Page 51 - Graphic Design and Print Production Fundamentals

Graphic Design 39
Evaluation

Every step of a project should be evaluated in terms of the goals you have defined. Two fundamental
questions about every design decision you make are:

• What does this accomplish?

• How does what is accomplished help to meet the project goals?

After the original design challenge has been defined, evaluate every stage of the process in that context.
It’s surprisingly easy to stray off track when you’re designing. If you find yourself designing something
brilliant, but it doesn’t communicate what it should to the right audience, then all that brilliance is
wasted.

Communication

Whether they are in print or multimedia, all design works are intended to communicate to a specific
audience, and the design must support that function. All concepts must be evaluated with that end in
mind. For example:

• Does the work communicate the key message(s) and support the client’s goals?
• Does the work effectively integrate images, design, and text (form and content) to support
that communication; create an overall ‘look’; make the piece work as a unified whole with no
distractions?
• Is the piece physically easy to read and/or understand?

• Do the design choices amplify material (subject matter, mood) in the text?
• Is the piece appropriate to the audience? (children, youth, adults, seniors have particular
interests and needs)

Economic Efficiency

• What is possible and most effective within the budget?

• Will this method attract the desired audience/buyer?

Design and Materials

• Are the design choices compatible with technological requirements for production?
• For print materials, is there efficient and economical use of paper?

• Will the materials chosen support the intended use and method of distribution?