OUGD404 | Studio Brief 02 - Final Crit

Our final crit was anonymous and offered us the opportunity to ask 3 questions about our final outcomes. Here are my questions and the general feedback I received.

1. What would you have suggested for the cover? Why? (My design had to change so I did not have time to consider this)

This question was more for future projects if I created a buckram cover. Most people suggested a screen printed design, but they stressed I should keep in simple as the content is quite complex. Many suggestions included reference to the camera, in image or type to make the content of the book clear. Another suggestion was debossing the title.

2. Are there any issues with my typesetting? Where? How could this be improved?

Generally the feedback was that my typesetting was good considering the space available. There was a suggestion to only use 2 typefaces instead of 3. There was also a suggestion to increase the size of my book to make typesetting easier. The main issues lay in the camera diagrams. I did not have space for the type to be any larger. I found that that was the clearest typeface for such a small size - I am not sure how I could have improved this - but I felt the type was readable even at its small pt size.

3.Does the page design appeal to you? What about it does? (You were my target audience)

Thankfully, the group seemed to really like the page design. They particularly liked the contrast between my typefaces.
I agree with the feedback that stated my content was difficult to navigate - I feel my lack of knowledge of perfect binding is the reason for this. There was a suggestion of creating tabs to navigate more easily. The group seemed to like the colour scheme and felt the design overall appealed to them - they found it far more appealing than the original photography sheet. The concertina was stated as an engaging factor.


The reaction to my book was far more positive than I expected knowing all the issues I had with it. The brief has been very useful as practice for future book designs and has shown me how far I can push myself.