This document discusses the design choices made for a set of recipe cards produced for the Vegetarian Society. It reflects on the layout, images, colors, fonts, and other design elements used and how they appeal to the target audience. The cards were aimed at a mass market without gender bias, using neutral colors and a professional style. Feedback was gathered through various prototypes to produce cards that provided clear instructions while looking exciting enough to attract potential buyers to vegetarianism. Semiotics of the design elements were considered to convey meanings of health, nature, and trustworthiness.

1. Recipe Card Evaluation
Alan Smith

2. Producing Print Based Media

3. Visual Language
How have you chosen to set out your designs and why?
This is one of the final eight cads made for the vegetarian society. Many copies of the
cards have been made and they many share the same characteristics.
The layout differs in this particular card because we wanted to produce a much more
professional look.
The main image that we have taken is placed to cover the majority of the front.
On the right hand side of each card, three images from different angles have been
shown, this is to add another perspective on what is seen as a simple dish.
The image to text ratio is that of, the back of the cards having all of the text to show the
ingredients and method together. The image of the particular landmark in Italy cover
the full back of the card, however the opacity is turned down in order to see the text
better.
The small section of image located in the bottom left is in full colour so it can cover the
white space.
Unlike these final ones, the other samples made were very simplistic and shared the
same aspects such as a coloured border, an image on the front of the food made and a
silhouette of a landmark we rotoscoped on Photoshop at the back.
They were made to look like that because we were initially targeting a mass market
audience and had to keep the product simple therefore not targeting a specific gender.
In contrast, these final cards have a lot going on and look very busy. This was the
decision to do so as we came to the understanding that the people who were buying
these vegetarian society recipe cards had to be attracted by what they saw and this
looks a lot more exciting to pick up and purchase.

4. This recipe card on the right is an example of what the competition
looks like in this industry.
From this you can see many similarities and many differences.
Firstly, the house style. Like many recipe cards, they all have
distinguishing features so you can instantly understand who made them.
Here the pattern on the top left and the name of ‘Harney Lane’
underneath is very similar to how we have looked at our cards
Here you can see we have researched how to display the house styles and how o make sure that the cards stand out. The band is
made to such a size so the audience has no problem understanding what the food is and where it is from (hence the colours) as
well as having a bold title close to it.
The image used on the example card is much smaller and tries to leave room for text and predominantly focuses on the content. In
previous cards we made the image was small like this one but we believed that as the card is double sided, there can be room for a
good quality photograph of the food to be placed covering the white space and leaving the text on the back.

5. Visual Language
Discuss the contents of your final images and reflect upon decisions made.
The final images contain a large amount of information as well trying to keep a simplistic look.
Firstly, the images that were placed on all the cards were taken by the team and we spent time
sharing the work load, booking the equipment and taking enough images to find a good
professional looking image.
The images were selected and cropped to fit the cards and used that same image on all the
different sets we made, to show development throughout.
We did consider using sourced images, however we came to the understanding that if we were
to sell a specific food, we had to make it how we felt it should be.
The text side took much more of the production side then first thought and did slightly run into
the contingency plan made. It was not just the placement of it that was concerning people when
we asked for opinions. The font was a common issue throughout. After many different attempts,
we agreed on a common font of Arial. This was to keep to he theme of a mass market and not
using a ‘hard to read’ title or heading as this would put the potential buyer off the product.
The placement of the text was decided to be best left on the back of the card, all together as it
was made clear in the brief. The text was split up into easily readable points and lowered to the
middle of the page.
The colour was a key topic on the agenda between both the group and outsiders looking in.
Firstly, we looked at using as little of it as possible. This was because we had come to the
understanding that it looked for suitable for children and not our mass market. On the last set of
cards we used colour to attract the audience rather then the rotoscoped landmark.
The image for the back of card is just one full picture rather then a full pattern of the same
landmark that was found on another set of cards.

6. Here underneath is the different fonts that
we used throughout the experimental
stage. We documented them to show that
we had taken advice on-board and
considered a change to the work.
We had great disagreement with two
types of font. Firstly, we were torn on
having Brush Script, which is a much more
Italian like and suitable to the theme. On
the other hand there was Arial which is a
very mainstream font and used on
multiple media products due to its clarity.
This was one of our original ideas where we were
not colour orientated. We chose to look at a
landmark and sharing the colour of that with the
reverse side of the card.
As you can see the text is split up between each
page and that was later changed to have more
room for the image.
On this, the lack of colour was not the only aspect
not used. The house style was not clear enough.
Having the vegetarian society logo on the bottom
line in size a small size was not appropriate due to
them being the client. This is why it is now
incorporated into the final band at the bottom and
enlarged so it is very clear who the cards are for.
This card at the bottom was yet another
designed idea. It was the start of the house
style generated band at the bottom.
The back of the cards were looked at in
further detail and was decided that the
white space has to be covered but still using
the idea of having one landmark on each
card. So from this we came up with the idea
of using many different sourced images of
the same building and merging it in the
background.

