Evaluation

Olivia Day
Production Process
Evaluation
 Research – Strengths and Weaknesses
The strengths of my initial plans planning would be my Pre Proposal and
Key Influences as I was very detailed on my initial idea for the project and
did clear research on existing products that led me to create an idea on how I
wanted the aesthetic of my project to be. When researching my key
influences, I ensured to highlight a lot of key factors such as the product’s
target audience and how the brand achieved to market their product to their
desired audience. However, a weakness in this area of my planning was that I
didn’t really ask ‘why’ the brand may have taken their approach in
design/aesthetic. Doing this would’ve helped me further when planning my
own project.

With saying this, I think that my simple mood board came in useful as it
helped with basic research and coming up with a design for my product
whilst also picking up on photography techniques and lighting effects and
how brands use these to target their desired audience. I also created a visual
mood board with collection of images that inspired my project and in the end
I executed the vision I had laid out and I would say that my final product
matches the aesthetic almost perfectly which I would consider a strength.
 Research – Strengths and Weaknesses
In addition to the strengths of my initial plans, I would say that another strength of
my research is when I was researching audience research and how past products
reached out to widen their audiences. I looked deeply into different marketing
techniques that brands such as Yves Saint Laurent and Ariana Grande Fragrances
used in order to advertise their products. However, despite the amount I
researched in this sector, a weakness would be that I didn’t apply any of the
newfound information to my own project and therefore, in the end the research
did not have any benefit to my personal project other than general knowledge.

A strength to my market research would be the extent of which I analysed existing

products so that I could grasp my own ideas for what I was going to personally
design. I highlighted the way in which images were shot and the use of certain
colour palettes which overall made me realise the importance of heavy detail when
creating a product that meets the requirements of my target audience. In addition
to this, I looked into the symbolism and metaphors to the video adverts and how
they often symbolised freedom and wealth which is very desirable and therefore
sells the product as that is how the audience wants to feel/ be perceived. A
weakness in my existing product market research would be the fact that I didn’t
write up how I could incorporate the knowledge I had gained from researching
these products into my own work. By doing this it would’ve showed that I am
always planning ahead and not forgetting the importance of the knowledge I am
acquiring.
 Research – Strengths and Weaknesses
A strength of my practice research is the outcome of the design as I think it is quite
original and I think that my photoshopping skills are well presented in this practice
research. I think it was wise to show the gradual transformation into the end
product. Despite all of this however, I was not satisfied with the end product as it
did not match the theme of floral and nature I had in mind and so I left it as an
attempt rather than the end product. I believed that the lack of floral imagery did
not reflect the product’s scent very well and therefore the fact that I did not keep
that in mind is a weakness.

In order to grasp a better understanding of what general people would like to see in
a perfume advert, I created a questionnaire using SurveyMonkey and asked a few
friends and family to fill out the survey. A strength I would like to note is that I
made sure to ask important questions such as “Which TV advert has influenced you
into buying a product in the past and why?” with answers to questions such as
these, I am able to look at the answers and then go on to research the answers they
gave and pick up on techniques used by brands in order to conclude ways which
can make my product appear as more desirable to the public. A weakness to this
part of my research however, is that I had limited responses. This is because the
website I used (SurveyMonkey) only allows me to see 10 responses and therefore,
the results from the questionnaire were not very broad and did not give as accurate
results as they would have if I had many more responses.
 Planning
My first strength to my planning would be my initial FMP Pre Proposal
as I conducted a clear idea to my project and highlighted specifically
why I wanted to create a perfume ad campaign as my final major
project. Additionally, I noted which skills I have obtained over the
course of the college year through navigating resources such as Adobe
Premier Pro and Photoshop and how I will apply those skills in the
production phase of my project. However, I could’ve improved this
proposal by mentioning which specific skills I would apply whilst
editing such as using overlays on photoshop and downloading presets
and fonts to improve the design and make it appear more professional.

A second strength to the planning part of my project would be the final

Pre Proposal I created as I was clear on how I wanted my advert/s to
look and which pre existing products had inspired the aesthetic of my
own brand. For example I mentioned how I will conduct research by
looking online at articles or watching perfume adverts on YouTube and
how this research will help me overall. In addition to this I made a clear
plan on the layout of the video and the overall concept of the storyline.
The weakness to this part of my plan, however, was that I didn’t end
up going along with my initial plan and decided to create a video
without a storyline and I think that if I did the message behind my
advert would’ve been more clearer/had more meaning.
 Planning
A third strength to my planning would be that my mood board/s were
successful as I managed to stick to the theme when it finally came to my
production phase of the project. Therefore proving that I had the same
idea all along as my initial plan. The mood board/s show that I planned
for the aesthetic of my poster and video to incorporate light, feminine
colours and to be shot in an open field setting and I managed to fulfil
this vision.

