Initial Ideas and FeedbackLayout

Baya Lee Safhill

Idea 1I really like this style of card, as the layout is clear, there is a banner towards the bottom, which shows who has produced the card, and on the back shows links to the website for the audience to receive more information.This card includes how many people this recipe serves, links, preparation and cooking notes, as well as ingredients and methods for both the filing and the pastry used in this recipe.I like how the theme of Christmas has been used, but not overpoweringly, through the use of gold and purples, as well as the design graphics which have been used around the title, above the banner, and around the bulbuls in order to add interest and to keep the theme of Christmas in this card.I also like how the text has been broken up clearly, with all the information listed. However it feels over crowded and chunky.

Feedback 1What do you like about the idea?I like the idea of using a festival to base your recipe cards on. I like how the colours are not the Christmas traditional colours of red and green but colours of purple and gold. The way it is set out is clear and you can understand it.

What areas of the idea could be developed?The ideas that need to be developed are of what the recipes could include.

What do you find interesting about the idea?I find this card interesting because the colours are not the traditional reds and greens that are associated with Christmas but they are purple and gold and this adds a sense of occasion to the cards.

Idea 2I really like this style of card, as the layout is clear and simple, and the bold text for the title and the ingredients breaks up the text simply. I also like the photography on the back of the card as it is clean and professional.However the method should be broken up more, onto separate lines or into separate paragraphs to make it easier to follow and read.This card just needs the title somewhere on the back with the photograph as well as the banners for the Vegetarian Society to make it appropriate to our client.There is white space towards the bottom of the card under the recipe, which should be filled; this could be done with serving suggestions, variations, or advice like this card has used.I like this minimalistic style which we could add interest to but using different finishes such as different paper textures and finishes, and through the use of embossing and varnishing which would be more professional.

Feedback 2What do you like about the idea?I like how clear the picture is and you can actually see what the product will look like at the end of the recipe. I like how the text is small enough so you can read it but you can also fit, 2 recipes onto the card.

What areas of the idea could be developed?You could show both of the products on the card and not just one. The method could be broken up into sections instead of all one load of text.

What do you find interesting about the idea?The colour scheme is very plain using just black and white but it still works out great, and people can see the text.

Idea 3I really like this style of card, the layout is clean, clear and easy to read, with the ingredients in bold. The little design around the ‘W’ at the start of the introduction adds an interesting approach to the card, and the colours work with the theme of Halloween. I like how the method has been broken up into stages, which have been numbered (coloured orange also helps keep the theme throughout the card.)If we chose this layout of Title, Introduction, Ingredients (which have been broken down into ingredients for the cake, and ingredients for the icing), as well as the method, we would need to fill the white space better which we could do with graphics such as the stamped illustrations used on the recipe card before, or through the use of secondary photographs.

We would also need to add the Vegetarian Societies banner/logo to both sides, as well as the title on the back of the card, to make them more appropriate for our audience, as well as making the card more appealing.I do however like the style of this photography as it has a vintage feel to it, but it is clean and is of a high quality.

Feedback 3What do you like about the idea?The short introduction is a great idea and the start of the introduction has the big “W” which I think, it is bright so it will catch peoples attention. The theme is also good in this one as it, is Halloween, but with cupcakes like that you could probably decorate it however you want to, so this could go into 2 different categories, cupcakes or Halloween stuff.

What areas of the idea could be developed?There is a lot of white space on this recipe card, which will need to be filled creatively.

What do you find interesting about the idea?The picture is covered with things around it, put is still a great quality of picture.

Idea 4This is my favourite style of card as it has been designed in a way that is eye catching, clear, as well as providing a lot of information.The written content includes the ingredients in a purple colour, which has also been used for the stamp and the heading, because beetroots are purple, it sticks to the theme of the recipe.It also includes an introduction, just right of the beetroot stamp, which is short but to the point, with the method in simple paragraphs.I like how this has been laid out with the use of the stamp, and the colour to add a fun and appropriate touch to this recipe.I would add the Vegetarian Society’s banner and logo to the bottom of the card, as well as adding the title to the photographed side of the recipe, as well as carrying on the stamp theme onto the other side of the card.

We could explore print finishes on this style of card, and make the stamped designs stand out through a variety of print finishes such as embossing and varnishing for example, which would add a professional touch to our recipe cards layout.

Feedback 4What do you like about the idea?I love the potato prints on this one. With the prints he uses it adds colour and plus the main ingredient it is printed onto the paper. The picture is of high quality and you can see everything that is there. The general layout is clear and easy to use.

What areas of the idea could be developed?Explain what you could use in your recipe cards recipe wise such as a theme of one ingredient; this recipe is very summer like, and summer would be a good theme idea to explore further.

What do you find interesting about the idea?With the prints it adds a sense of colour as well as fun to this card design. And The main ingredient it is printed onto the paper which could be used as a theme.

Idea 5The layout of this card is simple but fun, as well as being clear with every section divided up into boxes.I would change the written content of these boxes to contain the recipe, variations, serving suggestions, and preparation and cooking notes, which are short and easy to follow. I would still include the title and introduction in the top box.This design allows for a background to be used and I like that as an idea.I would change the back of the card to a meet the briefs requirements; and have a photograph of the recipe on both sides.I would add the Vegetarian Society’s banner and logo to the bottom of the card, as well as adding the title to the photographed side of the recipe.This card could be made even more interesting through the use of print finishes on the titles or around the boxes.

Feedback 5What do you like about the idea?I like the boxes how the text has been broken up the text; this makes this recipe card easy to read and use.

What areas of the idea could be developed?Photographs would add more interest to this recipe card, obviously the logo of the Vegetarian Society will be needed.

What do you find interesting about the idea?How clear the text is and this cards layout, with the addition of a background.

Summary of FeedbackWhat do you agree with from your feedback?I agree with the feedback that I have received about the layout designs that I have chosen and looked at. I feel that maximising what is on the cards in term of written and graphical content is important, but that a card needs to stay clean and easy to read. The idea of stamping has been successfully fed back and it would be good to use this in the final design of our own recipe cards. I agree with having to have a theme, either festival or seasonal in our card design because it will help the audience realise that the cards are part of a set. I really like the idea of summer due to the nature of the recipes that could be used.

What do you disagree with from your feedback?I disagree with little about the feedback as it has all been positive. However I feel focusing on a theme instead of an ingredient would be more successful as a recipe card idea; such as Valentines day, Christmas and the festive period, Halloween, Easter or even on the seasons such as Spring and Summer for example. I believe however that a recipe card needs to have a certain degree of white space, with minimal written text, otherwise the card appears to be too cluttered and chunky, as with the card used in Idea One.

Idea EvaluationWhich idea that you came up with is your favourite and why?I really liked Idea Four, which came from River Cottage’s Veg Everyday book by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. The use of layout in relation to written text has been executed well, and I love the creative twist of the potato stamping as it adds an element of fun to the pages, as well as highlighting the main ingredient of the recipe. I own the book and I love how every page is different, to show how each recipe is different, some have stamping on, others use words in the shape of ingredients to focus on what can be achieved with vegetables. I would like to use a similar design, both in layout and with graphics, on our recipe cards.

Which idea, that your team came up with, is your favourite and why?Our team really like Idea Four, for all the reasons explained above, due to its fun element but also because it has been well laid out, and the written content is easy to read. We also however like Idea Two due to its use of minimalism, but I think if we are to follow a style to develop as our own, it opens up for our creativeness to show.