Final Evaluation

Final Evaluation 

When firstly analysing the concept of the design it is evident that there would be a market for such a product, but rather so there is a need for this product, in order to promote female design and equality within the creative industries. 

The idea of a 'collective' developed publication would be strong, as it would allow multiple females to explore their design work in a fun, safe environment. 

When thinking specifically about the publication, it is evident that costings would need to be considered if taking this project further. A good way in which to get such funding maybe to hold exhibitions, and sell the designers work. This would provide money as well as promoting the female designers further. 

In design terms the aesthetic of the publication will firstly be discussed. The general layout is bold and impactive. Minimal in nature the designs do not appear crowded, and your eyes are drawn to the workings of each indvidual designer. Making the publication A5 has allowed this further, as less images can appear upon an individual page, in turn promoting only a couple of design pieces at a time. I believe this to be far more effective than listing numerous designers upon one page. 

The nature of the spreads attempts to capture postmodern trends, with less obvious layouts being taken. Although this concept is strong, I am unsure upon whether the design correctly captures postmodernism, and thus I believe a more abstract approach should have been taken. 

When thinking specifically about the logo, it has appeared evident within critiques that many of the males I asked felt that it excludes men. As feminism is a movement of equality rather than female 'supremacy', I believe that this logo may not be that effective. Although its general design is so. As a result of this, I will attempt to take the principals of the original logo and apply them in a different manner, in collaboration with the rest of the collective. This operation will be undergone throughout the summer months, to allow a strong focus. 

Colour has been a key influence throughout the whole design. A three colour tonal approach was developed in order to express a clean, yet bold approach. The pink used highlights femininity in a positive manner, as the colour pink previously had 'negative female connotations'. The typography used was that of Futura, a strong san serif typeface. This typeface was selected as it mimics the work of Scher's, alongside other strong postmodern female designers. 

The production of the publication was relatively straight forward. A simple staple was used in order to bin the magazine together. This is in order to comply to that of magazine standards, as well as expressing a cheap manufacturing method. The stock used was recycled in order to promote environmental design, an issue in which I am very passionate about. The stock used was matt, in order to create a juxtaposition between the normal 'glossy' magazines in which represent women so badly, heat being an example.  A gsm of 200 was used for the cover, as within the stock up the cover felt very malleable, the inside spread was also apparent through the cover, hence why this was changed. An inner gsm of 160 was used in order to again combat the transparency issue as well as promoting a high standard publication. 

Website

The website itself is easy to navigate, clean and clear. Postmodern trends within the publication have been mimicked throughout the design, although similar to the publication I believe that these could have been pushed far further. 

The idea of a website would allow the consumer to further engage with the designers, discover more creatives, and gain information surrounding the collective. One idea in which was suggested to me by one member of the collective was to have a forum page added to the website, in turn promoting an open discussion between designers. This would be a great idea to engage with further creatives, and thus if the website goes live this will be an added feature. 

in order to promote continuity the website mimics the same typography/colour scheme as the publication. This in turn promoting the two together. 

When thinking about the general layout of the website, I believe some pages to not correctly explore postmodernism and thus this would be an area in which I would suggest needed improvement. 

Target Audience 

When thinking about how the demographic will interact with the outcomes, it must be considered that legibility is a key factor. As within my previous feedback it states that some of the typography used is difficult to read due to sizing, this will be altered. As the primary audience is males, it must be considered wether the line through the word male is effective, or whether it does appear man hating. Other than this I would suggest that both outcomes are clear, easy to navigate and promote legibility. In turn effectively targeting the intended demographic. 

Future?

When thinking about the future of the outcomes/collective it is evident that there are a lot of issues in which must first be overcome. Funding is essentially one of the key areas in which must be firstly completed, with exhibitions etc being held in order to fund the publication. Secondly, as a collective we must develop a new logo in which does not appear to exclude males but holds the same ethos. The colour should also be altered in order to promote a more 'friendly' pink. Some areas of the publication, alongside the website must be altered in order to promote postmodern trends more effectively, as well as following a clean design.