Peer-Review of Hazel and Miriam’s Tutorial/Resume/Cover-Letter

By Ivy

Critique of Hazel’s Tutorial:

 The template of the title page is simple and elegant. It has a fairy-tale and
majestic vibe/appeal to the design of the tutorial. The selection of the type-
face that was incorporated in the title-page is alluring to the reader. Perhaps,
there could have been more graphic images/ illustrations incorporated in the
title-page, as well, so that the reader is more tempted to browse through the
slides and obtain a brief idea about what the central concept of the tutorial
entails. However, I did notice that the objectives of the tutorial were very
clearly depicted and specifically mentioned in the title-page. Therefore, to a
certain extent, the reader can obtain a sneak-preview of what the main idea
of the tutorial will focus or emphasize upon.

 The table of contents is extremely detailed and incredibly systematic.

However, the titles could have been underlined. For example: 2.1 – Create
Your Account, 3.1 – Pick your theme, 4.1 – Select New Domain. If these
headings were underlined, then it would have accentuated the demarcation
between the titles and sub-titles. In addition to that, underlining the headings
would have also made the overall layout of the tutorial look more presentable
and structured in appearance. Including a bulleted format for the sub-
headings would have been a little bit more useful and helpful to the reader, as
well.

 On the first page after the table of contents, why does the step randomly skip
from: 2.4: Create your Site to 3.8: Video? This aspect of the tutorial confused
me a little bit, and could have been organized a little bit more, efficiently.

 The utilization of various colors on the first page after the table of contents
instantly captured my attention. The choice of colors on the page: 2.1 Create
Your Account is visually enticing. The slide that incorporated a sapphire blue
as the background color was striking in appearance.

 The layout of the remaining tutorial is coherent, systematic, and easy to

comprehend. There isn’t an overwhelming amount of information in each of
the slides that might confound the reader at first glance.

 There could have been a slight improvement in the choice of colors on the 6 th
and 7th page. On these pages or slides of the tutorial, the headings and the
 slides underneath the title had a single-color scheme. Instead of adhering to a
monochromatic theme, the slides would have looked more visually appealing
if the title: 4.1 Select New Domain was highlighted in a different color. This
contrast is necessary, in an effort, to distinguish the actual title from the
information in the slides just below the heading.

 However, I also noticed that a certain pattern was implemented in the slides,
in terms of choice of color. The heading in the first two slides were
greenish/brownish in color which was complemented by a periwinkle/light-
purple colored background. (Not sure if this contrast is the most aesthetically
pleasing selection). However, on the other hand, these choices of colors also
give off a simplistic and elegant appeal to the overall design of the tutorial). In
fact, I liked that the colors in the slides alternated back and forth between a
periwinkle background with an olive-green heading, and slides that consisted
of just one color: light purple, which was inclusive of the heading, and the
information in the slides below the title, as well.

 On page 13, the icon of the video-clip was not incorporated under the
heading: 7.1: Purchase your plan, next to the Unit 7.6’s description of the
video.

 I also like that there was a bold border that was incorporated at the bottom-
edge of each of the slides, and that it perpetually alternated back and forth
between olive green and light-purple. This gives the layout of the tutorial a
more unified and cohesive look, since the thick lines that have been
encompassed on the bottom-margins of the paper visually link each of the
respective pages together, which makes the reader well-aware of the fact that
the details presented on the slides are not disparate pieces of information.

 In addition to that, I also liked the fact that the last page corresponded in
theme, template, and color to the title page. However, the arrangement and
format in the concluding page is far more conspicuous than the title page.
This is on account, of the fact that the olive-green border color-coordinates
with the olive-green heading: 8.4 Purchase Your Plan, as opposed to the first
page which didn’t incorporate as many graphic images, illustrations, or visual
elements. However, I liked the intriguing olive-green symbols that were
implemented as part of the design on the first and last page of the tutorial.
This design consisted of a bunch of swirls and loops hooked together, and
that was certainly unique, and uncharacteristically eye-catching to the reader.

 Furthermore, the images that demonstrate: placeholder for correct screen-

shot, and the descriptions that mention: text here explaining this step, was

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 incredibly useful and not to mention, helpful to the reader. Even if the tutorial
was devoid of the actual images, and details that expound upon what units
8.2 or 8.3 are all about, the reader can infer that this version of the tutorial is
only a rough-draft. Yet, the style in which these key-details and pieces of
information have been portrayed is easily comprehensible, and the best
aspect of the tutorial is in the presentation of the slides. In other words, there
isn’t an over-load or excessive amount of information that will bombard the
reader, all at once. At first glance, the reader should only have to skim
through the text encompassed within the slides, not struggle to read
elaborate paragraphs that don’t convey a simple message.

