Past Student Work Analysis

Week 10

A. Suitability for Brief

I believe the student has clearly understood the brief and has produced three successful layouts which other school children will find engaging and educational. Consideration regarding the amount of text is also evident as the student hasn’t overwhelmed the child with reams of writing. Furthermore, I believe the student’s choice of activities have considered different types of learners, visual and kinesthetic. (Tactile learning, engagement by learning physically with their own hands. For example, by making the lamp the person will relate more easily to the fact that Florence Nightingale was referred to as ‘The Lady with the lamp’.)

B. Colour Schemes Used 

 

The student has elected to take forward a complimentary colour palette of blue and brown, with accents of yellow. The student has incorporated a brown wash/coffee stain within the soldier’s uniform and layout of the pages. – I believe the later enables the student to replicate the appearance of old and worn page. -Meanwhile, the student has used blue hues to connote the uniform being that of a nurses. Overall, the blue and brown tones don’t overpower each other and are complimentary. In addition to the blue and brown tones the student has also incorporated white space within their work to enable the page/imagery to breathe and balance the duller tones. 

C. Art Style or Visual Treatments

The student has used a contemporary approach within these pages by using a mixture of analogue (scanned in documents and photos) and digital (drawings, painting and type) techniques. Throughout the front cover and page layouts the imagery has been layered and collaged digitally, thus making it easier to re-position each element and, in turn, create an effective layout. 

The downside however is the way in which the student has applied colour, cut out the imagery and limited the use of shadow (for example, under the post-it notes shadowing has been considered but it has been omitted for the pencil which rests on top of the book) makes part of the imagery appear flat (2D, rather than 3D). This is further reflected in the black and white digital study of Florence Nightingale. For example, the student could have brightened up the image or considered natural highlights on her face. 

D. Use of Type

The student’s use of type style throughout are appropriate. For example, they have used a typewriter style font (serif font) to make the document feel old and authentic, in conjunction with a font reflective of a handwritten style (sans-serif font) on the post it notes and instructions for the lamp to differentiate certain information. In addition to this, the student elected to use a script font to draw the child’s attention to Florence Nightingale’s name. 

E. Use of Corporate ID

I believe the colour scheme the student has formed throughout the pages is successful and they have effectively created their own corporate identity. However, I have issues with their placement of the ID badges for the National Archives and University of Worcester. By placing their logos in the corner of the cover page the badges look cramped and, added as an afterthought. Instead I feel the student could have positioned the logos at the bottom of the badge, on opposing side, or they could have lowered the title and incorporated the logos at the top of the page. 

F. Visual Complexity

Generally, I feel that the overall layout and visual elements are appropriate for school children to use, as they are not overwhelming or too complicated/complex. Furthermore, I find it intriguing that the student has opted to depict a few of the elements, such as Nightingale’s portrait and lamp instructions are at a slight angle. 

G. Use of additional photoshop elements

The student has not used a photoshop template to present their layouts, but I feel if they had used one it would have been very beneficial for them. The title on the front cover, and some of the page furniture, is too close to the edge- causing potential problems if the pages are accidentally cropped when printed. This could have been avoided, and their layout made tighter, by using an invisible boarder around their work. 

H. Suggested further improvements

I feel that there is definitely some small changes and improvements they need to make within their work. For example, by incorporating more highlights and shadow their work could have looked 3D rather than 2D. Also they could have repositioned certain page furniture to enable them to create an invisible boarder around their work. 

A. Suitability for Brief

The use of vibrant colours and bold imagery within this learning resource would definitely be engaging for school children. The student has produced pages that are informative whilst being playful and energetic. However, I feel the student could have made the pages even more aesthetically pleasing, and cohesive, by reviewing and refining a number of elements. For example, by simplifying their patterns, page furniture and typefaces…  

B. Colour Schemes Used

It is very difficult to try and find one set colour scheme within these pages, as it feels like they have been too experimental with their colour choices and haven’t refined their palette. I believe that within the Nelson Mandela pages they have tried to use orange and brown as their predominant colour. The student has tried to use harmonious colours of blues and greens within some of the page furniture, motifs, and imagery with also an accent of red. It also appears they have tried using purple, yellow, and grey. I think if they were to use a limited palette of orange and blue as their main colours, and had accents of either green or yellow, the pages would look more effective and avoid becoming muddy and overwhelming. 

C. Art Style or Visual Treatments

I really like how the student has explored the use of watercolour to depict Nelson Mandela and Winston Churchill as this create a looser style, in contrast to some of the digital elements they have incorporated. With regards to the front cover I think its too much of a stark contrast to have the rendered digital rat alongside the watercolour (analogue) study of Churchill. Instead, I feel they could have experimented further by having more elements in watercolour or paint of a similar nature. I do, however, really like how they have scanned in a document for one of their tasks (third image) as I feel it has balanced the pages and they have brought in a balance of analogue and digital techniques. 

D. Use of Type

I believe that the choice of typefaces throughout are not cohesive and are not harmonious. I really liked the use of the strong, bold type the student uses for the cover of the book, which makes the cover present as an educational book that is informative. However, the student neglects to use this font again throughout their pages and on occasions uses as a serif font for their headings. Furthermore, it appears as though they have used a couple other sans-serif fonts for their main body of text and fun facts. Generally, it would have been nice to see more of the hand-illustrated titles (used for Nelson’s name) within their work to make the pages feel more decorative and hand finished. 

