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Reflection 7.4.1 Design Strategies and Motivation

Original Timeline:

Project Plan:

Final Timeline:

Plan Summary:

Human-Centered Design “means believing that all problems, even the seemingly intractable ones like poverty, gender equality, and clean water, are solvable.” (IDEO.org, 2011) Through this philosophy the average person holds the answers to the problems that surround them. From this thought process designers creating elements for a client have all the tools necessary to solve any design problem that should arise. Human-Centered Design empowers the designer as the ultimate key-holder of all solutions for the created design as it places the ownership of design research and solution creation in the sole hands of the designer. The theory behind Human-Centered Design is that the answers are already within the designer’s grasp by either looking within themselves or searching for the answers within the client. From this theory, all design problems are then solvable. Is this really, true? Can Human-Centered Design processes truly solve all design problems? This theory will be tested over the course of the next few months as the process of Human-Centered Design is utilized to solve all upcoming design problems. Over the course of the next three months designs will be created to elevate the Kyoto brand through Style Guide creation, to elevation of the video message, and finally elevation of the multi-platform website delivery.

Importance of Branding

It is imperative to create a cohesive brand for Kyoto, one that will not only increase its tourism within their desired demographic but to also differentiate the city from its competitors. Competitor brands typically focus on the beauty and aesthetics of the area, while this branding will focus on the allure of the mysticism and adventure that surround the city. The recipe for building and sustaining a successful brand resides in these simple ingredients: differentiate, collaborate, innovate, validate, and cultivate. When a designer successfully does each of these steps, then a successful brand is not just created but sustained. As Sean Adams states, “Branding goes beyond logos, brochures, and website designs. Branding is a complete system for communications a company’s unique message.” (Adams, S., 2015) The branding for the city of Kyoto is a majestic city filled with mystery and adventure, a city where tradition, spirituality, and folklore blend in such a manner to create an epic adventure for the traveler. The conveying of this brand message accurately is essential to the website campaign. As Pallotta states, “brand is much more than a name or a logo. Brand is everything, and everything in brand.” (Pallotta, 2014)

Kyoto: The Introduction

Kyoto, a city of mystery and majesty, where centuries-old traditions are so intrinsically intertwined with mysticism that the Voyager finds themselves entranced in an epic adventure. Kyoto welcomes explorers of all ages, especially voyaging families, through their fabled seaport. Rich in traditions on land and sea, the Wayfinder will never tire from adventure through this enchanted city. Youthful explorers will find themselves entranced by a city where dragons once roamed, while their parents mystically re-energize their spirits in the sacred temples. Kyoto, the city of enchanted adventure.

Campaign Voice

The voice of the campaign is vital. According to David Martin, “great brands are built over a long period of time with advertising that is faithful to product personality...lose it and lose the franchise.” (Felton, 2013, p. 94) Felton goes on to say that, “voice is the brand’s personality as expressed in language. Every ad and corporate communication should be true to that personality, the brand’s tone and point of view.” (Felton, 2013, p.103) With these things in mind, the voice of the campaign should be one of majesty and mystery. The voice should be not superior, but of care and concern. The voice should engage and educate the view on dangers not only to marine mammals but also the link of these dangers back to humans.

Mysterious was chosen to showcase the mystical aspects of Kyoto. The city is filled with rich history that is entangled in folklore and mysticism. This enchanted history paves the way for Kyoto’s viewers to create an expedition they could have only dreamt about as children. Utilizing the correct tone is vital and to ensure this one must equally decide what the tone is not. (The Logo Creative, 2018) Kyoto is mysterious but not scary or creepy. The type of mysticism that Kyoto exudes is an allure, pulling the reader into its mystical shroud. Mysterious is also tied to Kyoto’s spiritual path, which again is filled with mysticism. By using the tone of mysterious, this allows the designer to set the tone to one that is reverent, sacred, mystical, and enchanting. Through the usage of the voice and tone of mysterious, Kyoto is provided the ability to become a “vivid character, allowing its personality to come to life.” (The Logo Creative, 2018) In turn, this creates a dynamic for the consumer that stirs the desire to travel to this mystical land.

Style Guide

A Style Guide will be crafted in month seven to represent the brand of Kyoto. The necessity of the Style Guide is to create a document that will provide information to future designers or employees wishing to craft anything based on the Kyoto brand with a informative guide on what is and is not the Kyoto brand and how to cohesively represent the brand through visual and narrative elements. A Style Guide in its purest form has never before been created by the designer, therefore this will be a new and welcomed challenge to the designers current skill set. This is an imperative creation for the Kyoto brand, as this will dictate exactly how the brand is to be represented and utilized. Research via website research and lynda.com videos will be referenced in how to best create this essential document.

Video

The video element of the brand will be elevated in month eight. Through this process research will be conducted to determine the best way to visually represent the Kyoto brand. Initial designs were created in month six, however the elevation of this initial creation is vital to the branding process. The brand’s voice and narrative was given a much more cohesive and powerful tone in month five, however due to classes being taken out of order, the cohesive voice and narrative were not available for the initial video designs. This recreation of the video element is essential in creating the ultimate Kyoto brand.

Multi-Platform Delivery

In month nine, the website element for a multi-platform delivery will be elevated. During this time, research will be conducted in how to best deliver a completed website via multiple- platforms. This is essential as the trend for website usage is moving toward the mobile sphere with various screen sizes. A responsive website is imperative to delivering the proper branding.

Conclusion

Though out the next three months, designs in all three of the above fields will be conducted and the Human-Centered Design concept will be put to the test. Utilization of this design concept will further the design process, putting the designer in full control of solution creation. From this, the end of the three month program should deliver products and designs which not only solve the design problems but also elevate the Kyoto brand to a unique status amongst its competitors.

Ideation and Implementation:

Revision 1:

The project for this month is to create a Style Guide for Kyoto. The desire is to create a Style Guide that embodies the Kyoto brand with the specific voice and tone created for the brand and campaign. The Style Guide should focus on the necessary elements to ensure a cohesive brand message for any new designers or employees wishing to create something to represent the brand.

State the problem.

Identify your resources.

Request peer feedback.

The problem that is being faced is the best way to communicate the design attributes along with ensuring the Style Guide is different from other competitors.

Resources at this point are Lynda.com videos, Google searches regarding Style Guide creation, along with feedback provided over the previous months regarding creating a cohesive vision for the brand. The inspiration I have for this project is from several images from well crafted Style Guides on LauraBausche.com.

Please offer feedback on ways to help differentiate Style Guide from other brands.

Feedback for Revision 1:

Donalyn ManionFri Dec 7 @ 11:42 pm EST

Peer Review 1: Melissa Caraway

The problem Melissa is solving this month is to create a style guide that embodies the Kyoto brand that includes the voice and tone created for the brand and campaign. The style guide gives the opportunity to educate and document the elements that withhold a cohesive brand for the client on an on-going basis. It is a rulebook and lets everyone know exactly how to present the brand for a consistent message.

Even though a revision wasn’t represented in the post below are six key elements to help build a brand style guide (Nediger, 2018).

Brand story: mission, vision, and core values with personality.

Logo guidelines: proper usage of spacing, color, size, and do and don’ts.

Color palette: pantone, hex codes, RGB, and shades used in the brand’s core.

Typography: the hierarchy, styles, sizes, and specific purposes.

Brand voice: writing tone, key words, and voice that relates to the target audience.

Imagery: illustration and photography uses.

There are many ways to distinguish a brand from the competition but some of the ways that can help a style guide stand out includes what reflects the brand’s personality, promise, value and its main characteristics. Build and develop the story behind the brand and tell the world. Storytelling distinguishes the brand by demonstrating the personality, commitment and worth to the target audience. The focus should be on creating a brands story that supports the unique values that are different from the rest (Council, 2018). This is easier if you know and understand the brand voice and tone. By creating and including this content in the style guide will help differentiate the brand.

Revision 2:

Based on the review provided, more detail was added to the Style Guide for Kyoto. Upon review of Revision One and the evaluation of the critique given, the decision was made to add essential elements to the Style Guide that were missed in the first revision. While the Style Guide touches on the six essential elements of building a Style Guide (Nediger, 2018), two elements were missing, such as Kyoto’s narrative and voice and tone. Without the vital display of Kyoto’s voice and tone, it is impossible to separate the Style Guide from competitors. Utilizing the correct tone is vital and to ensure this one must equally decide what the tone is not. (The Logo Creative, 2018) Cummings further illustrates this by verbalizing that the essence of voice and tone is to “create an expression of the people behind the brand and set the design apart from the rest.” (Cummings, 2013) The reviewer even states that "by creating and including voice and tone in the style guide will help differentiate the brand."(Manion, 2018) Therefore voice and tone, along with a narrative were added to the style guide. The research was conducted to evaluate the proper voice for Kyoto and to create the ability not only to separate Kyoto from the pack but to also accurately reach their chosen demographic.

Feedback for this revision is requested in regards to elevating the Style Guide. Should the designer include examples of do's and don'ts for each element created? Would this add to the style guide elevation or create clutter? Also, should the guide transform from a single pamphlet to a magazine-style format?

Revision Three:

The goal for this revision was to include a photography section that eloquently displayed the Kyoto brand. The idea was to carry the branding of a majestic and mystical Kyoto throughout the visual representation. The photographs needed to represent the ideals of the Kyoto brand; it had to be relatable to the Kyoto audience. (Knapton & Schwartz, 2018) Imagery that specifically spoke to the adventure seeker in everyone, especially families as this is Kyoto’s key demographic, was sought to create the photographic display. The imagery not only needed to represent the branding of a majestic and mysterious Kyoto and inspire adventure seekers, but it also needed to represent one of Kyoto’s unique assets, its majestic and mystical waterways including the Kyoto Sea. The research was conducted via Adobe Stock for just such imagery to represent the brand accurately. It was decided to display the imagery in circles, thus allowing for dual iconic display, as the circles not only represent one of the key graphic elements the Kyoto sun but also strongly reference the mystical Kyoto waterways as water bubbles. In searching for the correct imagery, guidance was sought on rules for brand photography. Just as important as it is to find imagery that represents the above ideas, there are also rules on photography to avoid such as photographs that are of people staring, excessively smiling, staged, and most importantly those that show a cultural cliché. (Knapton & Schwartz, 2018)

In order to further elevate the Style Guide for Kyoto, feedback is sought explicitly in the area of usage displays, for example more diagrams showing how to display the logo on stationary, etc. Is this an area that should be explored or should more emphasis be placed on the do's and don'ts of the areas already created? Also, feedback is again requested on whether the style guide should convert to a magazine based style guide.

Revision Four:

The final revision for Kyoto’s Style Guide focused on the usage of proper spacing when utilizing the logo. It is essential to know the proper amount of clear space to include around a logo, as the clear space “gives breathing room to the logo, and shows the design in the best possible light.” (Youngs, 2016) Youngs goes on to further state, “while Clearspace is often underestimated, or neglected altogether, it really is a very important part of design. Utilizing adequate clear space ensures that your logo has optimal visibility and makes the greatest impact.” (Youngs, 2016) Through this revision, it is clearly displayed the proper amount of spacing to place around the logo for the best visibility and to avoid diminishing the brand.

