ANM 328 Project 4 Critique

The objectives of the Time Cover Project were to demonstrate blending skills, learn how to select compatible images and make adjustments in the overall composition to establish visual hierarchy to communicate a clear message.  If you think about a magazine cover it’s meant to be attention-getting so you’ll buy it or pick it up and read it (along with all the advertisements).  Time is a news magazine so I expect the cover to establish an editorial tone about an issue. Any added text should help clarify the message but not be required to communicate the theme. As usual, if late I dock you points and 5 points if you choose not to critique your group member’s work.  Here we go…. Grading Criteria:

95-100 Combination of images is creative, blends are flawless, shadows and highlights are consistent. Demonstrates clear message and excellent skill with Photoshop

90-94 Combination of images is creative, blending techniques are good with slight flaws in lighting consistency or quality of images Composition is strong with clear hierarchy and message

85-89 Composition is creative but blending has faults or lighting or composition not well refined. Message could be clearer.

80-85 Composition has less creativity in focus or scale, lighting not adequately considered, blending techniques need improvement or composition lacks visual hierarchy

70-79 Lacks Creativity, blending has major flaws or omissions, lighting not considered

Below 70 Low quality work in all aspects of the project

Late work: -10 pts
No Group Critique: -5

Adams Group

Julie Hargraves- Your poster is very successful! Would it be clear without any text? Absolutely…the gas pump launching into the sky clearly implies that the cost of gas is rising. The context for the rising gas is the couple relaxing on what appears to be a summer vacation on the beach. It all works together! The only suggestion I would have is to tie the gas pump launch over the water with a glow or ripple on the water. OK..I realize this is a surrealistic environment but subtly tying these images together visually would be interesting and also pose the possibility of this “trend” affecting holidays.

Very strong composition and blending!

Joe Lee-You’ve done a good job of blending the background images and the new batman. Without the text I’m not sure I would understand the point….and question whether it’s in the genera of a TIME cover topic. It seems like this topic would be much more likely on the cover of Entertainment. Having said this I think this would have been much more powerful if you had put Obama’s face on the Batman costume. You have the small image of Obama supposedly addressing the Dark Knight revelation. Why not make this very dramatic by making your viewers consider the link between the two characters. In summary…excellent technical skill but story line is not as strong as it could be.

Natallia Ramaniuk-The topic of your poster, effect of environment/global warming on future generations is very clear. The images are dramatic…there’s something about a gas mask that’s very compelling. The contrast between the huge earth and baby also implies vulnerability. Technically the images have been precisely selected and blended. The eyes from the original mask even look like they might be baby eyes. The baby does need to be better grounded on the earth..this could be done with a very carefully added cast shadow. I would first try to clone s few of the clouds slightly over the baby’s feet. This would be very subtle while also connecting the earth and child. Nice work!

Christopher Talbott- Your cover is very “dark” with the topic of death row. Without the type, I would eventually get it but the image of the electric chair is not as obvious as is should be. I say this because it’s the one image that is universally associated with capital punishment. The syringes are part of the technology of death row, but I think they have become too important with the multiple images. The dual syringe at the bottom would be very effective on it’s own and the bottom third of the image would be more dramatic with more black space at the bottom. I would also recommend using a gradient blend on the hanging image at the top..this would make a smoother transition and also improve the visibility of the chair. You’ve done a good job selecting, blending and adding effects.

Mutter Group

Lea Aletti-The topic of your cover is very timely as the military opens it’s doors to all. The image of Obama striking the vintage “Uncle Sam” pose for the historic We Want You poster is an excellent center piece for the composition. The LGBT rainbow flag is also used effectively to bring the images of the military families together. My main concern is image quality. The family image at the bottom shows artifacts of compression and the type you chose for the center is quite rough. These are minor details but significant if you are going to print a composition like this. Overall, you’ve done an excellent job with a theme that would be TIME cover ready!

Katherine Case- Your cover is definitely the most striking in class with the dramatic “covered woman” with those penetrating blue eyes. I especially like the fact that you’ve let the image fill to the top of the page…this adds strength to the cover. Having the Koran and Bible next to each other challenges the viewer to consider how these religions compare in their teachings and historic custom of being covered. You’ve used a minimum amount of text, which I like a lot. Without text it would still “read” clearly. Outstanding work!

