COP: Design Development

Following the initial ideas, looking back to the practical brief and essay, the 'Informative Cultural Book' was deemed the most appropriate and effective medium in order to answer the brief and link it directly to the essay. 

The publication is titled 'knowing culture' directly reflecting the main message focus of it and the main idea that it tries to get across to the target audiences. It's a direct enough title at the same time allows for wide range of interpretations of what covers 'culture'.  The publication aims to reference a magazine editorial layout, reflecting a contemporary and familiar take on a 'serious' concept and message. Also it will make the audience feel more inclined and intrigued to read the publication because it s a format they are accustomed to. The publication is also image heavy, referencing back to the 'China: Through the Looking Glass' book,  with brief summaries of what the images are portraying. having these small summaries put the image in context at the same time allows the audience to see it in their own perspective as well. In addition, I also added quotes that I used in the essay which also help summarise sections of the publication and help the audience understand what they are reading. As well as, I also used the idea of having 'footnotes' in order to direct the readers to the details of the images they are referring back to. Instead of having extra paragraphs, footnotes are a great alternative as they are small and do not disrupt the focus of the publication. They are also dynamic and can be placed alternatively anywhere in relation to the images thus creating balanced around the white space and give the page a more hefty atmosphere. 

• I curated photos which are impactful and hold great significance to each idea that I am exploring in the publication. For example,  I used Chanel's 'Coco Served Hot' advertising campaign in order to visualise the idea of Stereotyping in a clear way without needing much text as the images speak for themselves anyway. It's also a good example for letting the audience realise the visuals and references that are ACTUALLY STEREOTYPICAL AND RACIST about Chinese culture. It's also a case study I used in my essay, which I think links back to it nicely and cohesively. Another example I thick which fits the ideas that I presented is the 'Burberry Chinese New Year advertisement. It's also a type of stereotyping, however unlike the Chanel advertisement, it is more subliminal. Stereotyping the holiday tradition and culture into a profitable 'photoshoot' also lets the audience understand the different levels and aspects in which the stereotyping can occur and it's not just the visual aspects of a culture that can be stereotyped also showcasing how severe and disrespectful it can be.
• In order to effectively display the images I decided to create the publication in A4 size, as I think it would suit the impact that I am trying to create for the publication. In addition, I also decided to use thick smooth paper (200 gsm Olin Regular), as I thought it would be effective to have paper stock that felt solid. However, when it was produced, I realised that it made the publication look really rough and cheap. It didn't look professional at all and it made it feel really amateur. Therefore, I will have to consult for a more appropriate paper stock, hopefully a stock more similar to magazine or editorial paper with a smoother and glossier finish. 
• Also, the size is actually bigger and more awkward than I thought, therefore I r search I didn't think it would be very useful and appropriate for the publication. Looking back the research I've done the publication on African culture was a really good size for handling. I thought maybe B5 would be most appropriate as it's neither too big or too small with a good width and height to it. It's a satisfying size which would be good for practicality and delicate handling, it's also a familiar size similar to magazines therefore audiences would feel familiar to the layout overall.
• I'm also thinking of changing the layout so e of the images as I feel like have mostly full bleed would work better, especially if they are the main focus of the publication that I am trying to get across. 
• In order to create a cohesive tone and atmosphere for the publication I used two contrasting typefaces (Craw Modern URW - serif & Sofia Pro - sans serif) in order to create a balance between the two as well as support the images in the publication. I used Craw Modern URW for the title (23 pt) and Sofia Pro for the body text (16 pt), the standalone quotes are in Craw Modern URW Regular Italic (40 pt) and the footnotes are in (12pt) Sofia Pro Light. Along with the publication size, the type sizes were also too big. Though they work well together, for the final publication I will have to make sure that the text is proportionate to the size of it for it to look well balanced optically to the audience and the aesthetics as well. 

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