Instructor feedback is requested in regards to elevating the Style Guide, in regards to expanding the Style Guide. Considering that even more detail can be added to the Style Guide, should it be converted to a magazine-style format or should the concise infographic style be kept as a poster version while another more expansive magazine or book format was created in addition to the original design? The guide at this time is image heavy, should more verbiage be included for a more explicit purpose and usage of the elements created?

Connecting/Synthesizing/Transforming:

This month was the creation of a timeline that would become the basis of projects to be developed over the next three months. In addition to the timeline, the first project of the three-month series was initiated, which was the creation of a Style Guide for the Kyoto brand. Research began with the exploration of the creation of an essential style guide to the focus of various style guides for cities and then further on to drill down to segments of specific features of style guides. The decision was made to create the Style Guide as an infographic which would be easily viewed in poster format. The easily displayed format would make the guide easy access for future designers or anyone seeking to utilize the brand elements. Utilizing Krug’s theory of usability and understanding his views that most people will only glance at an item instead of reading it thoroughly (Krug, 2013) the Style Guide was designed to present the elements with less text and a mostly visual format which was perfect for an infographic style Style Guide.

Problem Solving:

The problem that was trying to be solved was how can Kyoto’s branding best be showcased to other designer’s and city employees that would need or like to utilize the design elements so that the newly created or utilized items would continue to represent the brand. Trying to convey a majestic and mysterious Kyoto, a city that wants to inspire adventurers of all ages but most importantly families to its mystic city while making the information concise enough to fit on an infographic was a challenge in itself. The key to keeping the branding the same throughout and showcasing it in a manner that represented the brand was in staying true to the voice and tone of the brand. Ensuring the photographs, color pallet names, even down to the angry and happy dragons that represented yes or no, all of these elements carried through with them the voice of the nautical adventure spirit of Kyoto. Each element not only represented some part of the nautical, mystical, majestic Kyoto but was crafted in a way to inspire the adventurer spirit.

Innovative Thinking:

While the infographic styled Style Guide provides a fast visual guide for Kyoto, it also separated the Style Guide from Kyoto’s competitors. As seen from research when searching city based Style or Brand Guides, most guides are more comprehensive such as a magazine or book-style guide. By creating an infographic version, this sets the guide apart from the competitors by creating something that is easily referenced or hung on a wall. The Style Guide could still push the boundaries of innovation; however that will need further research and exploration to decide which direction to continue. One idea of how to further elevate the guide is to create a more comprehensive guide that will further detail all the specifics regarding design element usage.

Acquiring Competencies:

The competency gained in this course was the creation of a Style Guide. Until this point, the designer had never created a Style Guide or even fully considered all the elements that would be needed to depict a brand accurately. From this course, the designer now feels more confident in the ability to create a Style Guide and have it accurately represent the brand for which it is designed.

Future:

From here the next step is the elevation of the video elements for the Kyoto brand. However, even though this course has completed further work will be conducted on continuing to elevate the Style Guide and even potentially creating a more comprehensive magazine-styled guide. The knowledge from this course and this project is instrumental in the design world and in the position I hold at this time in the workforce. The company I work for has never had a style guide created, therefore taking the knowledge and skills gained throughout this course and utilizing them in the company I currently work for will not only increase my value to the company but make life easier for the designers the may come after me.

References

Adams, S. (2015, March 27). Foundations of Branding for Designers. Retrieved

from https://www.lynda.com/Design-Color-tutorials/Foundations-Branding-

Designers/363131-2.html?org=fullsail.edu

Council, F. A. (2018, April 26). 13 Content Marketing Strategies To Differentiate

Your Brand. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/

forbesagencycouncil/2018/04/26/13-content-marketing-strategies-to-

differentiate-your-brand/#ab9a9f0605a3

Cummings, H. (2013, October 23). Finding Your Brand’s Voice: How to Shape a

Tone of Voice. Retrieved from https://www.distilled.net/tone-of-voice/

Felton, G. (2013). Advertising: concept and copy. [VitalSource ed.]. Retrieved

fromhttp://www.vitalsource.com

Knapton, D., & Schwartz, M. (2018). Choosing & Using On-Brand Photography.

Retrieved from https://constructive.co/insight/choosing-using-on-brand-

photography/

Manion, D. (2018, December 5). 7.3.1 Weeks 3-4 Mastery Learning Project

[Online Course Comment]. Retrieved from https://online.fullsail.edu/

class_sections/33272/modules/120702/activities/779451/discussion

Nediger, M. (2018, October 31). How to Create a Brand Style Guide Like These

Top Tech Companies. Retrieved December 7, 2018, from

https://venngage.com/blog/brand-style-guide/

Pallotta, D. (2014, July 23). A Logo Is Not a Brand. Retrieved from

https://hbr.org/2011/06/a-logo-is-not-a-brand

The Logo Creative. (2018, April 15). The designer’s guide to Brand Tone of

Voice. Retrieved from https://www.thelogocreative.co.uk/the-designers-

guide-to-brand-tone-of- voice/

Youngs, T. (2016, November 07). How to Use Clearspace in Logo Design.

Retrieved from https://www.timothyyoungs.com/understanding-clearspace/

#fullsailuniversity #mediadesign

Reflection 5.4.1 Design Research

Vision Board Redesign:

The vision board design was reimagined entirely from the original vision boards developed in month three. While the board was somewhat successful for its purpose during month three, the thought process required elevation to offer better a narrative that will create a successful website campaign for Kyoto. The original board struggled with identity and narrative. Therefore a more succinct and cohesive narrative was sought, thus creating a stronger message for the city of Kyoto. Through the revision, only two of the three keywords remained in the new iteration. The keyword submersive was replaced with the narrative driven word, adventurous; this was done to improve the focus of the campaign narrative and keeping with the brand message for the city of Kyoto. “Branding goes beyond logos, brochures, and website designs. Branding is a complete system for communications a company’s unique message.” (Adams, 2015) The branding for the city of Kyoto is a majestic city filled with mystery and adventure, a city where tradition, spirituality, and folklore blend in such a manner to create an epic adventure for the traveler. The conveying of this brand message accurately is essential to the website campaign. As Pallotta states, “brand is much more than a name or a logo. Brand is everything, and everything in brand.” (Pallotta, 2014) Research and outside the box thinking via brainstorming was conducted to find the best creative and innovative ways to share this message. The desire was to create an original board that emulated the three keywords of the branding campaign: majestic, mysterious, and adventurous; to create a vision board that not only conveyed the campaign’s branding message but one that achieved originality and creativity. “To achieve originality we need to abandon the comforts of habit, reason, and the approval of our peers, and strike out in new directions. In the world of branding, creativity does not require reinventing the wheel, but simply thinking in fresh ways.” (Neumeir, M., 2005)

The color palette was expanded beyond the three original colors, to offer both deeper and lighter shades of teal and blue. The teal colors were used to harken the viewers' thoughts and feelings back to the sea that borders Kyoto. Teal also has historical ties in Japanese culture, as “the blue-green color was often referred to as “grue” in anthropological lingo.” Blue is also one of the oldest colors in Japan (W., S., & F., 2013) and also evokes a feeling of trust and strength. (Dougals, 2017) Because of the rich histories and the feelings evoked from teal and blue these colors not only became the face of the powerful sea dragon but also were incorporated into the background to create a feeling of the mysteries of the sea and folklore that are abundant in Kyoto’s culture. The blue and teal hues are also represented in the wave graphics that harken to the powerful and mysterious Kyoto sea. Further, the colors were utilized to give a feeling of power to the mountains that are a part of the epic adventure that is Kyoto. The red hue was tweaked to represent better the vibrant reds that are traditional with Japanese colors. “Red is one of Japan’s oldest colors found in “the earliest written history of Japan. Red came to be associated with authority and wealth, as attested to by red-sheathed samurai swords and ornamental combs. It also has ties to religion, as demonstrated by the red torii of Shinto shrines, whose shrine maidens are traditionally clad in red hakama 袴.” (W, S., & F., 2013). The color red also elicits a feeling of excitement and boldness. (Douglas, S., 2018) Because of the emotions rooted in the color red and its deep ties in Japanese culture, not only in history but religion and power, the color was represented in the letter of the logo not represented by the sea dragon. The color was also used as an impact color of the traditional Japanese sun looming over the ocean waves. Finally, the color yellow, or gold, was added to the color palette. The addition of the golden hue was added to evoke a sense of rich and majestic traditions and history (Douglas, 2017) which is true of the city of Kyoto’s history and its religious shrines such as the golden temple of Kinkaku-ji. The hue was further implemented by the addition of the graphic representing the “golden” city of Kyo in the background behind the logo of the vision board. The idea of richness and majestic was further pushed into the narrative of the vision board by the addition of the golden texture in the background.

The fonts were also completely reimagined, as the previous font hierarchy referenced a feeling of the sea. However, to best brand the vision board with Kyoto’s message of majesty, mystery, and adventure, the fonts needed to evolve to empower the logo. Each font was carefully chosen to represent better the strength and mystery represented in the hand-drawn lettering of Kyoto’s logo.

Finally, the voice and tone words were selected to reinforce the branded message of Kyoto further. Words such as alluring, enchanting, mystical, epic, and majestic were chosen. Each word carefully was chosen to represent an air of mystery and adventure mixed with spirituality, history, tradition, and folklore for the Kyoto traveler.

Original Vision Board:

Updated Preliminary Vision Board:

Wireframe Design:

The final mood board was used as inspiration for the wireframing process. The idea was to keep the feeling of adventure, majesty, and mystery alive in the transition from mood board to wireframe.

A wireframe sketch was completed “to visualize the screen-to-screen interaction so that the idea is something that’s visible and clear in user interface form.” (A., 2016) The sketch involved laying out five pages (Home, About, History, Geography, and Events). A designers’ initial response is to generate a website focused on tourism for Kyoto. However, creating a tourism website would negate the uniqueness that is sought after in crafting a site that showcases a city blended in majesty, mysticism, and adventure. The goal is to continue the direction of the mood board by correctly translating its emotions and feelings to the newly designed website. To ensure the correct translation, decisions were made regarding three choices: logo alignment, responsiveness, and social media functionality.

