Crit

Positive news is not an entirely novel or new idea, it's been done before, but you can do it in your own unique way by thinking about the product, range, and distribution in interesting ways. I think so far that I've been doing this. My product is a publication. My range, I'm not sure about yet - but I think that it's going to be the digital element that goes alongside the publication. My distribution is local, hitting public spaces where everyone and anyone can find some positive news, as well as digital.  

Going against the traditional broadsheet is an interesting idea, making the audience interact with puzzles/ small size is good. I'm really happy that this is translating. I think that I put a lot of time and effort into thinking about the form of a publication, especially after OUGD503. Before second year, I cared more about the content of whatever I made, I was predominantly interested in image treatment. Now, I really care about the dimensions of whatever it is I'm making, is it big, small, awkward, meaningful? How is the shape and size informed by the research? For Glad Print in particular, I'm glad that my thoughts and experimentations are coming across as successful in this way. I actively want to force the reader to engage and interact with what it is they're reading. I can do this by making it smaller, and including things like the puzzles that force them to pay attention. 

However, the small size of the publication comes with it's limitations. You can't fit a lot of information on there. This, however, could be how I introduce my digital element. The publication could have the headline and the first part of the story, and this could then lead you to a website or Instagram page that has full story. I need to think about this some more, as I'm not sure at the minute what I want to do. I've been finding ways of fitting full articles within my publication and haven't found it a problem, but it's true that these at the minute are very simple designs. To elevate them, I need some more room. I've been a bit against having the full articles on a digital element because I know that that cuts off a big part of my audience. For example, my grandma could find a zine on the bus and want to read the full story but she doesn't have a smart phone and wouldn't know how to use a QR code or remember the name of the publication to google it when she gets home, so I'm not sure. 

This long publication thing is kind of like an endless roll of news - like toilet paper. could you do useful printing? The long one could be used as a bookmark? I really this idea of multiple uses, it takes me back to when I was researching The Happy Newspaper, they had a business-card sized subscription card that you could keep in your wallet - something like that would be really cool to do.

The newspaper cover ups: kind of negative? Push positive news instead of slating traditional news. Put the focus on positivity. 

The logo is good, it reads as a cooler, trendier version of blackletter. However, the icons could be perceived as a bit dated, it could be a better idea to go for something a bit more timeless. Stay away from trends. Go for something with longevity. 

To show range, develop a couple of different versions or editions.