7. Here is an example of a professional card designed for the same audience. It is
clear here again that as it is just one piece the background is white and will
more then likely be found located in a recipe book rather then a card on its
own.
Nevertheless, many aspects can be learnt from this. Having the ingredients,
Method and preparation time separate shows that it is easy to read, split into
sections and simple yet effective.
We have incorporated this idea into our design, having both of the text on the
same side of card was going to be difficult due to the amount of words. So
gridding it up next to each other from left to right is a good way to keep the
recipe card looking neat and organised as well as having all the information
needed to make he cards.
We wanted to emulate some of the features found in examples like this but
also add some variety to what else is out in the market for recipe cards. The
usual recipe cards have a title, heading and text all down one margin of the
page. Our layout as you can see differs completely and having more freedom in
the composition of the text and images.
Professional cards look slick, spacious and
you can instantly tell who they are aimed at
due to the colours or font.
The similarity between these two is that.
You can clearly tell they share a mass market
audience and do not lean towards a gender
bias, shown by the colours.

8. This recipe is taken off the
vegetarian society website.
This style is similar in many
of the cards. Here they focus
on the image and making
sure it is of a high quality,
has a lot of colour and a
close angle.
We have incorporated the
ideas of the photography in
our recipe cards and used
the same text to image ratio,
keeping all the text together.
When looking through
existing recipe cards I
thought that it would be
better to look what the
client already had so it can
be made similar and so they
will like the product and
service we are doing.
This however I feel is playing on the side of caution and is not exciting enough to encourage people to take up
vegetarianism.
Our cards have more colour in them as well splitting the text up to make it easier for the person making the food to use.
This is because in the research from SurveyMonkey, the majority of people asked wanted something clear and easy to
read.

9. When looking at the preparation times found on the
example recipe card it was clear that the last design did
not feature any guidance on how it should be cooked, and
how many it can serve.
On the many designs made we had chosen to make a
colour coordinated set of circles that indicate the
Preparation and cooking time as well as how many that
recipe can feed.
The numbers indicated minuets and on recipes that did
not need one it was replaced with ‘N/A’ Not applicable to
that recipe. Recipe’s such as the Espresso Granita
Affogato.
This card on the right was the third design that was made
when all of the layout, images and text were decided. This
green used was chosen to not only relate to the Italian
theme, but to show off the vegetarian society logo even
more and enhance the green out of many of the foods.
It was later discussed that having no border at all may be a
better way of presenting the cards. This was because the
colour distracting the viewer from the actual image.
The Prep, Cook and Serve circles were left out in the final
design because there was already a lot of information for
the reader to comprehend. Adding more colour to the
recipe cards would have been a mistake.

10. Visual Language
Discuss the semiotics and connotations created from the content you have
included.
The Colours on the recipe card have been thought about in depth and thoroughly checked to
make sure they are suitable for the target audience.
The band’s colours are seen as obvious but still a very good edition. Using Italian colours help
the reader to decide on the food without reading any text.
They have been toned down to a light shade due to it standing out when compared to the
images. The band suggests a house style but a further insight would be suggesting that it is
part of the flag. Looking in deeper and the red may suggest action. Possibly the action of
taking the images.
The green can suggest life. Possibly the life of the animal that is saved by eating this recipe
and choosing not to eat meat. The green can look again into this and suggest Nature. Tying in
with a healthy alternative. The recipes would link in with this hidden meaning as many
contain fruit or vegetables.
The colour blue found on the plate can suggest Truth. This can make the recipe more family
friendly and create a positive feel to the cards making the text trustworthy.
The white is kept on the set of cards to show cleanliness. It does not want to look crowded as
it will fill confusion in the readers head. Lastly, the toned down grey in the background of the
cards is to show Maturity. As the cards are aimed at a mass market but older demographic it
needs to look professional and this shade of colour can help to enhance that feeling.
A black is used for the title because this is seen
as very easy to read and is the best colour to
stand out on the card. It is also used for the
text on the back.
The colour itself represents stability and this
can tie in with the house style of keeping a set
consistent and having our own mark on them.

11. To look at the meaning of the colours used, looking at a professional recipe card is a good way to understand why the makers of the cards
choose the particular shades they do.
The white is kept how it is to show cleanliness. When considering food this is a good colour to use. This colour combined with Black is a very
popular method and it is because they go well together, both stand out from each other. The black used on the title is to support stability
and support the idea of being a reliable card you can work from. It gains your trust and if the cards are stable they have a chance of selling
more in the future.
When making our card we have looked at all the colour meanings and how they would portray the recipe’s. The green napkin on the
photograph was deliberate to add to the theme of a natural alternative and psychologically tell the reader this.
The advantages of using simplistic colours are that it does professional and for people that need help cooking, it can be very clear and
helpful when using them. Disadvantages are that it does not look very interesting to look at. When making food, typically people want to
look at the image before they make it so they can have something to work towards, also, sometimes having colours can encourage the
creativeness out of the person making the food. Advantages of our cards are that with so many colours, it is expressing a lot of meanings to
the reader and this can help when trying to beat competition. However when you use too many and start to overthink the cards, it can
result in changing your target audience and could look more child friendly rather then a professional vegetarian recipe card.

