Inspiration...

Alexander Girard: Designer of Everything

The design challenges this week were recreations of Alexander Girard's Work. Check out this video about him.

He was only a designer...of everything!

Inspiration...

One Piece: Dracule Mihawk Wanted Poster

This is a poster I made while watching the Netflix show "One Piece" It features the character Dracule Mohawk.

MDM525 Week 2

Research The Design Backbone

Design research is the backbone of every good design. To start out, lets discuss what is graphic design anyways? Graphic design is when designers use visuals to communicate their ideas. It is not limited to images online. It is all around us. Anything and everything we use has been designed from print and digital media, (the images in your magazines, posters and billboards) the designs on your clothes, to the label on your favorite soft drink. Everything has been designed.

Just like you wouldn’t give out information without knowing what you are talking about, a graphic designer wouldn’t want design something without knowing the history associated with it. Graphic design research provides proof and reasoning for how design decisions are made and used. (Walker, 2017) Knowing the history of how designs were used before, will help graphic designers to make designs that meet their needs and desired effects.

Types of Design Research

There are many types of research that graphic designers have at their disposal. Interviews, case studies, client feedback, internet searches, all are great ways to collect the info need to create an effective graphic design. Staying focused on the user is key to creating a good design, whether it be a product or graphic element. (Admin, 2021) Graphic designers take this information and create personas to help them find their target demographic. They then build their designs to meet the needs of their target audience. If you are designing to be appealing to everyone, your message could get lost. Using collected data and personas help designers to narrow down their audience and create designs, that are clear, concise, and effective.

“Designers thrive when they understand what makes people tick.” (Admin, The importance of research in design, n.d.) Once designers have a persona built, it is much easier to get into the mind of the target audience. What drives that person to do what they do. Race, gender, age, political leanings, are all bits of information designers need to make their personas.

Case studies are another great tool in the graphic designer’s toolbox. A case study is normally written in the first person by the designers themselves. It is a detailed account of the problem the client has, the designer’s role, and the outcome. Even a bad design, makes for a great case study. It gives other designers a chance to see all the ways the original designer went wrong. This way the mistakes of the past can be examined in detail, so they are not repeated in the future.

Graphic designers are not alone when making designs. They are almost always working for someone else. Before starting any project, graphic designers will sit with their clients and make a creative brief. This helps the designer have a stable foundation on which they make their designs. Clients will help create a document to set parameters for the designer. This can be done in an interview or a simple questionnaire. Designers will then create their first ideation of the design and send it back to the client. Clients will make comments, giving feedback on what works and does not work in the current design. This goes back and forth until the design meets the client’s needs.

Though it can be a tedious task, design research is essential to making a good design. Using all the different research options available (interviews, case studies, internet searches and feedback) designers are way less likely to make a crucial mistake that could cost them or their clients’ money or time. That is why design research is not only essential, but it is the backbone to all good designs.

References

Admin. (2021, 03 16). Why is research important in graphic designing? Retrieved from Arena Animation Parkstreet: https://www.arenaparkstreet.com/blog/the-significance-of-design-research-in-graphic-designing/

Chitkara. (2023, April 7). Relevance of conducting research in design. Retrieved from ChitkaraUniversity.com: https://www.chitkara.edu.in/blogs/relevance-of-conducting-research-in-design/

Creative27. (n.d.). The importance of research in design. Retrieved November 2023, from Creative 27: https://creative27.com/blog/the-importance-of-conducting-research-in-design/

Garv. (2023, May 26). Kyureatives: The importance of research in design. Retrieved from Kyureatives.com: https://www.kyureatives.com/the-importance-of-research-in-design/

Mosiichuk, Y. (n.d.). Steel Kiwi: Why design research is important for successful product development. Retrieved from Steel Kiwi: https://steelkiwi.com/blog/why-design-research-important-successful-product/

Walker, S. (2017). Research in Graphic Design. The Design Journal, 20(5), 549-559. Retrieved from CentAUR: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14606925.2017.1347416

Week 2 Design Challenges

Required Challenge

This project helped to practice my skills using the pen-tool and anchor point conversion tool. Using Bézier Curves to create smooth lines in my vector images.

Optional Design Challenge 1

This assignment was all about completing the pattern. It also showed the importance of creating precise lines and lining up your graphics to not have any small gaps in your vector design.

Optional Design Challenge 2

This assignment was all about line width. Creating lines that have varying width sections to create organic shapes.

MDM525 Week 3

When working with clients, graphic designers need to remember that the client’s needs come first. (Chase, 2008)Designers need to be able to successfully figure out what those needs are. They also need to be able to communicate throughout the process and set up realistic goals in the mind of the client while simultaneously ensuring they meet the client's desired outcome.

