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1. Daniel Edwards
Producing Print Based Media
Visual Language:
Composition
How have you chosen to set out your designs and why?
(Reference layout, image/text ratio, busy/simplistic etc)
I decided to do the cards in portrait. I did this because I wanted clear separation
between the front and back side of the cards, whilst still allowing for the British flag to
take up the whole front side without having to be stretched. On reflection, I would
have made the British flag smaller, turned it on its side and only used half of the front
side for it. For the other half, I would have taken the images that are currently placed
below the ingredients and/or method, and put them alongside the flag.
I wanted the cards to be as informative as possible, so the images I used were small
in comparison to the amount of text. I understand that aesthetics are very important,
but I believe content will earn you more recognition over time.
When it came to where to place the ingredients and the method, it was a
straightforward choice because I didn’t have many options, and because clarity was
a concern of mine, having the ingredients on the left and the method on the right with
a clear gap in the middle was the logical thing to do. Having the correct ingredients is
the most important thing when it comes to making food, and as people are taught to
read from the top left I am happy with my decision to place them there.
I wanted simplicity to be a constant theme for my recipe cards but this became more
difficult as time went on. Because of the amount of text needed to tell someone how
to make the recipes I included, I ended up with large blocks of text on each individual
card and I believe this can be quite off-putting.
Image Construction
Discuss the contents of your final images and reflect upon decisions made.
(Content used- image/text/graphic, use of colour, original or stock images etc)
I sourced the images from various places. These include the BBC’s food website,
Jamie Oliver’s website and Google images.
Each picture is exactly what the recipe states. I wanted to source some high quality
images from Flickr but the best ones all had watermarks.
From the feedback I was given, Savannah mentioned that it looked as though some
images were there solely to fill up space, and that they weren’t needed. I
acknowledged this and decided to get rid of those images. This allowed for more
room for text, meaning I could space it correctly to stop it from looking so clustered.

2. Daniel Edwards
Representation
Discuss the semiotics and connotations created from the content you have
included.
(What meaning or suggestions are created from the images/colours/designs you
have used?)
The title font used is ‘Old London’. I believe this comes across as royal and typically
British. Given the option I wouldn’t change it as I believe it worked very well with the
theme and was a positive I can take from the recipe card design. The British flag has
been altered so that the colours are what you would typically associate with being a
vegetarian. Using the Old London font also helped push a patriotic theme throughout
the work, as the meals are also typically British.
The fonts used in combination with the white background for the copy on the lower
half of the design helps suggest simplicity. When it comes to creating a recipe card, I
think this is something that should be taken very seriously as after first glance, the
cards only use is to teach the reader how to cook the meal at hand, and the more
simply the design, the easier this is.
Audiences:
Create an audience profile of your chosen demographic
(Age, gender, psychographic, geodemographic, NRS Social Grade, hobbies,
sexuality [if appropriate] etc)
The idea with these recipe cards is that they were aimed at vegetarian tourists
visiting Britain, and obviously because they were vegetarian they were limited in
what typical British foods they could try. As 1. they have enough money to go on
holiday to British and 2. they are vegetarians; it is viable to suggest they tie in with
the ABC1 NRS social grade, and this was therefore the socio-economic group the
recipe cards were tailored for.
How have you constructed your work to appeal to this audience?
Use box below for text or page space to include an annotated copy of an example of
your work to help illustrate how you have done this. You can use a combination of
the two.

3. Daniel Edwards
In some countries there is a minor obsession with all things British. It could be the
royals, the history, or the general aesthetics of the streets. By using the British flag
as the main design of the recipe card, those visiting from abroad are likely to flock
towards it as part of their ‘let’s be as British as possible whilst we’re here’ attitude.
The register used in the recipe cards is of a reasonably advanced nature, and this is
to adhere to those under the ABC1 social grades mentioned above, as more often
than not they are well-educated and well-read.
The main problem with this method is that as the recipe cards are aimed at
foreigners, the language used may actually only make it harder for them to
understand, and the simplicity theme is then ruined.

4. Daniel Edwards
Historical and Cultural Context:
What did you use as your design influences and why were they chosen?
(What existing media products influenced the final look of your work?)
The design influences were anything that has been used to promote Britain
previously. Most notably the 2012 Olympics. The London Olympic games were a
major success design-wise and this led to a growth in tourism. By being proud of the
British heritage like the Olympic games were, this product may help buy-in to that
ideology and do better for it.
Do vegetarian products have a specific design aesthetic and how does your
project reflect/contrast this? Why?
The main differences between vegetarian and non-vegetarian designs are the
colours used. Vegetarian designs are often brighter in colour but generally more
simplistic. Green is also very prevalent as it ties in with the ‘eat your greens’ healthy
eating ideology, that is important in a vegetarian diet.
The recipe cards I designed help reflect this as they are predominantly green, and
the colour behind the text is white.
Finished Products:
Does your finished product reflect your initial plans? How? If there are any
differences, describe why changes were made.
(You can use visual examples of flat plans and finished products to illustrate this)
The finished product does reflect the initial design plan as the main feature of the
design – the Union Jack – is still there spearheading the design. Small changes
occurred with the copy and images used alongside it. Initially the ingredients and
explanation as to how to cook the meal were only going to take up one corner of the
design, but during production it became obvious there was far too much copy to
push into one corner, and therefore it was decided that the copy and images should
take up a half of the complete design instead. The copy itself was initially supposed
to be a lot smaller but reading it would have required too much effort and reading the
copy whilst in the middle of cooking means the copy has to be quite large and clear.
Does your finished product match what you were set in the brief? How?

