When analysing your work or the work of artists and designers, it’s easy to fall into two common traps:
1.Simply describing what you see (“It has a red background…”), or
2.Jumping straight to opinion (“I like it because…”)
GCSE examiners look for writing that explains how and why the work is effective. PEEL forces you to explain your ideas clearly and connect them to the meaning, purpose or brief. When used consistently, it strengthens every paragraph of analysis you write.
P — POINT
Make a clear and focused statement about one specific aspect of the work.
This should be what you want your paragraph to be about — colour, imagery, composition, emotion, message, style, etc.
Example:
•The artist uses repeated circular shapes to create rhythm.
•The designer uses bold, high-contrast typography to grab attention.
E — EVIDENCE
Support your point by describing exactly what you can see.
This proves that your point is true and helps your reader understand what you are referring to.
Evidence should be specific, visual, and factual — not guesswork.
Example:
•This can be seen in the large black circles arranged across the centre.
•We can see this in the oversized, uppercase letters placed at the top of the poster.
E — EXPLAIN
Explain why the artist/designer made this choice and what effect it creates.
This is the heart of your analysis — where you show insight and understanding.
Ask yourself:
•What impact does this choice have?
•What does it make the viewer think, notice or feel?
•How does it support the message, theme or idea?
Example:
•This creates a sense of movement and guides the viewer’s eyes across the page.
•This makes the message feel urgent and hard to ignore, which strengthens the poster’s persuasive purpose.
L — LINK
Connect your ideas back to the overall theme, brief, purpose or meaning of the work.
This shows that your comment is not random — it contributes to a bigger understanding.
Your link might refer to:
•the artist’s intentions
•the purpose of the work
•the wider theme of your project
•the context or message
•your own developing work
Example:
•This supports the overall theme of movement and energy in the work.
This helps the design achieve its purpose of raising awareness quickly.
POINT
Making a Point (P)
•The designer establishes a sense of…
•A key feature of this work is…
•One noticeable design choice is…
•The visual identity relies heavily on…
•The artist uses ___ to communicate…
EVIDENCE
Providing Evidence (E)
•This is shown through…
•This is demonstrated by the use of…
•You can see this where the designer…
•For example, the inclusion of…
•This is particularly clear in the way…
EXPLAIN
Explaining (E)
•This creates an effect of…
•This suggests that the designer intended…
•This decision helps to convey…
•This influences the viewer by…
•As a result, the design appears…
LINK
Linking (L)
•This is effective for the target audience because…
•This relates to the brief as it aims to…
•This reflects wider design trends such as…
•This links to my own work because I plan to…
•Understanding this technique will help me when I…
Mid-Level Analysis
“The designer uses a limited colour palette to create a cohesive and modern look. This can be seen in the consistent use of three colours: teal, black and white. These colours help maintain a clean visual identity and prevent the design from feeling cluttered. This links to my own work as I also want to develop a controlled palette to improve the clarity of my branding ideas.”
High-Level Example
“The designer enhances visual hierarchy through strategic contrasts in scale and weight. This is evident where oversized bold lettering is placed directly beside smaller, lighter text blocks, establishing a clear reading order. This contrast not only draws immediate attention to the headline but also helps the viewer process information efficiently. This approach aligns with the purpose of the poster—to communicate quickly in a busy urban environment. I intend to experiment with scale contrast in my own layouts to make key messages more prominent.”
Reflection Example
One thing that worked well in my design was my use of a limited colour palette. This is shown by the final poster only using navy, white and one accent colour. Keeping the palette simple helped make the main message clearer and stopped the design from feeling cluttered. This supports my overall intention, which was to create a clean, modern look suitable for a youth audience.