Hello!
I would like to ask for a critique from experts in design. What do you think about this mailer? Do you have any suggestions or recommendations? Is there any chance to call it a decent design or my dreams are just being crushed lol xD
Thank You!
Please do not look at the quality of some elements as it is just a test from my employers to see if I can do design, and they have sent to me these quality pictures.
I think its pretty basic. The typography is lacking. I’m not sure what an “860” is (I’m assuming its one of their shoes, but there’s nothing that really lets me know that. The odd slight color shift in the bottom blue (that continues form the angled photo separations, is so “slight” that it looks like a mistake. The angels themselves look “off” as well due to the fact that they’re “similar” to the angle of the NB logo, but it’s not, so it also looks “wrong”.
I did a quick web search and it looks like you need to design more to their branding:
They use more saturated colors, upper case type, the photos breaking out of the rectangular frame, etc.
Design is about a whole lot more than making nice-looking layouts. Design is about solving problems, and I’m not sure what problem you’ve been given to solve.
Aside from “design more toward their brand,” this is a total advertising fail for one huge, glaring reason. If you don’t see it, you don’t deserve the job.
um… to be honest I am here to learn and look for advices and not telling me what I will never be good for this work. If you do not have something better to say than being negative, then please keep your negatives within yourself, and spend your time better than make somebody feel worse. If I will not be good for this job, it is okay and employers will decide for themselves… and I will not get a job. But at least I have tried and learn something new.
Well, I know that, and I am trying to find my way on how to communicate better, thank you.
Thank you for your response. I see my mistake now, I needed to do research first on the brand and see what look and feel they tend to have.
What is that mistake that PrintDriver mentioned? Have you seen it yet? It’s a total, immediate deal killer. Top left photo.
By the way, nobody’s trying to make you feel bad. We’re, instead, trying to help you by giving you a heads up on what you’ll be facing, which, I hope, will help you avoid those problems when they really matter.
As @Just-B said, the feedback here has been to help, not to make you feel bad. If you’re looking to be coddled and said everything looks great it’s a disservice to you in the long run.
Criticism is a HUGE part of being a designer. Sometimes that criticism comes form experienced designers, sometimes it comes from people who have no design knowledge and yet they are decision makers on projects. If you’re not able to handle criticism, being a designer will be nearly impossible.
Take criticism as an opportunity to improve and get better. Even in the case of unwarranted criticism, its still an opportunity to improve how you handle communicating, navigating the ups and downs of client relationships, etc.
Yes, but I m trying to applying for intership level, so I m still going to learn a lot at work. I know that, unfortunately in my university we did not have proper typography , layout , logo classes… we just had projects, which we needed to figure out on our own. And lectures did not pretty much care.
Yes, thank you, but I m looking for a constructive feedback, I wanted your opinion on layout and typography, this is something that I m struggling with and not focusing on me getting the job or not. They will decide.
I agree with you that design should communicate and solve problems… But for intership level they want to see if I am able to use software and have some basics I guess…
If you hadn’t posted here, you would have failed the test.
I’m not sure you see the error yet.
As for the design itself, you needed to do some quick research on the brand. Or more in-depth research if you have the time.
Then it would come down to experience to know that a light blue gradient will more than likely turn pink on its own. Adding a light pink to it isn’t going to help. Not to mention a blue gradient that light, depending on how it is printed will more than likely band as well.
What students never learn in school is that design is not about being creative. It’s about solving communication issues and a lot of times you are restricted by brand standards that may or may not suit your level of creativity or style. For a “test” you might even want to do 2 pieces. One totally within standards and one slightly breaking them. But not too much. Maybe just bending them a little.
Well, I know that. But there is the difference between constructive criticism and just criticism. I am looking for constructive one. So far you are the one here who gave me the constructive criticism, the rest just gave criticism with no suggestions for improvements, but just negatives.
Yes, that the issues that I am struggling with… I read the book about research in Graphic Design, and I see a lot of gaps in my education… but I just want at least start to work even on the internship level to see how problems are being solved with real examples and also take part in it.
I think there needs to be a call-to-action for this mailer. Like a website to refer to or something that the user will do with this mailer. It needs to grab someones attention, and promote them to engage with the business.
You also will have to design the other side of the mailer, because obviously it won’t be blank 
EDIT: I totally didn’t realize when you click on the picture that there is more to the design that is displayed on the screen. LOL!
Have you seen it yet? The error JustB and I are talking about has nothing to do with research…
okay, but what if it is a mailer, it is not going to be printed, it will be on the screen.
A mailer is a postcard that goes in the post. It would be printed.
If it is an online banner ad or spamilicious email advertising, then you need far more information in there. The call to action. Where to go to see more. Just remember too, that a lot of people have their emails set to not receive images.
You have not seen the error yet. It’s glaring. It would be embarrasing to the brand.
yes the errors with colors and I think the patterns that are made in the shoe background are also useless. Cuz if I look at their brand they do not have it. They rather use blocks and bright colors indeed. and about the error with bad transition from color gradient to images is actually look like mistake, you are right
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