CRITERION D

Circling back to my Criterion A interview with Dr.Marzouk, who I interviewed for insight about what makes a banknote effective vs ineffective, I decided to interview him again to garner a sense of consistency amongst my project's references. I asked him the following questions, focussing namely on elements relating to the aesthetics of my designs:

1. Given the criteria for an effective design we looked at together in criterion A, why do you think that my design is/is not effective? 

2. Aesthetically-speaking, does my banknote series have a sense of consistency? Why?

3. What is lacking/not enough in my designs? What is found too much in my designs? 

It can be concluded that my product was a success because it fulfilled the criteria I set in place in my design specifications as to what would be an effective solution to the currency problem faced by Canadian citizens. To restate the issue, it was found that the current Canadian currency was an "outdated and inaccurate" representation of the Canadian identity. My banknote series reflects the more modern Canadian identity through displaying the existing mosaic of different cultures and backgrounds that have all integrated themselves into one community. This was effectively shown, according to Ms.Wouda's feedback, which states that the "mosaic analogy was well-done." It was also essential that my product be aesthetically appealing, which was also achieved according to Mr.Flood's feedback, in which he says that my product is "modern and fresh." A significant element of my product's success was also that it provide a sense of consistency as opposed to 2 distinct banknotes placed side-by-side. When asked if my series had said sense of consistency, Dr.Marzouk answered, "Yes, they have a sense of consistency. The light pastel colours are refreshing and impart a sense of vibrancy, hope, and regeneration." Following the IB Global Context, Identities and Relationships, which is defined as what it means to be human, it was essential that my product reflect this concept in order to appeal to the wide variety of people found within this singular identity. However, this concept can only be explored if we look through the lens of a variety of communities and cultures, which is made possible by my unique take on the Canadian banknote. I took the perspective of Muslim Canadians, a lesser recognized, yet extremely significant marginalized group in Canadian society. Both of my figures, Zarqa Nawaz and Mike Drewoth, struggled to reach their goals due to hidden prejudices and systemic racism, but preservered despite this. They are thus symbolic of two major steps forward to finding inclusivity in Canada, and underscore the effectiveness of my product in redefining what the Canadian banknote means to the country's citizens. 

In terms of improving my product/solution, looking back, I find that it is slightly too busy/clustered in some areas, which takes away from my users directing their attention to the main/most significant parts of each banknote, such as the designs of the Canadian maple leaves and the designs of the Mosques (Al-Rashid Mosque on Mike Drewoth bill and Masjid Al Salam on Zarqa Nawaz bill) on each bill, and instead leads them to feel confused as to where they should direct their attention. This is likely due to the Image Trace settings I used on each bill (for the faces of Mike Drewoth and Zarqa Nawaz), which contain a number of small, insignificant white traces (as shown below). Although this design choice made my banknotes stand out, they also contributed to a slightly messier, less cohesive look, which directly contrasts my work in Criterion C using the ruler settings on Illustrator to gain better alignment to my designs, following my CRAP principles. 

Though testing method #1 does not provide reference to any possible improvements I can make to my designs, in question 3 of testing method #2, Dr.Marzouk states that, "the white outline is too distracting in some parts." This distracts from the principle, more significant elements of my design that provided this meaningful impact described by the 7/8 marks provided in testing method #1. In addition to this, Dr.Marzouk states that, "the design is excessive in the number of maple leaves" surrounding the person I chose. This again takes the viewer's attention away from the important parts of my design. Overall, I could have worked on better organizing these rather minor details in my designs, as even though they contribute to the distinct look of my banknote series, they tend to minimize the neat, abstract look I planned to have.  

My audience was Canadian citizens (my audience), whom should have felt united by the product's message, while my clients were the The Bank of Canada & The Royal Canadian Mint, whom should have felt that my product was not only professional and aesthetically pleasing, but also that it accurately represented the modern Canadian identity. The fact that my design was chosen to be presented to the Bank of Canada representatives indicates that these criteria were met by my final product. While producing my designs, I was sure to keep these needs of both my clients and my audience in mind, which is evident in several of my design choices. For instance, my use of alignment amongst the microlettering, denotations, and borders of my designs creates a sense of professionalism; my unique incorporation of Elyse Dodge's design style into my banknotes contributes to aesthetic appeal, creating the "fresh and modern" look to my designs that was described by Mr.Flood in testing method #1; my extensive use of accessibility features, such as braille and bilingual text, ensures of this inclusivity required by my audience; in terms of representing the Canadian identity, both Mr.Flood and Ms.Wouda gave me a 7/8 check mark in the "Canadian Context" criteria on the rubric, both of them giving me the written feedback that the "mosaic" analogy was "well-done" and showcased "diversity and unity." In addition to this, Dr.Marzouk states that the pastel colour scheme I chose provides a sense of "hope, vibrancy, and regeneration" to my banknotes, which according to him, "is the hallmark and strength of Canadian society." It is hence accurate to say that my banknotes inspire my audience and effectively capture the greater parts of the Canadian identity.