My Infographic

In this lesson we had to create a infographic on a specific question that was given to us, from the survey that we took on classroom behaviour last week.

My question was 'Do you think that you should be allowed to listen to music on headphones while you are doing your own work?'

I created my infographic on Photoshop as I am more familiar with this software, and because I have used it before. First I went on Adobe Kuler: colour wheel to look for a suitable triad of colours. Here are the colours that I ended up using on my infographic, seen on the poster below.

After finding the colours I wanted, I did some research on Google images of other infographics, to gather ideas and to get examples of what Steve was looking for.

I drew most of this by hand and therefore no other images were used off the internet. The tick represents the 'yes, always' option and the cross over the other headphone, represents 'no, never'. Finally the tick by the picture of the girl, represents the last option which was, 'yes, as long as you can still hear what the lecturer is saying'.  I think these images do display each option clearly, even though the actual options are not written, but instead are presented as drawn images.

Secondary Research

Secondary research is when you summarise already existing research, rather than collecting data first hand, which is known as primary research. Check out my primary research blog post!

Here is the secondary research that i have done into Youtube. I have also included links to the websites where i got this information.

Secondary Research

Youtube is so popular because:

• anyone can make a channel
• useful how- to’s
• quick source of information
• can be entertaining
• people can eventually earn money
• source for gaining knowledge

Here is the link to the website i used to gather the information below:

http://addicted2success.com/success-advice/8-ways-to-create-a-popular-and-successful-youtube-channel/

How to be a successful Youtuber:

• how a reason for creating a channel, e.g. to entertain, to inform, educational, musical etc.
• take into account reviews and comments from the public
• have a schedule to when you are going to upload, as it can be key to staying consistent and reliable to your viewers.    
• interact with ‘fans’ ask for what they want to see.
• think carefully about the tags you put on your videos.
• do not post annoying spam on other popular videos.
• ensure videos are professional and edited well.

Screenshot of most subscribed Youtubers taken from: http://addicted2success.com/success-advice/8-ways-to-create-a-popular-and-successful-youtube-channel/

These are some advantages and disadvantages of secondary research.

Adobe Premiere Pro

Before this, i have never used Adobe Premiere Pro and was completely new to the software. However i have now learnt how to import and insert clips into the software and how to put them together, with sharp cuts. I have also learnt how to add visual effects to the clips including a black and white theme, that i used on my silent films and how to crop down the sides of the video, to make the film square.
This is a screen shot from my silent film, showing the black and white effect and the cropping.

Along with that, i have also learnt how to insert a soundtrack to add to the film, that reflects the mood of the clip. Also i can now adjust the volume of the actual film and the music, so that the dialogue is clearly heard and the music is not too loud, as well as muting the clip completely. Here is a screenshot showing the volume of my soundtrack from 'The Bench Scene' clip.

Whereas this is from the soundtrack in my comedy film clip, where i actually cut off the sound completely at various points.

I also learnt how to export the videos and how to upload it to my Youtube channel, so that anyone can access it. 

Infographics and Visualising Data

Infographics is a visual representation of data that helps the audience understand the information that is being presented, usually in a unique or memorable way.

In today's lesson with Steve, i experimented with different tools on Illustrator and came up with a few abstract images. I learnt lots of techniques including; creating spirals, wrapping text around it, using the swirl tool, inserting colours for fill and lines. Here is a screen shot of some of the images i created, using these new techniques.

Although this is not representing data (as this was a practice), this has helped me with my understanding of Illustrator. Also today i completed a visualising data sheet, where i sketched a few ideas of presented the information of a graph that was provided. Here are a few images that i found off of Google, which is a good representation of information that is more interesting for someone to visualise, rather than just a simple, boring graph or table.

There are many different ways of interpreting data, and therefore many different ways of presenting it. From very simple, to really unique and complicated, they are all more pleasing to the eye than the usual, very boring table or list.

Primary Research

The overall task was to collect information on Youtube, that will help us get an understanding of peoples opinion on the website, because we are eventually going to create our own Youtube channel.

I put together a questionnaire on Google Docs that i posted on the Facebook page, so that people can fill it out and so I could collect some results.

I came up with these specific questions because i first wanted to address the fact that some people might not have a Youtube channel or even know what Youtube is, so that was my first question. Also I also assumed that a lot of people that use Youtube don't actually make videos themselves and instead use it to just watch other videos, this was reflected in my results.

I wanted to find out what people who use Youtube were interested in watching and therefore I asked what type of videos are their favourite, so I could become aware of the brief area at which they like. Another one of my questions that I decided to use was a simple 1-5 rating on Youtube, to get a overall opinion on the website and to very quickly see if it is liked or disliked. 

Also at the end of the survey, I asked an open question and inserted a longer text answer box, so I could collect more qualitative data. Whereas most of the other multiple choice questions, give quantitative results.

Here is a screenshot from the results that I collected from my Youtube survey.