12. Audiences
Create an audience profile of your chosen demographic
Our cards do not have a specific person or demographic to aim at. As stated in the planning stage, we
want to aim at a large mass market as a whole to make sure we sell as many as possible. After going
through many ideas and brainstorms, the cards still have that criteria to reach out for everyone. If the age
was to be looked at and specified, it would be an older person to target. The same can’t be said about the
gender of who the cards are aimed at.
They use Neutral colours and the style is set out to avoid any gender bias. This was a main factor to the
removal of the border on the cards, having a blue or green border was seen as slightly leaning towards a
male demographic.
When considering Geodemographic it can be difficult, as it can be sold everywhere and to everyone.
However if we were to put a specific location or neighbourhood to who would be buying these cards it
would be a middle class person, this is because of the style and professionalism of the layout. When
looking at the NRS Social grades this particular person would be categorised as B-C1. A manager or a
administrator.
The psychographics that would be associated with a person buying this recipe card would that they have a
good personality and like to try something new, hence the vegetarian recipe. They will have strong values
against animal cruelty and eating meat. Their attitudes or opinions would be supported by facts and they
are strong willed, maybe even fight for a cause they believe in. Their hobbies may be going on holiday or
looking at different cultures around the world. This can be suggested by the Italian theme and their
willingness to try new foods.

13. Audiences
The recipe cards have been made in a cautious way to prevent gender or age bias.
As the cards are aimed at mass market as a whole rather than a specific person or
social group it can be hard to avoid putting content in that may not appeal to all of the
demographic.
This has been looked at intensely and here is an example of this. These recipe cards
contain the a lot of fruit and vegetables to link into the theme of healthy eating and an
alternative to other foods that are out there and contain aspects of meat.
The cards are made in a way so the identified audience will understand what we
have made and purchase them. These people will most likely be new vegetarians
and will want exciting recipes to match their personalities.
As I have suggested before the target audience if it had to be decided would be
middle class adults. These would be in busy occupations and would not get the time
to plan out meals for each day or have a variety in what they consume. These cards
have been set out so they are clear, easy and simple yet stray way from the usual
recipes.
Having an Italian theme would appeal to this target audience as they will not be that
wealthy, thus meaning they only go on holiday once or twice a year or not at all.
Having a different country and including colours in the design would entice the
audience.
How have you constructed your work to appeal to this audience?

14. The green is used to
attract the persons
nature interest and
bring out the big
theme behind the
cards of
vegetarianism. The
green indicating life
would
psychologically tell
the reader that
these are suitable
for them and agree
with their beliefs.
Having a building from
another country will
attract the persons
interest of learning and
understanding history.
The images have been
constructed from
different angles to add
more creativeness and
this may tie in with the
persons occupation.
Having a lot of
images helps
support the text and
makes it more
interesting for the
reader.
Italian theme would
interact with the
audience. Making
them interested as
they like to try new
things. Go to different
locations as well try a
variety of foods.

15. When looking at how existing recipe’s on the vegetarian society, It is clear
that they have identified their target audience already and the use of the
text, image and the full composition suggests this.
It is set out in such a formal manner, from the title being the same colour as
the heading and on a white background. This is telling me that an older
person will eat from this recipe. It has not been made gender specific
however the age is clear due to the circles at the top underneath the title.
There is nothing happening in the recipe and it is dated. This is the reason
the client has chosen this task of creating the cards. Our recipe card is just as
obvious to who it is targeting. You cannot say that it is looking at one
particular demographic but a wide range of people.
Advantages of appealing a particular audience are that you
have an almost guarantee that those people you researched
will purchase the product.
Disadvantages of appealing to a particular audience are that
if you an invalid set of research you have limited the amount
of sales you can have.
Advantages of having a mass market product and keeping all
aspects neutral are that you have many people that could
buy the product including both genders.
Disadvantages of having a mass market product are that you
do not have any assurance that this is going to sell where you
would if you researched a specific person or area.
Also, you have to be very careful in the production not to use
any colours that may suggest a certain gender.

16. Cultural context
What did you use as your design influences and why were they chosen?
The cards were made to the Italian theme because we found in our research that this was the domain food that was
consumed. We thought to use aspects of Italian foods in the recipes but tried to stay away from the usual common foods
associated with the culture.
The influences towards our design were that of looking through many recipe cards on the market and understanding that
many were portrait, from this, as a group we decided to go unconventional and produce a landscape set of cards with a
landmark on.
When we researched ‘Italian recipe cards with famous landmarks’ Nothing came up and I looked for anything similar to the
ideas we brainstormed. Nothing was found, so the use of the landmark on the back of card was not influenced by another
recipe card as such but this we I believed was to be our Unique selling point. Not only does it relate to the theme, but a
clever way to hide the white space and make the text stand out further to the reader.
The band of photographs on the right hand side of each card was an idea that was brought to our attention when discussing
what else could feature on the front of the card to entice the reader. Again, this was not influenced by another source or
recipe card but from our own ideas and having the same food but from a different angle would only enhance the idea and go
further to show what is in the meals.
Taking the images our selves and enlarging them to cover a full side was influenced when
looking at Jamie Oliver's Italian Website. On all of his recipe’s he makes sure the image is the
first thing that the person notices. So using many images he had taken we tried to emulate a
similar style, such as the layout of the food, the angle of which the camera takes it and the
colours that feature.
Bringing out the Italian colours was a constant topic when brainstorming the next task on the
production. Using red, green and white in the food as well as the cards was important.