Defining Client Needs.

The first thing designers need to do is set up a meeting with the client. In this meeting, the designer will ask a series of questions to get information to successfully understand what goals the client is trying to reach. (Blogger, 2020) Some clients will come with the goal of achieving higher sales. This is a good starting point but should be fleshed out more. Who exactly is the client's target demographic? After designers have narrowed that down their next step will be to create a persona. (Chase, 2008)A persona is a profile for a specific person. Through using pyrographic maps, the designer will get into the head of that specific person and build a design that appeals to them. It is important that the designer keep their own personal feelings about things out of the design process. They are not designing something that appeals to them they are designing to meet the needs of that persona.

Client Communication

Throughout the process, nothing is more important than communication. (Tsarielashvili, 2023) At the initial meeting, a few questions will help with this. Designers should find out who will they report to, what ways of communicating they prefer, along with any hard deadlines that the client is aware of. Designers should be sure to get everything in writing. This is for both the designer’s and the client’s protection. Not doing so can have costly outcomes for both parties. Being a successful communicator will also help in many other ways. (Blue Sky Graphics, 2022) Designers need to be able to communicate their process. Keeping the client involved every step of the way and getting constant feedback. (Firmansay, 2023) This will help to mitigate any future issues and help the client to feel more involved in the overall process and help them to claim some ownership in the final product.

Meeting Client Needs

As mentioned earlier, in the initial meetings one thing the designer needs to learn is what are the goals of the client. They need to be able to measure the effectiveness of the design or product they have created for the client. This will help them to know whether those goals have been met. Have the client’s sales gone up? Maybe they are trying to boost their followers on a certain platform. Whatever the case may be, designers will need some way of proving to the client that the desired outcome has been achieved. (Design, 2023) Managing expectations can be difficult, but with constant communication designers and clients will be happy with the final results.

Through communicating with the client every step of the way, designers will be able to stop any issues before they arise. Being able to manage client expectations and keeping the client involved, are not only the polite thing to do, but the right thing to do. Knowing what all the client is trying to achieve and having measurable results makes sure everyone involved is satisfied with the overall outcome. That is how defining the client's needs and communicating effectively will not only help you meet the client’s needs but to exceed them. This will ensure that the designers and clients are both successful and will keep both parties open to working on future projects together.

Required Design Challenge

This was a recreation of Alexander Girard's signature. the importance of this challenge was making sure to keep the lines as close to the original shape and width as possible.

Optional Design Challenge

This assignment was a true test of my patience. After 7 hours of failed attempts it finally clicked in what I was doing wrong. That being said I will not make the same mistake again. It has shown me I still have a lot to learn about motion graphics and working in After Effects.

MDM525 Week 4

Month in review...

MDM530 Week 1

When it comes to branding there are many things that go into making a successful brand. If you were to ask the average person on the street what makes a successful brand, you would probably get a lot of answers that people talking about logos. However, brands are so much more.

Brand Identity Vs Brand Personality

To start off, let us discuss brand identity and brand personality. A brand's identity is the overall look. (Ellis, M. 2020) “Your brand identity, is the manifestation of your brand personality, like your logo, your color scheme or the tone of voice you use in your blog.” These are the first impressions you get just by looking at the brand's materials. This ties in with your brand personality. Which is more the emotional connection your clients make with the brand. Is your brand a happy brand, energetic or maybe it is a no non-sense brand that sticks with the facts. These traits make up your brands personality. Brands that tend to be more successful learn to navigate not just their looks, but the emotional connections people associate with them.

The Human Connection

This brings us to the human connection. We live in the limbic age of branding. This means that brands are now, not only about name recognition, but they also make meaningful connections with clients. For brands to be successful they have to be able to make people feel connected to them. (Maximov 2020) “When consumers feel like they can relate to a brand on a personal level, they're more likely to become loyal customers. They want to support a brand that they believe in, and that they feel understands them.” People have evolved to have a need to feel connected. Normally this is with one another, but more and more brands are changing to meet those needs as well. When brands are done right people feel like they belong to a group.

The first brand I think of that makes me feel connected is Apple. It started out with a good product and logo but has moved beyond that. This really started with the introduction of the iPod. Though they are known to socially distance people by keeping them in their own little world disconnected from those around them, they quickly turned into a status symbol. Especially their earbuds. Before Apple, all headphones I had ever seen were black. Appl switched things up with their all-white corded earbuds. When you are out doing your own thing, you quickly feel like you have something in common with the other person when you see their white headphone cord. It gives people a sense of belonging and camaraderie. They really capitalized on this with their classic commercials. It showcased a shadowy silhouette dancing across a bright-colored background with their white headphones standing out. It gave the impression that you were a fun outgoing and energetic person if you owned a pair. It worked; everyone I was friends with quickly had to have a pair of their own. Though they have since ditched the cord their white earbuds are still a staple of their product line.

