Reading Response Week 5
The brochure I found is about warning the people of California about the light brown apple moth which can damage over 250 plants. The following link will provide you with the brochure:
www.cdfa.ca.gov/phpps/pdep/LBAM_brochure.pdf
This brochure uses proximity effectively which is important according to The Thomson Handbook on page 573. The pictures in the brochure have a meaningful relationship with the text. The pictures are close to the text and are effective for the reader because it shows pictures that relate like the shaded map of the United States where this moth can thrive in certain climates. The brochure also utilizes different typefaces and point sizes. The heading of each new section is bolded, underlined, and is a larger point size than the rest of the font. The brochure applies analogous colors in the brochure. If I was making this same brochure, I think I would have chosen colors that provided more contrast to the pictures of the moth and signs of damage. The colors of the brochure and the pictures all seem to blend together which looks nice but the pictures would stand out more if the colors used would have been different. I thought the brochure’s usage of the red for the number to call grabs the reader’s attention and it would be very easy for the reader to find the number at a later time if signs of damage or the moth were found.
I liked that the brochure used pictures to show what people should look for, either sides of damage or the actual moth. I think the use of pictures would be more helpful to the people of California than descriptions in words. I also liked that the brochure put words on the pictures to explain what they were. The use of the ruler to show the size of the moth is also very helpful to see the actual size of the moth.
I liked the organization of the brochure and the title of the brochure which makes it clear to the reader what the brochure will be about. In my group’s brochure, I will use a color scheme that contrasts the use of pictures or graphics so the pictures stand out from the brochure. I also want to be more creative in the design of the brochure. I don’t think this brochure used the element of contrast very much and I hope to use contrast in the brochure. I really liked the example of the poster on page 576 of The Thomson Handbook. I hope to create an eye catching brochure like the poster.
Comments
Comment
Having reviewed the brochure myself, I agree that the use of pictures in this leaflet is more effective than descriptive text. I find it interesting though that I have not heard of this problem. As a California resident myself I would have expected to hear something about this already. The color scheme of this brochure is pretty basic and very similar to what you find with most government publications. I think your plan to use a more contrasting color scheme within your own brochure is a good idea, contrasting colors help things stand out easier and attract the viewer’s eye to important information.
Reply
I liked the brochure that you chose because of a lot of the elements that it had from the reading in Chapter 25. The pictures had the majority of the impact on the brochure because it connected the text to the meaning of the brochure. The pictures also helped the other elements of design become more prominent. An element that I picked out was the alignment in the brochure. The lines in the brochure help lead the reader’s eyes to a specific area on the brochure. The different font sizes create some variety in the brochure. I noticed that I jumped from section to section that had different fonts and type sizes because it grabbed my attention. Overall, the brochure that you picked was a good choice because of the different elements associated with it.
Response
This was a good sample brochure because, like you said, it did include a number of techniques that were spelled out for us in chapter 25 of The Thomson Handbook. For example, the brochure does show good use of proximity. The pictures match up well with text surrounding them, but visually I agree with you that it is really nothing spectacular. For our project, we need to utilize the use of analogous and complimentary colors. I find it much more appealing to see a visual that is not on a white background too. It was hard to find anything that really significantly stood out in this brochure, especially on the first page. The plan background made the entire document seem really bland. From this brochure, I think it is important to incorporate some of the skills they used, like proximity, but just make it look more appealing visually will better use of color and alignment.
reply
I have not seen the Apple Moth pest! I think this an effective brouchure for someone that has seen this moth. It explains all the questions I would have about something like this. Explains, why it matters to me, and to the state, and California. This design for the tri-fold is also good. Although it does state a phone number at the start, I think there should be something simply stating “for more information.” The colors are good for something like this because it is sort of organic. I don’t think it is a good attention getter though. I don’t see myself picking this up unless I was specifically looking for info about this, or unless I was in a location where I was real bored and needed something to read. I think for our project we can use this to better understand how to put our brochure together, but we can use concepts from other posts for attention grabbing techniques.
Reply
This is a very interesting brochure; it really captures the reader’s attention with really interesting pictures of insects dealing with the topic. The few opening pages have really great pictures of insects that capture the audience. The colors that are used are all natural tones that go along with the environment and nature really well. The way that the words are laid out is really well designed and not overwhelming. Although the only design feature that I thought could be improved was the font size was a bit too small. It is very well designed and very appealing to the eye. I really like the headers and boxes that are made in the brochure also. Overall, I really like this brochure and would like to use some of these design features in my group’s brochure.
RE: Reading Response Week 5
After reading your analysis of this brochure I couldnot agree with you more. It has a very bland color scheme that uses mostly earth tones in the design. Most environmental agencies tend to go in this direction with literature they produce. I believe that the pictures would have benefitted from a more contrasting color scheme in this situation. It almost looked like a background that flowed withthe picture was chosen because of a lack of creativity. While I thought the scheme of the brochure worked for this particular cause, I do not think it would work in our group's project. I think our brochure would benefit from more creative colors and design. With everthing we have learned through analyzing these brochures, I believe our group will be able to produce a final product that is very eye-catching and effective!
Comment
I like how your brochure is well organized providing enough information to reader. It uses proximity effectively following our book and picture matches well with the contents. I do agree that they make meaningful relationship making the brochure look professional. The map of the United States showing where the moth thrives in certain area was great idea to deliver information effectively. It would have been messy and confusing if it lied down all the states in word sounding boring. I can easily understand recognize where the locations by looking at the map. I think using appropriate chart, map and pictures is an important strategy delivering messages to readers clearly.