A strength of my storyboard is that I gathered accurate images of how I

wanted the format of my advert to lay out. I used images from Google
images so that I didn’t need to spend time drawing out the induvial
images for each clip. The images worked best as they include colour and
show how the real thing should/will look. The weakness of my
storyboard is that I didn’t use a different image for how many separate
clips I was going to have. This is because I intended on my advert to
have many similar, visually pleasing visuals and I did not know the
specific amount of clips I would have produced. I could’ve used more
images so that there is more accuracy in my plan to the final product.

A strength to my style sheet is that when coming up with a concept for

the colour palette of my advert and poster I was accurate and intended
on using muted, feminine colours. I also had pre-planned which dresses
the model was going to wear for the filming/shooting so I could
accurately include those colours when coming up with the colour
palette of my project.
 Time Management
I was not very good at managing my time throughout the course of my FMP project as
the production took longer than I expected due to the lack of spare time I had to go out
and take photos and film. I also need to improve on my pre-production time
management as I tend to focus to hard on details and then scrapping them if they don’t
align with my plan. This led to me wasting time on research by reading articles/watching
videos for inspiration and later running out of time when actually writing up my
research.

However, despite the setbacks I believe that I managed to deliver my work on time and
at a good quality level as I made sure that I caught up with missing work to my
satisfactory. I am dedicated to getting my project handed in on time and at a good level
as I know that once I have I will feel accomplished and proud of my efforts despite my
challenge with time. In the end, I consider my dedication as a strength even though there
were times when I felt like my work wasn’t good enough as I know that when I was
creating my work on premier pro and photoshop I was testing my limits with my editing
capability.
 Technical Qualities
Miss Dior commercial:
https://youtu.be/62mUh2MEQr8
Similarities:
• Both adverts radiate feminine energy
displayed by the delicate lighting and
feminine colours/tones.
• Both adverts are selling the same product so
they use similar marketing techniques in
order to sell the project e.g. having a female
model and glamourising the feeling of
freedom and fulfilment from the product.
• Both products have the same target audience.
This is evident by the aesthetics of both
adverts as they channel the product in a
feminine light. The use of slow motion and
artistic cinematography portray the beauty of
the product which is what both adverts are
selling – the feeling of femininity and beauty.
• Both adverts include a jazzy, feel-good song
as the backing track. The one in the Miss Dior
ad is Cry Baby by Janis Joplin and the song
featured in my advert is At Last by Etta
James.
My commercial: https://youtu.be/eZGk04Lyp6c
Differences:
• The Miss Dior advert had a much higher
budget so they has better resources to make
the videos appear much more higher
quality as there are more complex locations
and expensive equipment such as
professional lighting and cameras.
• The Miss Dior advert includes short clips
including dialogue which may help the
viewer create a closer bond with the
audience and the ambassador of the brand.
• The Miss Dior advert had multiple
gorgeous locations as setting for each
whereas I had limited options due to
restrictions for travel. This meant that I had
to resort in local fields as it was the closet
thing to a picturesque setting so that the
floral imagery can sell the products
elements.
 Technical Qualities
Similarities:
• Both perfume ad poster are selling their
fragrance in a feminine light – posing in a
ladylike way. Incorporating tones of pink
in image that help the image to stand out.
• Both posters include the actual product
the brand is selling. This makes it clear to
the audience how the brand wants
the product to be perceived by the image
of the bottle in comparison to the
background.
Differences:
• The Viva La Juicy by Juicy Couture poster has less
words on the poster, this may be as the focus of
the image is the model's expression and 
extravagant dress rather than the brand itself. 
• The general aesthetics of the images are different.
For example, the Viva La Juicy poster has
a darker, bolder Y2K aesthetic whereas mine has
a more floral and nature appeal aspect to it. The
different settings of the images also reflects this–
the interior, blank background of the viva la juicy
poster suggests that the intentions of the
perfume’s effects is for the buyer to feel sexy and
glamourous, reflected by the model’s appearance.
Mine however, intends on making the scent of the
product apparent by the floral setting.
 Technical Qualities
When designing my perfume bottle product itself, a strength to my
editing techniques was definitely the fact that I ensured to make the
product look as realistic as possible. I did this by after I had designed
the full product, adding drop shadows to the bottle and box. This
creates an illusion that the image is 3D and real and stands out
against any imperfections there may be. I watched a video on
YouTube so that I could have a basic understanding of how to create
the gradient (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ft5TP0taDJU)
which taught me well and was very easy to follow so I did not
struggle when adding this element to the product.
I used images of ceramic flowers and individually placed them onto
the top of the bottle shape to create a unique lid which I was inspired
by the Daisy fragrance bottle by Marc Jacobs. The lid is practical and
also visually aesthetically pleasing. My box and bottle has a more
photo-realism vibe to it than the Daisy box and bottle as I wanted to
incorporate a pressed flower design on bot the perfume box and
bottle. I did this by finding images online of pressed dried flowers
and overlayed them onto the image by changing the layer type to
’lighten’ which creates a transparent background and enables the
dark tones to stand out against the layer underneath.
A weakness to this product would be the muted, greyish undertone to the box. This is because I believe that
on a poster, the product would stand out much more with a slightly more vibrant coloured box that matches
the perfume bottle that would be stored inside. I could’ve also improved my advertisement by editing
together an image that makes the product look like it really exists. I would’ve done this by having a model
pose as if she is holding the bottle when in reality, she wasn’t holding anything, therefore I would’ve edited
the bottle onto the image and into her hands and toggling with shadows and eraser tool to make it appear
more realistic.
 Aesthetic Qualities
I feel that my poster if crafted well to cater
for its target audience. The target audience
I wanted my project to appeal to was
young, mature women aged 25-35 as they
have an established understanding of the
mature glamour which they may aspire to
obtain. The soft pinks of the flowers add a
hit of romantic imagery which often sells
well with feminine cosmetic products. The
subtle tones reflect the scent of the product
itself as I intend for it to be a delicate and
velvety scent including hints of floral qualities which is mirrored in the poster and
the perfume bottle itself. The image also stands out with the contrast of the dark
hair against the light blue sky and faint drop shadow effect on the text of the brand
font. The texture of the light blue sky with the faded wispy clouds create a delicate
gradient to the images background. The pose of the model looking away into the
distance makes you question if there is a hidden message behind the image. Is she
searching for something? Has she found what she is looking for?
 Audience Appeal