Branding for Attention

This takes us to branding for attention. One of the things brands strive for is being seen. If the consumer doesn’t see your logo, your product will not do well. We live in an ever-changing world. In the past radio, TV, and print were print were the main avenues for getting your brand seen. However, with everyone having the internet and social media accounts those avenues are slowly fading. Successful brands now rely on social media to market their products. The brands that do the best are the ones that use social media to create meaningful and emotional connections with the consumer. This can be increasingly difficult with people's attention spans ever shrinking. Brands can combat this by creating content that has an emotional spark that makes it easier for the consumer to create a connection with.

Though the landscape is ever-changing, brands are still able to thrive and be successful as long as they stay authentic to their personality/identity, foster a human connection, and find a way to be seen by the masses.

References

Admin. (2020). Type with heart for Southwest Airlines. Retrieved from Monotype

https://www.monotype.com/resources/case-studies/type-with-heart-for-southwest-airlines

Design, TM. (2023). Mastering brand personality: frameworks and examples. Retrieved from Medium https://medium.com/theymakedesign/brand-personality-8277a478e979

Ellis, M. (2020). How to create a stron brand personality (and why it’s important). Retrieved from 99Designs https://99designs.com/blog/business/understanding-brand-personality/

Martinez, S. (2022). How brands are driving better outcomes with attention focused strategies. Retrieved from Digiday https://digiday.com/sponsored/how-brands-are-driving-better-outcomes-with-attention-focused-strategies/

Maximov, Y. (2020). The power of human connection in building a brand. Retrieved from LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/power-human-connection-building-brand-yuliy-maximov/

Murphy, H. (2020). Building an authentic brand is about building human connections online. Retrieved from Forbes https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2020/08/25/building-an-authentic-brand-is-about-building-human-connections-online/?sh=6f2826611da5

Pec, T. (2020). Attention is an asset. Retrieved from Forbes https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2020/05/13/attention-is-an-asset/?sh=4b254ef23646

MDM530 Week 2

Your audience is key when creating a new design. Designers need to really know them when planning their designs. Who are you designing for? What are the designer’s audience needs and wants? How can the designer connect with the audience on an emotional level? All are questions designers need to ask themselves before starting any design work.

Determining Audience Needs

When trying to figure out your audience needs there are several things you can do to be effective. According to (UX Planet, 2018) “knowing the generation of your audience, studying the trends of your site, anticipating questions, study internet trends, and knowing your competitors” are key elements to determining your audience needs. Depending on the generation of your audience will dictate the color, font choice and imagery a designer will use when creating a design. Creating personas are a great way to get to know who your audience even is. You do this by collecting demographic and psychographic info. Then putting all that info into a semi fake profile. Once you know who the designer is designing for you can begin to anticipate the questions and concerns of the persona a.k.a. your audience. Once you have that done you can start to investigate the trends of your own site, and other internet trends. Lastly knowing what the designer’s top competitors are doing to connect to their audience, can help to give the designer a jumpstart in creating a successful design.

Connecting to Audiences Meaningfully

Once the designer knows who their audience is, they then want to be able to connect to them in a meaningful way. Pappas mentioned in his article there are 7 key elements to creating a meaningful connection with the audience. (Pappas, 2022) “be unique, honest and authentic, tell a story, listen to your target audience, speak to your audience directly, create a sense of community, and use humor.” Telling stories are great ways to make an emotional connection with your audience. When the audience can connect to the design, the more they will remember it and have a favorable opinion of it. Using social media is a great way to create a virtual community while also being able to connect with them and get instant feedback. Lastly, designers want to unique, honest, and authentic to the brands core values.

Defining a Brands Core

The audience wants to know what the brand stands for. Creating a mission statement and staying true and authentic to it, will help the audience to who you are and what you stand for. The brand will want to stay true to their core values, what they believe and stand for, if they don’t, they are likely to alienate the audience and have them loose faith in the brand.

When you know the brands core values and let them guide the brand’s decision making, you gain the trust of the audience. Once the audience trust you and connect with you emotionally, they will are more likely to express their needs for you to be able to meet those needs and be able to achieve the brands desired results and have a happy and loyal audience.