Further, the decision was made to utilize parallax scrolling as the most appropriate platform to use for Kyoto. The uniqueness of parallax scrolling combined with the theming of the website showcasing Kyoto’s mysterious and adventurous side while still offering a majestically awe-inspiring experience is just what the city ordered. Inspiration was gleaned from the website www.JessandRuss.us. Creative decisions were incorporated from the site to bring to life the idea of the movement of Kyoto’s sea waves. The swirling blue waves in combination with the separately moving elements on segment as the viewer horizontally scrolls to the end of the site, will provide the view with an element of mysticism blended with adventure. Further, parallax scrolling “can provide a nice, subtle element of depth that results in a distinctive and memorable website.” (Black, 2018)

After the formation of the wireframe sketch, both low-fidelity and high-fidelity wireframes were created to ensure the visual elements were being translated as desired. While low-fidelity wireframes can range from the initial sketch to the basic black and white computer drawn design,“high-fidelity wireframes are more refined and generally consist of quite a number of elements example, a logo, color scheme, images and other required graphics.” (Pal, 2018). While all three (sketches, low-fidelity, and high-fidelity) are all wireframes, it is the general consensus that sketches work best for innovating ideas, and low-fidelity is best for brainstorming amongst team-mates, while high-fidelity is often best for delivering to the client. (Pal, 2018)

Left-Aligned Logo:

First, the creative decision was made to left-align the logo. The decision was not merely based in aesthetics, instead of in research based on the best placement for logos. “Logo placement matters, at least if you want users actually to remember your brand.” (Whitenton, 2016) Research has discovered that viewers have a higher recall of a logo if it is left-aligned verses right-aligned. (Whitenton, 2016) Even though the data shows that it is is better for logo recall, should a designer still right-align to offer a fresh, unique perspective or something more stylish? Research data again does not support the choice of choosing any other option over left-left-alignment for the best logo placement. “The average lift in brand recall was thus 89% by having the logo on the left instead of the right. This is one of the biggest differences we have seen in user-experience metrics from such a small layout change.” (Whitenton, 2016)

Responsive:

Second, the next functionality decision was to create a responsive website. “Responsive Web design is the approach that suggests that design and development should respond to the user’s behavior and environment based on screen size, platform, and orientation.” (Responsive Web Design, 2011) Why is choosing a responsive website an important decision? Without a responsive layout, the designer would either need to create various layouts for each viewing device on the market or risk having their design poorly translated when viewing on various platforms. “Responsive Web design is also best for the user. Every custom solution makes for a better user experience. With responsive Web design, we can create custom solutions for a wider range of users, on a wider range of devices.” (Responsive Web Design, 2011)

Social Media

Third, the final functionality choice was social media functionality. In a world where everyone is connected to one social media platform or another, it essential to ensure websites are connect to their social media counterparts. Social media functionality is essential to “ensure that your online profile and strategy is consistent and all of your online platforms work in a coordinated fashion in support of your overall online objectives.” (Powerful Websites Made Easy, 2017)

Narrative Development:

Allow the allure of this mystical land to engulf you in an epic adventure where mysticism is blended with centuries of tradition. Lose yourself, as the emotional waves submerge you on the natural phenomenon of Amanohashidate, the bridge of heaven separating lagoon from sea. Become thrust into a transcendental state in an enchanted land where fire-breathing dragons once roamed. Feel mystified by the surge of dragon’s breath blazing up your spine as you embark on your expedition. Stand breathless, awed by the majestic temples and gardens on your journey.

Kyoto is a city immersed in both religion and folklore. So intertwined that throughout your voyage, you will feel as though you are navigating through a land of storybooks. Reverence and wonder fill you as you stand in awe at majestic temples such as Kinkaku-ji; while intrigue will electrify you at the sacred power spot of the Shimogamo Shrine. Navigate your way through this land where tradition and legends roam side-by-side.

Voice & Tone Choice #1: Mysterious

Voice & Tone Choice #2: Nautical

Kyoto’s picturesque seaside is shaped not only by “mythology but also Heian and Edo period history have influenced how travelers, particularly those who have grown up in Japan, view the area.” (Arinestine, 2018) Just as Kyoto’s seascape is important to its history, so is the importance of creating a nautical tone reflecting the seascape and its mysteries deep within. By selecting the voice and tone of nautical, the designer is allowed to “create an expression of the people behind the brand.” (Cummings, 2013) Showcasing the people behind the brand creates an element of originality and gives a genuine feeling to the brand by giving in tone something that is truly unique to the city of Kyoto and “sets the city apart from the rest’” (Cummings, 2013)

Voice & Tone Choice #3: Adventurous

As Cummings states, “It’s often the way we say something that breeds a certain feeling.” (Cummings, 2013) Because of this ability to create a feeling the tone of adventure was utilized. The desire to allow the consumer to imagine themselves on a once in a lifetime epic adventure. Inspiration was drawn form the above print advertisement by utilizing the raw emotion that is generated from the elements to create a desire for adventure not only for adults but also for families.

Kyoto: The Introduction

Don’t Make Me Think

Steve Krug’s concept of “don’t make me think” is an eloquent simplification of how to best make the designer’s website usable by the general consumer. His premise is steeped in the thought process that most consumers want something quick without intricacies and complications. As Krug states, “If something requires a large investment of time—or looks like it will— it is less likely to be used.” (Krug, 2013). This theory of usability can be seen in some of the website trends of 2018. Author and designer, Amber Turner showcases many of the website design trends of 2018 in her article “11 Eye-popping Web Design Trends You Can Expect to see in 2018.” Through the article, she discusses design trends such as non-distracting animations and removing pop-ups. Each of these web design trends illuminates Krug’s concept of minimalism in different yet essential ways.

As Turner states non-distracting animations will become a trend of 2018. “Expect animations and interactions to be used with more restraint and intention — meaning they add to the experience without distracting or confusing the user.” (Turner, 2018) As Turner states, “until recently, designers have gone overboard in wanting to animate all things.” (Turner, 2018). This rejection of over the top animations falls in line with the simplicity Krug calls for in web design. “One of the very few well-documented facts about Web use is that people tend to spend very little time reading most Web pages. Instead, we scan (or skim) them, looking for words or phrases that catch our eye.” (Krug, 2013)

This simplification and minimalism are also seen in the design trend to remove pop-ups and interstitials. As designers, we can thank Google for the implementation of this trend, as they have “recently announced that they would start punishing sites that use these annoying tactics in search results — for instance blocking most of the content on a page until you click the “X” button.” (Turner, 2018). The general consumer who wants to glance at the page for information, may become irritated by these pop-ups and move on to a different site not requiring the requested information or click. While this is not a designer initiated trend, it is a step in the right direction to offer a better engagement with the consumer. As Krug states, “faced with any technology, very few people take the time to read instructions. Instead, we forge ahead and muddle through, making up our own vaguely plausible stories about what we are doing and why it works.” (Krug, 2013) This concept is especially true where it relates to pop-ups. As stated before, the general consumer most likely will not read the instructions for the pop-up, but will either click whatever button looks reasonable to eliminate it or leave the website entirely. This, in turn, creates a decrease in viewer engagement with the site and leads to an undeliverable website message.

Krug shows us that it is human nature to glance over something, which is why it is essential to keep things simple in web design. By overcomplicating the designs, consumers go on to the next shiny object and miss the message that was attempting to be shared in the web design. Simplicity in message and design, as Krug demonstrates is genuinely the best way to not only gain the user’s attention but hold it long enough to share the desired message.

Synthesizing:

Steve Krug’s concept and theory of usability was an essential concept in the development and evolution of Kyoto’s web design. Krug shows us that, “if something requires a large investment of time—or looks like it will— it is less likely to be used.” (Krug, 2013). This is vital when implementing web design, as the ease of usability increases the chances of the site being utilized by the end consumer. From this concept, the design process was re-evaluated to ensure simplicity and ease of use were the main focus. While sounding simple, the difficulty lies within in creating a simplistic and easy to use the site while not losing the uniqueness that can separate the site from the pack of other sites in the web sphere. This changed many of the earlier concepts for web design, including creating a unique menu bar while the desire was still to create a site that would stand out from the crowd, by nixing the idea of a unique menu bar, this prevented confusion for the end consumer on where and when to click for information.

The concept of voice and tone along with narrative were other essential features in the development of Kyoto’s website. Utilizing the correct tone is vital and to ensure this one must equally decide what the tone is not. (The Logo Creative, 2018) Cummings shows us how vital voice and tone are to a brand by showing that voice and tone “create an expression of the people behind the brand and set the design apart from the rest.” (Cummings, 2013) This created the need to research further the type of voice and tone desired and ways to implement the desired speech patterns to reach the desired demographic. After several attempts to fully understand the specific voice and tone for Kyoto, a narrative was created using the crafted lingo to reach the desired end consumer. Through all of the research and synthesizing of the concepts of voice and tone, the design was made stronger by showcasing it on a level that sets it apart from other designs.

Problem Solving:

The platform choice was a significant design problem for the creative web design for Kyoto. While “society has been moving towards a decidedly mobile-oriented world” (Heisler, 2016) it is important not to forget the need for viewership on desktop platforms. Even though everything in moving mobile, the message would be lost if the consistency and branding were not kept the same on all platforms. This need for consistency brought about the need for responsive design; a design that would showcase the same branding no matter the platform. “Responsive Web design is also best for the user. Every custom solution makes for a better user experience. With responsive Web design, we can create custom solutions for a wider range of users, on a wider range of devices.” (Responsive Web Design, 2011) The biggest struggle in the responsive design is transforming the look and feel from a desktop to a mobile device. As seen in the mockups created, the responsive transition is more natural translated from desktop to laptop and then to tablet while leaving the phone platform often lagging. The design for Kyoto is still struggling in the best way to implement the responsive platform without compromising the branding.

Innovative Thinking:

Parallax scrolling is an on-trend design feature; however, it is not without its issues. “While parallax scrolling used to be a novel website feature, today, it can seem like every other site you visit has some parallax feature to be found.” (Moore, 2015) Even though this can be a major issue with parallax scrolling, the decision was made to utilize it for Kyoto. The uniqueness of parallax scrolling combined with the theming of the website showcasing Kyoto’s mysterious and adventurous side while still offering a majestically awesome experience is just what the city ordered. The fact that parallax scrolling “can provide a nice, subtle element of depth that results in a distinctive and memorable website” (Black, 2018) outweighed the possible issues with over usage. Also, the envisioned parallax scrolling will be tempered with Krug’s philosophy of simplicity. While these are integral steps in creating the desired design for Kyoto, the design still struggles with innovative thinking regarding parallax scrolling. It is unsure at this time which direction the innovative path might lead but will look for ways to change this in the months ahead with further understanding of the concept and how to implement it in unique and diverse ways.

Acquiring Competencies:

The three acquired competencies from this course are wireframing, voice and tone, and infographic design layout. Before this class, none of the three competencies had been utilized nor acquired. The lessons learned in not only developing sketch wireframes but high-fidelity wireframing have been integral in the ability to accomplish the requirements of this course. The ability to create wireframes will allow the exploration of design concepts and further the design process without having to wait for integral graphics or elements to be created or added for a design analysis to be completed. Furthermore, the acquired competency of usage of voice and tone will further “set future designs apart” (Cummings, 2013) from other websites by their ability to speak directly to the end consumer and reach them in a way no other design could. Lastly, the competency of infographic design will further future designs by providing the designer with an element to showcase their ideas to not only current clients but future clientele.