17. Here is one of many images that is featured on the Jamie Oliver Recipe next to Italian Recipe’s.
It was been taken with a lot of thought and consideration as it has to relate to the food recipe and look like what it is supposed to.
The photography is that of a high angle with a medium close up. This is deliberate because you want to see the image but not too close
that you miss out the details such as the Table cloth or plate.
They are important as you can start to understand who the food is aimed at and their social standing. For example a white plate
showing cleanliness and consistency. This particular image has had an influence on the cards, this is well taken considering the
photographic elements of a foreground and a high contrast. Most importantly the colour used. Here you can start to understand that the
recipe is Italian just from the colours used.
They psychologically put the them in your head without title. This was taken on board when I took the image on the right and using the
same green toping to bring out more colour and give the photograph more to look at.
Advantages of having a large image on the recipe cards are that you cover the majority of the space resulting in not having to fill that
with text or borders. You also are giving yourself a better chance to sell the card as the people buying the food will notice it and want to
copy it.
Disadvantages however are you are making the reverse of the card more crowded and with more text to read. And also if the
photograph does not match the recipe’s instructions given you may get bad feedback or complaints, whereas with a smaller image the
difference in looks may not be noticeable. Lastly, if the photograph taken is of a poor quality or lacks sharpness, not only would it make
the recipe card look unprofessional but it would not show the food off and the colours you spent your time trying to bring out.

18. Inspiration to the final piece was from this design at the bottom right. When asking peers on what they thought it was not
clear on what needed to improve and how to do it. This was drafted up and we used sections from this example to feature in
our cards. This example was taking our ideas such as the strip of images and combining it with their suggestions.
Firstly, the Band at the bottom. It was suggested that we needed a house style and to tie into the theme. So to combine to
two would save space make the cards look more professional.
Bringing the title down onto the band was the next aspect to occur in the production process after looking at this example.
On all the designs made, the title was at the top of cards.
This example helped raise awareness back to using subtle colours and clear fonts. They may be obvious points to make but
they were necessary in order to make a better set of cards.
It was also brought to our attention that the vegetarian society logo had be clear and larger then what it was beforehand. It
needed to be part of a house style and combined to a strip or border.

19. Cultural context
Do vegetarian products have a specific design aesthetic and how does your
project reflect/contrast this? Why?
All vegetarian recipes or products contain many of the same aspects, such as a clear guidance of what you
are consuming and if it is appropriate for you to eat. This is usually located with the ingredients and found
within the text. It will also state if it is okay for vegans and this will be found near the top of any text
provided.
Vegetarian products don’t differ in layout as much as they do in the food. You can see
the same characteristics in both a meat and vegetarian recipe card. Such as the text
to image ratio. This is often the same depending on the recipe.
However, with many vegetarian products they are very detailed in the foods and
precise in what exactly is in the food they will consume. This is why the text is often a
lot greater.
Here as you can see on our recipe card. When
considering a vegetarian recipe, it often has meat
substitutes and more to go into the recipe as it looks at
more natural ingredients rather than artificial.
This therefore means that vegetarian cards may on
occasion have to be made on a bigger card in order to
make the text fit on one page.

20. Here you can see that there is a lot more text on the vegetarian meals. Due to having more ingredients in recipe you need more explaining in the method. Vegetarian
cards also focus on colour to take some attention away from the huge content.
They often use bright, eye catching colours that make the text stand out, this is a good example on the left with the vegetarian Chilli, using a subtle yellow makes the
black text stand out and easier to read, which is what the person making the food wants.
When looking at the Meat recipe cards, they do not pay as much attention to the aesthetics as vegetarian ones do. As many have limited ingredients as well as a
short method they portray the feeling that it does not want to be over thought and wants to focus on how the food tastes rather the appeal.
As you can see that on the meat recipes, both examples have simple layouts, Fonts and colours. The first meat example was chosen to show how an Italian recipe
can look when it is not a meat alternative recipe. You can see that a basic font has been used, however, most importantly, a green is used. Again, this ties into the
Italian theme and even with the most generic of fonts and a simple layout, it can still show the theme off. This was taken into consideration and the light green was
used on our final set of images for the cards.
These are just two examples of Meat recipes and obviously there are many more out there. These are here just to give an indication of how vast the difference is
between both Vegetarian and Meat recipe cards. As seen they can on occasion share similar fonts and styles but when considering the text and the way the food is
presented it shows how much detail is put in the vegetarian ones.