References

Berrecloth, R. (2017) Anatomy of a brand: defining your core brand values. Retrieved from Three Rooms https://threerooms.com/blog/anatomy-brand-defining-core-brand-values

Pappas, C. (2022) How to create an emotional connection with your audience. Retrieved from eLearning Industry https://elearningindustry.com/how-to-create-an-emotional-connection-with-your-audience

Saha, M. (2024) Brand identity and brand values: what is branding. Retrieved from MailChimp https://mailchimp.com/resources/5-core-brand-defining-concepts/

UX Planet. (2018). How to effectively predict what your target audience needs. Retrieved from UX Planet https://uxplanet.org/how-to-effectively-predict-what-your-target-audience-needs-e667bd5b6968

Wagner, N. (2024). What must you discover about the target audience prior to graphic design. Retrieved from Chron https://smallbusiness.chron.com/must-discover-target-audience-prior-graphic-design-70062.html

Zambito, V. (2018) Top four tips to genuinely connect with your audience. Retrieved from Forbes https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2018/07/05/top-four-tips-to-genuinely-connect-with-your-audience/?sh=8ef57961ace8

MDM530 Week 2 Mood Book

MDM530 Week3

Brand Strategy

Strategy is a key element of branding. But what exactly is branding strategy? According to Cloe (Merraro 2023), It includes your brand's mission, values, vision, target market and needs. To put it simply it is your companies public relations plan of attack. It’s the road map designers use to make sure everything that goes out stays true to the brands vision and mission and all the artwork used works together cohesively. Even with doing research and planning things out, you can still have issues arise.

Adjusting Your Strategy

The case study for Kinecta, does a great job explaining brand strategy and why you may need some adjusting. During the rebrand from NIX Check Cashing, the company wanted to offer new banking services to their clients. They initially changed the name to Nix Financial, they wanted clients to know they offered more services than a traditional check cashing service. However, doing so alienated their client base and their KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) dropped. When doing research, they found the majority of the client base didn’t trust traditional banks. They also spoke with clients and found other services they could offer like purchasing phone cards and money transfers. Which if they offered would mean they could capture some business and free up client time. They came up with a new name NIX Neighborhood Lending and rolled out their new services and client base came back strong.

Their initial strategy failed to take into consideration, who their client base was and how changing the name could impact them. After noticing the sharp decline in business, they did new research and spoke with the clients. That client feedback allowed the brand to course correct. offer new services that the clients wanted and find a new name that didn’t evoke the fear of big bank in the customers.

Brand Collaboration

Another component to brand strategy is Brand Collaboration. Brand collaboration is when two or more companies come together to produce a new product or service that will help benefit all the parties involved. The first good collaboration that comes to my mind is Disney and McDonalds. Whenever Disney releases a new movie, they partner with McDonalds to produce a new kid’s toy for McDonalds happy meals. They both are trying to capture the kid’s market. The toys draw kids to wanting happy meals while also advertising for the new Disney movie.

If you are not carful though and choose the wrong partner, it can have disastrous results. Bud Light set out to do a collaboration / Influencer Partnership with Trans activist Dylan Mulvaney. Though they were trying to reach a new demographic, they failed to take into consideration their loyal bases views on the issue resulting in a huge backlash and boycotting. At first they tried to let things play out but once people started boycotting they quickly stopped using Dylan and went to their more traditional guy buddy type commercials. Now over a year later, Bud Light ahs still yet to recover and they don’t suspect they will by the end of 2024.

In closing, brand strategy is a vital part of design and marketing. Designers will want to do lots of research and development, know what their brand believes in and values and let that guide their designs, and course correct as soon as issues arise or every few years to keep up with clients ever changing feelings.

Brand Vision Video

MDM530 Week4

I want to add that this assignment mentioned discussing links used in research. The reason it is not included, is that the research only backed up what these video lectures talked about.

MDM555 Week 1

Features Vs. Benefits

An important part of marketing, is knowing the difference in a benefit and a feature, and when to know when to discuss which, when trying to make a sale. According to (Abbott, 2015) “Features are statements about your product, for example, what it does, its dimensions, or specifications whereas, benefits show what a product can accomplish for the prospective buyer and answer the only question they care about, “what’s in it for me?.” For example Apples ear buds feature is they are cordless and the benefit is the customer no longer has to fight with the cord before using the product. Another example would be a camera-phone with the feature of a 32 mega pixel camera and the benefit would be crisp clear professional looking photos.

