Tuesday, 8 October 2013

Leeds College of Art Prospectus 2013/15

After looking at both 2012/13 and the 2013/14 prospectuses for LCA, we were asked to write a short criticism of the prospectus. 

My initial impressions of the prospectus, was that it was clearly trying to portray LCA as an old, formal and reputable art institution, rather than a cutting-edge modern one. However, it somehow manages to strike a balance between the old and new. I particularly like the title in the formal serif in silver foil, placed in the centre of the cover. It gives the college a clear distinguished old look. The background cover is a photograph of a degree show, with a multi-coloured hexagon pattern overlay. At first I didn't feel the pattern had a purpose and I was unsure of it, but someone told me it was supposed to echo the LCA mosaic. Looking at the prospectus from a distance I am unsure whether it is eye-catching or bold enough. 

The colour scheme of the prospectus also drastically different compared to last year's design using ivory, white and beige as the main colours for backgrounds, type and other page elements. I really dislike the colour beige particularly. The pages often use a white background with beige/ivory border. I'm unsure whether this actually works, it feels almost like it a posh menu or a wedding invitation. Also, on some pages they have a background colour gradient, I think this gives the pages a colourful and interesting look without taking away attention from the body of text.

The font choices throughout the prospectus are somewhat.. interesting. Some pages have up to three different fonts on one page, and a mix of serif and sans serif as well. Some of the body text I feel is a little too small and too much! 

The photographs throughout the prospectus is a vast improvement on last years LCA prospectus. The photos you can tell have been clearly thought about and consideration has gone into lighting and shadow etc. You can see they have been professional done. The photos give LCA a bright and welcoming look to the prospectus, whilst adding colour and interest to the pages. However, one thing I'm particularly unsure about is the positioning of the photographs on the pages. To me they seem to be placed completely randomly without care, but I suppose this gives is meant to be modernist look and design aspect. I am unsure this works with the formal layout of the text and font, it seems to be a peculiar balance and mix.

Overall, I believe the new prospectus is a huge improvement on last years. I believe it is a difficult challenge to mix the old, traditional and LCA history with the modern look, design work and edgy look of the graphic design course. However, I think it does a reasonably good job and you can see some thought has gone into it. 



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