OUGD504 - Studio Brief 1 - Final Critique & Evaluation

I printed my final leaflet on acetate to give the same feel as the merged layouts I created previously while still being legible and being able to be read independently of each other. I think that the material of the acetate also lends itself to add an extra quality to the piece, making you want to look at it more because of the interesting materials used. However, folding the acetate was hard work, but I preferred the transparency of this material to the tracing paper which does fold a lot easier. I was also worried that the ink would come away from where I folded the acetate, but thankfully it didn't. 

When placed on a white surface the design really comes to life. I suppose the acetate does make the design slightly illegible and unreadable on certain surfaces. But again I think this adds to the interactive-ness of the leaflet.

When the leaflet is folded flat I find the merged design really effective and inviting. The belly band was an afterthought because of the springy-ness of the acetate when folded it needed something to hold it all together. So I used the pattern that I was going to use on the back of the leaflet when on normal paper as a decorative wrap around.  

I found this brief quite difficult because of the short time scale as well as getting back into the swing of being back at college. However, I was determined to concentrate on creating a good concept rather than creating a design that just looked good. So I was pleased that I did come up with an effective concept that made the leaflet more interactive and tactile. The final outcome I feel is exciting and will draw people to it because of the interesting materials and scale that I have used. The only issue is that this leaflet would be very difficult to produce commercially and it probably would be quite expensive to produce as well. If I was going to make it more commercially viable I think that I would produce it on a smaller scale like in my mock-ups, perhaps on a tracing paper so that it is easier to fold.

Overall, I have learnt a lot about the design process while undertaking this brief as well as how naïve my own design process is to that of a professional. I thought that it was a good exercise to compare and contrast my own process with the norm of the industry and as a result I have added some new stages to my own design process. I felt like I managed my time quite well during this brief, as I was able to complete it and print it by the end of Friday, so it did only last a week. To be able to go from a concept to a finished printed design in a week has definitely made me re-evaluate which parts of my design process aren’t really that necessary in order to create a good design.