Thursday 15 March 2018

Final Publication Critique

Today I had my final critique of my final publication, I was really happy with all the feedback that I received as it was mainly positive, the areas to improve on mainly suggested trying gloss paper for paper stock, however a lot of the feedback suggested that the choice of cartridge paper worked well with the collage technique; giving it a more professional look, as well as making the text easier to read. The final zine was printed in A5 colour and bound using a stab stitch method.

As a whole, I think the identity zine design is extremely successful and experimental in terms of communicating the idea of identity through different topics which include gender, race, fashion and sexuality. As well as communicating the idea successfully visually through a wide range of experimentation using collage and illustration. The zine has a consistent structure and vibrant aesthetic to it throughout; reflecting on the idea of everyone having a different identity, every page is experimental, wacky and different. I really enjoyed creating this zine as I was able to use all of my favourite techniques throughout; my working aesthetic is very collage-y, illustrative, busy and bright, I feel that the concept really suited the methods I used.

Positive feedback;

  • The theme of the publication works well with the chosen of collage. The colours and interesting way of generating new imagery are very engaging to the viewer
  • The text harmonises well with the imagery
  • The final outcome is successful but has other paper stock been experimented with? possibly coloured paper? Yes I experimented with coloured paper when developing from a fanzine factory publication to an identity zine, I found that as my collages were very bright, the colours clashed too much and weren't as clear on coloured paper.
  • The theme is communicated well- strong sense of 'identity' has been created through collage
  • Really nice paper stock- works well with collage technique- looks professional 
  • Similarity to ID Magazine
  • Really like the fact it looks like a professional zine
  • Really like the use of collage
  • Text and images work really well together
  • Colour palette is strong and eye catching
  • Contrasting content and pages works in some cases
  • The paper is thick which at first was found quite challenging to flip the pages, although afterwards it was found that the thickness works in my favour making; it easier to read. I agree with this, I think if I had more pages it'd become harder to flip but it worked well with the amount of pages I had
  • Good binding skills; almost didn't notice the thread
  • Love how far the publication has been refined since the group project. Really expressed the point with how the publication has been designed
  • Its sick- doesn't need changing
  • Paper stock works well
  • Collages are really interesting to look at, and could tell what the book was about without an info page
  • Strong use of colour- matches theme well as bright colours are used in the pride flag. I really like this comment as I hadn't even realised that it matched the pride flag!
  • Good choice of text- matches the zine well- good story
  • Mark making on top works really well- creates a contrast

Areas that could be improved/considered;

  • At first understanding the meaning was quite challenging; as the pages are very full on, once the text was read through, it started to become clearer. The pages are very full on and wacky to communicate the idea of everyones identity being different and being able to express yourself.
  • Why is some of it hand drawn and not just collage?; To create contrast between the collages and because I wanted to make the pages as fun as possible.
  • Could gloss paper be used? As most magazines are gloss. I think the front cover could look good in gloss but not the whole way through; most of the other comments mentioned that the paper stock (cartridge) worked well.
  • Potentially make the zine larger than A5, was A4 or A3 tried? I didn't want to do A4 as it is too basic, most publications are A4, although A3 could look interesting, but then the collages wouldn't look as nice on a bigger scale.
  • Could the links on the back be incorporated into each page instead? This is a good point, but that would mean repeating the same link of different pages as used the same articles on different pages

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