21. Finished products
Does your finished product reflect your initial plans? How? If there are any
differences, describe why changes were made.
The finished product does carry many of the characteristics that we mentioned in the final stages of the
idea production. These are; Not targeting a specific person or group but a mass market as a whole,
Having high quality images on the cards that were to be later laminated and when looking at the design, to
use restrained colours and a clear font.
However aspects that have changed throughout the production process are that of the Landmarks. They
were mentioned in the final treatment, but they were to be rotoscoped and put on the background like the
image underneath. Instead the idea was developed upon, it had changed to a selection of the same
landmark but sourced images rather then edited on Photoshop. The opacity was later turned down so the
text could be placed on them(Middle image).
On the final product, just one of the landmarks was chosen and a small section reversed back to its full
opacity to cover the white space left. This was done on each card to keep consistency.

22. Other ideas that did not feature in the final design were that of the quick and easy meals. It was decided
that in order to look professional and target a mass market, the food had to be respectable and look
appetising. Due to the fact we as a group were making the recipes, we felt to make them not as rushed
and look at quality over quickness.
Therefore the recipes were changed. In the Final Treatment it was suggested that the recipes I had chosen
from my first original idea were to be used alongside my peers landmark idea. Instead new recipes were
found and sourced where from.
When looking at the card in terms of layout and aesthetics the card looked very different to what was
predicted. Firstly, we believed that the landmark itself was to be the card and to fit images and text in the
available space, this was later found out to be a wrong way to go after a test print(Image below).
The constraints with this card were that of, not having enough space to fit all the text on. Also the fact that
when laminated the card would still bend and may over time start to fall apart where a solid square
template would not.
The changes made overall were to make the product suitable to the client as well as the target audience.
The cards had to be professional, sturdy and creative. Through making so many copies of the cards it
helped the group to understand what needed improving and developing on and what needed to go as it
was not relevant to the theme or just compromised other sections on the cards.

23. The main ideas that I believed had to remain the same in the cards was that of using restrained colours
and a clear font. This was because I felt if the cards were to meet the clients brief, be suitable for the mass
market and the vast amount of people targeted they had to share similar aspects to what was out there in
the market currently.
As the cards changed in each of the six copies it was clear that there was no compromise and they did
keep those aspects. That cannot be said for the Embossing though. As seen in the last paragraph of the
treatment. It had been planned to emboss the cards after they were designed and ready for the client.
As the Contingency plan was already used up to add final touches to the designs such as removing the
border and looking through fonts(Later decided to be Arial) there was not enough time to do both
laminating and embossing. If we were to do the cards again this would be considered.
Here a copy of the Final Treatment for the
cards before the production stage and
before any flat plans of the work were
created. You can see that many ideas
have either been kept or advanced on to a
point where we almost went away from
that design.

24. Finished products
Does your finished product match what you were set in the brief? How?
The finished product does meet all the criteria that was asked from
the client.
Creative design- Since the production stage, after each copy made
there was improvement on the creative side, the layout kept
changing and changing until we found one we were pleased with. I
do believe that the card below does fit in the category of very
creative, not only the cooking of the food and photography but the
way in which the images have been split up on the right hand side to
give a more peculiar look to them.
The cards are double sided as
asked for and do contain a clear
theme throughout, retaining a
house style in the process.
An Italian theme that can be
seen very clearly with the
colours used.
Taking our own images showed
initiative and that willingness to
go the extra step to please the
client and possibly be the
aspect that does better and
taken into consideration over
competitors.

25. When analysing the VegSoc Brief in more
depth it is clear that all the aspects have
been looked at in detail.
We have developed our cards by looking
at the brief to make sure we produce
what the client wants.
The fact that the images were taken in
our group rather then sourced off the
internet gives a slight edge over
competition. This is because it is going
beyond what was asked and the cards
look more suitable to that recipe chosen.

26. Finished products
How did the use of peer feedback help you in your production?
Peer Feedback was a good way of getting honest and useful information about the product.
The opinions were straight to the point and we were told what the good aspects of the cards
were and what needed improving or removing altogether.
As mentioned before, the text was an issue throughout the recipe card production. The font
was my preference as well as my peer when first starting production. However, when looking
for feedback the style of the font came up as a weakness each occasion.
It was mentioned that it did not look professional and to quote what was said, it ‘Looked like
a cheap menu for a Italian Restaurant’ This was seen as constructed criticism and helped
when considering improving the cards.
The circular preparation, cook and serve parts of the cards were seen a very good good way
to show the information and the colour scheme was highlighted as a good idea. However
having these we felt would make the cards look crowded and unprofessional, let alone
unsuitable for the client
The feedback was taken seriously because we needed outside
opinions and fresh ideas to look at. You can see that I have
listened to what was said and altered the work accordingly.

27. The font was
changed,
dragged near
the bottom of
the page and
split onto two
lines.
Areas Improved after Feedback
The ingredients and method were
put on the same side and spaced
out to fit.
The image on the rear of the card
was also altered to meet the
feedback given and changed to just
one image. I then developed their
point and brought a coloured
square to remove white space
The band was
incorporated to the
cards at the bottom
of the front. I then
enlarged the logo to
fit on one coloured
section.