Joshua Hird-Huge issue and gun rights are certainly an ongoing topic for a magazine like TIME. The images of bullets, guns and quote from the 2^nd Amendment are clearly the symbols for gun rights. I’m not completely clear as to what side of the issue you are on or if this cover is simply to further the debate of opposing views. My main reason for confusion is the crossed guns…this could mean NO or against. I suspect you are, in contrast, making a case for gun rights. The modern AR15 and flintlock could be saying that the constitution continues to support gun right into this era of weaponry. Without the constitution image (which is your text), the specific cover topic would definitely be less clear. Your images have bee successfully selected. I would consider a gradient mask applied to the bullets image to make the guns standout more. You did not include thumbs so we could appreciate your starting imagery.

Shelley Leide-Lynch-You have a great idea here by making the point that if bees are gone humans may have to creatively figure out how to pollinate our plants and flowers. Would this be clear without any text? I think if the tiny people were larger it would work to communicate the need for human intervention. It would likely be clearer if some of the bees were dead (upside down on the T or petal) so we get the idea of them gone or missing. You could use the silhouette of bees to show them missing. I like the fact that you have used the entire page for your composition but the image of the flower is so heavily shadowed that it takes away from the potential strength of that image. I would suggest a better flower image..you could always clone-in a busy bee!

Jason Zofcin-Interesting contrast with the other “Bee” topic in your group. Without the text, I would see a desolate earth and wonder if killer bees were taking over. They look like healthy but very mean bees. If you wish to make this topic clearer, it might be the idea of the opposite of bees to no bees and use the outline of a bee (like the outline of a dead person on the sidewalk) or silhouette of bees with white fill showing they are gone or missing. This would be very dramatic over your “dead” earth.

You’ve done a good job selecting and placing your swarm and the barren earth is very striking. There appears to be a pattern in the background…maybe you were using this to intensify the threatening sky…it’s a bit overdone and somewhat distracting. I read somewhere that if the bees all died, civilization would be gone within few years due to the loss of food supplies. This is a big issue and certainly a topic for TIME.

Monroy Group

Courtney Allred-Your poster is definitely a TIME cover topic and is successful at communicating the idea that graduates are being “crushed” by student loans. The visual of the tilted cap contrasts with the image we imagine of a graduate with cap and gown. You could have taken the concept of distress further by having some stings of tassel fallen on the tabletop. You’ve done a good job with lighting effects and the cast shadows off the stack and anvil, so why not also have a simple shadow under the cap or perhaps a soft cast shadow off the tassel? Speaking of the anvil; I get the impression that this was originally the “object” that would imply being crushed. It doesn’t add much sitting off to the side. I would either remove it or incorporated it more effectively as the top part of the stack and literally showing it crushing the cap an books. This would more dramatically show the weight of money (loans) falling and crushing like an anvil. Overall the project is successful. You’ve demonstrated skill with the editing tools and composed a thoughtful and timely image.

Lori DeLappe- While your composition is very dramatic, with a negative impact on this person (student?) being blamed on Congress, it’s not entirely clear what the specific issue is. Is it money for scholarships, loans or some other kind of aid that’s keeping people from getting a degree or achieving the goal of being a CEO? I know the message is clear in your mind but it would be easily misinterpreted with the images and not easily “read” at a glance. To me the key question is the relationship of the person to the issue. He’s not clearly a student. A variety of college students with backs to us might be more effective. I also think the CEO icon may represent a other issues like bailouts and the 1% possibly leading viewers’ initial reaction to a wrong assumption. Your icons already show no funding, no future (degree) so perhaps the added text should clarify the message. I’d suggest a tagline but I’m not sure what it would be….slightly confused.

Amanda Jones-You’ve done a great job combining the images of people, globe and crushed/broken texture to communicate the possible impact of overpopulation. The placement of the globe over a grayscale cityscape further shows the negative impact. The only added imagery would be a subtle destruction of the city..like is starting to crumble. Did you consider just having the earth alone or perhaps in deep space? This might take the city out of the visual equation and more simply emphasize the impact of overpopulation.  Excellent blending skills!

Alisa Maeder- The images of child abuse are very dramatic and demand an immediate response from viewers. But it’s not clear what your specific objective is for the cover. Right now it’s very generic. A Time cover would likely make a specific point, like upcoming laws or legislation. Or perhaps it might be showing a dramatic increase in abuse through a curve. From a compositional point of view, your images don’t establish a strong visual hierarchy. There are three separate image areas and the text. Consider making it more of a collage where images slightly overlap. It would be even more dramatic if the images had torn edges to show violence and anger. These would be techniques to further get attention from your viewers and then…clearly make your case for the cause or principle. You did not include the smalls so I can’t see what you had to work with…did you add the hands in the bottom row? I see that the two images of the blond girl are the same, just edited. That wouldn’t happen on a magazine cover. It would be better to have all different images.