References

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Arinestine. (2018, March 23). Kyoto by the Sea. Retrieved from

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Black, A. (2018, June 11). 19 great parallax scrolling websites. Retrieved from

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Cummings, H. (2013, October 23). Finding Your Brand's Voice: How to Shape a

Tone of Voice. Retrieved from https://www.distilled.net/tone-of-voice/

Douglas, S. (2018, March 06). The Psychology Of Color In Logo Design.

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Douglas, S. (2017, January 05). Color Psychology: How to Convey Your Brand's

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Hauff, A. (2017, November 08). Color Psychology In Marketing: The Complete

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2016/11/02/internet-usage-desktop-vs-mobile/

Krug, S. (December 24, 2013) Don’t Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common

Sense Approach to Web Usability, Third Edition. Publisher: New Riders.

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Moore, R. (2015, July 22). The 8 Dying Trends in Website Design to Stay Away

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水、水面、背景、素材、テクスチャ、イメージ204078067

Reflections: 6.4.1 Organizational Structures

This month has been a learning experience in motion graphics, understanding the basics, how to best implement those graphics for branding, and how to use After Effects for the first time. The month started with learning about the basics of motion graphics and how to animate a logo. The ability to animate a logo not only increases the excitability of the logo but also further pushes the branding statement. The first two weeks were spent understanding how to create storyboards for upcoming motion graphics. Time was spent understanding how to share the brand story and message by animating the logo and keeping the story hierarchy succinct. Time was spent fostering creativity by spending time daily writing in story journals and then weekly evaluating those journal entries for story kernels. Week two found designers offering critiques to other designers regarding their storyboards and messages, while also pushing the design process forward by choosing whether or not to implement the information garnered from the critiques in the designs.

By week three the design process had migrated from the storyboard to the computer utilizing Adobe After Effects. Having never utilized this software before this course or created a motion graphic, the task at hand immediately felt daunting. The research was conducted regarding the various motion graphic animations and how to best implement those animations within a motion graphic for the desired effect for the brand. Various motion graphic techniques were analyzed for their ability to evoke emotion and tone along with their ability to best share the brand's story. The motion graphic animation Kinetic Typography was chosen for the Kyoto design. It was decided that the animation would be combined with the traditional Motion Poster animation, thus creating a new and exciting dynamic. The challenge was to keep Kinetic Typography as the primary voice and tone of the motion graphic and not allowing its influential voice to become drowned out by the Motion Poster animations.

Further reasoning for choosing the animation style of Kinetic Typography is based in the animation’s keen ability to evoke emotion and tone. While Kyoto has seen motion graphics with various animation stylings including basic Kinetic Typography, as of the time research was conducted none existed with the combination of Motion Poster with the emphasis on Kinetic Typography. Creating this visual element where Kinetic Typography was laced over, and in-between Motion Poster elements became a challenging quest to create elements that looked appropriate to the brand’s story without becoming cartoony. Week three’s design struggled in the implementation of the desired design elements, as most iterations saw the desired effects looking cartoony and thus minimizing the Kinetic Typography's voice.

After extensive research on how to use Adobe After Effects, along with how to create various realistic effects, and how to ensure Kinetic Typography’s voice remained strong when blended with other design elements the final iteration and storyboard were completed. The final iteration gave the designer a sense of accomplishment with a motion design project that would have never been dared before the course began. While skill level can still vastly improve, the designer is impressed with the level of understanding and knowledge regarding motion graphics that was garnered from this course. While this may without a doubt be the most challenging course the designer has had to date; it so far has been the most rewarding.

Week 1 & 2

Iteration #1 - Planning for Motion

The storyboard and designs are based in traditional Kyoto, Japan. Everything about these boards will evoke the emotions and traditions of Kyoto. The viewer is first introduced to a scene of blue skies and clouds. As the clouds move out the viewer is then introduced to the scenic beauty of Kyoto, Japan. The picturesque scene will evoke the emotions and scenery of traditional Kyoto. The research was conducted to find the exact image that could convey traditional Kyoto, while not either being too busy or singling out only one aspect of the traditional city. The picturesque scene will begin to fade to the background as the letter K - Y - and T individually spin into the foreground. Once the T has spun into view, the dragon will begin to fade in to view. The dragon is not only a symbolic creature of traditional Kyoto but will also create the missing O’s in the spelling of Kyoto. Once the dragon had fully manifested, flames will shoot from the dragon's mouth “burning” the other letters and changing their color from black to red. The scene will end with the picturesque city of Kyoto in the background and the logo in the foreground.

Iteration # 2 - Planning for Motion

The story begins by intriguing the viewer with a smoke-filled sky and Japanese style music playing in the distance. As the smoky clouds begin to fade away, the city of Kyoto begins to come into focus, but now sounds of a crackling fire can be heard over the music. After the clouds have entirely moved from view, a raging fire can be seen with the city of Kyoto in the background. From the fire emerges a fire-breathing dragon, bellowing a fiery furnace from his mouth. The flames begin to fade along with the crackling sounds of the fire, to reveal the Kyoto logo. The final scene depicts the Kyoto logo with the city of Kyoto in the background with only a soft playing Japanese style music. The scene ends with a pure sound of a gong.

After reviewing two critiques regarding the original storyboard changes were implemented to give a stronger focus to the message and eliminate confusion. Professor Baldowski asked two critical questions regarding the strength of the message, “Could the dragon breath fire first to reveal the name? Does having the dragon come in in the middle deliver your message strongly enough?” (Baldowski, 2018) After reviewing these questions, the design began to evolve into a more cohesive message allowing the viewer to be pulled into the traditional feel of Kyoto and emphasize the strength of the message of a traditional Kyoto. The design was shifted to bring the dragon more to the forefront of the message, thus cohesively keeping its key to the message as it is a key graphic in the logo. The idea brought forward by Professor Baldowski of “having the dragon breath fire first to reveal the name” (Baldowski, 2018) was implemented in scene four of the storyboard. Scene one through three builds the anticipation for the dragon, with scene four allowing the dragon to make his grand appearance. The research was conducted to understand how to best implement dragon breath and the resulting fire (Surfaced Studio, 2017). Further research was also conducted to understand how to implement the engulfing fire in scene three, four, and five. In order to represent realism as best possible, research revealed that “a good fire has heat waves and less smoke is better than more.” (Realistic Fire - Free AE Template, 2018).

As the reviewer, Lynn Larsen observed consideration also needed to be given to changing the opening scene to “have the smoky look be smoke and not clouds in the beginning as there is a dragon in the area. That way the city could be seen or obscured by smoke based on the dragon’s flames. The smoke then becomes part of the story.” (Larsen, 2018) The research was again conducted to understand the best ways to create a smoke-filled opening scene. (Vox Lab, 2013)

Furthermore, while the audio identity for the brand did not change a few sounds were added to enhance the storyline. The crackling fire was added to enhance the intensity of the dragon. The final sound of the gong was added to solidify the ending of the graphics and to further enhance the feel of traditional Kyoto.

After reviewing all of the information provided in both critiques and in the research on how to effect change with various animations, the research and discoveries allow for the transformation of the once simple traditional Kyoto logo into a dynamic and transformative engaging motion graphic that will transport the viewer to traditional Kyoto. The motion graphic will create such a unique visual experience that the viewer will feel that have transported to a simpler enchanted Kyoto, one of the legends and idyllic imagery.

References:

Baldowski, A. (2018, October 3). 1.4-Critique. [Online course comment].

Retrieved from https://online.fullsail.edu/class_sections/33261/modules/

106541/activities/696178

How to enhance your marketing with motion graphics. (2017, March 13).

Retrieved from https://rottmancreative.com/blog/how-to-enhance-your-

marketing-with-motion-graphics-20170313

Larsen, L. (2018, October 4). 1.4-Critique. [Online course comment]. Retrieved

from https://online.fullsail.edu/class_sections/33261/modules/106541/

activities/696178/discussion

Surfaced Studio (2017, February 20). Retrieved October 6, 2018, from https://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0xbBI6fUfE

Realistic Fire - Free AE Template. (2018). Retrieved from

https://www.rocketstock.com/free-after-effects-templates/fire-in-after-

effects/

Vox Lab, (2013, May 22). Retrieved October 6, 2018, from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zf3z60OSc7I

Week 3 & 4

Iteration # 3 - Ideas in Motion

Animation Style and Rationale

The chosen animation style is Kinetic Typography, due to the need for the animation to evoke strong emotion and connection with the viewer. Kinetic Typography is “the act of telling a content-based story through animated words, enhanced by illustrations, outlines, photographs, and additionally video.” (Henry, 2018) This type of animation allows the designer to “create emotion and convey tone where previously existed.” (Cousins, 2015) In order to bring to life a once static logo and marry it properly to the emotions and tone that are traditional Kyoto, the chosen animation style needed to have the ability to evoke emotion and tone with full force. For the viewer to feel transported to a mystical time and place that was old Kyoto, more than mere graphics were required. The graphics merely begin to set the tone while the Kinetic Typography married together with the graphics, audio, and the story will allow the viewer to transfer themselves to a land of yore mentally.

Story and Message

Kyoto a city of mystical allure, a city of legends, building on years of traditions and culture that are unlike anywhere else in the world. Stepping onto the streets of Kyoto is to step into the culture and traditions of long ago. While Kyoto has modernized, it has managed to keep its culture in traditions steeped in its rich heritage. This is a city that allows the traveler to fully immerse themselves in the culture and traditions of the past because those things are not just stories of what once was but are a living and breathing part of this modern city. Traveling to this city is like stepping back into time, feeling the mysticism and lore meet head-on with the traditions and culture of the past and present.

The motion graphic will not only convey the rich traditions and culture that is Kyoto but will allow the viewer to be mentally transported back to a time where dragons roamed, and legends were made. The pounding of the drums in traditional Kyoto music married with smoke clouds will begin to stir the viewer’s curiosity. As traditional Kyoto emerges, so does its fire-breathing dragon bringing together mysticism, and intensity and the dragon breathes its firey breath burins everything in sight. The intensity and mysticism are enhanced with the typography that appears in flames. The same flames that dance to the beat of the drums we met in scene one. As the flames began to fade away, the viewer is fully transported to the mysterious land with the appearance of the Kyoto logo. The motion graphic will end in the most traditional of ways with the banging of a gong, thus fully awakening the viewer from their trance and creating the desire for them to travel to the land they were just transported.

Connecting, Synthesizing, Transforming

Extensive research was conducted to develop this motion graphic. The research was explored in the areas of the execution of graphic design elements and in the understand and usage of the animation style. While more research is needed on creating a more realistic styling to the smoke and flames, along with the adding of Kinetic Typography to those elements, the research that was conducted allowed for a somewhat successful first draft of the motion graphic.

While extensive research has been conducted, further research is required to elevate this graphic to the vision desired. Further research beyond the initial videos such as fire-breathing (Tuts,

2013) to give a more realistic appearance is needed to allow the motion graphic to evoke the desired emotion.