 The symbol for: dream-link-media was simple, modest and professional. The
contact information just below this icon was perfectly centered. This type of
alignment gives the format of the last page a well-balanced and structured
appeal. In fact, the alignment in terms of placement and arrangement of titles,
sub-titles, texts/text-boxes, and images are ideally situated. The boxes for the
images are positioned on the left, while the captions adjacent to them are
situated on the right. This is an effective way to organize information since
there isn’t any unnecessary distribution of spacing between headings to sub-
headings, or descriptions to images, in a majority, of the slides. In fact, this is
probably the highlight of the entire tutorial.

 Also, in terms of proximity, most of the similar items have been grouped
together. For example, the topics, images, and descriptions for each respective
unit/chapter are inclusive in one single category. This indicates to the reader
that the organization is clear. Although, in the title page, there was a lot of
additional white space which could have been eliminated, if more visual aids,
such as: graphic images, or other illustrations were employed. However, as
mentioned before, I like the fact that the information manifested within the
slides are not emphasized in large chunks. Perhaps, the table of contents page
could have been formatted differently, in terms of spacing. There is lots of
empty room towards the right-hand side of the page which is not necessary.

 Therefore, the texts (headlines and sub-headlines) in the table of contents,

could have been structured far more efficiently and systematically, in an
effort, to not create additional gaps or spaces. However, in regards, to the rest
of the slides, there is a consistency of arrangement in terms of the placement
of the image-box on the left, and the captions next to it, as stated above.

 Overall, Hazel’s flyer was beautiful, simple/elegant, systematic, professional,

and visually appealing to the reader. My favorite aspects of the tutorial were
that it was easily comprehensible to the reader. In addition to that, I also liked
the utilization of the thick borders which were incorporated in the bottom

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 margins of each of the respective pages, ensued by the unconventional yet
unique color scheme, (olive green and light purple), as well as the
consistency in the arrangement/placement of information, followed by the
aesthetically enticing symbol visible in the title page and the concluding page,
and last but not the least, there was a strategic method of organization that
was purposefully implemented between titles, to sub-titles, and graphic
images/illustration boxes to descriptions/captions. This effect contributed to
the cohesive, well-balanced and unified appeal of the tutorial.

Critique of Miriam’s Resume:

 Miriam’s resume follows a chronological format. In other words, the timeline

of the various occupations listed in the resume commence from the most
current job and recent date to the oldest job and earliest date. This is a
traditional yet strategic method in organizing information associated to the
key aspects of employment history.

 I like the fact that the job-descriptions are brief, coherent, bulleted, and to the
point. This makes it easily comprehensible for any employer who takes a
glance at her resume.

 In addition to that, I also like the fact that the description of what the job
entails is organized through bullet-points. However, the arrangement of
information presented in the resume could have been structured a little
differently. For example, the time-frame/dates could have been positioned on
the right-hand side of the resume rather than on the left-hand side, just after
the job description. While this is just a minor detail, the hierarchy of
information is integral to the layout/template of the resume. Also, I felt that a
colon could have been incorporated just after the subtitles as well, or perhaps
the sub-headings could have been underlined. This would have established a
demarcation between the specific list of occupations and their respective job-
descriptions.

 Furthermore, the fact that the sub-titles inclusive of: objective, education,
skills/abilities, and employment corresponded to the color of the name in the
headline. As a result, this gave the resume a more integrated and cohesive
appeal. However, I also think that if these sub-titles had been depicted or
emphasized in black colored font as opposed to blue, then the design would
have had a more business-like/corporate appeal to the resume.

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 The style of the headline in the resume looked similar to the standardized
headline which would typically be implemented in the conventional template
of a cover-letter. In other words, I liked the fact that a border was
incorporated just underneath Miriam’s name in the headline. Furthermore, I
also liked the fact that the information under her name, inclusive of her
address and contact details are separated by placement-markers. This is an
effective method in arranging the sections of her personal information onto
her resume. I also noticed that these segregation markers had been
incorporated in the sections of the sub-headings located under the job-
descriptions. This is an ideal technique for evenly distributing and outlining
information in a systematic manner.

