Feedback

After working and adjusting the collage design, the next stage was to gain further feedback on the design. To gain effective feedback I set out a series of questions alongside a print out of the design.

Q1. Do you think that the colour is appropriate to the crime genre?

- Try a darker 'blood red' as this will bring out the white of the newspaper. The orange works but a darker colour may be more appropriate

- The colour is too basic

- I think that the colour works in print and on the screen

- Too bright and clashes with the orange of the Penguin logo

As the above comments highlight, the overall opinion was that the colour of the background should be darker and more 'blood like'. However, this is something that would be an obvious colour choice therefore in the competition could possibly sit comfortably with the other designs. However, this is not something that I want as the design should be different to the others and stand out on its own. The reasoning behind the colour choice is also that it is the original colour that penguin used for this genre. Although this is not something that is necessarily known by the vast audience, it is an added element to the design that makes it unique as well as suitable to the celebration of the content. 


Q2. Can you clearly read the title of the book? If not, any suggestions on how this could be improved?

- Yes but try making the other words smaller and closer together to make the title stand out more

- In Cold Blood is larger therefore can be identified however also become a part of the collage, It works well. 

These are all comments that I will take on board and experiment with as this is not something that I have been able to judge myself, due to already knowing the title of the book. In a discussion with a peer it was also asked whether I was going to transfer the newspaper cut outs over the spine of the book. This then lead to the idea that the title could be displayed in the same way on the spine as this is the area of the book that you typically see in a bookshop environment.


Q3. Type Size? Too big? Too big?

- Slightly too big

- Perfect size, doesn't get lost on the page and isn't too bold that it draws attention away from the title

- The type size of the author needs to be bigger so that it stands out more

- Top text is too close to the margin, possibly needs to be smaller

- The smaller text on the spine is more appropriate as it allows for the orange to show through making the spine more eye catching


Q4. Is there anything about the book design that you would change?

- Authors name needs to be more distinct

- Experiment with making the collage fit the entire front page to make it more impactful

Experimenting with the layout of the design has been taken through a rigorous process. This has highlighted that in the final feedback of a design, the other alterations that have been experimented with should be documented so that the comments can be constructive towards the current design and they can see what has already been tested. 


Q5. Any suggestions on the position of the quotes on the back cover?

- Try putting the quote at the bottom of the page

- Separate the text more

- Keep it simple and clear



Q6. Thoughts on the typeface - should it be the same as the text on the front?

- Yes, provides greater cohesion and consistancy

- No, it is often different, body and title text

- Yes