2. Research
• I wasn’t very happy with my research I conducted, as I feel I only looked at a limited amount of websites
and didn’t conduct any primary research. For example if I had more time or if I had worked harder/faster I
would want to create a survey on SurveyMonkey which I have used before. This would have been useful
because it would provide information from peers/people my age that I know, making it reliable
information and unbiased as I would be asking all types of people, compared to an article made purely
through the interest of vinyl records.
• Another improvement I would make is researching my client’s original products and how I will be using
these to create my products and showing how I will be improving them, with the reason for the
improvement as well.
• I fairly pleased with the audience information I researched, as it provided me with enough information to
create products based towards an idea. I used socioeconomic guidelines to decide what social status I will
be aiming towards, and decided the age, gender and character of my audience in detail. This was helpful
because it allowed me to limit my ideas of colours and styles etc. making it easier for my ideas and
planning and overall production.
3. Planning – Ideas
• To start my planning I used Bubbl.us to create mind maps to show my ideas. I made a mind map for each
of my three ideas (poster, business card and website). I made each mind map as detailed as possible with
different routes I could take for my products and the outcome those routes would lead to, for example I
mentioned multiple different colours, who they’d appeal to, where I would use them, how I would use
them and the reason for these choices. I made a variety of routes in my mind maps (image, design/style,
font and colour). This was very useful as it gave me a clear guideline of what I want to make and how I can
do this during production. It was also a very good way of displaying my ideas for other people, so others
could see my reasoning behind what I produced and why I produced it. After completing my mind maps I
summarised them and decided my idea I was going to use for my final production and how this would
effect my finished product and its appeal to my target audience. If I were to plan future ideas I will use
mind maps again, in this amount of detail, and I don’t think I can improve the initial ideas process.
• Next I discussed my summarised ideas in more detail and using pictures (as you can see from the
screenshots below). I chose two fonts for each feature (heading and information text) using Dafont and
explained why I am going to use these fonts. Although during production I chose to change some of the
fonts I originally picked as I didn’t like the appearance on my products, meaning I should have planned the
appearance more, testing which colours work well with which fonts. The colours I discussed in my planning
were the colours I used because they were the store’s colours and standard black and white colours.
4. Planning – Production Experiments
• These production experiments were very brief and I didn’t spend a lot of time on them,
hence the lack of skills shown (apart from the sound wave image). I made the first two
images to show very roughly how I am going to produce my work, along with the professional
products I followed as an idea to make them. I then discussed the images, talking about why I
chose certain features and the layouts and how this could effect the appeal to my audience. I
didn’t use fonts I had chosen in my planning in my production experiments, however if I were
to do this again and create my planning I would use the fonts I had chosen in my planning,
and the exact colours I displayed and discussed. This would have been a helpful improvement
because during production I wasn’t satisfied with the the appearance of the colours and fonts
together on the poster, therefore I changed those features to different ones from what I
chose in my planning. If I had completed the production experiments properly, I wouldn't’t
have had this problem.
• The picture on the far right is a sound wave I created following a tutorial on YouTube.
However I didn’t choose to use this in my final product as I didn’t like the appearance and I
wanted a more simpler look, so I made a different sound wave instead.
5. Time Management
• In my opinion I don’t believe I managed my time very well for the research
and planning, however with production I think I had enough time to
produce my work efficiently and with enough detail and skills shown,
although I didn’t produce a lot of work, (only 3 products), therefore I could
have possibly used my production time better (worked quicker and
harder) to either produce more products or spent some extra time on my
research and planning PowerPoints, improving them.
• I made a production schedule in my planning, however I didn’t make a
detailed schedule, therefore I wasn’t working towards little but often
deadlines and was just working towards finishing a product each week and
improving them in the mean time (whenever my client gave me feedback).
If I were to complete this project again, I would make a more detailed
schedule for my production, which would be easier to create and follow if
my planning was more detailed and advanced. This would allow me to
notice if I’m behind or ahead of schedule, so I know if I need to work
harder/faster or if I need to spend more time on my products.
