Mock Designs

The Mock of the Month?

(October 2005)

This site closed in March 2021 and is now a read-only archive
PA
pad
Nini posted:
Yes, abandon it.

I have been thinking about the idea since it was suggested yesterday and each time I do it becomes much less palatable because it's lost in a maze of confusion, half the time I doubt the members of the "council" know what they're doing, never mind me knowing. As well as that, there's the idiotic ratings systems which I've never been a fan of since way back in 2003 when it was the "in" thing to do and the logic that quite a few of the more regular faces here feel no reason to join it which'll do it no favours as the members who are on board now have been labelled "nobodies" and to a degree it's true.

It'll also cause confusion for the hapless newbie and right now, I see no reason for it because it's entire existance seems unneccesary and only helps to allieviate the dreariness of the forum felt by a small number of members.

Simply put, either go now or disappear and come back after you've given the idea considerable thought and have a good plan this time rather than one generated on the fly in 2 days.


I'm going to have a think then put my thoughts to Matrix. I've got some ideas already. Smile

Thanks for the input.
ED
edward
Square Eyes posted:
This is all deeply patronising isn't it ?

The thought of being judged by a bunch of self appointed nobodys doesn't exactly encourage anyone to post decent mocks on this forum. Would certainly put me right off.


Exactly. The leaders of this 'council' aren't exactly TV Forum fame, or are they known to produce outstanding mocks. No offence (if that's possible) to the people who thought the idea, it sounds as youths would put it, 'sad'.
PA
pad
What makes a good mock?
- Originality
- Boldness
- Clean, easy text
- Careful use of colour

General criteria for rating mocks
- Have high standards. Save '4' or '5' stars for extremely brilliant work. Don't give out high ratings willy nilly, as your opinion will not be valued.
- Think: "Could I see this working on TV?". If the answer is no, why not? Consider this when making your suggestions.
- Have safe areas been adhered to? Think about this.
- Has it been put together well? Is the colour scheme right? Does the text flow? Is the font suited to the design?
- Use a rating out of 5 as well as your opinions. You can put it numerically (eg. 3/5) or by using graphical stars:
http://www.gorillaenterprises.co.uk/upload/uploadFiles/keep-0star.gif
http://www.gorillaenterprises.co.uk/upload/uploadFiles/keep-1star.gif
http://www.gorillaenterprises.co.uk/upload/uploadFiles/keep-2star.gif
http://www.gorillaenterprises.co.uk/upload/uploadFiles/keep-3star.gif
http://www.gorillaenterprises.co.uk/upload/uploadFiles/keep-4star.gif
http://www.gorillaenterprises.co.uk/upload/uploadFiles/keep-5star.gif
For the URL to the image files, use
http://www.gorillaenterprises.co.uk/upload/uploadFiles/keep- 5 star.gif
Replacing the number with your rating from 0-5.
- Use Comment, Suggestion, Summary format.

Suggested format
Below is an example of what one might say in response to a mock. Of course, you can do what you like! Smile

Quote:
A nice mock there Joseph Bloggs, but I have a few qualms. Firstly, the text is quite difficult to read. Also, the logo is too big. I think it would look quite strange on screen. However, I like the backgrounds, very stylish.

Try resizing the logo and changing the font colour to white so it stands out more. I think with effort these can be great. Good job!

http://www.gorillaenterprises.co.uk/upload/uploadFiles/keep-3star.gif


Of course, you can do it whatever way you like.

The focus here is introducing a universal rating system. This way, we can get a good benchmark, so long as we don't have idiots giving out 5/5 for mediocre mocks.

There's my bit. Matrix, if you wish to keep going with the Mockeof the Week system then please do, although my suggestion is that we introduce this at a later stage. I think it's important that we don't form an "elite" here. There are no "council members", everybody has equal rights to mock, and rate mocks.
NI
Nini
tvfreak posted:
What makes a good mock?
- Originality
- Boldness
- Clean, easy text
- Careful use of colour


I doubt that's all there is to a good mock.

tvfreak posted:
The focus here is introducing a universal rating system. This way, we can get a good benchmark, so long as we don't have idiots giving out 5/5 for mediocre mocks.

There's my bit. Matrix, if you wish to keep going with the Mockeof the Week system then please do, although my suggestion is that we introduce this at a later stage. I think it's important that we don't form an "elite" here. There are no "council members", everybody has equal rights to mock, and rate mocks.

So, there's no longer a council apparently seeing as there's no members and there's now a new glib ratings system to handle in the name of "benchmarking quality". Answer me this, in what way will this new system improve what is doing fine right now? It just sounds like something to do in case your usual means of commenting gets boring. The council is dead, long live the council.
PT
Put The Telly On
This ideas will never keep anyway. People give up or don't have the time. I know Martin once tried a professional approach to commenting.
NI
Nini
I do remember that, no idea lasts forever but now it exists I expect it to return 5 months or so after it goes.
LE
Lee
tvfreak posted:
What makes a good mock?


Oh now you're going to get me started! *Takes a deep breath...*

What makes a good TV Forum mock is the ability to make it look nothing like a mock at all. You need to be able to create something you'd never expect to see on TV, you have to think ahead of everyone else, consider possibilities that would never have been considered before.

