Studio Brief 1: Final crit

The three questions I asked in the final crit were:

1. Do they fit the target audience of young adults well?
2. Is the colour scheme appropriate?
3. Is the type the right size etc?

Q1 Feedback:

• Yes, I really like the look of these, and the colours compliment each other.
• Yes it does - arty young adults
• Definitely, although theres definitely room to be even more playful and cheeky.
• I think so yes. The strokes are beautiful
• Designs would work for a young audience who are "arty".
• Yes, very eye-catching, the colours used are very effective.
• Yes, the simplicity and combination of effects is suitable.
• Yes, it is not too playful that its childish and not too basic.
• Messy, more like a child.

Q2 Feedback:

• They're quite calm and soothing colours which reminds me of a landscape, which I think is the background image? So they're appropriate and work well.
• Nice mix of colour, nothing too bright or dark
• I love the colours and I sort of wish there was more, why not paint the whole thing? The textures are fantastic but make the rest look very flat.
• Yes, I love them.
• I don't like the shade of purple you have mixed - its too dark. The blue is quite beautiful however you could of linked the colour palette to the landscape design?
• Yes makes them stand out from the background.
• The colours give an idea to what the scenery could be without seeming cliche
• Yes, however I would have left the background white so the colours stand out more.
• Not really.
• Yes, appeals to both male and female.

Q3 Feedback:

• The type is a good size. You can clearly read the measurements and other text. Why isn't there a 'insert photo here' on the 6 x 4?
• Type seems to fit well and is a good weight
• Not a fan of the type. It's legible but has no life/personality when put against the expressive brush strokes.
• Yes.
• I'm not sure the use of a san serif modern type has worked too well, the point size is good though. Your designs could suit an 'arty' audience. Although not sure why you have put 'insert photo here' on two out of three? The font however is quite corporate and lacks in the general personality of the artwork behind.
• Yes, clean and minimalist to fit in within the designs.
• The type works well and fits with the piece.
• Yes but I'd have used bold as the letterforms are quite fragile.

I have made the constructive/useful feedback bold.

• I agree that the purple colouring may be a little too dark, but it was difficult to brighten that area of the paint without ruining the natural look of it.
• I now agree about leaving the background white, I think I was trying to add more personality but it hasn't been that successful darkening the background. White would be more clean.
• A couple of people asked why I didn't label the smallest frame with 'insert photo here': I felt that the frame would be too small and too cramped with another piece of text in it that wasn't vital. However people noticing this and having skepticism maybe reflects that I could have worked around this and still included it. I don't think it's necessary for the frame designs to stay in synch as a set, though.
• Some people think that the type is unsuccessful, as it is too cold and personality-less against the expressive brush strokes. I hadn't seen it from that angle before, as I have been so immersed in the work and got used to it so I'm glad I've received this feedback. I see what they mean, I think that I just saw the type and thought it appealed to my audience but without thinking through how it woud work with my artistic design. Taking this into account, I still would not want to use a serif font as it would not be successful either.