Problem Solving

The main problem to solve was how to fully engage the viewers and evoke their emotions and desire to travel to this mystical land. It is essential for a designer to understand the how and why of selecting a motion graphic animation style and how it will impact their final project. (Blazer, 2016) Also, as stated by Professor Baldowski, “more emphasis needed to be placed on the why and how” (Baldowski, 2018) to allow the reader to understand the transportation of the viewer. The designer took note of these issues and elevated the thought process to show the connections and dynamics between the elements and the viewer’s imagination. The elevated thought process as described above allows the reader to understand the process and allow themselves to transport to the mystical city of Kyoto. With the elevated thought process and descriptions, further research was conducted to bring these elements to life. While most of the elements will need further research on how to best execute them in order to convey the desired message and story, the ones that have been implemented at this point were somewhat successful.

Innovative Thinking

Kinetic Typography is nothing new under the sun; as it has been around for over 50 years, it still has something unique to offer in the way of emotion and tone. Due to this innate ability, Kinetic Typography has been used “for everything from advertising and promotion to art to music videos to a storytelling tool for journalists” (Cousins, 2015) and has even recently seen a resurgence to

one of the top motion graphic trends. (The Top 20 Motion Graphic Trends of 2018, 2018) What makes this motion graphics innovative is its unique ability to marry the graphic elements with the Kinetic Typography. While Kinetic Typography videos have been made for the city of Kyoto, none have managed to merge fantasy with typography in a way that this motion graphic does allow for the viewer to not only be full transfixed on the movements to become lost and transported to that mystical city.

Audio Identity

The audio identity of the graphic is steeped in the rich traditions of Kyoto. The music that will be played will not be a relaxing tune; rather it will engage the viewer as they are transported to this magical city. The pounding of the drums will add to the intensity and curiosity of the viewer as they are transported to a land far away. While the final sound of the banging gong will awaken, the viewers from their trance to evoke their need to travel to this mystical land.

References

Baldowski, A. (2018, October 10). 1.2b Planning for Motion [Online Course

Comment]. Retrieved from https://online.fullsail.edu/class_sections/33261/

modules/106541/ activities/696179

Blazer, L. (2016). Animated Storytelling: Simple Steps for Creating Animation

and Motion Graphics. San Francisco, CA: Peachpit Press. Retrieved from

http:://ce.safaribooksonline.com/book/animation-and-3d/9780134133812

Cousins, C. (2015, August 05). Kinetic Typography: An Introductory Guide.

Retrieved from https://designshack.net/articles/typography/

kinetic-typography-an-introductory-guide/

Henry, P. (2018). What Is Kinetic Typography And How You Can Use It For

Marketing. Retrieved from https://videoanimationinc.com/blog/

kinetic-typography-for-marketing/

Trentemollermix. (2018). KYOTO city panoramic vector water color illustration

[AI/EPS]. Adobe Stock. Retrieved from https://stock.adobe.com/images/

kyoto-city-panoramic-vector-water-color- illustration/112706602

The Top 20 Motion Graphic Trends of 2018. (2018, May 10). Retrieved from

https://pixflow.net/ blog/top-motion-graphic-trends/

Tuts, J. (2013, October 23). Fire Breathing - No Stock Footage - After Effects

CS6 Tutorial. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=J8_knWzrdXU

Iteration # 4 - Ideas in Motion

Animation Style and Rationale with Changes

Kinetic Typography remains the chosen motion style based on the ability of this style of motion graphics to evoke strong emotion and connection with the viewer, allowing the designer to “create emotion and convey tone where none previously existed.” (Cousins, 2015) To best marry together motion graphics and the traditional Kyoto logo, the animation style represented needed to have the ability to evoke such strong emotions that the viewer becomes lost in the motion graphic. This logo style needs not only to have the ability to evoke such strong emotion but the capability to also blend with other graphic styles to create something new and innovative. This unique feature of Kinetic Typography will allow the viewer to feel transported to a mystical time and place that was old Kyoto, more than poor graphics were required. The use of motion graphics such as Motion Poster merely set the stage for the ever powerful Kinetic Typography that drives home the emotion of the motion graphic.

Story and Message

As previously stated, Kyoto is a city of mystical allure, a city of legends, building on years of traditions and culture that are unlike anywhere else in the world. The viewer is transported to a magical and mystical time with the smoky skies and a fire-breathing dragon, all while the beating of Japanese drums plays in the background adding to the allure of the magical land. The dragon’s breath speaks loudly to the mystical land, through Kinetic Typography each letter of “mystical” is animated as on a typewriter, all while swooshing amongst the firey flames. The ground beneath the dragon illuminates in the fire as the Kinetic Typography of “spiritual” and “mysterious” rage and radiate within the flames while eliciting animation style that reinforces the mystical elements of the scene. This sets the stage for the transportation to a mystical land, one where tradition and mysticism still reside not in spite of each other but because of the other. As the smoky skies fade and the flames subside, the viewer is transported to a tranquil, spiritual land of long ago. The viewer now fully immersed in the land where tradition, majesty, mysticism, and spirituality all blend into one voice is woken by the sound of a Japanese temple gong while viewing the transformation of the dragon into the Kyoto logo. The viewer, now awake feels the need to act on their now burning desire to travel to this mystical land.

While the message remains the same, the story has changed only slightly by placing more focus on the mysticism and mystery of this land. The viewer is no longer confused by the imagery of a dragon possibly burning down the city (Baldowski, 2018), rather they are transported to this mystical land via the dragon and his breath of fire to the tranquil and spiritual land of yore. The Kinetic Typography remains in place as initially visioned, however, with this new adaptation of focusing on the dragon; this allows the Kinetic Typography to have an even stronger presence than the previous iteration.

Audio Identity

The playing of Japanese drums not only increases the intensity of the fire-breathing dragon and all of the mysticism he entails but also through the simple background change harkens the thoughts and imagery of a traditional long ago Kyoto. This allows the viewer to become fully immersed in the motion graphic and engaging them as they are transported to this magical city. The final sound of a Japanese temple gong will awaken, the viewers from their trance to evoke their need to travel to this mystical land.

Connecting, Synthesizing, Transforming

Extensive research has been conducted to develop this motion graphic. The research was explored in the areas of the execution of graphic design elements and in the understand and usage of the animation style. Further research was conducted to understand how to best blend the motion graphics stylings of a Motion Poster with Kinetic Typography to allow Kinetic Typography to shine and not become lost in the blending of the two worlds. This was seen with the blending of the Motion Poster variations of the dragon’s breath and flames while seamlessly integrating the Kinetic Typography of the text that bounced through the flames. This allowed for the creation of something new and innovative as a blending of this style of Motion Poster with Kinetic Typography has not been produced for this mystical city. Care was taken to ensure that the Kinetic Typography stood out amongst the other animations and was the strongest elements in the scenes.

Problem Solving

The original iteration lacked the ability for the viewer to understand that Kinetic Typography was the lead graphic animation (Baldowski, 2018) while also failing to offer a clear story to the viewer as to the transportation to the magical land via the fire-breathing dragon (Baldowski, 2018) It is essential for a designer to understand the how and why of selecting a motion graphic animation style and how it will impact their final project. (Blazer, 2016) Design elements were further researched to understand how to combine various animation styles with Kinetic Typography best while not losing the uniqueness of Kinetic Typography’s voice in the process of blending the styles. Further research was conducted to understand how to best emphasis and gain the full power of Kinetic Typography within the motion graphic.

Further analysis was given on how to best tell the story of Kyoto and how to animation should proceed without creating confusion or giving any “jarring” elements. (Baldowski, 2018) To ensure the story was told in the best way to highlight the uniqueness of Kyoto, consideration was given to separating scenes where the fire-breathing dragon and the tranquil city of Kyoto intermingled. The separation of these two elements allowed for a stronger presentation and motion graphic, thus allowing the viewer to become transported to this mystical land of yore.

Innovative Thinking

one of the top motion graphic trends. (The Top 20 Motion Graphic Trends of 2018, 2018) What makes this motion graphics innovative is its unique ability to marry the graphic elements with the Kinetic Typography. Basic Kinetic Typography and various other animation styled motion graphics have been created to depict the city of Kyoto. However, none have been crafted to offer the unique compilation of Motion Poster animation with the strength of Kinetic Typography. This blending of the two motion graphics styles while keeping the emphasis on Kinetic Typography and allowing the strength and emotion of its voice to continue through the graphic, allowed this motion graphic to go beyond creations that have been created in the past. Thus successfully merging fantasy with typography in a way that allows the viewer to become lost in the motion graphic and become transported to the mystical land of Kyoto.

References

Baldowski, A. (2018, October 18). 2.2a Planning for Motion [Online Course

Comment]. Retrieved from https://online.fullsail.edu/class_sections/

33261/modules/106542/activities/696186

Blazer, L. (2016). Animated Storytelling: Simple Steps for Creating Animation

and Motion Graphics. San Francisco, CA: Peachpit Press.

Retrieved from http:://ce.safaribooksonline.com/book/

animation-and-3d/9780134133812

Cousins, C. (2015, August 05). Kinetic Typography: An Introductory Guide.

Retrieved from https://designshack.net/articles/typography/kinetic-

typography-an-introductory-guide/

Henry, P. (2018). What Is Kinetic Typography And How You Can Use It For

Marketing. Retrieved from https://videoanimationinc.com/blog/kinetic-

typography-for-marketing/

The Top 20 Motion Graphic Trends of 2018. (2018, May 10). Retrieved from

https://pixflow.net/blog/top-motion-graphic-trends/

#fullsailuniversity #organizationalstructures #motiongraphics

Reflections: 4.4.1 Effective Copywriting

This class has been an intensive writing course, which easily scares someone who is not a fan of waiting, such as myself. I loved creative writing through my freshman year of college, and I do not remember the catalyst for change, but since that time I have dreaded every paper or speech I have ever had to write. I procrastinate, as writer’s block sets in and grabs hold. I have tried every method and even those offered by the professor at the beginning of this course but to no avail. I remain mortified when it is time to write. Writing is not my comfort zone, but just as Felton has stated good copywriting only comes from “studying good copywriters” (Felton, 2013, p.113) so with that I have practiced reading and writing good copywriting. I have created swipe files and studied what makes good ads and what makes bad ones. I have furthered my understanding by watching lynda.com courses by both Craig Smallish and Ian Lurie on creating good designs and copy. After all of the studying and writing that I have been involved with this course, I hope that I have come out the other end a better writer than I began. I still need vast improvement, but one day I hope to have the creativity and desire to write as I did in my youth.

Our first project was to create three concept ads for the non-profit we had previously selected. To accomplish this we first had to study the non-profit, understand their history, what made them different from their competitors, and what they needed for a campaign. Marine Mammal Center was the non-profit I chose. After conducting research and learning about their history, one of the most significant items that set them apart from their competitors was their research on sea lion cancer and their Cancer Consortium.

