely beneficial. Also include a image of some kind on the homepage as it should be visual
• I understand why you have included the content you have and I think it would be useful for businesses but I think the pages would benefit from being more visual - for example create more interesting titles, perhaps you could design a title style that would run throughout the site to give a more visually engaging website that is still consistent and clear.
• A colour scheme other than black and white may also improve the aesthetic, one other feature colour could work well.
• A title! When I sat down to look at your website, it was not on the index page and so I had a hard time understanding what it was at first! A logo on each page that initiates a title would be beneficial to your website as the index page is not always the first page people come into contact with.
• I think that you have enough content etc. but each page could do with a intro.. maybe above the images? A brief summary that informs what you are going to be talking about on the page.
• Make scrollbars visible on your text boxes! The only reason I knew this is because you wrote it down. Otherwise I would have missed half your content. 
• I love your website proposal! Very creative and interactive.
• The whole website seems very left aligned. Left margin is thinner than the right? Can you make these equal so that the website seems more balanced?

Overall I am pleased with the quality of the feedback I received from the group, which gave plenty of suggestions on possible ways I could improve the effectiveness of my site in terms of concept and design.

As one of the pieces of the pieces of feedback I received was to add a preliminary paragraph at the begin of each of the article pages in order to explain what i was about I decided to write a paragraph for each of the articles which I could then add to the coding.

How To Create A Successful Campaign

The difference between a successful and failed campaign can have a huge impact on the given company.

How To Create A Failed Campaign

Although sometimes a failed advertising campaign can have a disastrous consequence on a given company sometimes bad press can work just as well as good press.

How To Appeal To Different Target Audiences

When attempting to appeal to different target audiences and demographics advertisers use different selling techniques and concepts to insure maximum effect.

How To Use Tone Of Voice

When producing an advertising campaign a lot of consideration needs to be made as to what tone of voice will be used. The tone of voice needs to be appropriate for the target audience, using the wrong target audience can have a disastrous consequence on the company.

OUGD504: Design Production - What Is Design For Print? Final Critique

As our final critique for the 'What Is Design For Print?' before the studio deadline, the format was slightly different to last weeks web critique. 

Instead of us personally presenting out for to a group of our peers, this time we left our work to be critiqued by another group. I found this a particular useful format for a final crit, as it meant our design work was left to stand alone which would test whether our design actually communicated what we wanted it to.

As well as displaying a selection of the instructional leaflets I had designed for 'What Is Design For Print?' brief I also left a couple of questions which were areas I would most like to receive feedback on.

My Questions

• Would it be more appropriate for the format of instructional leaflet for the inside of the leaflet to be produced using hand-rendered or digital techniques?
• Is the information / content appropriate for an instructional leaflet? And is it clearly laid out / legible?

My Feedback

• Good concept and good use of colour and binding choice
• I think the leaflets are better suited to digital print because of the readability and clarity. It would also be easier to mass produce.
• Images / diagrams / sketches needed to make the booklets more unusually dynamic and interesting.

• Simplistic, readable and legible type choices and body copy.
• Type justification should be sorted to ensure correct alignment and structure, i.e. process leaflet  6-7.
• The instructional leaflet should be digitally rendered to correlate with the other booklets - continuity. 
• Nice use of mini fold-outs as examples, unusual, but good physical examples opposed to hand-rendered drawings.
• Not enough content for colour, finishes etc. but idea is strong.
• Thick, appropriate stock choices used with screen print / digital print.
• All layout are clean, readable and legible and allow for folding without too much interruption of the text.

• I think the inside should be digitally printed as this will ensure high readability.
• Physical samples are effective although maybe think about appropriate sizes as your prototypes seem quite small and fiddly.
• I'm missing some illustrations, step by step to clearly demonstrate how to do things. I don't personally respond well to instructions in written format only - although I can see sample.

• Digital print it, I don't see a reason why you should traditional print it. It won't add any additional qualities that digital will bring.
• The content is appropriate, but I don't think it really shows that when you open it without folding out the rest. Have the technical inside something to draw on the inside / yes it's legible.
• Adding onto that, I think some imagery would really help, the format is cool, but its a bit strange it being just text for something that it very practical and hands on. The room is there to fit it on.