28. Finished product
Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of your final product regarding its technical
qualities.
The strengths of this final design are that it is very creative and therefore meets the clients needs. It is also designed in a
way that it is suitable for the people it is aimed at. That of a mass market product.
The images have been taken and cropped well, also when using the Polygon lasso tool it was possible to alter the positions
of the images and create a nice effect such as the strip of images on the right hand side.
The image on the back has been turned down in opacity, this was done by choosing the appropriate layer and selecting the
effects on it. It was done well as it considers how the text well contrast with colour.
The main image was cropped but to further develop it, it was made a different shape to accommodate the band at the
bottom of page which in its self has added more colour and excitement to what was seen as boring set of cards that did not
appeal to a mass market.
The images taken were of a technical quality. They considered the light, angle and settings. No artificial light was used
however the colours were brought out by adding certain foods or napkins to enhance the theme of Italy. The angle was
different in many of the recipe’s depending on how big it was. A birds eye view on a high angle was suitable for this recipe as
it was a smaller size.
The camera was set to a low ISO and a slow shutter speed to allow as much light in as possible.
The weaknesses of the cards are that they may have been over developed and could be seen as less appropriate for the
target market. To pick a more specific fault with the cards it would be the white space in the branding strip. This i believe
does not work with the rest of the front page, however to keep to the Italian theme it must remain there.
I also do not like how the text on the back seems squished and compressed on one side, perhaps changing the size or
colour of the method for example could make the two pieces of text feel more spacious.

29. I like the photograph i
took as it shows a lot of
detail in the food.
The use of the
surroundings enhances
that Italian theme and
gives off the impression
of a quick, healthy
snack.
I dislike the one area
that has a strong
opacity in the bottom
corner
I understand this covers
the white space,
however i feel it does
not look right and does
not correspond with the
rest of the page
I dislike how much
information the
method has, i feel
this could put many
new vegetarians off
the idea of cooking
especially for just a
short snack.
I like the collection
of photographs on
the side
The alternate
angles are helping
the viewer look at
the image and
shows parts in
much more detail.

30. Finished product
Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of your final product regarding its
aesthetical qualities.
Strengths of the final product are that after many coloured copies of each card a suitable shade was
chosen and the recipe cards now look ready to target at a particular market.
The use of the Italian colours on the strip show some progression in the cards since the start and give the
reader a better understanding of the theme without having to state it with a huge title and a border.
The use of imagery has been done well because not only does it cover all the white space, it all blends in
with the rest of the aspects happening in the cards, such as the band and text.
Weaknesses of the recipe cards are that there is small sections between the strip of images. This could be
made better if they were together or a coloured border was around them too just to bring out the theme
even further.
Another weakness would be the text on the back of the cards,
the method may look better if it was raised higher to be level
with the ingredients.
For example like this image taken off the internet. To have both
the text equally together.

31. I dislike this white as it does
not match the rest of the
card design and seems odd.
Instead there should be a
full white plate and just a
red and green band.
I like the font we
finally chose.
Baskerville Old
Face is a clear
and professional
style.
I dislike the
border between
the main and
smaller images. i
feel that i would
be better to have
no space at all.
I like the colours used in
general as they are exciting
and match up with the
overall theme. They are
not the conventional
Italian colours as they had
to be subtle and not stand
out.
I like how the text was kept
black throughout. To target
a mass market a simplistic
colour can be useful. The
clean font for the title is a
good enough size to see as
well.

32. Finished products
What skills/knowledge have you gained/developed in this project? How could
these be applied in future practice?
The skills i have gained whilst working on this project are, to work in a team and communicate well enough
to get the best possible outcome on a project. This also helped me understand what compromise actually
involved and to accept other peoples ideas in order to move forward.
This project helped me understand how to work to a deadline and how much attention to detail a client
looks for when you are working for them. This would help considerably when taking part in this in future
work practice.
Time keeping and good planning are scene as usual skills in many projects, however in this project they
were seen as very good to have or if not, learn. Sticking to the schedule is very important because if you
go over your allocated time the client may well not hire you and you will have wasted resources.
Having good planning from the start was vital due to many unforeseen events that may occur in the
production stage. Which they did. We had to do many copies of the recipe cards to finally produce an
acceptable set. A contingency plan is important in order to finish the product in good time.
As well as working in a team, i have learnt how to work efficiently independently without guidance. This
occurred in the planning stage, making and taking images of the food and recording data off surveys that i
have asked people for my own primary research into recipe cards.
Many of these can be applied in future practice, however one comes across as the most important. That is
Good planning. With good preparation and an early understanding of what will or might occur in a project
you can be placed in the best situation to do the work without any surprises.

33. Technical qualities that i have learnt are that of advanced rotoscoping. When the production
process initially started, silhouettes of famous Italian landmarks were going to be
incorporated into the back of the cards. This was to be done by Rotoscoping them and using
them behind the text.
The process seems easy enough to go over an object, however it needs a delicate steady
hand and to understand other tools on Photoshop. This can be used in the future as it is a
very clever way to manipulate images.
Knowledge on the topic itself. Before taking part in the production stage everything was
relatively new. I now have an understanding on how a layout should look for a professional
product and needs a lot more thought they you think at first.
The page layout tasks before any production or planning were helpful in this as i took up a
good understanding on font sizes depending on importance, positioning of text having to be
in line with other aspects and having appropriate space for images.