Veronica Deltoro-I would not get the message “lost site of freedom” from the blindfolded political party symbols. To me, the images might communicate the need of our representatives to be blindfolded in order to get along and get something done. So how could you better communicate your idea? The backdrop of the flag stands for nationalism but a better symbol for freedom might something like the Statue of Liberty. If that were blended behind the critters it more likely would communicate freedom. The imagery you’ve used is edited very professionally…masks look believable but could use a hint of a shadow to show the curve across the “faces”.

Taylor Group

Sabrina Guidi-Great topic…Women can do it all!? Your imagery and blending depicts the daily challenges (or at least a few of them) working women must cope with. It’s very clear and would be easily understood without any text. That text “bubble” adds a dramatic highlight to the composition. My only suggestion is to consider a cast shadow vs a drop shadow. A very subtle shadow, not necessarily of the full body or object, would add depth to the cover. Excellent work!

Corinne Seilahan-- I understand your message and, while it does requiring simple understanding of curves and heartbeat lines, it would be clear without the added text. The strongest element is the pill bottle. Making it clear that there are $’s represented by the pills is very important. I’d give a hint that all the pills are “money chips”. I would also consider placing the bottle between the two lines by making a little more room and moving the heart line down. The heartbeats could go through or across the large pills. This would highlight the relationship of the curves and cost. Your cover is well thought out and clearly a topic that would appear on TIME. Very strong design work!

Lea Winnen- I don’t think I would understand your topic without the help of the text. My first impression would be a mother protecting her child from some disease or perhaps vaccines. At closer look, we see money as a motivation through the syringe. Even with the concept of minimum wage, the idea of a syringe as the visual vehicle for economic stimulus seems excessive. Now, I must say…we have difficulty turning away from car wrecks and syringes..this is a gestalt design principle. This cover would definitely get attention. From a technical perspective, the blending and selection on your cover images is very well done. However, the mother and boy are distorted and pixilated. When you scale, hold down the shift key to keep things proportional.

Kristina Fahey-The footprint is the strongest element in your composition. It’s very dramatic and by itself would communicate the theme. The background images of earth, cityscape and forest support the idea that our individual “footprint” may affect all these environments. I think it would be stronger if the footprint stood out more…had more contrast. An extreme of this would be to make the background grayscale..this would communicate a threat to the environment. If your article were presenting this as a danger it would work. If it’s more informative, then maybe reducing the opacity of the background would help. It looks like you have adjusted the opacity of the foot image to blend it into the background. All these options work it’s an editorial choice as to establish the hierarchy. What’s most important for your reader to see at first glance? Type treatment is creative and style resonates an environmental look. I think it could come down a bit on the page..at center it tends to be a focal point.

Sarah Trattner- I really like your treatment of the Generation Y….is it original? You didn’t include the small images so I don’t know! The Y is very dramatic and is effectively used to identify and show the contrast at the bottom between welfare and college. I guess I didn’t realize the options were so dramatic..but assume the contents would clarify. Would I “get it” without the text?…maybe the Gen Y and probably the college….without the name on the building (it’s very small and almost unnoticeable) I wouldn’t understand welfare. There are classic images of people waiting in soup lines or job lines that could compare to the students walking up to he campus. Very dramatic and dominate image but could clarify the results/what if at bottom.

Lyubob Kaznacheyeva- I’m sure you feel very strongly about this topic, it is unlikely to be a position the TIME cover editors would choose to formally publish. Magazines like TIME have to appeal to a wide range of beliefs. You’ve chosen to divide the cover into three sections. The bottom two are tied together with the “no” symbol and arrows. It’s clear, without the text, that you are communicating that without the Bible (in this case God) the result is war, poverty, and parched earth. I see the tattered flag in the top section behind TIME, flag in the middle and the folded flag at the bottom. This repeated imagery is suggestion that this is all about our country. I would consider blending between these three sections rather than have them be separate or perhaps divide with dark blue. The symbology and text are covering the Bible to a point where it might not be recognized at first glance. It’s Ok to partially cover so maybe if the text was moved down a bit or even downsized it would clarify.