6. Working With The Client
• This was my first time working for/with a client, therefore I don’t have any
other experience with a client to compare this project to.
• In my opinion I thought it was fairly difficult with improvements because
my client didn’t reply to my E-mails very quick and usually took quite a lot
of time to reply, therefore I couldn’t work on my improvements, however
in real client projects the client could always going to be unreliable or take
a while to respond, meaning this was good experience, as it allowed me to
take my own initiative and make my own decisions on behalf of the client,
which I think he approved of.
• If I wanted a more in depth and frequent feedback from my client I could
have visited his store (as I didn’t live far away from it), and spoke to him in
person, however I didn’t. This could have been helpful because then I
wouldn’t had to wait a long time for feedback, but on the other hand, my
client said he was quite busy during this period, therefore visiting his store
may have been too pressing or wouldn’t have sped the process up
anymore then E-mailing him.
7. Technical Qualities (comparison)
The title of the professional
product is very standard
with a sans serif font,
whereas mine is a little
more interesting with a font
chosen from Dafont. Both
titles stand out on the
poster,, however my title
takes some attention of the
image (because the colour is
brighter) which doesn’t
work as well.
The colour on the professional
product has been used much
more effectively in my opinion
because the bright background
makes the image stand out
more (as this is the main focus
point), whereas my
background colour is very
dark, meaning it doesn’t
contrast as well as I’d hoped
with my image. The colour of
the text has been used
effectively on both products as
it makes them stand out as
much as they need to, showing
similarity in the products.
The image itself is very
interesting and detailed,
making it quite effective, as
people will notice this and
appreciate the aesthetics of
it. However compared to the
professional product the
image doesn’t stand out or
contrast with the
background colour, as both
colours are dark on my
poster.
The information text on my poster is clear and easily
understandable. The text is fairly small because it’s
not a focus point, which is a similar feature to the
professional product. On both products some of the
text is very contrasting to the background, making it
stand out a little more than the other text, meaning
it’s more important, showing the reasoning behind
both product’s design is similar.
The layout on both products are very similar
because I used this poster as an idea of how to
create mine. The image is the clear focus point in
the centre, the title is fairly eye-catching and the
information is at the bottom, displayed with less
importance and focus attention.
8. Technical Qualities (comparison)
The title here is eye-catching and
bold, which is similar to mine, with
both titles contrasting with its
background. The title is central and
below the image, meaning it’s of
second most importance.
The background colour on this product is very overwhelming,
which isn’t a very good aspect to have, because it doesn’t
contrast with the image, meaning the image doesn’t stand out.
On the professional product the background colour and the
image contrast well, which is how I would improve my product.
However on both products the title contrasts well with the
background colours, making them easily noticeable.
The font of my title is the same as
my poster, creating the link
between my products. The other
text is simple, similar to the
professional product, and easy to
read, as it’s information that
needs to be easily readable.
The layout is very standard and
easy to understand, showing
only the important features.
The layout is very similar to my
product as I used this as a guide
to follow, meaning my layout is
professional looking.
The image my product is interesting and well designed,
whereas on the professional product the image is very simple,
however for a business card (and possibly their target
audience) the simplicity may be a benefit. Both images are
central and are a focus point along with the title. The image on
the professional product is much more eye-catching than mine
due to the colour, which is how I could improve my product.
9. Technical Qualities (comparison)
The title is again the same as the front of the
card because otherwise both of the sides
wouldn’t look apart of each other. Both titles
are contrasting to the background, making it
stand out, which is a similarity between both
products.
The information text is very clear,
once the viewer is putting all their
attention on it. The use of white and
orange in the text makes it easier to
look at, as it’s not plain and boring,
making certain information stand out
more.
The layout for both products are very
similar to each other,, as I used this
product as a guide. Both layouts are
effective in making the information
clearly displayed, but keeping the
interesting aesthetics of the card.
The colour of the professional
product is likely more effective
than mine because the
background is clearly contrasting
with the image and text, however
the colours on my card are fairly
dark, making the image hard to
see and the text hard to read.