When the VW Beetle came on to the scene, they were already facing an uphill battle, being a German made car post World War 2. The marketing team really had their work cut out for them.(Rogalle 2022) mentions one of its key features was the ability to maintain 60mph even in extreme temps. However, I feel its benefit was a much better selling point for American customers. It was over all a cheaper option to other cars out at the time. This benefit was one the consumer would instantly see when planning out their purchase. Another case study I found was one on spinach a super food people should want to eat and the effect Popeye had on its sales and consumption in kids. Both case studies showed how benefits outweigh features. People are more concerned about what the product can offer to make their life easier. Having the engine in the back was a feature while befits included ease of access for repairs as well as giving more power to rear tires. Likewise the spinach case study talks about the health benefits associated with spinach, but its kids seeing how those benefits can come about through Popeye that really made them take notice of the super food.

Personas

Personas are infographics used to represent fictional people based on the demographic and psychographic details available about the consumer. The Consumer VW was trying to reach has a lot in common with the target market for Tesla. Both are reaching for the American family. You would think they VW wouldn’t do well fresh off World War 2 however its compact yet roomie design at a lower cost point meant that more people could afford the family car. Contrast that to Tesla It’s got an uphill battle not only are chargers far and few between they are priced out of most their target demographics price point. There are several other issues tesla has going against it the peoples fear in change moving from fuel to battery powered cars along with high cost in for repairs are sure to keep most people from even considering the product.

When working with personas they are great way to focus the design team on a specific target group. When setting them up you want to make sure to know everything about the target audience their likes and dislikes, their income level, even their age and gender all go into making effective ad. You may fit a persona, but you want to always remember you are not designing for you and your likes and dislikes. Having multiple personas will help keep you and your design team focused on what matters most…the target audience.

Writing Ad Copy that Sells

Writing effective ad copy is paramount. Once you have your target audience planned out and have created personas for them its time to start writing. First you want to come up with a catchy headline. You want to grab the reader’s attention and make them want to keep reading. Then you must come up with some persuasive body copy the detailed section selling your product. Lastly you want to set up a strong call to action. What are you wanting the viewer to do make a purchase, sign up for a mailing list, or maybe just follow a link. Whatever it is you don’t want to leave it to chance. You want to be sure to end telling your reader what their next step should be and make it easy for them to follow through. If you are wanting people to make a donation for instance, including a easy to use QR code the reader can scan with their phone will help you achieve your goal.

MDM555 Week 2

Voice and Tone

When you think about different brands, one of the first things you will notice is its personality or what its called in the marketing language the brands voice. The brands voice is its overall personality. How it comes off to the consumer. When you think about the Coca-Cola company, the first thing you may think of is happiness. Coke has worked hard at maintaining a consistent tone for years. Most of their ads are out around holidays or during the summer months. Its done specifically to have you tie their brand to happiness. In contrast there is the brand Volkswagen that has a modern classic tone of voice. It can be a little funny or at times even emotional but is always thoughtful and treats the consumer with respect. Both these brands have spent decades crafting a tone and maintaining it across all platforms to build a brand that is both well-known and trusted. If you do not maintain your voice/personality, you are likely to come off untrustworthy to the audience and lose them.

Next we have brand tone. (Duberg 2024) “Brand tone is the attitude in which you convey your message.” Tone if how your message comes across depending on the medium and situation. Like with people, their personality (voice) doesn’t change but will come across differently in different situations. In the Steve White Volkswagen radio ad. The tone of the copy comes off Friendly like they are a friend informing you of deals. That said the beginning part, the steve white song trys ter o come off playful but to me falls flat and is a little creepy. The copy feels on brand with Volkswagen, The song feels like it is more connected to the independent dealership.

Writing for Radio

Writing for radio is a little different. You don’t have the ability to show your listeners anything. You need to set the scene with sound effects and use words that paint an image in the consumers mind. The Monticello Media article media article had many great tips. (Admin 2024) “Use straightforward language. Write to the pace people talk. Include pauses. Cut any extra verbiage. Rewrite elaborately constructed sentences. Tell listeners what to do next.” When copywriting for radio be straight forward with your messaging. Don’t go off on any tangents. When writing for radio you want to have a clear call to action at the end. The whole point of advertising is to inform and persuade the viewer or listener to invest in your product or services. Be sure to tell them what they need to do. If you are a an animal rescue looking to raise money, don’t just tell them about the shelter and leave it at that. You want your message to captivate your audience and end with something like “ We are always looking for donations to help maintain our facilities and rehome as many animals as possible. Stop by one of our many locations and make your donation today!” The copy informed the audience of the issue, then ended with a call to action, telling the listener to stop in today and donate. You don’t want to leave anything to chance or waste dollars on ineffective ads.

In closing you want to remember that even though the tone may change from situation to situation, the overall voice should stay consistent with the brand. Whether writing for print, TV or radio, copy writers always want to stay consistent in your messaging. Consistency and authenticity are key to building a brand personality, that connects with the audience and stays true to the values of the brand.