 In terms of alignment, perhaps the name in the title located in the headline of
the cover-letter, could have been positioned perfectly in the center rather
than on the left-hand side of the top margin. In addition to that, a justified
alignment would have given the layout of the resume a more balanced
appearance.

 Perhaps, the title of the job-description could have also been formatted in a
centered-alignment as opposed to a left-alignment. This would have made the
template of the cover-letter look more composed and well-adjusted.
Furthermore, the selection of the font could have been reduced to a smaller
size. For one of the names of the occupations, the length of the job-title
exceeded more than one line. For example: Technical Resource Operator
| Pinnacle Technical Resources | June 5, 2006 - June 2014.

 Therefore, if the font-size had been significantly smaller, the configuration of

the resume would have looked more professional, structured and clean. Not
to mention, I think that the name of the company, the role/position/job-
description, as well as the time/date/years of employment could have been
formatted differently. Perhaps, instead of utilizing segregation markers for
these headlines/titles, simply incorporating the job-description and the years
of employment would have sufficed. Then, in the bulleted-points, the name of
the company could have been mentioned, ensued by a brief description of
what the role/position of that specific occupation encompasses.

 My favorite aspect of Miriam’s resume is the fact that her job-descriptions are
bulleted, simple and condensed. The fact that the explanations of the job-
titles aren’t elaborate or complex in detail makes the overall content of the
resume significantly easier to comprehend. In addition to that, the headline
of the resume is what instantly captured my attention. Not only is the top-
margin of the resume visually enticing and conspicuous, but it also emulates
the template of a conventional headline typically demonstrated in that of a
cover-letter. Furthermore, the employment of placement-markers under the

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 headline, serves to effectively delineate significant parts of relevant personal
information inclusive of her residential address and her contact information.
Consequently, this enhances the physical aspects/layout of the cover-letter,
since the key-details/information located just below the heading are
organized and formatted in an effective manner.

Critique of Miriam’s Cover-Letter:

 Certain sentence structures in this cover-letter require slight revision. For

example, the statement: “I welcome to explore various technology tools”
could have been phrased as: “I’m open to exploring various technology tools”.
Also, the sentence: “the different assignments will provide to work side by
side with other colleagues” could have been stated as: “the different
assignments will provide an opportunity to work side by side with other
colleagues or (collaborate with other co-workers) or (work alongside other
colleagues) to obtain a better understanding of how to complete a project for
other companies”. Last but not the least, the last sentence: “I have included
my resume describing my work experiences in greater detail” could have
been altered into: “The work experiences inclusive in my resume are
elaborated in greater detail”. Therefore, certain sentences of this cover-letter
could have been modified or reconstructed in a more grammatical manner.

 In terms of arrangement, I think that the configuration of the text in the

cover-letter would have looked more professional and organized if a justified
alignment was utilized instead of a left-alignment. If the introductory, body
and concluding paragraphs were perfectly centered, it would have given the
overall design of the cover-letter a more balanced, structured, and systematic
appeal. (However, this is not a mandatory change, simply a suggestion).

 Perhaps, the name in the top-margin/headline of the cover-letter would have

also looked better if it was formatted in a justified or centered alignment.
This would have given the template of the cover-letter a more cohesive,
unified and integrated appearance.

 Perhaps, the details in regard, to the address and contact information could
have been incorporated in the bottom-margin of the cover-letter. However,
this is not necessary. If this crucial piece of information is demonstrated in

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 some aspect of the cover-letter, then the location of these key-details is
irrelevant.

 In terms of proximity, most of the similar items have been grouped together.
For example, the details regarding the contact information and address have
been assembled in one area of the cover-letter. In addition to that, the current
date and the address of the company, accompanied by the details of the
human-resource manager have been placed in the same category, as well.
Last but not the least, the opening, middle, and concluding paragraphs are
well-structured or positioned perfectly. There isn’t any additional white
space, nor awkward gaps or margins in any aspect of the cover-letter. Not to
mention, there is an even distribution of spacing from the headline to the
current date, as well as from the salutation/the person that the letter is being
addressed to, to the content of the cover-letter, and the complimentary close.
Therefore, there is a consistency in arrangement being demonstrated
throughout the course of the cover-letter.

 For the most part, Miriam’s cover-letter has a corporate appeal to it. The
physical aspects of the cover-letter look well-organized, systematic, and
professional. In addition to that, the layout/template of the cover-letter also
has a balanced, cohesive and integrated appeal to it. However, certain areas of
the content require further scrutiny, and additional tweaking/modification.

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