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Posted on 28/10/10 01:25:14 AM

Paul Reiners
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Poster for a musical counterpoint software program

I and a friend of mine have written a computer program to teach musical counterpoint. The program is based on the book "The study of counterpoint" by Johann Joseph Fux, which was published in 1725. I've designed a poster for the software program. The poster is attached. The poster is based on the "Historical non-fiction" (06.0

example in "Art & Design in Photoshop".

I'm hoping people can critique it and tell me what works and what doesn't work.

Posted on 28/10/10 07:38:58 AM

Steve Caplin
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Re: Poster for a musical counterpoint software program

I like the feel of this, very textural and engrossing. A few points: first, the shadows are too strong - reduce the opacity for a less stark effect.

Is Apollo the name of the program, and 'A counterpoint tutor' the subtitle? Since they're the same size, it's hard to tell if this is the case. I'd recommend making the subtitle smaller to differentiate them. And lose that colon: this is a title, not a sentence.

I'm not sure about the quote from the unfortunately-named Fux: good idea to have a quote there, but is this the most inspiring thing he said? Surely every teacher would say exactly this?

My main problem, though, is with the choice of sheet music. Attractive though it is, the style of notation you depict is from a very much earlier era than 1725. By that period, music looked very much as it does today: this is plainsong, dating from a couple of hundred years earlier.

Very interested in the program, by the way. Where can I find out more about it?

Steve

Posted on 28/10/10 09:09:48 AM

GKB
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Re: Poster for a musical counterpoint software program

A couple of other hiccups with the sheet music is that the reverse side is showing through and the shadows are coming from two different directions.

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Posted on 28/10/10 1:27:47 PM

tooquilos
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Re: Poster for a musical counterpoint software program

Hi Paul,

This image has intrigued me all night. I love the feel of it.

I feel though the centre part is quite stark and needs some texture to it for atmosphere and interest….Ive attached how I imagine it to be like and what would attract me to it.

Another thing…you may want to review is the text on the top line (just above the illuminated K) of the image if you decide to go with this particular manuscript. This may be a bit of an issue considering Johann’s surname.

Hope this helps

Anna ☺

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Posted on 28/10/10 2:43:24 PM

dejá_vu
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Re: Poster for a musical counterpoint software program

I like the overall look of the poster but agree with Steve in the matter that text has a little "plain" hierarchy. (is it well written so?)

Apollo should be bigger than "a counterpoint tutor" and probably I would displace the subtitle to the right in one single block because now it's aligned in "flag" mode, so it seems like a "ladder" what makes a little more difficult to the eye to find the starting point of every line of text.

Also, I would move down and shrink the quote just a few milimeters, so that the end of the subtitle and the quote would't share the same line space.

And finally I think that "grantham-reiners" is written with a font that is hard to read, in contrast with the background. I would look for another serif font, a little reduced, with stronger shape, or something that would help to make it more readeble. No need to be so big if the font is clear enough.

Obviously, all this are only my point of view. Please accept my congratulations for the original composition that it's very accurate to the purpose of the matter.

BTW, which font have you used to the main text "Apollo..."? I like it very much.

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Posted on 29/10/10 00:39:00 AM

Paul Reiners
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Posts: 13

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Re: Poster for a musical counterpoint software program

Steve Caplin wrote:
A few points: first, the shadows are too strong - reduce the opacity for a less stark effect.

Is Apollo the name of the program, and 'A counterpoint tutor' the subtitle? Since they're the same size, it's hard to tell if this is the case. I'd recommend making the subtitle smaller to differentiate them. And lose that colon: this is a title, not a sentence.

Hi Steve,

Thanks for your suggestions. I've implemented the two quoted above and am attaching the new version. Making the title and subtitle fonts have different sizes makes it much more clean looking.

Thanks!

Paul

Posted on 29/10/10 00:46:29 AM

Paul Reiners
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Re: Poster for a musical counterpoint software program

Steve Caplin wrote:
Very interested in the program, by the way. Where can I find out more about it?

Steve,

The program is being written by me and a friend of mine at work. It is for an internal technology contest at the company we work at. The company is Pearson, which is both a book publisher (Pearson owns Penguin Books and DK Books) and an educational software publisher.

If it wins the contest, there is a chance it could become a commercial product. If it doesn't win the contest, there is a possibility we (my friend and I) could release an open source version (assuming we could get permission from the company). In either case, if it ends up being released, I'll let you know.

Paul

Posted on 29/10/10 05:45:11 AM

Nick Curtain
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Posts: 1768

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Re: Poster for a musical counterpoint software program

I have to agree with the comments above. The centre section is too plain and bright and needs some texture like Anna suggested. The manuscript is left indented, which makes the poster unbalanced and I have to agree that the title above the music is rather unfortunate.

For the centre section, would 'Counterpoint Tuition' be a better title and does the poster tell the viewer how the software links to the book?

Grantham - Reiners fights with the manuscript, which I'd change for a more modern script.