In order to have a general understanding of what customers look for in a perfume product/ tv advert, I set
up a questionnaire so that I could get friends and family to answer specific questions that will help me to
create a product that will enlighten the buyers. I asked questions such as “which TV advert has
influenced you into buying a product in the past why?​”. With survey responses to this question, I was able
to grasp an understanding of which marketing techniques have worked in the past so that I could use
those techniques when it came to editing my products.
A common answer to that question that I asked was the Daisy by Marc
Jacobs perfume advertisement. This was great for me as I was heavily
influenced by this advertisement for my own product as it had the perfect
mix of fresh nature and pure femininity.
I used more pink tones in my advertisements than the Marc Jacobs campaign
as I wanted the video to appear to be as graceful and ethereal as possible as
it stands out to younger women audiences.
In my video advertisement, I chose to not reveal what was being advertised until the end of the video. This
was intentional as it keeps the audience in suspense as they will e curious as to what is being advertised as
well as being informed on the qualities of the product at the same time. Anyone who is searching for a floral
scented fragrance or enjoys enduring ethereal imagery would want to continue watching and hopefully be
influenced into buying the product. The model in my advertisement was myself (a teenage girl) and I tried
to make myself appear more mature by wearing elegant dresses and subtle makeup so that my target
audience may relate to the model representing the product and feel more attracted to the feeling being
represented in the video.
https://youtu.be/eZGk04Lyp6c
 Peer
Feedback
 Feedback 1
• What did you like about the product?
• Poster - the use of sibilance (the repeated 'sss' sound at the start of the words) - reminds me of the sound of the breeze
and outdoor spaces, countryside, peacefulness. I really like the combination of gentle feminine colours - the soft pinks
of the flowers, the grey/blue sky which is mirrored in the dress. And the dark hair which contrasts. The bottle
stopper is a flower and this is picked up in the name (violet) and the images (the wild flower meadow). Having a view
of the back of the model is good because it looks like she's walking away from her problems and into the calming
floral meadow - she's escaping to something better.
• Video - The video matches the theme of an escape into tranquillity and peacefulness really well. I really like the hand
through the wheat and the storm clouds overhead - Storminess is something to escape from and represents the
difficulties we sometimes face in life. The model looks like she is escaping. She steps into the forest, she's escaping
from the storms outside into the protection and quiet of the forest. I like the contrast when the model looks directly at
the audience - she seems to challenge the audience to escape too. I like the 'skies are blue' line matching the image of
looking at the blue sky through the canopy of the trees. I like the soft out of focus dreaminess at the end. This
dreaminess is matched really nicely by the gentle music, the violins, the 'At Last', which shows that at last she has
gone from something and arrived at something better. That's exactly what an advert should do - offer the possibility
of our life being better than it was before by buying the product.