34. Production process
Do you believe your work is creative and technically competent? Why?
I feel taking the photographs had to be
the most technically impressive part of
the production stage.
This was because the flat plans and all
other aspects had already been made
and were waiting on the images to see
how well everything looked when
together and to see if the composition
worked.
You have to say that the
photographs do resemble
a technical quality and
the overall work is
competent.
The stock image found
here on the right has the
same aesthetics to my
image.
Not only do they have
the same ingredients
and colours, they share
similar angles from
above and are of a low
shutter speed in order to
capture a lot of light.
I believe my work here is creative
enough for the client. It shows
good detail to the food and
includes a green coloured napkin
to psychologically insinuate the
Italian theme to the audience.

35. These small sections of the photographs taken appear on each recipe card. They are
designed to assist the main image that is covering the majority of the front side.
They are an important part to the recipe cards as they add another dimension and
shows another view to the food.
I believe that they are also technically competent as it was time consuming editing
them from the original image and deciding on the layout and size.
When looking for similar image strips on recipe cards, there were no results meaning
this can be the unique selling point to the cards and add a niche side to what is
considered a mass market product. This will be when competing with such a large
market.
The band at the bottom is also a very important side the recipe cards because it gives
an identity to the cards and shows professionalism due to the house style.
There are many reasons for this rotoscoped strip. One was to cover white space and
allow us to remove a border which was causing concerns when looking at feedback.
This band is technically competent as it allows for many other aspects of the card to be
incorporated into it. Such as the vegetarian society logo and the title.

36. Production process
How effectively did you manage your time?
The time on the project was spent well overall and stuck to the schedule we set ourselves.
From the brief we had two weeks to produce the cards for the client so it was going to be
very time consuming considering there was only two people making and designing them.
In order to achieve the time scale we set ourselves, we had to split the work load equally.
Both my peer and I made four initial cards each. We then split the cooking of the recipes to
save time, meaning we would both be finished in time to look through both sets of
photographs after we had taken them.
During the production there was so much concentration on the work that no advice was taken
onto the work and didn't take into account another persons perspective outside the group. In
hindsight if we had asked for peer feedback maybe the final design could have been thought
about before the 5 other sets of cards and could have spent that available time going over
and double checking everything was in order.
Overall me did meet the time set and did produce an acceptable set of recipe cards however
when looked upon now it seems that perhaps too much of our time was spent on the design
rather then the content, this may have cost us if we did not have a good contingency plan to
change after we had made the layout.

37. Production Time line
This design was first
considered to be the
one we liked and by
this point we had
decided to produce
multiple copies to
meet everyone's
needs.
The next design
was very similar
however the font
and colours were
changed as well as
the orientation of
the landmark,
these were
changed after we
got our feedback.
These cards were
initially called
‘Tutor Copies’
The next cards were made
after a new idea was brought
up in the group. Having
smaller sections of the same
image at different angles.
By now there were many
alterations and in particular
the background. The
landmark idea was still used
but it was seen that the
rotoscope was not covering
all the white space so it was
decided we should use a
collection of the same
landmark and turn the
opacity down
The next cards were
only slightly changed
in the font of both the
title and the back
page text.
The cards with the
blue border were to
be for the client as
they were made just
in our time scale.
However our last
feedback was about
to be received on
these and the
contingency plan was
used.
The design was
completely changed
after feedback. They
were considered as not
appropriate for the
client. So the border
was removed, the text
changed to yet another
font and a house style
brought in. A band to
show the theme and
hold both the
vegetarian society logo
and the title was to be
introduced at the
bottom of the cards

38. The final set of cards were altered by just the last set and the other designs were marked as planning and
development to get to where we did. Here you can see that the band at the bottom was changed to be full colour
and not a low opacity, however the shades were changed to be more nice to look at.
Many aspects were looked at after we received our feedback. Firstly the back of the cards were changed, not only
the text being moved to the left and right rather then put on top of each other. The background was to be just
one of the images used and to cover the white space a small section was to be cut out and brought to its full
colour.
This was created by the rectangular marquee tool and was used for each of the final eight cards. On the front of
the cards it was brought to our attention that having a space would be better between each of the images and
between the main image and the band. These alterations were made.

39. Production process
If you could repeat the process what would you do differently?
If I could repeat the process on the project I would make sure I ask as many people about
the work before I go ahead and plan several cards.
This would save a lot of resources and time that could be used on looking at what should be
in the cards.
With this time I would start to look at the small things that when looked upon in greater detail
can cause concern. Such as the colour on the band strip. I do not think the white matches the
rest of the card and looks odd as well as the pink on its right. This should be lighter tone of
red to correspond with the them of Italy.
As seen in many other designs before the final one, a backing colour was found on the title.
This was to bring the text out more and make it stand out from the banner.
The final one does not have this and if I was to consider repeating the process I would
change this.