References:

Admin, MM 2024) Writing radio copy that gets results. Retrieved from MonticelloMedia

https://monticellomedia.com/writing-radio-copy-that-gets-results/

Duberg, O. (2024) Brand Voice vs. Tone vs. Personality: Understanding the Brand Voice Umbrella. Retrieved from Frontify

https://www.frontify.com/en/brand-voice/Brand-Voice-vs-Tone-vs-Personality-Understanding-the-Brand-Voice-Umbrella/

MDM555 Week 3

Brand Trust

When thinking of different brands you trust, which ones come to mind first? For me, it's Apple. Apple is the brand I have bought many times. I know when I purchase something from them, it will be made of quality materials It's going to work like it's supposed to. And if it doesn't? They will make it right. (Brand Trust - Definition, Elements, and How to Build It | Amazon Ads, n.d.) “Brand trust is an emotional connection that shoppers have with a brand." Over several decades of being a customer, they have gained my trust.

Even the best brands run into issues from time to time. It can be a truly make or break moment for a company. In this week's lecture, we learned about Volkswagen and their emissions scandal, from 2015. The EPA had tightened emissions restrictions. When they were testing the Volkswagen, the cars were in a test mode, and it made the emissions results look better than they were. This caused the consume to lose trust in the brand. After five years, they set out on a new campaign. Where their first ad said. “We have broken the most important part of your vehicles your trust”. With that, they set out to rebuild their brand reputation. They're doing this by staying authentic and hiring aggressive climate activists that will answer to the top Volkswagen executives.

McDonalds is another that had to overcome negative views. In 2004. Morgan Spurlock put out the show Super-Size Me. In it, he ate only McDonald's for a month, if they asked him super-size it, he did. When the month was over. He went back to the Doctor and had gained 25 lbs and had increased his mass and cholesterol. When it came to the public's attention. It became a frenzy. Then starting a campaign. Where they revamped their menu. with healthy options gave out pedometers to get people moving more. Both companies listen to the consumer and brought forward ideas with similar goals in mind to the issue that de railed them.

Taglines and Slogans.

Taglines and slogans are very similar and easily confused. In (Tagline vs. Slogan, n.d.) we’re told, “A tagline is a brief phrase used to relay a brand's value.” Whereas a slogan is used to convey positive feelings about a brand’s product or services. Allstate Auto insurance has the tagline “You’re in good hands”. This as a great one. It’s short, catchy, and paints a picture reflective to what the company does. Taco Bell used to be “Think outside the bun!”. That was a great tagline. It was short, funny, and descriptive to the brand. They recently changed it to Live mass. A Spanish phrase meaning live more. Which is not as good as A tagline as previous ones. It doesn't really fit with Taco Bell other than being Spanish. When a brand gets its tagline right, it boosts the views of the brand in the consumer’s mind. If you don't get it right. It's going to have the opposite effect.

Public Service Announcements

Lastly, we have public service announcements. Public service announcements are short informative messages., Either on TV and ads or on the radio. They're used. To get the message out about something. That's easy to understand with minimal details. PSA’s are really effective at encouraging the audience complete a task. This will usually be in the form of calling a phone number to get more information or visiting a website. Like those. Make it easy to see if you're. The PSA is effective because you'll have. Numbers that you can track for both. There’re also some downsides to PSA's. They rely on donated time. So, you're usually at the mercy of the media outlet. The competition among nonprofits is also tight to get their messages out there with the limited donated time available. There have been many PSAs over the years, but the first two that come to my mind are the crash test dummies. Going over the importance of wearing safety belts in the car. The second being “You're not you, when you're on drugs”. These are two good PSA's. They hit their target audience well. They were reaching for the younger generation. These were both TV spots. That were ran a lot when I was younger. Younger people are usually watching TV the most. You'd want to use that as your medium over radio or newspaper. Just having a good message is not enough. You need to make sure that you. Put it in the right areas so that your target audience will see it. If you don't, you will not see the results. that you want. Some final thoughts from (Creating a Public Service Announcement (PSA), 2020)a PSA should be clear and concise, the message should be clear and reinforced with the accompanying Imagery and slogan. The Slogan should be one sentence or phrase, original, and age appropriate for the target demographic. Lastly it discusses finding the right medium. When picking the medium be sure to always keep your target demographic in mind.

References.