• What improvements could have been made to the product?

• The name Euphoric which means intense happiness isn't immediately represented by the images - the ad focuses on
flowers and gentle floral themes and we cant see how happy the model is because she has her back to us. It’s clear the
video isn't filmed on the same days, she's wearing different clothes, and the settings aren't matched, so there is a lack
of continuity. That breaks up the story a bit. I'd like a little bit more story - its a series of really nice images, but id like
more info on what exactly she's escaping from, and whether she finds it, so that there's a defined narrative arc. Of
course, in an ideal world the colours of the video would match the colours of the advert. The yellow flowers that she
walks off through at the end would be pinks.
 Peer Feedback Summary
What do you agree with from your peer feedback?
I agree that the use of the light pinks and blues in the background contrast well with
the dark hair of the model as I did think about this as the photos were being shot.
I like that this person mentioned in their feedback that they noticed that the advert
seemed like the model was escaping into the calm tranquillity of the wilderness –
this shows that a hidden message behind the video is noticeable to some.
I agree that the model should’ve represented the feeling of ‘Euphoria’ in the video
more and I should’ve thought about that ahead. The name of the product doesn’t
really make sense if it is not being represented within it’s advertisement.
• What do you disagree with from your peer feedback?
I disagree that the different clothes in the video may come across as distracting. I
believe that it is important to incorporate different clips into the advert so that the
audience doesn’t get bored and so it isn’t too repetitive. If my advert had a more
distinct storyline then maybe staying in the same clothes the whole time would be
wise, however my advert does not have a linear timeline and is rather a collection of
aesthetically pleasing visuals that represent how the product maybes the consumer
feel.
 Feedback 2
• What did you like about the product?
The product is romantic, tender and feminine. The wild flowers are delicate and beautiful and en
pointe from an ecological point of view. The bottle is lovely and really stands out with the intricate
and tactile yet beautifully aesthetic lid. The name is perfect, it captures the thrill of the scent as well as
the feel-good factor when wearing the perfume. Again a subliminal message to boost the wearer’s
mood in a world where many are seeking that “lift”. I like that the packaging and the bottle share the
images – not always an obvious connection between the box and bottle with perfumes. I especially
like your name and the play on words. It marks a connection directly with yourself as the designer
and the product.
The sequency of the video is neat and connected. I love that its outdoors in a natural setting. The
soundtrack is well chosen as the music is relaxing and gentle, like the imaging in the as and the
product. There’s a subtle mystery at first when the model faces away from the camera but the video
ends with her facing the camera which perhaps means she’s found what she is looking for. It’s a
mystery what you’re advertising until right at the end which works quite well and shows how the
natural environment has inspired your product.

• What improvements could have been made to the product?

The video could be improved with a voice over, maybe a verse from a poem or something like that.
The clips could be improved with a fade out and in transition. I think the font you used on the paper
ad for the words “feminine soft and subtly sweet” could perhaps be less bold and more traditional
font in italics. The writing on he box with the info about ml etc could be smaller.
 Peer Feedback Summary
What do you agree with from your peer feedback?
I agree that the addition of a voiceover to the video could’ve improved the
marketing element. I have included a slogan for the perfume onto the poster
advertisement which is “feminine, soft and subtly sweet” and if I had included that
to the video advert it would be more consistent and obvious that that was the slogan
for the perfume product.
What do you disagree with from your peer feedback?
I disagree that “the font I used on the paper ad for the words “feminine soft and
subtly sweet” could perhaps be less bold and more traditional font”. I purposely
chose this font as I appreciated the vintage, elegant feel to the font I chose (called
Italian Horskey) and it reflected the slogan itself quite well.
 Feedback 3
What did you like about the product?
I liked the overall visuals and aesthetic of the video and felt as if you made the video feel
like a real, professional advert that you would see on tv, you have done this by slowing
down some parts of your footage in post production and adding a backing track.

What improvements could have been made to the

product?
I felt as if overall the video didn't have much meaning and was just some shots of you
looking nice as muddled together, however it worked well and the advert was very well
produced.
 Peer Feedback Summary
What do you agree with from your peer feedback?
I agree that the slow motion clips were effective to making the video look more
professional. This is because it makes the videos seem more visually pleasing
and dramatic to the viewer. I spent time slowing down each clips at different
speeds to which I found suited that moment in the video and/or song.
What do you disagree with from your peer feedback?
I disagree that the clips looked “muddled”. This is because the advert didn’t intend on
having a linear storyline and so the unaligned clips were intentional as the advert’s visual
focus is the aesthetics and visual representation of femininity and to appeal the product to
the audience through symbolism.