Primary research is a form of collecting information on certain topic. This is very useful because you have collected your own data first hand, so you know that your results are the most reliable they can be. It also means that you have not got the information from another source e.g. books or the internet, as that would be secondary research and sometimes, not as trustworthy.

Here is a closer look at the pie charts that I created, from the information i collected.

Quick, simple question which showed that most people do have a channel on Youtube.

50% of people use Youtube a lot.

This is more of a detailed question, where I did use the multiple choice format, however i added an 'other' option at which people could write in a text box. These are the results and again 50% of people watch music.

Above there are a variety of results, however the modal result was rated 4.

This question was to see the age ranges that used Youtube, and the results above suggest a very diverse audience.

To find out what is used more, however 75% of people still watch TV more than watching Youtube.

This was to gain an understanding of what people do in their spare time.

These results help me understand what people like best about Youtube and if there is a common theme, although the results showed more of a variety of reasons.

A list of other websites that people use, a common trend is that most people have at least Facebook as well as Youtube.

Here are some advantages and disadvantages of primary research:

My results show that the majority of people do use Youtube fairly regularly, however the common trend is that they do not actually post videos themselves. The videos that people tend to watch vary a lot, depending on their hobbies and interests, and therefore all my results are different. On the other hand only four people completed my survey and this is not a big enough sample to generate a really good, detailed set of results.

Also the type of information i collected was completely random, as i did not use any filtering which would determine who my questionnaire went to, because I just posted the link onto Facebook, which anyone could access and complete.

Word Posters

Transition- the process at which something is moved/changed from one position to another.
This is my black and white poster that I have created, using the word transition. I have simply copied the word over and over in the same font, but changed the colour to either black or white to make the composition look more unique.

Elimination- this is the process of getting rid of something.
This is my second poster where I have incorporated an element of colour, to make the poster stand out and less boring. I have used the word elimination and on each of the copies of the word, I have taken away some letters in a pattern, to show the process of elimination. I added to star behind the text to visually represent sudden elimination, also the black font stands out from on top of the bright yellow star, which makes the overall look of the poster more interesting.

Exaggeration- this represents something as being either better or worse than it actually is.

Here I have experimented with lots of colour, to reinforce a typical idea of exaggeration. Firstly I chose a pretty boring, simple font for the first copy of the word. Then I chose a fancier font and included a variety of colours and different icons surrounding the font, to really go over the top of how something could be 'exaggerated'.

Quintessence- a perfect representation of something.

This next poster I kept quite simple, however on each copy of the word I added something to increase the visually pleasing aspect of the word 'quintessence'. Again, I started with a commonly used, somewhat simple font, then added either colour, outlines, spots, or a  background, to show the development of something being represented, symbolising quintessence.

Importance of Media Management

Managing your media is very important because you need to be able to easily see and access the files you need quickly and efficiently. Making sure that they are organised and filed correctly, will help with the overall process of creating or editing a film. For example you would be able to clearly see where certain files/clips are saved, and that way you would know where everything is. Managing your files will also decrease the chances of losing important documents or clips, as you would know where you had originally saved them. This is because you have organised your sound, footage, soundtrack, etc in the correct separate files, so it is easy to find the specific elements of a film or project.

Here is a link to a behind the scenes video of 'Gone Girl' which shows the importance of media management. In the video, it shows you that more than one person is working on the editing process, at the same time as the actual scenes are being filmed, which saves a lot of time.

Comedy Film Clip

Click below to watch my comedy film clip.

This video clip was created on Premiere pro where I inserted all the individual clips and placed them in order, as well as adding a suitable soundtrack. I chose this upbeat, quite comedic musical soundtrack, as I thought it went nicely with the theme. I did however take snippets of the song and added it to specific parts within the short film, such as the beginning where the two actors walk in. Another example would be when the actors are talking, I chose to make the background sound quieter, so the viewers can clearly hear what is being said.

As well as increasing and decreasing the sound, I also stopped the background music completely at certain points of the film, which further gives a comedic element to that specific clip.  I left the transitioning of each clip the same, as quick, sharp cuts represents a modern, up to date film.

In conclusion, I would make sure that the camera is 100% focussed at the start of the clip, so the quality is the best it can be.

What is a grid?

A grid is a structure that can be any size, made up of parallel, vertical and horizontal straight lines. Grids are often used to organise information, so that the contents is rational and easy to understand. They can also help by being a structure guide for text paragraphs or even images.

Here is an example of a grid, that is most likely used by people in the profession of graphic design.

This is only one type of grid, however there are many different options used, including both simple and complex structures.

Here is an image I found, that demonstrates the fact that even the most simplest forms of structure are in fact a form of grids.

Grids can help designers because it gives them clear guidelines of where either text, or images can be placed. For example, you could want the main body of the text to end at the same time as the bottom of the image. This can easily be completed by placing both elements on the desired horizontal line on the grid, so that the layout looks neat and professional.

Here are some more images that show how a grid structure, has actually been used to create final pieces of work.

