Final outcome
Mock-ups
Critical evaluation
The editorial I have developed involved approaching the research in a way that was different to what I normally do. I identified early on that my subject was going to be surrounding ethical standards, and instead of putting images in first and then text, I did text first and then image. This was a learning curve for me as I now understand how sensitive media (image and video) can be to accompany text; it has to be really precise and considerate to the audience.
A beneficial part of my process was creating the five prototypes in week 2. As it was such a short project, this really encouraged my creativity and just to let ideas flow without overthinking. As a result, I amalgamated the two concepts I created as I felt they suited the purpose well when put combined. Had I not had the opportunity to complete the five prototypes in week 2, I don’t think I would have combined charity t-shirts with my editorial concept. The main consideration in this project is my audience and how they react to it. I tried to bring home the narrative without being too overwhelming, as I had to consider everybody personally; we are not all the same. Many people find slavery and child labour sensitive topics and this editorial was a test to bring back in what I have learnt in my experience as a designer so far. Considerations such as knowing when to introduce with gentle typography (an opening statement), and when to make it bold (proposing a question).
I have surprised myself with this project, considering I had picked something that wasn’t in my comfort zone (the ethical side, not the Minerals). As a designer I tend to sway away from political context and so this was really great practise for me – I strongly believe as graphic designers we need to be aware and interpret what is going on in the world around us. This project has helped with that.
To be critical, there are different ways I would have liked to have pushed the project further. One is to bring in more colour, and be braver with how I present text. Number two is to not be afraid to record processes even if I think they’re unsuccessful. The perfectionist in me finds it hard to document failures. I think there are less than normal because this project was research heavy. Overall, I am pleased with the outcome for a short four week project and have learnt something new.
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