Studio Brief 2: Evaluation

The approach to this studio brief successfully follows the principles of Pestalozzi. The research on the concrete object of a cassette tape informed later design decisions. Using word, excel and photography to illustrate the object in new and abstract ways were the ‘easy’ ways that Pestalozzi suggests to use as part of the discovery process. The project then developed into more complex developments such as laser cutting into the tape to try to symbolise the concept of an audio book. Pestalozzi suggests to ‘always proceed gradually, cumulatively, and slowly’, something that the large amount of research and experiments offer as completion of this principle. Todd McLellan’s work on flat lays influenced the decision to look at the elements of a cassette tape individually and look at which are the most vital for it to function and perform the job of providing audio. 

Engagements in group critiques has allowed the design to develop into an aesthetic product, clearly following a consistent design style. The feedback helped to point out that the original idea involved a product that required a very long process when the whole idea was to be about ease and time saving. The change from this to the revision cards was a positive change. 

The final outcome successfully considers the tone of voice that would engage with the specified target audience of those in the education system. The tone of voice is fairly light-hearted and easy to interpret as the information is short summaries of complex novels. The chatty introduction sets the tone of the cards, them being a revision game and only offering a small amount of detail to get started. The format of communication is in simple sentences, following on from research into technology and how it has changed how people now interact with long passages of text. 

A limitation of this design is the presentation of the final outcome and the case in which it is stored in. The use of an original cassette tape case works well to show the concept of the idea and how it would work if produced professionally, but the filing down of the reel pegs on the inside cover has resulted in the plastic getting scratched. This is something that would not happen if the case was specifically made for this product.