Evaluation

Evaluation and Reflection:

1) Visual Communication:

In what ways does the visual communication/message of the piece meet the needs of the brief?

For both my designs I made sure i kept to the brief fully. I did a lot of research into the way front covers and layouts look in the creative review magazine so that my designs would look like something they would use. I also made sure for my front cover to use an image which i had created, that even though I traced over a photo for my final design, that the photo I traced over in illustrator was my own and not a found image on the internet. I did however take images from the internet for my double page spread, but I made sure I was allowed before I did so. I've made sure however that I have noted the website I got these images from in my creation progress so the owner of them can be credited. I do feel that I did get my message across just from the designs which i have made, That i have represented the punk subculture the best of my ability. 

In what ways does the visual communication/message of the piece fail to meet the needs of the brief?

I Haven't really failed to meet the brief, however I would say on my layout there may be a bit too much text for my liking. This is because I couldn't really find any other images which I liked to go along with the one i found. I then had to use the skills i learned in inDesign to use text to fill up the rest of the space. 

What are the strengths of the visual communication? Why?

My main strength I think would be my front cover. The way I completely re-edited my photo and pretty much designed a punk from scratch. I had to do this because I don't personally know any punks, and i had a low budget so I couldn't afford to go out and purchase clothes and accessories. The main strength of the front cover itself would be the hair. I think it represents what a punks mohawk would look like very well and just by seeing that image on the front, i feel you would instantly be able to tell what's its trying to represent. 

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What are the weaknesses of the visual communication? Why?

My weakness in the visual communication would be my layout. This is because again i feel there is too much text and not enough images to represent what I wanted to show. Although buy seeing the image of the punk guy on the left hand side can show what the article is representing, I feel it isn't enough and that because the whole point of being a punk is to separate yourself from the crowd and be independent, I looks too normal a bland. I would have wished to use more colour in my layout because when looking at punks, they seem to go with a range of bright colours in there hair or on there shirts to try and stand out. However when I tried to add colour it didn't go well with the black and white image i found from the internet. 

In what ways could the piece be mis-read or mis-understood by the audience? Be specific about who the audience is.

From the front cover they might not see it as a section in the magazine being about punk, but more on how it was created. This is because the front cover in my opinion looks very cartoony and you can tell from the start which it was created in illustrator. This is because the people that would be reading this magazine will be familiar with the program used to create it. 

In what practical ways could the piece be developed or improved?

I could go back and re-edit my front cover so it doesn't look like a bunch of shapes created in illustrator. I'd try to make it look more like an illustration of a punk and more realistic. 

2) Reflection of own working practices:

How was my time keeping?

My time keeping was slightly better than my last assignments which made me less stressed towards the end of the assignments. However I did leave the designs themselves a bit late which mean I didn't leave myself enough time for improvements. If I were to redo this assignment I would maybe try to spend less time on the research itself and more time on the designing process and maybe come back to more research towards then end of the assignment. This is because the design itself is worth slightly more marks than the research. However that wouldn't means I would slack off on my research in any way. 

How was my analysis of the brief?

I found the brief easy to read and understandable. I understood what I needed to do from the brief and from the lessons how I would go about the achieve my final outcome. 

How was my research?

I found the research very difficult to do. Although there was a lot of information out there on the internet, I had to be wary of what I could use because not all thats on there is the truth. Whilst looking through books also I found it hard to find the information I needed, and personally im never really good at finding what I need because there's just so much written information it kind of all just blends in together. 

How did I draw conclusions from my research?

From my creative Reveiw research mainly, by looking at the way they have laid out past front covers and double page layouts, it helped me try to design my work to their type of design so it would look like somthing that would be included in their magazine. Also front my punk research, It helped my decide what information to put into my double page spread and what to put on the front of my cover to show what best represents what a punk is and looks like. 

How did I use research to generate and develop ideas?

Like what i wrote above, i managed to use my research to help me plan my ideas and help me get a final conclusion. 

How did I use evaluations to help with my ideas generation and development?

After each design I came up with I would look at it and pick it apart to see what would be doable with the time and materials I had and what would look good from what I have seen online. Also, like from when I was creating my layout I would start creating a design then stop to evaluate it to see if I liked what was being created and whether or not it met the requirements in the brief. 

How did I use experimentation during the project? How can I make this more effective?

Whilst doing my layout I messed around with 3 different ideas before I came to my final. As you can see in my blog the process I went through to get the my final design. Its known as he trail and error process, were you will try something out even if it fails, because you might be able to take pieces from it to help created something even better.

In what ways did I show that I had achieved the Learning Outcomes? How can I improve this next time?

I have presented my research showing a reasonable amount of effort and have shown how that from that research I have created my final outcomes. Next time however I might completely pick the learning outcomes apart and make bullet points and sections on what needs to be done. This may also help me time planing wise next time, hopefully improving my work quality. 

What parts of the project did I enjoy most? Why was this the case?

I enjoyed creating the front cover the most. I like using illustrator to create something from scratch and making something look completely different. This is because I like be able to see things as they develop, being able to be creative and different from everyone else/ 

What parts of the project did I enjoy least? Why was this the case?

I didn't enjoy the double page spread too much because I had to use a unknown program to me called inDesign. Although I own this program at home, I havn't really used it before which I feel made my work look as good as it could be. This is because I spent a lot of my time trying to work out were things was and creating a lot of errors.

At what times did I work best? Why might this be the case? How can I ensure that I work well at al times?

I worked best at home to be honest because I have a slightly bigger imac at home and have access to all the programs. Also I like working in my own personal space were I can work in silence and on my own. I did however sometimes work well in lesson because I was able to get other peoples opinions and improve my work in that way. 

What areas inspired me? Why was this the case? How could I follow these up?

Although I didn't like using inDesign, it inspired me to use it at home in my free to to get better with the program and to learn to use it to the best of my abilities. This is because in the future i will most likely need to use it so I will need to know now rather than later on how to work my way around it without asking for help from someone else. 

What areas were challenging or difficult?  Why was this the case?

Again the inDesign part was mostly challenge because of it being unfamiliar software. 

How can I go about developing and improving  the parts I found difficult?

I can go back and re-edit my work for it to go into my portfolio to help me if I ever get called up for an interview or anything. 

Do I need to develop certain skills? Do I need these now? Or later?

I need to improve more on my researching skills. I need to try and work harder in my research and learn to bookmark websites so if I need them later on to reference from or to quote from, I won't need to look through my history or try to re-find them.