Both products have the image on the side of the
card, with only half the image showing. This makes
the image no longer a focus point, as the
information is supposed to the focus of attention.
10. Aesthetic Qualities
The title on my poster looks
interesting, as it isn’t a simple sans
serif font, making the poster look
more creative. It contrasts well with
the background, making it stand out
to the viewer. It’s large enough to
be effective on the poster and fits
with the style of the poster (old-
fashioned) as it doesn’t look
modern (as bubble fonts would for
example).
The information text on my poster
brings more of a variety of colour
and text size, making it look more
spread-out, with different sized
text. The bottom section with the
contact information makes the
poster look more professional and
makes it look like an actual
advertisement poster, instead of
just a regular poster.
The of this poster is very typical with the title at
the top, the image in the middle and the
information text at the bottom. This isn’t a bad
aspect however because it makes the poster clear
and simple, which many people appreciate.
The colour of the background on my
poster is a little overwhelming and
means the attention isn’t focused on
the image and title as much as I had
hoped. It also makes the poster look
slightly washed out, especially when
looking at it from a distance, which
would be the case a lot of the time,
when shown a wall.
The image on my poster is a main
focus point as you can usually see this
feature first. The image of the vinyl
record looks very realistic and well-
designed (even though I created it
from scratch). The image doesn’t
stand out as much as I would like,
however it still stands out a bit, as it’s
a main focus point of the poster.
11. Aesthetic Qualities
The colours of my business card
didn’t work out as well as I’d
hoped. The dark blue is very
overwhelming and makes the
whole card look too dark,
meaning the image doesn’t stand
out as it’s dark as well, and the
information text isn’t clear and
easy to read.
The information text isn’t very
contrasting with the background
meaning it’s hard to read a little,
however the use of the store’s
second colour ‘orangey-yellow’
brings more of a variety to the card
and makes it more interesting to
look at.
The title on my business card stands
out well as it is large and bold along
with the contrast to the background.
The overlapping of the title against the
image shows its importance on the
business card and this is definitely
noticeable.
The layout of my business card is
very simple and ordinary which is
useful for a business card as its
purpose is to display information
and isn't used to ‘catch the
viewer’s eye’ as much as the
poster is.
The image on my card is central,
making it noticeable, however
the colour of the image against
the background doesn’t work
very effectively,, as they blend
slightly, and don’t contrast with
each other. Although the image
itself is well designed and
interesting to look at.
12. Aesthetic Qualities
This title is the same as the one on
the front of the card, creating a
link between the two sides of the
card. It also makes the card look
more structured as a whole, with
the title being displayed clearly at
the top.
For the information text I used the
same font as the text on the other side
of the card, again keeping the link
between both sides. It is also makes
the card look more professional as text
is displayed clearly and effectively.
The layout of the back of my card makes my card
look very professional with the simplicity and
clearly displayed information. I like the layout of
my card with the image on the right (only showing
half of it) and the information displayed clearly,
just off centre because it makes the card look
more interesting.
The background colour on my card
(similar to the front of the card) is
quite overwhelming and doesn’t
make the image look very good,
due to its lack of contrast. The
colours as whole look aesthetically
pleasing, bringing a variety of
different colours to the product,
making it look a lot less simple and
ordinary.
The image on the back of my
business card, in my opinion, is
very interesting as it’s
positioned halfway off the card,
showing it’s not supposed to be
centre of attention. It’s the
same image as the front of the
card, keeping the link between
the sides once again. The image
is however hard to see due to
the dark background, meaning
the viewer can’t appreciate the
image as much as they could.
13. Audience Appeal
• I feel as if I have appealed to my audience with the overall aesthetics because I have created my
poster to be interesting, instead of plain and boring. This appeals to my audience of people aged
18-34 because, typically, they appreciate creative designs more rather than people of an older
generation, who usually prefer the design to be simple, with not much excitement.