40. Working to a brief

41. Constraints
What constraints did you encounter and how did you consider/avoid them?
Legal:
-One legal Constraint we encountered was that of taking and using the sourced images on
the final work. Images of the Landmarks were in fact altered before use but to avoid any
action a reference was recording and did state that we had permission to use it.
-As this was an issue for the back of the cards we felt as group it would be better to make our
own food and take images ourselves to avoid any conflict.
-An obvious legal constraint was the vegetarian society logo itself. As the cards were
designed for their business I felt that using the logo found from a site without needing to
source where it came from was acceptable.
-When a peer looked at our work, they thought it was best to show their ideas on a flat plan,
we then used many ideas from this such as the band and presentation of the title at the
bottom. To avoid any legal issues we altered the colours, size and font.

42. Regulatory:
-Actions prohibited on the project were that of wanting to use stock images to save
time and money on a photographer, however with the recipe’s themselves already
taken the cards would have no originality to them and could bring up more
concerns then they were worth to the client.
- This was avoided by making our own food for the recipe cards, not using a
professional photographer but to use our own time, resulting in more work load.
-Some of our main ideas were made by looking at previous work on recipe cards,
due to Regulatory issues we could not many of these meaning we had to make a
similar but not same style card.

43. Financial:
- At the beginning of the project a budget was thought about for what expenses needed to be
covered, as the production stage went on we realised that some of the aspects were either
not going to be done due to not having enough time, such as the embossing or we had to
stop them due to not having the man power.
-Embossing was going to add a lot more money to the project. As we already spent money
on test prints, laminating and to pay the people involved this was not going to be a good use
of time let alone money.
The most important factor was to get the cards made in time and if the finishing touches
hindered this then they would be pointless as the client would not hire us.
At the start of the project we believed that it may have been better to have more workers and
split the work load to be easier and have more ideas. However as we started with two main
staff on production it seemed as a good idea, not only would this save money on extra staff
for the two weeks they would be working, but to have a smaller number of people involved
would create a more stable balance in the office meaning less arguments on the work
Two weeks work for an extra two staff would be a lot of money that could be spent on other
areas. For example, say a person working on this get’s £7 an hour and works 6 hours a day
then would get £42 a day, times that 42 by the 14 days then would be working and they
would consume £588 of the total budget. That would be for just one person. £1176 would be
spent on two extra staff, for the purpose of more ideas and less workload it was not going to
be worth it. A better profit to be split between less people would be more financially pleasing.

44. Management
How did you work as part of a group?
(Did you lead the project? What parts of the project did you take charge of? Did
you enjoy working as part of a group? Why?)
-I felt I worked well as part of a team on this project, not only did I listen and respect ideas my
peers came up with, I was not afraid of being honest and adding ideas to the cards to make
sure they were the best they could be.
-I was not in charged of the project because I felt that it would be better for the full process if
there was one person taking full control and one person assisting fairly. This was not like a
full business where the person in charge would delegate all the tasks to a person below him
in the hierarchy, all work was equal here.
-When it came to the parts where I felt I knew slightly more then my peers I would be in full
voice and explain what I believed would be best on that particular area. For example the
images, I thought it would be better for the full layout if the images were in full size. Because
of my previous research and experience in photography I felt having large images on one
side would entice the reader more then a small box in the corner.
-I thoroughly enjoyed working as part of a group in this project because it is a rare side to the
course and sharing ideas and working as a team can provide good experience for future life.

45. Management
How important is communication when working in a group?
(Use specific examples from working in a group on this project)
Communication in my eyes is the most important aspect when working in a group. Without
this it is virtually impossible to work efficiently and well to the time period given
Not talking to your colleagues when making a project can have a huge impact on how or if it
is made. For example two people in the group may be working on the same aspect without
knowing and this would be a waste of resources and time that could have been spent on
another part of the project.
When looking at our project in particular one part of the sharing the work load springs to
mind. When we shared the recipes and landmarks out to put on each card, we did not initially
write down who was doing what and instead just discussed it. So there was almost a mistake
with two of us cooking the same recipe, this was prevented by double checking before any
production, however it shows that any small miscommunication can lead to a set back in the
same scale you set yourself.
Working in a group is all about sharing ideas and working together to get the best possible
outcome. Without talking to each other you cannot share these thoughts and cannot
compromise to achieve a good product, instead it would be like drones producing inadequate
produce.

46. Management
What have you learnt about working in a group and how will you apply this to
future practice?
I have learnt that if you want to achieve a good product suitable for the client and
the target audience, you need to work well as a team.
Without this you cannot expect to do well in the production. You need bounce
ideas off each other and praise your peers work, keeping the people in the group
happy is important as this can lead to motivation and the willingness to do better
I have learnt that without compromise you cannot move forward in a project. If
always insist your idea is the right one for the task and refuse to listen, your
stubbornness can cause conflict in the group and stop the team from working well.
You need to be able to accept that other people can be right and to use ideas that
you may not agree with just so you can get the project done to how the client may
want it.
This can be taken into future practice. The idea of working together in a group to
achieve an overall goal.