Brief 1 - Evaluation

Overall the guidebook has fulfilled the rationale and has a fully developed concept. As a physical experience it should especially attract millennials as the process of opening it and leafing through is quite unique for a book. However because of this hand crafted nature it's possible that this would be less successful on a commercial scale - one of its main features is its individuality. Ignoring this it could probably be seen in creative, independent shops.

Despite the concept being strong, I find that the design could be considered too simple and perhaps a bound book would have allowed for more experimentation in layout. The minimalist approach taken forward is still justified however, and any over-complicating of the pages would have made them lack professionalism.

Another concern with the design is that the case holding the photographs is not cohesive with the rest of the design. It uses slightly different colours and a completely different set of shapes. Although these contrast, this was the intention; it was important for the design to seem exciting on the outside and then for the inside to be quite different and intriguing once opened. Nevertheless, if given more time they could be altered to be more complimentary.

One of the key aspects of this project was deciding to break the brief and not use a specific binding method. Upon reflection this appears to have gone well as the guide still holds the content with organisation and it is securely held together. Sometimes it's important to risk going against the specification in order to make something far more authentic and original. In future though it would be interesting to make something bound. Although I experimented with the techniques for this, it is something I would like to explore further in my own time.