I think people actually get it easy on this forum. I'd imagine that if this was a professional broadcast design forum and you were confident that your design was good, you'd need to back that up with facts, evidence and research. You may even have to give people a kick up the backside to get them on the same wavelength as you. It may only be a hobby but you'd have to take it seriously, and you'd have to get your arse into gear.

The next step up from that is to create something so innovative that you don't know how good it is yourself. When you get to that point, you're no longer mocking. But that's something that either I can't ever see happening here, or it has already happened but hasn't been noticed.

Design changes all the time, it changes with the world. There are too many mockers with different levels of experience and perspectives on design, and too much of a gap between the inexperienced and the experienced to be able to create any kind of accurate ratings system. Of course there are technical rules you have to abide by for television, but you can't create a set of rules that tells you what makes a good mock, and you can't rate those mocks out of ten.

How VERY dare you suggest otherwise. *Wraps a towel around head and storms off*

One last point - this is not a competition, and it would be a bad idea for it to turn into that. This should be a place to welcome and encourage genuine, good mocks and broadcast design ideas. Maybe that should be kept in mind when people think of ways to spice up the mocks forum.
JA
jay Founding member
As some other members have stated, this seems like a bit of a non-starter of an idea... I don't wish to be offensive at all.

If some people wish to use this type of rating system then that is fine, but there doesn't seem to be any need for a self-appointed council. Surely it is the job of the Forum moderators to keep the crap out and keep in the good stuff - not 3 or 4 'normal' members.

It feels a bit like the people that have been on this forum from the start (myself included) are being a bit left out from all of these new developments... OK I don't post that often, but surely if there has to be some sort of a 'council' for this forum, then it should be one of the 'older' members. (I'm not saying that I want to be on the council either, just trying to make a point and not doing it very well!)
TW
Time Warp
Did you get my PM, Joel?
PA
pad
Nini posted:
tvfreak posted:
What makes a good mock?
- Originality
- Boldness
- Clean, easy text
- Careful use of colour


I doubt that's all there is to a good mock.


Okay. What - to you - makes a good mock, then? Name your points and I'll update that post.

Nini posted:
tvfreak posted:
The focus here is introducing a universal rating system. This way, we can get a good benchmark, so long as we don't have idiots giving out 5/5 for mediocre mocks.

There's my bit. Matrix, if you wish to keep going with the Mockeof the Week system then please do, although my suggestion is that we introduce this at a later stage. I think it's important that we don't form an "elite" here. There are no "council members", everybody has equal rights to mock, and rate mocks.

So, there's no longer a council apparently seeing as there's no members and there's now a new glib ratings system to handle in the name of "benchmarking quality". Answer me this, in what way will this new system improve what is doing fine right now? It just sounds like something to do in case your usual means of commenting gets boring. The council is dead, long live the council.


The answer to your question is simple. If everybody rates mocks out of 5, then the mocker can gauge the average mark they are getting. Sure, there may be some anomalous results, but that's not a problem. If people stick to their ratings and dish out fair ratings, it will work. People know who the more - respected - mockers / reviewers are on here, and their ratings - that will probably be decidedly strict, but for the better, will carry great value.

Of course, it's not just about a rating. I spoke of the Comment, Suggestion, Summary technique for reviewing:

Comment: Your views on the mock, be it good and/or bad points
Suggestion: Your suggestions for further improvements
Summary: A brief summary of your overall view, followed by your rating out of 5.

The main problem here is that everybody is refusing to give it a chance. Now, because some are so stubborn, they refuse to change their mind about it.
LL
Lottie Long-Legs
I'm sure many of us can't be buggered with following a set formula for the way we comment on mocks. I know I certainly can't.

For those who want to, feel free. The only concern I have is that it'll make it look like those who use the commenting system have more weight to their opinion. I say carry on as before, retaining people's individuality in the way they post and comment - after all, it doesn't take Tony Hart to be able to spot the difference between a semi-decent mock and a pile of horse silo.
NI
Nini
tvfreak posted:
Okay. What - to you - makes a good mock, then? Name your points and I'll update that post.


Lee covered it fairly well.

tvfreak posted:
The answer to your question is simple. If everybody rates mocks out of 5, then the mocker can gauge the average mark they are getting. Sure, there may be some anomalous results, but that's not a problem. If people stick to their ratings and dish out fair ratings, it will work. People know who the more - respected - mockers / reviewers are on here, and their ratings - that will probably be decidedly strict, but for the better, will carry great value.


Ugh, can I honestly be bothered with giving out stoic 2/5 ratings all the time? No. Seriously though, I'm not one to stick to a system so anything besides a ratings system is ok for me, I'll miss making acerbic but honest comments before long if I went with it.

tvfreak posted:
The main problem here is that everybody is refusing to give it a chance. Now, because some are so stubborn, they refuse to change their mind about it.


Give it a chance? We did and eventually people got tired of it before last year. It's not something that works for everyone and I don't think it's being stubborn.

And in addition...

Lee S posted:
How VERY dare you suggest otherwise. *Wraps a towel around head and storms off*


Yes, my life is complete!

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