Magazine Text Analysis

Here is the first magazine that I chose to analyse: Vogue

 

 

 

The font used for the actual title of the magazine is very large and has a mixture of bold and thin on each of the characters. Also this particular font is quite iconic of Vogue, because they have kept it fairly consistent throughout the years and therefore it is really recognisable for the audience.

 

However this font is not carried out for the rest of the text on the cover, as different fonts and sizes are used for each sub heading/story. This is because the smaller font still has to be presented as clear and easy to understand and if the font used for the title was the same, it would look very scrambled and unprofessional.

 

The majority of the smaller text on the cover is even simpler than the heading, this is so that the hierarchy is first the image, then the heading, and thirdly the sub stories. The font used here is fairly bold, so it stands out against the background and is all in capitols, again  create an eye catching element to the magazine cover. 

 

The layout in my opinion, is quite top heavy because not only the very large heading is at the top, so is the famous models face and the larger sub headings of the first stories. Whereas nearer the bottom of the cover, the font is quite small and mostly quite plain.

 

Overall the font used matches together, as there only are two different fonts on the whole cover, but just in different sizes and styles. This is to keep to a scheme, which will make the cover appear more professional and high-end, as Vogue is considered to be quite a luxury and expensive magazine.

 

Here is the second magazine I chose to analyse: Empire

 

 

Here the heading of the magazine is extremely bold and large, so that it clearly stands out to it's audience. It also is bright red, which is iconic of Empire magazine because it is mostly used on all of its magazines, so that the brand is easy for the public to identify and hopefully recognise.

 

There are lots of different fonts used on this cover, which is quite unconventional because most covers have some sort of font scheme to stick to, so that the magazine does not look too cluttered. Although in this case, the fonts used is to represent each individual film that is being presented on the page, so the audience are immediately aware of the contents of this magazine.

 

The layout of this magazine cover is on the whole quite balanced, as there is large text at the top and bottom of the page. However there are not very many gaps on the cover and is packed with typography, which can look quite over-whelming and too busy. 

Leading

Leading refers to the distance between the vertical space in-between each line of text.

For example here is an image to demonstrate this, that I created on Indesign:

As you can see from the picture above, the first two words is what the original spacing was between the lines and the one at the bottom I have decreased the distance between the words, so they are closer together, although you can increase the space as well.

Leading is used because sometimes the wording can be too close together, which can be very hard to read and difficult for the public to understand. This is not very good because the whole point of branding and advertising is to make the audience aware of a certain brand, so the text used has to be clear and understandable for the public to remember and recognise a company or business.

Kerning and Tracking

Kerning is simply adjusting the spaces between the characters in a piece of text, this is used to achieve a more visually pleasing effect. It can also make the text clearer because some fonts can be too close together and when made smaller, can look very squashed and unprofessional. This is where kerning is needed, to make the text readable and clear.

Tracking is quite similar however it increases or decreases the spaces between the whole word/text, instead of just in-between each individual character like kerning. This can again make the text easier to read.

Here is the example on kerning and tracking that i created on Indesign.

I created this by simply clicking in-between two letters for kerning or highlighting the whole word for tracking. These are the buttons that I pressed after the step above, the top one is for kerning and the bottom one is tracking. Next I either pressed the top arrow to increase the space, or the bottom arrow to decrease the space. 

Type Family

Type family is a complete set of related type faces that have identical design features.

Here is an example of a type family:

These are all typed in the same font, however they look different. I did this example on Indesign and here is what you press to change the type, but keeping it in the same type family. 

Here are the options that you can choose from:

Branding and Guidelines

Branding is a really important element of any business. Branding is to tell customers what they can expect from your products or services. The main aspect of your brand would be the logo, colour, font, size etc. The impact brand has on people is very important as company's would want customers to associate their brand as being friendly, eco- friendly, have a good reputation etc.

The logo would also have to be eye catching, rememberable and consistent throughout the products or services the business offers. This is so it will be easy for the public to recognise the logo/brand.

Here are my monster posters that I created with Illustrator with slightly different fonts and layouts so I could pick the best one. I ended up choosing the third one because it is the most visually pleasing and would catch the audiences' eye.

I chose the large bold stencil font, as the other fonts I tried did not look as effective because the first one was too stretched and could be difficult to read from further away and the second one is too complicated and takes the attention away from the monster, which I wanted to be the main part of the poster.

The colour scheme I used I kept pretty simple by just using different shades of green because there are quite a lot of colours in the monster already and would look too busy with a colourful background as well.

The branding guidelines of my poster are:

FONT- has to be 'Stencil' because consistency is needed when branding successfully and this specific font is quite iconic of this film.

SIZE- the minimum size the text can be is 40pt and the maximum is 170pt.

COLOUR- the colour scheme can vary, however colours that need to be included are green and black. Also the actual monster cannot be changed at all because it needs to be rememberable and iconic of my brand.

MONSTER- the colours of the monsters are explained above, however the monster can be positioned anyway other that upside down because it will not be as recognisable.