5. Daniel Edwards
All of the stipulations set in the brief were successfully met. With things like
measurements this was actually rather easy the websites I gathered the recipes from
were already using metric measurements.
The abbreviations were also very simple to fulfil and implement as all of the websites
I took the recipes from also stuck to this.
The brief also asked for the method points to be numbered and this is fulfilled on all
but one of the 6 recipe cards.
I also used high quality food photographs by using Flickr to find my images.
How did the use of peer feedback help you in your production?
(Reference specific examples and their final outcome in finished product)
It was pointed out in the feedback that a few of the images were of a low quality, and
some actually served no purpose at all, but were there merely to make up space. I
agreed with all of this feedback and decided to change the designs accordingly.

6. Daniel Edwards
Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of your final product regarding its
technical and aesthetical qualities.
Use box below for text or page space to include an annotated copy of your work to
help illustrate how you have done this. You can use a combination of the two.
Reference what you like and dislike about the work with consistent reference to
correct terminology of tools/effects used.
The main issue with the aesthetics of the recipe cards is that the quality of the image
used for the green Union Jack is quite poor. I should have the made the effort to find
a higher quality image, or alternatively I could have re-coloured it in Photoshop.
Another issue is that on the two sides of the recipe card, the Union Jack also doesn’t
match up in the middle. This makes the design look very amateurish and as though
next to no effort was put into making improvements.
The bottom half of the cards are actually relatively well designed. The font used
makes for an easy read and the use of typographical hierarchy by making the font
larger for the more important information works well. I also slightly dropped the
opacity on the white background to the copy.
I think there can also be a case made for the vegetarian society logo to be moved to
a more appropriate area of the recipe card. As it is currently, it’s quite difficult to
distinguish from the Union Jack unless you know to look for it.

7. Daniel Edwards
What skills/knowledge have you gained/developed in this project? How could
these be applied in future practice?
This task helped me further my knowledge of design for works that also need
informative value rather than aesthetic alone. My understanding of typographical
hierarchy has also improved, and I have learned how to implement it successfully
within different types of works.
During this task we were also asked to present our initial plans to the class. This
helped improve my confidence in talking informatively to a large group of people.
If I ever have to present my own work to a group of people in a workplace or if I’m
tasked to lead them as a team this will help me greatly.
Production Processes
Do you believe your work is creative and technically competent? Why?
(Reference specific examples (use images if this will help) of where you believe your
work is particularly visually or technically impressive)
It’s definitely not as creative as I would have liked it to be. It is limited in its aesthetic
quality and it isn’t particularly eye-catching.
For the most part, the technical qualities outweigh the aesthetic qualities. After
receiving feedback, I feel I have used the space made available relatively well.
I am also very happy with the images I have used to show the finished products.
They are all of a very high quality and help show exactly how the food should look
once cooked successfully. Their professional look helps make my recipe card as a
whole look more impressive.
How effectively did you manage your time?
(Could you have used time more wisely? Did a particular aspect of the project take
longer than expected? Did you complete everything on schedule?)
As it was such a long unit, admittedly my work levels did begin to drop towards the
end of the project. When inconsistencies and mistakes become obvious it was quite
difficult to go back in and improve the work.
I definitely think I should have taken more time during the planning stage to ensure
these mistakes didn’t occur later on.
If you could repeat the process what would you do differently?

8. Daniel Edwards
I would have changed the theme completely. The British theme limited me creatively
and overall using British food simply isn’t as attractive or as interesting as Italian or
Mexican food. I would be able to use a wider variety of vegetarian foods and also the
colours I could use would make the overall aesthetic far more easy on the eye.

9. Daniel Edwards
Working to a Brief in the Creative Media Industries
Constraints Experienced:
What constraints did you encounter and how did you consider/avoid them?
Legal Constraints
With the images I took from Flickr there was always a possibility that I could have
been using images that the photographer didn’t want to be used for other peoples
personal work, but just as an online portfolio for themselves. There is no risk of
copyright infringement, as I made sure all the images I used were available for
general use.
Regulatory Constraints
It is very important to make sure that all of the foods used within the recipes are truly
vegetarian. If you claim that all of the food is vegetarian and it is proved afterwards
that this is false, you could be in for some serious trouble. Especially if you have sold
the product in serious quantities.
Financial Constraints
Financial constraints could have been unaffordable graphic designers. A lower-level
graphic designer could have been used to cut cost and time could have been spent
with him/her to make sure they followed the plan exactly as specified.
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 enjoyed working as one half of a pairing. It allowed for constant feedback on my
work to make sure it was of a satisfactory level, and I constantly had someone to
point out any mistakes or inaccuracies.
I missed a few days of the creative process but did take part fully during the initial
planning so the ideas were still relayed between the two of us.
How important is communication when working in a group?
(Use specific examples from working in a group on this project)
Communication is of the utmost importance when partaking in group work, as you
need to make sure everyone knows exactly what needs to be done, and that you are
all working at the same pace. Everyone can also help one another by checking over
each other’s work for mistakes.

10. Daniel Edwards
What have you learnt about working in a group and how will you apply this to
future practice?
I have learnt that whilst working in a group it is very important to relay information
with one another to make sure everyone is up-to-date and fully understands the task
at hand.
It can also be important for one member of the group to lead to the others verbally,
so everyone has someone to look to when issues arise.
One other thing that is important is for everyone to be given a clear task so they feel
valued within the group.
What have you learnt about working in to a brief and how will you apply this to
future practice?
I have learnt that making sure you follow the brief closely from the start enables you
to avoid having to correct yourself later on due to not reading the brief properly.
If during a real life job you were given a certain task and you went your own way with
the work rather than fulfilling the initial brief, you could risk not being paid.