The document summarizes the feedback and design changes Brad Linney made to several products for a band across multiple drafts based on input from an anonymous target audience. For the CD front, textures and colors like green were altered for clarity and appeal. Feedback prompted removing a photo on the CD back. Darker colors replaced a "clashing" scheme. A poster lost a "dominating" green and picture for balance. The process showed adapting work based on user response improved the final products.
2. Changes to CD Front after Feedback
When making my products it was very important to make sure that it was what my audience wanted since obviously it is
the target audience who will be buying the product. However it was also down to general intuition and smarts of my own
that enforced some changed. In the boxes below I have placed key tips from my target audience, all anonymous of
course, and my opinion on their opinion.
โข Draft 1
Target Audience โThe texture on all both parts of the cover look random and look like they have no purpose.โ
Brad Linney โI agree with this statement, I placed the textures in to try a different look to what is normal, clearly it didnโt work hence why I
changed it. After all it was a first draft!โ
โข Draft 3
TA โThis looks really bland thereโs no effect on the donut shape it makes it look really two dimensional and wouldnโt stand out on a shop shelf,
also I canโt see the band name.โ
BL โI personally thought the donut shape improved it! Each to their own I guess. I was going for a sort of spotlight effect around the band in the
centre obviously my target audience didnโt follow my idea. I do agree however with the text issue. I do however think that the green and
white went very well together.โ
โข Draft 5
TA โStill canโt see the title as well as I should be able to. Perhaps the circle is better as it looks more like a spotlight but I donโt get why the
circles brown shouldnโt it be a solid colour? I think you need to consider an alternative, you might be running out of options.โ
BL โThe reason the back part of the circle was brown was to blend nicely with the dark green. I can understand the title, I perhaps should have
made it white then it would be perfectly visible. Now for the consider alternatives I was dubious but then I looked at research and realised
that my idea was. Incorporating people on cover. Rock albums generally donโt have people on the cover so I went back to the drawing
board and created draft 6 and 7 which were two new concepts to my work. I merged them together to create what was draft 8.
โข Draft 9
TA โWell its better than the other design. I still think there is something wrong with it green is not a colour that I would normal see on any shelf
regardless of genre.โ
BL โIt never occurred to me until late on making the project that green wasnโt perhaps the best colour to use. However I have changed it now
and when the result goes up on the blog I think youโll find that it more than simply corrects these problems.
โข Draft 10
TA โHave you ever thought that grey isnt the ideal colour for a rock album?โ
BL โWell I see where this same from, due to the album being useless on a shelf due to no one being able to see it. On this I changed the theme
of all the products so now far brighter and look like a set.
4. Changes to CD Back after Feedback
โข Draft 1
Target Audience: โI think on the whole this looks very bland, you also have no place to put anything like bar codes or details.โ
Brad Linney: โWell considering this was my first draft I thought that it was defiantly the best first draft out of the three, after all during my
research there were some abysmal looking CD Backโs out there (Billy Idolโs album in particular)โ
โข Draft 2
TA: โAt least it has a bar code now, Im not a big fan of the photo in the bottom circle, it looks like heโs a rather large whale.โ
BL: โI had been looking at research and quite a lot of albums simply place a solid black rectangle across the bottom of their CD back to place all
the legal information in one place to save having it clash with their background colour, hence I followed the idea. I thought that it actually
works very well, I never got any complaints about it. As for Tomโs face I understand, I had the cropping wrong, I corrected it for draft 3.โ
โข Draft 4:
TA: โI actually thought it was getting better. The pictures were fine and the colour was tolerable, yet the new colour doesnโt go at all. It clashes
with the white. I also donโt know why you have removed the photoโs, although I like the idea of having their name next to where a photo
would be.โ
BL: โSo did I. When all was going well, I decided that it would incredibly hard to recreate a music video for Volbeat, hence I changed it to โThe
Beastie Boyโsโ I had to change the theme to be a more rebellious unconventional colour and re film my video hence the absence of the
photos.โ
โข Draft 5:
TA: โThe darker background really goes well, have you considered changing the entire colour scheme to a darker colour? I also like the way the
pictures work with the white. I would also consider cropping them again to make sure they are just right.โ
BL: โThis was in the realisation period that green isnt the most user friendly colour to use in a project. I changed it for draft 6. I wish I had done
so earlier. I pretty much followed this piece of advice to the letter and I believe tha t my project looks all the better for it.โ
6. Changes to the Poster after Feedback
โข Draft 1
Target Audience: โWell, ermโฆ this looks interesting, it looks like someone has been sick and spat your band out, I
would to start with get rid of that horrid texture pattern and the brown, green and brown donโt mix.โ
Brad Linney: โI agree entirely, I think when I produced this draft I simply wanted to have a draft of an idea I had ready
to edit later on.โ
โข Draft 3
TA: โThis is of a great improvement from the original draft, the colours at least go together, but to me itโs still a little too
strong perhaps. I would also consider, can you read the details from a distance?โ
BL: โWhen I look back, Its easy to see how strong and dominating that green is. The font was a readable font, the only
problem is that the green is so powerful that it makes that it canโt be seen.โ
โข Draft 4
TA: โThe green is much easier on the eye, yet still retains its eye catching properties. I think itโs a little empty on the top
half, but the band logo being central, clearly shows the artist. It might be worth thinking about changing the logo
so it doesnโt include the band name in it. Then you could fill in the top section with the band name.โ
BL: โThe space at the top was left so I could place a picture of the band, at the time, I figured its one way to make my
band take centre stage.โ
โข Draft 5
TA: โThe picture doesnโt fit at all! I much preferred it without a picture, have you considered changing the colour
scheme aswell? Since your band looks like a band of green peace executives.โ
BL: โOne of my main concerns when I placing a picture in the poster was would it clash and obviously it did. I learnt
from my research that having people on a poster didnโt work as well as without.โ