AOB 4 (Evaluations)

Evaluation (CD Cover)

Typeface-

As you can see i have used a graffiti brush style typeface, the CD cover itself is aimed at hip hop listeners, therefore the typeface used i felt had to be suited to the style of music, when i researched and gathered some sample material, there was lots of graffiti styles around, so i went for this sort of style but attempted to make it more individual to myself and my cover. I used bold yellow writing to make it stand out from the background, the contrast with the black allows this to happen. With a gradient overlay, fading to white further down the text, this just gives a bit of effect and style, to make it more appealing. The reason for the big Y and the big D is to give more purpose and to create a sense of individuality to the letters and draw your attention to the masthead, as this is the most important part of the cover along with the imagery. At first i began with a fairly unreadable font that was messy, after looking at it for a while and getting some feedback, i decided to change it, so that it was still the style i wanted but overall a bit more readable.

The Grid-

The grid that i used was a general guide for me to place the various items on the page. The text "young d is placed fairly in the middle to give a bit of order in the piece. The image is much bigger and covers more of the grid space than the text. The picture i used of Dipo was one i took myself, i used it because it gives him a sense of importance because he has his hands out making him look more powerful than just a plain picture. The car used is centered around the middle too, just because it makes everything else on the cover work, if it had been in a different position on the grid it may have made the piece disjointed.

Target Audience-

I was aiming this piece at general hip hop or R n B listeners, hence the expensive car in the background and the graffiti style font, these will appeal to listeners when they are looking through CD's on the shelf, the reason for this is that alot of people who like this kind of music can relate to what is on the cover, people want to grow up and have lavish lifestyles with fast cars and big houses, so the features on this piece reflect this. The black background used made the yellow writing stand out more, this once again will draw the persons attention into purchasing the CD. The CD will also appeal because it is to the point and simple. If it had been packed with all sorts of other images and text, it would have been hard to make out who it was on the cover.

Comparison-

I think that my work isn't to far away from that f a professional, i believe that with a bit more knowledge of the program i could make my pieces better, by using more complex techniques and smoother blending, i could to this by watching tutorials on the internet and doing research on the effects i am trying to achieve. I don't think that it would look out of place on a shelf in a music store and if someone was to look at the product along side another similar product, i am confident that mine would get the vote. I am relatively pleased with the way my work went, apart from possibly, i did not watch enough tutorials or research enough about similar products in order to get an even better outcome. Since writing this evaluation i believe i have progressed more with photo shop with other work that i have done, and if i was to attempt this again, i think that it would be much better than what it is at the moment.

Evaluation (Double Page Spreads)

Typeface-

The typefaces used in the two of my final double page spreads are near enough the same sort or same sort of style to all of my other products, just to keep within the theme. In the top product it is the same as the CD cover, a graffiti style with a gradient overlay to give extra effect to the text. However in the bottom of the two, the font is a grungy distorted style, i have overlaid the text on a sheet of ripped paper, this gives an effect that someone has just thrown it down without care, and it is in-keeping with the whole genre of the product. The typefaces that i used were not there to start, i began with different ones but decided to change after i got some feedback. I changed them to be more sensible so that they kept some of the styling from the other products.

The Grid-

For these two pieces, double page spreads, i have used the grid to more of an effect than in the other two products, simply because there is more text and images in these products, so there has to be a more ethical order to everything to make it fit and work. The film strips with the pictures integrated in them, i have specifically placed them on a slant between two columns to add a odd effect to the piece, i feel that if they were straight it would not be the same. Although i have stuck to the grid, on this occasion with the strips, i chose to tilt them instead of keeping them straight, as if someone has thrown them down on a table. On the top piece, i split the page into three, two sections on the left as you look at it, top and bottom, and a full page on the right hand side. This way i could easily lay my work out in a good order, masthead at the top, picture at the bottom, and the article on the full page to the right. This makes for easy reading and even though the prosuct is pretty busy in design terms, its still legible for the consumer.


Target Audience-

These two spreads also reach out to hip hop fans, just as the other two products, therefore they would be published in a fairly genre related magazine, XXL, Vibe or O-Zone for example. I think i have used the correct features to interest a general reader, big images, a dirty grungy look and lots of colors, although at the same time color coordinating the piece. When a consumer purchases a hip hop magazine, they will expect certain things, mainly male related artists and all the other conventions that fit into the same genre. For example, chains, girls, cars, graffiti and grunge effects. So when someone is thinking whether or not to purchase the magazine, if they then see all the conventions they would usually see and a musician they like and can relate to, they become more interested and buy the magazine.

Comparison-

I think for the sort of work i can produce now, i believe that the two pieces above could be improved to a better standard, such as smoother blending, better effects and better layout. I do not feel they would look out of place in a music magazine along with other professional work, i am not completely happy with the product design and the overall outcome. If i may have spent more time on each piece and a bit more thought, then the work would have been easier on the eye and more pleasing for me personally. Now i think that i have seen more tutorials, got more feedback and seen more competition to my product, i would now be able to produce a piece that would be even more fitting and would encourage the reader to look more into the article and deeper into the piece.

Evaluation (Posters)

Typeface-

Once again the typefaces are the same to keep up the theme with the three linked products. The only thing that i have changed throughout is the gradients or the general colors to give variation over the products. The font in the background in the top product of the two is to give a sense of theatre, with the stars making up the letters, gives it a sense of stardom and fame, the gradient i used is easy on the eye and is not too overpowering when you look at it. It is slightly faded into the white background to take some of the brightness out and to give a mellow effect throughout, but at the same time it allows you to focus in on the main text and image

The Grid-

I used a grid to more effect on the first poster, i simply placed the image in the middle, through one column and the masthead/artist name across the page through 3-4 rows and across 4-5 columns. The page is relatively blank although the background does have text faded in for effect. The blankness makes you concentrate on the main attraction, the image and the masthead, the contrast between the green and blue gradient of the text and the white background gives this effect. The grid allowed me to place everything where i wanted with purpose, so that it all fell into place and worked together.

Target Audience-

As the three items are linked in this unit, once again hip hop/R n B listeners are addressed. The gangster clothing and the image that i overlaid on the t-shirt and trousers of the first image gives a graffiti effect and is in keeping with the general theme, people who may wear this type of clothing may be drawn to it more than anything else in the same genre. The chain draped over the seven on the second product also links in with the theme of the items, the bling effect and gangster chains is all part of the generic genre, once again, fellow listeners will be able to relate well to these parts of the design. When the consumer sees this poster on a wall, or on the side of a bus stop, they will be attracted to, first the artist, then if the design of the poster is decent then, in their mind, they can build a picture of what the concert may be like, therefore the poster has done its job, in attracting the consumer and making a decision on whether they purchase tickets or not.


Comparison-

I think that the first poster is more professional looking and could be used, but i don't feel that the second poster is up to complete scratch, it was the first poster that i made,more of a mock up so i could change and produce the second piece, hopefully better than the first. But there was something about my first one that lead me to use it as a proper piece and not a mock up, i felt the design was more mellow overall and not as overpowering, this may be a bad thing as the consumer may not be as attracted to it, but i felt that along with the design the artist could be pulling power enough for them to look and read the information on the poster. I feel that i performed well over the construction of the 3 linked products, but not to my best. Now i think that i could improve them much more and create more professional looking products, as i have been through more tutorials and have been more complex in my ideas on photo shop.