• On the other hand you could say that I have appealed to the rest of my audience (people of an
older generation) with the simplicity. Even though my product is more than simple with the
imagery and colour, the layout is very simple. The simple layout and design makes it very easy for
the audience to understand and read, meaning they are more likely to read the product and see the
information because it’s not a difficult task (this is especially true for my target audience of the ages
18-34).
• The main colours I used was blue and this is because the store’s main colour is blue, although I
believe this colour appeals to both genders (even though traditionally blue appeals more to males.
My image is a main focus of my product and usually people would see this image and be interested
in the product (as the image shows exactly what the product is about – vinyl records). On the other
hand the blue colour in the background of both of my products can be seen as very stand-out and
overwhelming, meaning if people don’t like the colour blue or stereotypical views are true with
certain people then females won’t be as attracted to my products as males would be and this is the
same with people who aren’t interested in the colour blue.
14. Client Feedback
• Are there any stronger messages you could put in
I don’t believe there is much more information to include that is important enough to add, however the
message on my products could be more meaningful, especially a message to my target audience. On the other
hand a meaningful message could be hard to portray due to my audience being ranged from 18 to 34 (which is
a wide range).
• What is the target market?
The target market is aged 18-34 and I believe, with the research I have conducted, I have appealed to my target
audience enough, although I could have improved in this aspect a little more, for example with main colour, as I
could have made it a little brighter to appeal more to the females in my target audience.
• Too much blue not enough white. The Blue background is a bit overwhelming (this is especially
true on the card)
I agree with this statement as I have discussed in my technical and aesthetic evaluation, and this would be the
first improvement I would make if I were to complete this project again.
• Don’t mix new and old branding. Go for the use of one logo
The main image wasn’t suppose to a new logo, it was just supposed to be an interesting image connected to
the store’s sale item. However changing the image a little may be of benefit as it apparently looks like a logo.
• On the footer of the poster use the same font as on the main poster
I thought the use of different fonts was a good aspect of my poster, creating more of a variety to my poster,
however if my client believes I should have kept the same font, may mean it doesn’t look very professional.
15. Peer Feedback
• What did you like about my products?
- The poster provides lots of interesting features and clean visual
aesthetics that appeal well to the audience. The brand has been well
recreated. The textured background helps the record to stand out,
making it obvious to the audience what the product is about.
- The business card continue the record lines around the card which is
a really satisfying effect. The soundwave that travels behind the record
is a good effect too.
• What improvements could be made?
- The important information such as the discount info and the free
parking isn’t very visible at first glance. These factors would really help
the brand to gain interest so making them more obvious would help
the product.
- The soundwave could be an orange to make it stand out more.
- The colors are slightly different to the poster.
16. Peer Feedback
• What did you like about my products?
- I like the blue sound waves added on the poster making it
clear what the product is about and it’s a nice design on the
images.
- The poster also has a great look to it the font/text is very
visible and its simple and basic doesn’t have to much
information on it.
• What improvements could be made?
- I feel like the blue might be a bit too bright and it kind of
interferes with the text a little bit but not to much making the
text blend a little with the background. Making the blue darker
might have solved the small problem but its nothing big I feel
like it didn’t have any big problems.
17. Peer Feedback
• What did you like about my products?
- There is many different aspects throughout each product that I believe stands
out. The most noticeable is the vinyl that is placed in the center of each
product. I like this because it has very personal touches for your client, I.e. the
‘Vinyl Eddie’ which helps inform he audience who’s company you’re referring
to.
- I also like the sound wave that is placed behind product 1. The reason why I
like this is because the color helps bring the page to life due how vibrant it is
presented. It also works well with the vinyl placed in front.
• What improvements could be made?
- An improvement I would make for the future is trying to use the same colors
throughout each product so it’s easier for your audience to realize it’s referring
to the same company. Besides this, I believe everything else indicates this.
- I would suggest using the darker blue if you was to apply this improvement as
I believe it works a lot better than the brighter blue. The reason why I believe
this is because the brighter blue takes the attention away from the product
itself.