Once the research was completed, we had to find their target audience. From the target audience, we created two personas of the desired audience. These personas allow the designer to give a voice to the campaign. Persona A was a highly educated mother who is active and loves the outdoors and from that her desire to have a safe future for her children will connect her to a campaign that shows the cancer link between urogenital sea lion cancer and cancers in humans. The same with Persona B, she is also a lover of all things nature and finds her happy place at the ocean, but her differentiation is she is a young eighteen to twenty-two-year-old that is currently in college. Her innate curiosity and willingness to question everything around her combined with her love of nature and the ocean, will make her another champion of Marine Mammal Center as she will do everything in her power to understand not only the why and how of the cancer link but also fight to stop pollution and the creation of toxins that lead to this awful disease. By understanding both of these two personas, we can create an add that will not only reach both of these target audiences but also create an effective campaign that speaks to their core and creates engagement.

From there six initial sketches were created for the educational ad:

Ironic:

The leaping dolphin is weighted down by a mound of trash in the shape of an anchor. The dolphin is also morphing into the trash, with it's facing the only thing remaining as a dolphin. The headline would read: Toss it in, what will it hurt? This design would be Ironic (Felton, 2013, p. 245) as it plays off the who cares attitude that leads to ocean pollution while showing the destruction of the ocean’s marine life.

Just Plain Folks

The ad is a sea lion being suffocated by human hands holding a grocery bag. The headline would read:caaaaaan’t … BREATHE! While the body would discuss how buying plastic equates the user to an animal serial killer. By Felton’s description (Fenton, 2013, p. 246) the ad would be considered Just Plain Folks, as the ad shows that just your average day person can become a killer of marine life.

Unreal

The ad is written from the perspective of the chemotherapy bag. The body of the ad will be in the chemo bag’s voice discussing how it wasn’t created for marine life but has to do its part to save the oceans since humans are destroying it. According to the text (Felton, 2013, p. 245-246), this ad would be classified as Unreal, as the speaker is an inanimate object discussing its role in saving sea lions while bringing awareness to urological cancer in sea lions.

Celebrity

This ad showcases a celebrity spokesperson (Felton, 2013, p. 243) Ariel, from Disney’s The Little Mermaid. Ariel speaks to the audience not only as a fan of the ocean but also as an expert as she is also a marine mammal living in the polluted water. The body of the ad would be based around Ariel saving Flounder from being trapped in ocean trash, and the call to action would be to Save Flounder.

Expert

The ad features a very sad and upset sea lion that is protesting the destruction of his home. With his flipper, he holds up his protest sign. According to the Felton (Felton, 2013, p. 241 ), the ad uses an expert to discuss the harm of ocean pollution. The body of the ad is written in the sea lion expert’s voice, discussing the destruction of his home.

Extreme User

In this ad, the voice is given to the Extreme User (Felton, 2013, p. 241). The sea lion is the extreme user as he does not only reside in the polluted ocean but is now sick and receiving chemotherapy due to his living conditions. The idea of a sea lion in a surgical mask is to evoke the understanding of the harm created to marine life due to pollution.

Final three comps:

Several changes have been implemented since the original conceptualization sketches for these ads were created. From the initial sketches that focused primarily on pollution, the ad campaign had shifted to an educational format informing the viewers of the toxins produced from pollution that creates cancer in sea lions. The ads are meant to open the eyes of the viewer to the increase in cancer rates amongst sea lions along with the connection between toxins and the cancer gene connection that links cancers in both sea mammals and humans. These changes were brought about to focus on the research and scientific advancements at Marine Mammal Center and their Sea Lion Cancer Consortium.

The first design saw the elimination of the second graphic. While the graphic contained an abundance of data on pollution, as recommended by the course professor, the inclusion of both graphics created a split ad instead of one in unison. The graphic showing the trash floating in the water was selected as the main graphic to focus on cancerous toxins in the water. The headline of the ad was also changed giving a solid focus to the carcinogenic toxins found in the sea due to pollution. Next, the testimonial regarding the toxins and urogenital cancer was moved over the plastic bag floating in the ocean to emphasize the connection between the toxins and plastic and trash. Finally, a call to action was added, as this was missing from the first draft.

The second design again saw the deletion of a second graphic. The graphic that was removed was one with the sea lion covered in trash, while this graphic was impactful it wasn’t as impactful as the one with the sea lion swimming. The swimming sea lion graphic was repositioned to show the sea lion staring at the viewer. The headline remained the same, although the positioning was moved to place to emulate the sea lion asking the question. The body of the ad was not altered either, but again the positioning text was moved to underneath the sea lion, again giving the illusion that these are his words. Then finally, the call to action was added, which was also missing from the original ad.

The third ad was minimally modified. The headline was changed to give an impactful call to the viewer to choose life for these animals versus the overused phrase “pollutions kills.” The body of the ad lost a single line that did not add to the impact of the ad and also saw the relocation of the text to the left side of the advertisement for visual appeal. Finally, a call to action was added, which was again missing from the original ad.

The design changes overall, font, text effects, graphics, and text placement, add to the creation of impactful educational ads that reach the viewer in understanding what differentiates Marine Mammal Center from the other ocean charities. To give the impact to these ads that was necessary, consideration was given to both the use of grids and to George Felton’s rules of creating good copy (Felton, 2013, p. 118 ). The ads, while they could still use some revisions, give a solid message showing the viewer the importance of Marine Mammal Center and their work.

After completing all of the research and work for this course I have three main takeaways that I plan to implement throughout not only this course but my career. First is swipe files, I plan to continually grow my swipe file ever pushing the envelope in evaluating what good and bad copy are and how I can change my ideas for the better. The second takeaway is taglines and how to craft and use them. I want to become better at creating those catchy little taglines that add emphasis and creativity to what the organization is based upon. Then finally, I want to improve my writing skills even more and to do that I must read more. I have become lacking in that regard in the age of movies and social media to pick up a book unless I had to rarely, but I need to challenge myself especially if I want to write good copy, so it is time to pick up those books again and read. I have thoroughly enjoyed this course and appreciated how it has challenged me and pushed me further outside of my comfort zone.

References:

Felton, G. (2013). Advertising: concept and copy. [VitalSource ed.]. Retrieved

from http://www.vitalsource.com

Target Audience

Professor Critique

Content and Organization 60/60

Made careful choices that make sense in the context of the criteria. Demonstrated mastery of the assignment through understanding of related material. Developed and communicated own perspective, hypothesis and conclusion that accomplished the purpose of the assignment.

Problem-Solving 20/20

Demonstrated and utilized exceptional problem-solving skills. Established and maintained clear focus; Depth and complexity of ideas supported by rich, engaging, and or pertinent details; evidence of analysis, reflection and insight.

Grammar/Mechanics 20/20

All posts are clearly expressed in complete sentences using proper English with no spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors.

Timeliness

Deductions for missed deadlines is 10 points per day from the assignment grade. Nothing is accepted over 3 days late (Note: Late submissions can also negatively impact GPS scores).

Outstanding work developing the personas for Marine Mammal Center, Melissa. You have a strong handle on your target audience as demonstrated in your two audience profile narratives and you show some specific details that really bring your personas to life. Details like Jody being a Disney fanatic (I know some people like that so I totally get this detail), supporting Girl Scouts, and being a feminist and Izzy loving surfing, going on mission trips to Honduras, and going to college near the ocean are the kinds of details that can reveal so much about their personalities.

Think about this: once you know your target audience so well, how will you direct your campaign messaging (your call to action) to your target audience members?

Taglins: Marine Mammal Center

1. Saving sea lions. Saving humanity.

This tagline refers the center's work at understanding urological cancer in California's sea lions and how their discoveries translate to understanding and treating cancer in humans.

2. Discovering the cancer connection.

This also refers to MMC's research in understating the causes of urological cancer in California's sea lions and the links to cancer causes and treatments in humans.

3. Pollution: the cancer of the sea

This speaks to MMC's research into the causes of urological cancer in California's sea lions.

4. Rescue. Rehabilitate. Release. Research.

This refers to the core of MMC's mission. They rescue sea lions on the California coast and release those that have successfully rehabilitated. They research the causes and diseases found in the sea lions that are both passed and rehabilitated.

5. Understanding cancer, while saving lives.

This again refers to MMC's cancer research in sea lions and their discoveries regarding the similarities between urological cancer in sea lions and in cancer in humans.

6. Researchers look to us for answers.

This refers to MMC's status as the one of the top resources for other researchers and scientists to gain information on marine mammal health and care.

7. Adopt-a-Seal, help them heal.

This references MMC's Adopt a Seal program that allows sponsors to adopt a seal while the donations go to help heal and rehabilitate injured seals.

8. Ending ocean pollution, begins with YOU!

This speaks to MMC's pollution awareness campaign by showing the importance of each person in cleaning the ocean.

9. Ocean health IS your health.

This again alludes to the research work MMC is doing in sea lion cancers and how the cancer is potentially cause by toxins created from ocean pollutants and how these toxins and pollutants link to cancer causes in humans.

10. Ocean Ambassadors, training tomorrow's superheroes today.

This references MMC's youth educational outreach campaign that inspires global ocean conservation.

Professor’s Critique

Great job on the taglines for Marine Mammal Center. A tagline is a succinct phrase situated under or alongside your logo that communicates a single but powerful brand message designed to resonate strongly with an intended audience. Slogans or taglines need to reinforce the brand, so #2, (excellent tie to a specific campaign) #4 (just use the first three words and delete Research), #8 (delete the comma) and #9 come closest to this. George Felton, in Advertising Concept & Copy, says if the logo doesn't say what the product/service is, then the tagline should. The tagline is the essence of your brand and should resonate throughout your campaign. It’s the beginning of the story of your campaign. Letting people know at a glance as to what your campaign is about is where the tagline comes into play.

Some of your taglines are too wordy (#5). The best way to test them out is audibly: say the name of the organization followed by the taglines and hear how it sounds, how it rolls off the tongue.

Testimonial Ads: Final Layouts

References:

Felton, G. (2013). Advertising: concept and copy. [VitalSource ed.]. Retrieved

from http://www.vitalsource.com

Professor’s Critique

Excellent work on the revisions! Your ads are much better and your rationale made it clear how you incorporated the changes we discussed.You created a strong, cohesively branded campaign for Marine Mammal Center.

Testimonial Ads: Comprehensive Layouts

Professor’s Critique

Nice work on the testimonial ad concepts and comps. According to Craig Smallish: “When we produce rough thumbnail sketches, it provides a stage for all of these pieces to come together. Essentially it will be the first time our entire concept comes to life in one concise image. Rough sketches function as the first full visual prototype. They're produced quickly and without much concern for composition or even aesthetics. A rough sketch is meant to communicate an idea, a rough image to tell a story.” You demonstrated how six different testimonials would work.