Brand Trust—Definition, Elements, and How to Build It | Amazon Ads. (n.d.). Retrieved February 25, 2024, from https://advertising.amazon.com/library/guides/brand-trust

Creating a Public Service Announcement (PSA). (2020, November 4). Purdue Global Academic Success and Writing Resource Center and Blog. https://purdueglobalwriting.center/creating-a-public-service-announcement/

Tagline vs. Slogan: What’s the Difference and Why Are They Important? | Indeed.com. (n.d.). Retrieved February 25, 2024, from https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/tagline-vs-slogan

MDM555 Week 4

Revisions

Week 1 Writing Copy For Print Revised

Week 2 Writing Copy For Radio Revised

Week 3 Writing Advertising Copy For Video

Optional Design Challenge Writing for radio 15 Sec Ad

MDM565 Week 1

Type in Design

When planning a design, designers need to pay special attention to their font choices. A font is the design of text (letters, number, and special characters like question marks). The font choice can make or break a good design.

X-Height

One element of typography designers should pay close attention to is the x-height of the fonts they are using. In my research I came across Material Design, a system of guidelines used by designers. In one of their articles (Understanding Typography, n.d.) it states “X-height refers to the height of the lowercase x for a typeface, and it indicates how tall or short each glyph in a typeface will be. Typefaces with tall x-heights have better legibility at small font sizes, as the white space within each letter is more legible.” The image below found on Wikipedia, is a great example of x-height. In the image, the x-height is equal to the mean line. The x-height will determine where the rest of the lowercase letters should end up as well.

Font Families

The next typographic element designers should be mindful of is font families. The Idea of font families came about in the late 19th / Early 20th century by Morris Full Benton. As seen in font.com article, (About Typeface Families, n.d.) “His premise was that typefaces within a family would share the characteristic of the parent design, but with individual variances.” Over time these variances would get names like regular, bold, semi bold, condensed. In the following image if the Helvetica font family. As you can see the basic structure is the same for each font shown. However, each font has a slightly different weight or thickness. Some other members not show in this example of font families include condensed (where the spacing between the letter is reduced) and italics (where the font has a slight lean as shown “here”).

Expressive Type

The final element I want discuss is the use of expressive type in design. According to Ina Salts (Expressive Typography, 2003) “expressive type, is type that not only communicates through words but also visually.” This is when you take a piece of text and change it to visually represent what the text says. There are many different ways of doing this. The first instance of expressive type was made by Herb Lubalin back in 1965. In the image below are three examples of expressive type he created. In the first he flipped the second “R” in marriage to represent their union. In the second, “& Child” is positioned in the “O” of mother visually representing that of a child in the mothers womb. The final example Families, the “i”’s have slightly different heights, and the “l” has a dot on to of it. This gives the Impression of 3 family members next to one another. In Figure 4. We have a second version of expressive type where words related to cats are used to creates the image of a cat. The final image Figure 5, shows the word Slime. But it doesn’t just read slime, the letter themselves, look slimy. As you can see, there are many ways of creating expressive text.

Works Cited

About Typeface Families. (n.d.). Fonts.Com. Retrieved March 10, 2024, from https://www.fonts.com/content/learning/fontology/level-1/type-families/about-typeface-families

Expressive typography. (2003, August 24). https://www.linkedin.com/learning/graphic-design-foundations-typography-22699113/expressive-typography

Understanding typography. (n.d.). Material Design. Retrieved March 10, 2024, from https://m2.material.io/design/typography/understanding-typography.html#type-properties

MDM565 Week 2

Art Vs. Design

How does the saying go “All Jacuzzis are hot tubs, but not all hot tubs Jacuzzi.” The same can be said for art and design “All design is art, but not all art is design.” In her article Suhad Says, (M, 2020) “Art is created to provoke thought and emotions in the consumer, to be appreciated. Art does not exist to fulfill any set specific goal. Design, on the other hand, has no room for awe or contemplation. Design has a set goal. A problem that it aims to solve. Design exists to fulfill a purpose, design finds solutions.” To put it plainly, design solves a problem, Art provokes questions. The question on whether or not art and design are the same may never be fully answered. I believe all design is an art in its own right. I can appreciate the time and thought put into a design just like I would put into contemplating any art piece.

Design Decisions

Though an artist is in control of all decisions they make when creating a piece, Designers will turn to data to help them make their design decisions. When Making a decision in a design its not going to be just based on how something looks. Though you do want it to be aesthetically pleasing, don’t want that to trump a good design that helps to solve a problem or perform a function properly. The UX Cam article states (UXCam, n.d.) “A design decision uses data to prioritize user needs over design bias. Understanding human behaviors through analytics makes it easier to create effective designs by balancing between user needs and business objectives.” Everything a designer can do to a project is a design choice, from the fonts and imagery used to the layout and tone. All decisions made for a good design will not only look good but also serve a purpose.

