G052 : Publishing A04 Evaluation of Publication

Evaluation of Publication (G052) Your Publication

A04 Eval of Pub = 8 marks G053 - MB1 says: The candidate comments on the effectiveness of the layout and content of the publishable version of their design in relation to the client brief, with some overall indication of how the work may be improved; The report may contain errors in spelling, punctuation and grammar; G053 – MB2 says: The candidate provides an analysis of the layout and content of the publishable version of their design in relation to the client brief, identifying the strengths and weaknesses in order to refine the solution, taking account of the client’s feedback; The report contains few spelling, punctuation and grammar errors; G053 – MB3 says: The candidate provides a full critical analysis of the layout and content of the publishable version of their design, clearly identifying how well it meets the initial brief and any subsequent refinements, taking account of user feedback and suggesting further improvements that could be made; The report is consistently well-structured and there are few, if any, spelling, punctuation and grammar errors;

So what does that all mean and what do you have to write for A04 : the evaluation of your publication ???

Before you start this evaluation, get written feedback about your Publication from your client/buddy tutor – you should use this feedback throughout your evaluation 1.Begin your evaluation by giving an overview of the original brief for the website and the audience for which it was intended. 2.Explain what the standards are for other similarly professionally published material 3.You now need to write about each of the following aspects of your own Publication, giving reasons why you included or designed them so they were fit for purpose. Include : a)The House-style you have developed  how the decisions you have made and the design of your house style have developed and been refined so that it fits more closely with the brief – remember strengths & weaknesses Remember a ‘house style’ is all about matching the genre chosen, and being consistent. Explain how you have developed a template of a house style through using things like Master pages, Text style sheets, colours, and any other features you have woven into your house style b)The choices you made regarding the Page layout(s), how they were developed and refined to so that they fitted in with meeting the brief and audience 1.Now take each page in turn and talk about all the individual components explaining why they were included. ALSO explain how you developed/refined the page to become the quality final product it has become (!), & highlight all the strengths and weaknesses of the page in the way it connects with the brief & audience (use your client feedback) a)Explain your decisions to include particular articles, and how the way you have written them fits in with the house style and brief of the publication b)Quality of Writing (this is the language and most definitely NOT the fonts used) in all areas of the publication (headlines, straplines, magazine title, actual articles etc) c)All images used – explain your decisions regarding which pictures to include,development of original artwork by yourself, own images or edited ones, comments regarding their quality d)The presentation techniques you have used for every part of the material you have included (such as drop caps, borders, 3D shading, angles, columns, lines, colours, background shaded boxes etc, etc, etc) 2.Explain further improvements you could make to your publication – make sure these are linked to client feedback, and explain how these improvements would improve the way the publication you have created will fit the brief even more closely. NB You should be a real critic of your own work, and we expect to read both a celebration of good things and about things that are not right. Identify Strengths : As you write explain how things are a strength by explaining how they fit the original brief, the needs of the intended audience and quote what your feedback shows/proves. Identify Weaknesses : Despite your best efforts and all your hard work, your website could still be improved So be honest about your own work and highlight which components could be better and explain how you would put these things right

Evaluation of performance

A04 Eval of Performance = 7 marks G053 – MB1 says: The candidate comments on their actions and role in negotiating the brief and designing and producing the publication; the candidate identifies areas for improvement, with some suggestions as to how they may be more efficient in the future; G053 – MB2 says: The candidate includes an analysis on their own performance in negotiating the brief and designing and producing the publication by identifying strengths and weaknesses, with some suggestions for improvement to the overall process; G053 – MB3 says: The candidate includes an analysis on their own performance, including a discussion of how they produced the publication from the negotiation of the brief through to the submission of the publication for approval, by identifying strengths and weaknesses and using this analysis to show how they will address these issues to be more effective in the future.

SO WHAT DOES THAT ALL MEAN? AND WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO WRITE FOR THE EVALUATION OF PERFORMANCE?

What to write about for your ‘Evaluation of Performance’ 1. Begin with a brief introduction describing the publication you have been responsible for – maybe give an overview of all the different phases of the project you have gone through 1. Go on to explain that you have had to challenge yourself to meet the standards expected of the design and implementation of a professional publication. 2. You should then begin to provide explanations of your experience under each of the following topics – highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of your performance within them:  Working with client – negotiating the brief, communicating effectively, presenting ideas, receiving their feedback, adjusting ideas, running formal meetings  Researching the professional practices of similar publications  Coming up with alternative ideas & drafting/creating prototypes on the computer  Skills – The need to acquire new skills, and how these were gained; the need to develop your skills to use them in a different way/to a higher level  Creating the publication itself  Continuous problem solving – technical/software/compromise to achieve an end product  Correcting mistakes, seeking excellence  Personal time management  Meeting deadlines 1. How would you approach working in a project like this differently next time – really reflect on your performance and what you have written about. Make sure you suggest some substantial refinements and improvements to the way you will go about things in the future and explain why these changes in your practice would lead to be more effective in the future