I had already obtained general peer feedback in the construction stages of my documentary poster which had benefited me massively in creating the 'perfect' product for my auxilary task. I felt now was the best opportunity to employ this technique again to gain critical perceptions of how others perceived my double page spread. This would allow me to recognise the errors and alter them before the final coursework hand in date. Importantly it would help me develop my editing skills as a whole allowing me to gain knowledge about how not to make them again essentially.
My first protocol was to querie my desk mate Taylor as to what her valid opinion was of my double page spread whilst it was in the half way stages of completion. I asked her to be open and honest as possible as I wanted a true representation of her critic regarding what I had already produced. She began by identifying the positive elements, particularly how she was enthusiastic about the positioning of the text in the article, she remarked that the page didn't appear too cluttered and that the words and paragraphs were equally spaced from one another, therefore she had no issues. She was specifically interested in the use of the drop caps, she responded how it was an element she would not have thought about putting in the product if she had chosen this brief so I received some through praise from her. However criticisms wise she suggested to me that the image was positioned too far over to the right hand side of the page it is on, this leaves al large amount of empty space in the left corner and although I am intending on adding a pull quote there she summarised that it most likely was not going to be large enough to occupy that entire area. She added that if i was to enlarge the quote to align in that space then most likely it would appear stretched and distorted which could stunt the professionalism in my work. To overcome this issue she pressed it would be more beneficial to position the image more centrally, therefore there would be an equal amount of space on both sides of the page and there would be far less blank areas then what had been opposed before.
In a similar fashion I requested the input from my own lecturer so I could comprehend about what improvements she could target within my double page spread task. She regarded there was no outstanding concerns to be identified on the beginning two pages, her only advice was to - like what taylor had previously commented upon - to move the image over slightly as she to felt there would be too much empty room once the pull quote had been erected into postiion. She praised my use of writer and photographer names below the kicker as this was a major conventional element that is commonly forgotten about by most media students. Besides the alignment of the image overall she had no major concerns over what I had already produced which was something I was relieved upon.
My secondary task was to now get both Taylor and my lecturers views in relation to the third page that would contain the rest of my extended article piece. Because this was in direct relation to the fist two pages it was vital they all followed a contrasting scene so they could be identified as the audience as related to one another. At this level I was eager to receive as much constructive feedback as possible as this was the area of my double page spread I was most struggling with so any amount of criticism would be highly appreictaed. The primary section Taylor picked apart was over my writer review and factual text boxes, she suggested it would be beneficial to have a colour palette surrounding both of them, this would allow them to be easily distinguished from the main article, however a similar shade which would correlate nicely with the main background colour of the spread would be preferable as this would indicate they are still interlinked in a similar fashion. She liked the idea of having an image of the writer besides the review as this would generate a personal connection between reader and author, making them more likeable and giving a higher chance their production would be read. She recommended to have the photograph placed towards the side of the article as placing in directly in the middle of the text would mean I would have to realign al lot of my paragraphs which would waste valuable time I couldn't sprare. Taylor hoped there would be an image accompnying the fact box as this be of great aid in promoting more visual interest for the spread - she recommended me to take an image of something that was directly related to the content to keep in the conventional flow ad rhythm of the entire product. She praised the use of me using a similar font to the main text in the review as this was an excellent way of interlinking all of the separate areas together as a whole indicating a reccuring theme within.
My lecturer advised me in a symmetrical tone placing emphasis on the use of additional images into the side articles and employing colour into the individual boxes to indicate they were not directly linked to the article. However she did offer a few other improvements, the first was in relation to the spacing of the words in the factual box, she believed they did not 'flow' well together and appeared too cluttered due to lack of spacing. it was suggested I centre aligned them and used the kerning tool to get them all placed in equal distance from one another to make the presentation look professional, neat and organised. I was also recommended to add a helpline to eating disorders should a family member have concern in regards to the symptoms as this could allow them to seek help if they are worried about a loved one. Furthermore she desired the pull quote to be moved up slightly as she felt there wasn't equal width separating both the paragraphs from one another, a mistake which I could easily correct. Lastly she majorly wanted me to focus upon getting the kerning correct on all of the text bodies, to ensure they were equally spaced with one another and that none overlapped another as this would undermine the professional nature I was attempting to create.
I feel as if I have benefited throughly from this peer assessment as it has allowed major flaws and faults in my work to be identified from a third party which I would have easily overlooked. In that manner it allows me to correct then appropriately which in the long run will allow my work to come across as a high class mainstream magazine grade which is what I desperately am aspiring to.
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