Types of Visual Hierarchy

One or several of those critical design decisions, designers will face will be how to get display information in a way that is easy to read and navigate. That’s where visual hierarchy comes into play. There are countless ways do break up information in to bite sized portions through the use of visual hierarchy. The Interaction Design Foundation says (What Is Visual Hierarchy?, 2024) Visual hierarchy is the principle of arranging elements to show their order of importance. Some of the ways you can show hierarchy is through Size and scale (The larger the item the greater the importance. , Color and contrast (Highlighting a key element with a splash of color to draw the reader’s attention to it.), typographic hierarchy (Using Font families, weight, and size to help distinguish what is important.), spacing, proximity(How close or far something is from other important info.) alignment (Does it align with other key information?) , repetition (repeating information more than once.), and leading lines (Does the design point to a piece of info in the design itself.).

Works Cited

M, S. (2020, May 7). The Difference Between Design and Art. Medium. https://uxplanet.org/the-difference-between-design-and-art-d9b293360ed2

UXCam. (n.d.). Design Decisions: How to Make and Justify Them | Guide. Bluespace. Retrieved March 16, 2024, from https://uxcam.com/blog/design-decisions

What is Visual Hierarchy? — Updated 2024. (2024, March 19). The Interaction Design Foundation. https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/visual-hierarchy

Design Challenge: Color, Forms, and Images

MDM565 Week 3

Elements of Visual Design

Understanding the elements of visual design and the principles of design is crucial for creating visually appealing and effective compositions. In this paper, we will explore how to effectively combine text and images while incorporating the elements and principles of design.

Combining text and images

When choosing the right image: select an image that aligns with the emotional tone you are trying to convey. Consistent with Envato (Tips to Help You Properly Mix Text With Imagery | Envato Tuts+, 2014) “text on an image can provide a more emotionally engaging and contextually rich experience.” Next, designers want to select the right font. Designers want to ensure that the font complements the image and is easily readable. When choosing the font color, make sure to contrast the text color with the image background to ensure readability. Adding layer effects will help to soften the image and make the text stand out as seen in the following image,

Elements of Visual Design

Understanding the elements of visual design is crucial for creating impactful compositions. In Mediums article on UX Planet, (Galvan, 2021) “Visual elements are the building blocks of art and design.” The seven visual elements of design are as follows. Line: Used for more than dividing content. It also helps convey movement while tying compositions together. Shape: create shapes using lines. Be sure to utilize software when creating symmetrical shapes and to ensure proper alignment. Color: Utilize color to evoke emotions and create visual interest. Value: This is when designers consider the lightness or darkness of a color. Form: This is for adding depth to shapes for a three-dimensional effect. Texture: This is for when incorporating a tactile feel or appearance in designs. Finally, space is for managing the spatial relationships between elements in a design.

Principles of Design

The principles of design guide the arrangement and organization of visual elements. According to InVision (Principles of Design, n.d.) “Every piece of design work is made up of design elements and design principles. When the principles are combined and used correctly, a design commands your attention and is hard to ignore. The design guides your eye through the story, keeping you visually entertained and engaged.” The 12 principles of design include: Contrast: Creating visual interest through differences. Balance: Distributing visual elements to create stability. Emphasis: Focusing on the most important elements. Proportion: Establishing harmonious relationships between elements. Hierarchy: Structuring elements to convey importance. Repetition: Utilizing consistent patterns to create unity. Rhythm: Establishing visual flow and movement. Pattern: Using repeated motifs to create visual interest. White Space: Allowing breathing room for visual elements. Movement: Directing the viewer's eye through the design. Variety: Introducing diversity to avoid monotony. Unity: Ensuring all elements work together cohesively.

In conclusion, by effectively combining text and images while considering the elements of visual design and the principles of design, designers can create visually compelling and impactful compositions that effectively convey their intended message.

Works Cited

Galvan, M. (2021, May 26). 7 visual elements of design. Medium. https://uxplanet.org/7-visual-elements-of-design-bbd56eb063e9

Principles of design. (n.d.). InVision. Retrieved March 23, 2024, from https://www.invisionapp.com/defined/principles-of-design

Tips to Help You Properly Mix Text With Imagery | Envato Tuts+. (2014, July 8). Web Design Envato Tuts+. https://webdesign.tutsplus.com/tips-to-help-you-properly-mix-text-with-imagery--cms-21575a

Design Challenge: Design with Type, Color, and Images

In this week's design challenge, we had to take what we have learned this month about incorporating text and images, to create pole banners for the holidays we chose earlier in the month.