E. Use of Corporate ID

I really like how the student has incorporated the corporate ID into the front cover by making the logos black to match the bordering, Additionally, it doesn’t take away from the main imagery on the page. However, on the down-side I do not feel that there is a clear corporate identity which flows throughout each page, and their lack of refinement regarding their colour schemes and page layout has a negative impact on the pages aesthetics.  

F. Visual Complexity

I feel as though the pages are too complex and could be simplified down. For example, the patterns that adorn the corners, and anchors the text, could be removed as the student has limited the space required for the other elements on the page. By doing so, they could move the timeline further up so that the last picture is not positioned at the edge of the page. Furthermore, the patterns aren’t cohesive throughout which, in turn, make the page too distracting. I do, however, really like how the student has added watercolour splashes into the background, and feel that this would have been more appropriate to decorate parts of the page with as it links with the students analogue studies. The student could have experimented further by adding the splashes slightly behind the map and document to draw the child’s attention. Furthermore, the detailed masks at the bottom of the page are beautiful but feel hidden, I think these need to be moved and simplified down so there are only a couple of masks to allow the page to breathe and be more readable. 

G. Use of Additional Photoshop Elements

The student has not used photoshop templates or mock-ups within their work, but I feel it would benefit them. They have also created a couple of issues for themselves by putting their imagery too close to the edge and not having an invisible boarder. 

 

H. Suggested Further Improvements

Overall, their drawings are amazing and beautiful, but I think they need to improve their page layouts and simplify some areas within their work, such as font, page furniture and colour schemes. In addition to the above improvements, I’m a little confused as to the reason why they have used a grey rat on the front cover which almost blends into the painting and then change it for a white rat with a red hat. I feel they could have just used the one rat throughout for the purpose of continuity.

A. Suitability for Brief

I think the student has successfully created an activity book that is informative and aesthetically pleasing. They have an array of information, fun facts, and activities to keep the child engaged whilst having fun learning. I think this activity book would be more suitable for the older end of the specified demographic (7-11 years) due to having a lot of information to read and only a couple of complex activities to complete. 

B. Colour Scheme Used

The student has used a contrasting colour palette of red (warm colour) and blue (cold colour) with accents of mustard yellow/beige and orange. The colours work well on the page and makes the layout look interesting and refined. On the front cover, there is a heavy use of blue, I think some small accents of the red would make the cover stand out even more. 

C. Art Style or Visual Treatments

The whole of this book has been created through digital techniques. By adhering to one specific style the book looks very clean, polished, and highly rendered. I feel this might make the book feel too decorative and too sacred to use. Therefore, I think it would maybe be nice to see a little bit of analogue in there. For example, the characters could be created in analogue, or by scanning a couple of documents in. 

D. Use of Type

I feel that the student has been very clever with their use of typefaces in conjunction with the rest of their page layouts. For example, the front cover is very decorative as it utilises embellishments and detailed drawings. Furthermore, by using a script font the elements work harmoniously together. I also really like the sans-serif font and the slight shadow they have added to the lettering as it gives the document added intrigue. 

E. Use of Corporate ID

There is a clear visual style and corporate identity explored throughout this activity book. -The students use of page furniture, fonts and colour scheme is cohesive and visually enticing. However, the logos they have used for the National Archives and University of Worcester are very small and discrete in the corner. If these were slightly enlarged and made clearer, they would not distract from the remainder of the document. 

F. Visual Complexity

I think the overall document is complex with its layout and has a lot of features within. However, I feel the student has used page furniture effectively to break up the text so it’s not too overwhelming. The iconography in conjunction with the page furniture ensures each box is not intimidating to read. The students use of a minimalistic colour palette further balances the page, thus making it not appear muddied. 

G. Use of additional photoshop elements

The student has used a mock-up template to see what their book would look like in a real scenario. I think this is very effective as they have taken into consideration having a boarder/ margin around their work, so the imagery isn’t printed to the edge. It also helps the client to be able to look at their work in a professional set up, as it enables them to envisage how the final image would translate.  

H. Suggested further improvements

Overall, I think this is a beautifully illustrated and rendered book that is informative and educational. I think school children would love to use this book. The only small detail to the front cover would be to add a small amount of red accent and potentially include some analogue work, so the work sheets doesn’t feel too precious to use. 

Final overall question

I. Looking at the example of final student outputs on each brief, do you feel that analysing these further has given you further ideas about final presentation of your own work on this project? Please explain your answer whether yes or no. 

I have found this task to be very helpful and informative for my research. I feel by being able to analyse other students work I will be able to take my suggestions in to consideration when completing my activity pages. 

For example, I found that the main mistake students were making was not leaving an invisible boarder around their work and creating too dull or overwhelming a colour palette. Penultimately, I learnt that by incorporating certain embellishments on the page it can take too much away from the content of the page and can limit your space. Ultimately, I have also learnt that the font is a vital part to making the pages cohesive and making them not distract too much from the rest of the page.