Feedback on Design, Layout and Stock

In the feedback session a range of different layouts were presented to the group as well as two different map designs. The page designs included different orientations of the images and text as well as the overall page structure. The initial map designs were also shown to gather feedback. 

Before the crit discussion I outlined a few areas that I wanted to cover within the feedback session:
1. Which design do you find most visually appealing and why?
2. Which map design do you prefer and why?
3. Which font size do you think is the most appropriate? 10,12,14pt
4. Are there any improvements you could suggest?
5. Perfect bound or saddle stitch?
6. Which stock do you think it's most appropriate?
7. Front cover?

1. Which design do you find most visually appealing?
- 2. the eye naturally flows with this design as we read from left to right
- 2 but this would be tedious to look at page after page. Mixing this design with the full bleed image which would make it more interesting and engaging to look at page to page

2. The overall discussion favoured the map design that featured the landmark areas as it gives the audience a point of  reference as well as showing what else the town has to offer. It was also discussed that adding the metro stop and bus stops would also enhance the reader's experience as they would be able to plan their route/visit. It was also suggested to correspond the numbers of the locations with the way you would approach them from the street.  

3. The overall discussion concluded that continuing experimenting with the font size and the design will ensure that they both work together. 

5. Perfect bound works and looks overall of a higher quality than saddle stitch. However, considering the large quantity of the target audience and the large distribution numbers, a saddle stitch would be more appropriate and cost effective. The thinner stock would also not be successful if used with perfect binding as it is too thin. 

6. This was an interesting discussion as many of the comments made were appropriate yet there was an element of disagreement with what was being said. The majority preferred the thicker more off white stock over the 90gsm recycled paper. This was mainly because of the colour and the thickness of the paper. However, a downside to using this stock is that one side of the paper has a matte finish and the other has more of a gloss finish. When putting this with a book, which I have experimented with with the perfect bound book, the paper type alternates from the left to the right of the double page. 

7. Something that I have been struggling to visualise is the front cover of the handbook. It was discussed that an typography approach would be suitable however it was decided that we have this opinion due to our background. Considering other students, a more illustrative, colourful approach would be more appealing to the eye and therefore encouraging the target audience to pick up the handbook.