Comps are presented to your client and represent the detailed concept images that are executed to a level that clearly illustrates every aspect of a concept. This includes how the concept is going to play out across the selected media platforms. Often times comps will include photo or illustration style references so the client can understand how the imagery may look and feel in its final form.

You have some good concepts started here, but there are a few things you may consider revising to make them stronger.

AD A uses the power of fact effectively bu the ad seems fractured due to all the boxes.

The ad seems fractured due to the decision to split the ad into boxes. This causes a separation in flow. Think about hierarchy: deciding on a hierarchy for your information – from most important to least important – will help you decide how to place things, how large, bold or colorful they should be, and where you should put them on your screen or page (http://www.bigbrandsystem.com/design-101-whos-in-charge-here/). Your ad has no call to action. According to George Felton, "good copy has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Think of the first line of body copy as the next line after the headline. The middle is where you put the selling facts. The end is the place where you put the call to action. Whatever you want the consumer to do, put it here, in the closing” (Felton, 2013, p.118).

AD B has the same issues with hierarchy and seeming fractured. This ad is also missing a call to action. Using a grid can help you with layout. Read about using grids here: https://www.designersinsights.com/designer-resources/using-layout-grids-effectively/

AD C is your strongest concept and layout but it is also missing a call to action. Try making all three ads look like this one and make sure you include your call to action.

Take these suggestions into consideration as you revise all three ads for week 3. Your rubric is attached for your review. When you revise consider that all three comps should look like they came from the same company with a branded, consistent look. Take these ads and create a campaign with an ad series that has continuity.

Testimonial Ads: Initial Sketches

Ironic:

The leaping dolphin is weighted down by a mound of trash in the shape of a anchor. The dolphin is also morphing into trash, with it’s face the only thing remaining as a dolphin. The headline would read: Toss it in, what will it hurt? This design would be Ironic (Felton, 2013, p. 245) as it plays off the who cares attitude that leads to ocean pollution while showing the destruction of the ocean’s marine life.

Just Plain Folks

The ad is a sea lion being suffocated by human hands holding a grocery bag. The headline would read: caaaaaan’t … BREATE! While, the body would discuss how buying plastic equates the user to an animal serial killer. By Felton’s description (Fenton, 2013, p. 246) the ad would be considered Just Plain Folks, as the ad shows that just your average day person can become a killer of marine life.

Unreal

The ad is written from the perspective of the chemotherapy bag. The body of the ad will be in the chemo bag’s voice discussing how it wasn’t created for marine life but has to do it’s part to save the oceans since humans are destroying it. According to the text (Felton, 2013, p. 245-246) this ad would be classified as Unreal, as the speaker is an inanimate object discussing it’s role in saving sea lions while bringing awareness to urological cancer in sea lions.

Celebrity

Expert

The ad features a very sad and upset sea lion that is protesting the destruction of his home. With his flipper he holds up his protest sign. According to the Felton (Felton, 2013, p. 241 ) the ad uses an expert to discuss the harm of ocean pollution. The body of the ad is written in the sea lion expert’s voice, discussing the destruction of his home.

Extreme User

In this ad the voice is given to the Extreme User (Felton, 2013, p. 241). The sea lion is the extreme user as he is not only resides in the polluted ocean but is now sick and receiving chemotherapy due to the his living conditions. The idea of a sea lion in a surgical mask is to evoke the understanding to the harm created to marine life due to pollution.

References

Felton, G. (2013). Advertising: concept and copy. [VitalSource ed.]. Retrieved

from http://www.vitalsource.com

Copywriting: A Persuasive Essay

Graphic Designers are the new Media Designers becoming all in one shops for their clients including copywriting skills. Must Graphic Designers morph into copywriters to succeed in today’s world? It seems the role of the graphic designer is expanding as companies tighten their expenses, but is it genuinely evolving? Most freelance designers already wear a multitude of hats being a one-stop shop for their clients. Keeping freelancers and their one-stop shops in mind, is the rest of the graphic design world just catching up with those that freelance or is it evolving and if so how will it impact the future of media design?

Copywriting has evolved since its inception in the early 18th century, by Claude Hopkins. (Adams, D., 2011) Since then copywriting has changed as have “people’s media-saturated lifestyles call for an improved and fastened marketing cycle.” (Adams, D., 2011) SEO changed things further by merging web content and keywords. This difficult task quickly became known as SEO copywriting, as “search engine algorithm designers emphasized combinations of keywords, quality content, and their associated rankings to avoid junk content.” (Adams, D., 2011). Those that were good at this quickly became hailed as Expert CEO copywriters.

While copywriting and designing go together seamlessly, copywriters are not designers nor are designers copywriters. Copywriters are more concerned with the benefits of a product or service and how to describe those benefits to win over consumers. Designers, on the other hand, are more focused on new technologies and creating design masterpieces. Designers naturally lean toward the creative outlets showcasing visually attractive websites and ads, believing the visual aspects will increase consumer favor. However, there does not need to be a disconnect between the two areas. “Copywriting plays an essential role in serving the final product. If a designer is capable of writing their content and incorporating keywords, then they are more likely to be hired by clients.” (Adams, D., 2011) A designer that neglects the importance of copywriting does so at their peril, as not only will the project have hum drum copy, but it will have a lackluster design as well.

Designers who have carefully considered the impact of copywriting will be following the necessary steps to learn how to write effective copy, thus increasing the appeal of their designs. This one-stop shop mentality that is quickly gaining steam in the design community is one that was already a standard for freelancers. Most freelancers do not have the in-house offering to send a design off for copywriting; even if they have the connections because the services are not offered from the same company, it can increase the design turnaround time for the client, potentially losing the contract for the freelancer. Therefore, many freelancers have already incorporated the philosophy of offering copywriting in their one-stop shop repertoire. Now, designers everywhere are jumping on the same bandwagon, realizing the importance of copywriting. They have realized that design is not complete without great copy and adding this skill to their repertoire increases their employment viability. Designers now realize that having “a strong portfolio demonstrating more than one skill add value to the designer's profile and makes them indispensable in tough financial times.” (Adams, D., 2011)

Effective copywriting establishes a brand’s voice. According to David Martin, “Personality is a buoy, not a dead weight. Great brands are built over a long period of time with advertising that is faithful to product personality. Brand personality is permanent. Lose it and lose the franchise.” (Felton, G., 2013, p. 94) Lee Clow, of TBWA, believes the first step in understanding a brand’s voice is to understand their core values, not what they sell or make. “Once a designer understands a brand’s core values, the designer can begin to create a voice that represents the brand.” (Felton, G., 2013, p. 95).

Effective copywriting is not only understanding who a brand is but is also understanding that brand’s competitions and their personalities and voices. An experienced designer will create a voice for the brand that is not only a strong representation of who that brand is but also a unique distinction from its competitors. As Howard Gossage, copywriter and advertising innovator state, “The intent of a piece of copy is to project the client’s identity.” (Felton, G., 2013, p. 100) “The best copywriters know how to sound like people other than themselves. Throwing their voice, assuming personalities of other people, is a skill designers can develop. They should study the language and speech rhythms of people different from themselves. Read novelists and show story writers, poets, and screenwriters. Hear how writers create distinct voices, separate sensibilities. Acquire voices. All of these things will come in handy to a designer crafting a brand’s voice.” (Felton, G., 2013, p. 100) A seasoned designer will create copywriting in several different voices for a brand, their corporate - website - voice, their casual - social media - voice, to their voices of secondary characters within the company. “Every ad and corporate communication for the brand should be true to the brand’s voice, personality, tone, and point of view.” (Felton, G., 2013, p. 103)

Effective designers create copy that avoids clichés, while avoiding consumer disbelief, offers originality, all while resisting creating a “sales pitch.” This difficult task can only be accomplished by “studying good copywriters. Studying ads, following people on social media who think well about marketing and advertising, Analyzing the work in the advertising and design annuals. Assimilating speech, from a formal literary down to a funky and street-smart.” (Felton, G., 2013, p. 113)

The task of designers to embrace the role of copywriting is no small feat; however, it is the direction of the evolution of not only design by copywriting. The marriage of these two fields is the perfect blend to catapult the average designer to the next level. By carefully crafting their copy and creating an exceptional design, the graphic designer of today pushes the boundaries and the industry of design and copywriting into the future. “Without the clever words and the ability to originate ideas, there would be no effective advertising.” (Bowdery, R., 2008)

References

Adams, D. (2011, February 14). What is Copywriting and How is it Important for

a Designer? Retrieved June 26, 2018, fromhttp://www.instantshift.com/

2011/02/14/what-is-copywriting-and-how-is-it-important-for-a-designer/

Bowdery, R. (2008). Copywriting. Retrieved June 26, 2018, from

http://www.ebscohost.com.

Felton, G. (2013). Words 1: Establishing voice. In G. Hannah (Eds.), Advertising:

concept and copy (3rd ed.) (pp. 93-113). [VitalSource ed.]. Retrieved June

26, 2018, from http://www.vitalsource.com.

Lapetino, T. (2013, January 11). Designing Words: 10 Strategies to

Understanding Copy. Retrieved June 26, 2018, from

http://www.howdesign.com/design-career/on-the-job/conquer-writing-

fears/

Swipe File Examples

Competitor Ad Reviews

Client: Marine Mammal Center

Competitor: Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society

This print ad showcases the following concepts from Advertising: Concept to Copy (Felton, G., 2013) and Why They Buy: American Consumers Inside and Out (Settle, R. B., & Alreck, P. L., 1989):

Nurturance: the need to provide care for others, to have and protect

The print ad demonstrates a strong sense of nurturance by showing a dolphin that has evolved to survive in a polluted ocean. The heading combined with the visual aspect pull at the viewer's heartstrings to care for the dolphin's plight to live in a clean habitat.

Succorance: the need to receive help from others, be comforted, be encouraged and supported

The ad showcases succorance by combining the call to action, the headline, and the visual aspects. Each one of these aspects enhances the other by encouraging the viewer to help the dolphins now, and not wait.

Stimulation: the need to stimulate the senses, pursue vigorous activity, engage the mind and body, stimulate the palate, be active

Stimulation is utilized in the visual aspect of the print ad along with the reinforcement of this concept by the headline. The ad showcases a dolphin that has evolved to survive in its polluted habitat. The animal no longer looks like the dolphin everyone loves, but is now is covered in a mask to survive in the pollution. The imagery is created to evoke the thoughts and emotions of the viewer forcing them to engage beyond a pretty ad to one that makes them think and consider the problems of pollution and how to resolve it. The headline echoes the visual aspect by forcing the viewer to take that thought process a step further and encouraging them to act now because the dolphins cannot wait for evolution to occur to survive.

Understanding: the need to comprehend, teach and learn, discover patterns, make connections

The print ad utilizes understanding by showcasing imagery that forces the viewer to make connections between pollution and the death of a species. The ad aims at teaching the view that waiting to solve the problem of pollution could cost the world one of the most loved creatures, dolphins.