Posted on 31/10/10 5:51:43 PM

Paul Reiners
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Re: Poster for a musical counterpoint software program

GKB wrote:
[...] the shadows are coming from two different directions.

I've fixed it so that the shadow is only coming from one direction.

Posted on 31/10/10 5:59:18 PM

Nick Curtain
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Poster for a musical counterpoint software program

Paul Reiners wrote:

I'm hoping people can critique it and tell me what works and what doesn't work.

Well, they did try.

Posted on 31/10/10 7:01:12 PM

Paul Reiners
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Posts: 13

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Re: Poster for a musical counterpoint software program

tooquilos wrote:
Hi Paul,

This image has intrigued me all night. I love the feel of it.

Another thing…you may want to review is the text on the top line (just above the illuminated K) of the image if you decide to go with this particular manuscript. This may be a bit of an issue considering Johann’s surname.

Hi Anna,

Thanks! I'm glad you liked it! However, I copied the idea from Steve's book "Art & Design in Photoshop", so I can't take too much (if any) credit for it.

Anyway, I got rid of the suggestive Latin words. I can't do much about Fux's name, though. He did write the book that the software is based on, after all.

Attached is the latest version of the poster.

Paul

Posted on 31/10/10 7:21:54 PM

Paul Reiners
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Posts: 13

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Re: Poster for a musical counterpoint software program

tooquilos wrote:
I feel though the centre part is quite stark and needs some texture to it for atmosphere and interest….Ive attached how I imagine it to be like and what would attract me to it.

Hi Anna,

I added some texture to the middle part as you suggested and that improves it quite a lot. Thanks! I didn't make the change quite as dramatic as the change you made, but I think I changed it enough.

Paul

Posted on 31/10/10 7:28:34 PM

Paul Reiners
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Posts: 13

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Re: Poster for a musical counterpoint software program

Nick Curtain wrote:
I have to agree with the comments above. The centre section is too plain and bright and needs some texture like Anna suggested. The manuscript is left indented, which makes the poster unbalanced and I have to agree that the title above the music is rather unfortunate.

I've changed the center section so it has more texture. I hope it has enough now. I admit it's a little on the plain side, still, but I want to let this version sink in before I go further.

Now that I've created a different size font for the title and subtitle and added some secondary text, I hope it looks more balanced.

Posted on 31/10/10 7:33:29 PM

Paul Reiners
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Posts: 13

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Re: Poster for a musical counterpoint software program

Dejá_vu wrote:
Obviously, all this are only my point of view. Please accept my congratulations for the original composition that it's very accurate to the purpose of the matter.

BTW, which font have you used to the main text "Apollo..."? I like it very much.

I wish I could say it's an original composition but it's copied after the "Historical non-fiction" example on pages 142--143 of Steve's book "Art & Design in Photoshop".

The font is Aquiline Two, designed by Manfred Klein. It's included with the book.

Paul

Posted on 31/10/10 7:52:29 PM

Paul Reiners
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Posts: 13

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Re: Poster for a musical counterpoint software program

Nick Curtain wrote:
For the centre section, would 'Counterpoint Tuition' be a better title and does the poster tell the viewer how the software links to the book?

I'm not sure "Counterpoint Tuition" would be a *better* title. It wouldn't be a worse title, but I don't think the others would want to change the name at this point.

At any rate, I've changed the bottom line of the poster to tie the program more explicitly to Fux's book. The fact that I have a quote from Fux makes more sense now.

Posted on 31/10/10 8:16:03 PM

Nick Curtain
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Posts: 1768

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Re: Poster for a musical counterpoint software program

Paul
The reference makes more sense now however, the white text still fights with the manuscript and you have lost reference to your name. A shame given that you made the product!

My suggestion would be to confine text to the centre of the image and say:-

Apollo
A Counterpoint Tutor
by Grantham - Reiners

or

Grantham - Reiners
Apollo
A Counterpoint Tutor

Based on
'The study of Counterpoint by Johann Joseph Fux'

and leave out the quote as Steve suggested

Nick

Posted on 31/10/10 8:25:48 PM

Paul Reiners
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Posts: 13

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Re: Poster for a musical counterpoint software program

GKB wrote:
[..] the reverse side is showing through [...]

Actually, that's a characteristic of the original manuscript. I'm not sure I mind it.

Posted on 31/10/10 9:07:44 PM

Paul Reiners
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Re: Poster for a musical counterpoint software program

Some more changes. I tried to make the text at the bottom more readable by erasing some of the background. It's still not perfect, but it's better. I'm not sure I want to put this text in the center. I think that would make the center too busy. And I like the 'weight' it adds by putting it on the bottom.

Posted on 01/11/10 8:18:43 PM

dejá_vu
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Re: Poster for a musical counterpoint software program

It's included with the book.

Oops... I'll have to read it again. I owe a previous edition and probably I've missed something with the flow of time.

thanks a lot.

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There are men who fight one day, and are good men. There are men who fight a year, and they are better. There are men who fight many years, and they are very good. But there are men who fight all over their lifes. Those are the indispensable.

Bertold Brecht

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