This print ad showcases the following concepts from Advertising: Concept to Copy (Felton, G., 2013) and Why They Buy: American Consumers Inside and Out (Settle, R. B., & Alreck, P. L., 1989):

Nurturance: the need to provide care for others, to have and protect

The print ad showcases nurturance through visual imagery and the heading and body of the ad. The imagery showcases a sea lion that is being "purchased." The heading and body of the ad reinforce the imagery by discussing how plastic pollution hurts the ocean and its inhabitants.

Succorance: the need to receive help from others, be comforted, be encouraged and supported

The ad pulls on the heartstrings of the viewer through imagery to care for the sea lion and the ocean. The imagery is further utilized by having the heading, body, and call to action all on an old receipt. The utilization of strong imagery and a call to action from the viewer to not choose plastic make an intense usage of succorance for the ad.

Understanding: the need to comprehend, teach and learn, discover patterns, make connections

The print ad through the use of imagery and the heading, body, and call to action all reinforce the element of understanding for the viewer. The ad aims at teaching the viewer that harm in choosing plastic at the checkout.

References:

Diaz, P. (2015, February). [Surfrider Foundation Campaign]. Retrieved June 26,

2018, from http://www.creativeadawards.com/surfrider-foundation-2-2/

Felton, G. (2013). Advertising: Concept and Copy (Third ed.). Retrieved June 26,

2018. Jung von Matt. (2007, March 30). [World Dolphin Conservation

Society Campaign]. Retrieved June 26, 2018, from

https://www.adsoftheworld.com/media/print/pollution_0

Settle, R. B., & Alreck, P. L. (1989). Why They Buy: American Consumers Inside

and Out. Retrieved June 26, 2018.

Professor Critique

Expertise 20/20

All posts demonstrate an understanding of the information and concepts presented in the course materials.

Accuracy and Persuasiveness 20/20

Posts reflect statements and arguments based on course content, professional experiences, and well-framed arguments demonstrating graduate-level analysis.

Visual / Verbal Articulation 20/20

All posts are clearly expressed in complete sentences using proper English with no spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors.

Creativity 20/20

Ideas are original (unique), innovative and demonstrate graduate-level critical analysis.

Collaboration 20/20

Replies to other learners and the course director are well articulated, insightful, and helpful to whom they were directed. Further teaching was added by providing additional and relevant facts and information.

Timeliness

Deductions for missed deadlines is 10 points per day from the assignment grade. Nothing is accepted over 3 days late (Note: Late submissions can also negatively impact GPS scores).

Outstanding work on the initial discussion board posting, Melissa. You correctly applied Settle & Alreck’s 15 Catalog of Needs to two ads and demonstrated how each ad fits into more than one category. You chose some very powerful ads for your direct competitors of Marine Mammal Center.

Excellent job on the responses to the posts of your classmates. You correctly applied Settle & Alreck's 15 Catalog of Needs to three of your classmates' ads.

Headlines that Inspire

The ad works because it states the product benefits simply and directly and pulls the viewer into the body copy wanting to know more about the vehicle that offers both eight and four cylinders. The ad further offers useful information regarding the new Audi S7.

The ad works because the headline attracts attention to the ad with precision parking. It goes on to offer the complete message of what the ad is in regards to with the powerful two-word headline of Precision Parking. The headline clearly states the big benefit, while announcing the exciting news of VW’s parking capabilities.

The headline for this ad is that women should have the right to make their own decisions, the headline is not only effective but powerful. This headline works because it is an honest plea for women’s rights. The tone of the headline informs the viewer that there are still several women’s rights issues that still need resolution. While it does not pose a provocative question, it does create an element where the viewer is forced to contemplate areas where women are not treated fairly. Finally, this ad works because it states the issue of women’s rights simply and directly.

This ad headline also works because it is direct and simple in it’s call to awareness of sexual predators lurking in children’s phones. It authenticates the call for awareness by using verbiage such as hiding. The headline calls for the viewer to imagine a predator lurking and hiding in their child’s phone. As with the above ad, it does not pose a provocative question; rather it poses a pro-active thought and concern by raising awareness of the dangers of a sexual predator in regards to children’s phones.

The ad headline is effective due to the verbiage used depicting a consumer getting a fresh start to the day. The headline also struggles in this same sense, as the wording that was chosen is typically indicative of computer machinery instead of coffee. The headline overcomes this hurdle because the brain is often compared to brilliant machinery and by suggesting that it is rebooting is suggestive of fresh starts versus frozen stalemates. The headline as the two above also offers a provocative statement, that the viewer’s brain is in need of rebooting.

Professor Critique

Content and Organization 50/50

Made careful choices that made sense in the context of the criteria. Demonstrated mastery of the assignment through understanding of related material. Developed and communicated own perspective, hypothesis and conclusion that accomplished the purpose of the assignment.

Problem-Solving 37/40

Grammar/Mechanics 10/10

Refers to spelling, word usage, grammar, punctuation, and ability to proofread; demonstrated mastery of grammar, creating compelling prose; few to no errors.

Nice work on the Headlines that Inspire project, Melissa. You chose some effective headlines that capture a reader’s attention and would pull them into the body copy. You wrote strong rationales that explain why a copywriter chose one word over the other. The definition of rationale is requiring the reasons or logic behind your decisions, not just a description or opinion and you demonstrate that in your writing.Your first two ad descriptions need more fleshing out as to the "why" these specific words work beyond stating a benefit. Zeroing in on the tone of ad three was a good choice.

Reflection: 3.4.3 Brand Development

Following the Peer Review, the boards were given further changes to elevate them to the next level. Referencing Quast’s SWOT analysis pattern (Quast, L., 2013) diagrams were created via InDesign to showcase the SWOT analysis for each board.

Traditions

Traditions SWOT

Modern Culture

Modern Culture SWOT

Geography

Geography SWOT

References:

[Digital image]. (n.d.). Retrieved June 23, 2018, from https://www.pinterest.com/

pin/524669425323903056/

[Digital image]. (n.d.). Retrieved June 23, 2018, from http://getdrawings.com/

painting-brush-drawing#painting-brush-drawing-60.png

Quast, L. (2013, April 15). How To Conduct A Personal SWOT Analysis.

Retrieved June 19, 2018, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/

lisaquast/2013/04/15/how-to-conduct-a-personal-s-w-o-t-

analysis/#33529f2b28d8

Project Documentation: SWOT Analysis

The strengths of the traditions board are the imagery. The imagery reinforces the feelings of the mystical and majestic traditions of Kyoto and showcases how the traveler becomes submerged in the traditions of the city. The typography and textures support the keywords of the board. The weaknesses are the pixelation of the koi fish and the issues surrounding the keywords standing out from the images. More research in regards to Illustrator and Indesign need to be completed to elevate the board to the next level.

The modern culture board strengths are the visual elements from the graphics, to the textures, to the fonts, to the imagery that all scream Manga. The board weakness lies within the photographs that could trade out individual poses for photos of groups engaging in cosplay and manga activities. Another strength to this board is the rationale that describes the growing Manga universe and the popularity of it worldwide and how this item that is so unique to Kyoto can be a driving force for tourism.

The geography board’s strengths lie within the imagery and layout of the board. The imagery successfully depicts a spiritual, captivating, and tranquil Kyoto. However, the weakness lies within the same imagery. The hanging lanterns were implemented to give the viewer the feeling of looking through a window to Kyoto. While the lanterns lend the viewer to this illusion, the bottom half of the board struggles to continue the illusion of a window. The lack of the ability to continue with this original vision, leaves the middle of the board feeling incomplete. More research regarding textures will be needed to elevate this board to the next level.

#ToolBox #VisionBoard #BrandDevelopment #fullsailuniversity #SWOTAnalysis

Developing and Sustaining a Successful Brand

How to appropriately develop and sustain a successful brand is the ultimate quest for designers everywhere. Designers seek to create the next Nike swoosh or Apple’s bitten apple, but a logo is much more than just the symbol that is created. When designers begin to look into every nuance that creates a famous logo, the intricacies can be mind-blowing. “Brand is much more than a name or a logo. Brand is everything, and everything is brand.”(Pallotta, D., 2014) A logo is more than the corporate identity system or product; it reaches to a deeper level of who the brand is, the values they possess as a company, and ultimately what that company strives to become. Once these questions are answered a designer is only a the brink of creating a successful brand and even further from maintaining success once it is achieved.

The recipe for building and sustaining a successful brand resides in these simple ingredients: differentiate, collaborate, innovate, validate, and cultivate. When a designer successfully does each of these steps, then a successful brand is not just created but sustained. As Sean Adams states, “Branding goes beyond logos, brochures, and website designs. Branding is a complete system for communications a company’s unique message.” (Adams, S., 2015)

Differentiation is the process of setting the company apart from the pack. What makes the company different from its competitors can be answered in three simple questions. First, who is the company? Second, what does the company do? Third, why does it matter what the company does or creates? “Unless you have compelling answers to all three questions, meaning that customers find them irresistible, you have not got a brand.” (Neumeir, M., 2005) These seemingly simple questions “provide a litmus test for what makes that company different, what gives that company its raison d’etre.” (Neumeir, M., 2005)

Collaboration is the working together with various entities within the company to successfully build and maintain a brand. Brands develop “from the interaction of thousands of people over a long period of time. Branding requires not only the work of executives and marketing people who manage the brand, but an ever-changing roster of strategy consultants, design firms, advertising agencies, research companies, PR firms, industrial designers, environmental designers, and so on. It also requires the valuable contributions of employees, suppliers, distributors, partners, stockholders, and customers--an entire branding community. It takes a village to build a brand.” (Neumeir, M. 2005). Each person and connection adds a layer to the brand evolving it from something simplistic to dynamic. A successful brand is dependent upon all of these connections, as a “successful company is not the one with the most brains but the most brains acting in concert.” (Neumeir, M., 2005)

Innovation is “the most difficult part of the branding mix to control. It is magic, not logic, that ignites passion in customers.” (Neumeir, M. 2005). Innovation is the zigging when everyone else is zagging. Innovation and company leadership is often like oil and water. Leadership tends to identify with the tried and true methods; with the rational thoughts that have years of data and research in its corner. However, tried and true is not innovation. Innovation is stepping out on a limb to try the new and different, taking a chance, and being willing to venture in a new direction. The challenge for many designers is getting the company leadership to venture from safety to innovation. This mission is dire for the success and sustainability of a brand. “To achieve originality we need to abandon the comforts of habit, reason, and the approval of our peers, and strike out in new directions. In the world of branding, creativity does not require reinventing the wheel, but simply thinking in fresh ways.” (Neumeir, M., 2005)

Validation, quite simply put, is communication; an open dialogue between the brand and the consumer. This communication and feedback is critical to the success and sustainability of a successful brand. This communication helps the company further understand the consumer; to create a message that targets and engages with the target audience. “Message is a central part of your brand, but message alone cannot make a great brand.” (Pallotta, D., 2014) There can be zero disconnect between the message the company wants to portray and the service it provides or disconnect will happen and the brand’s message will fail.

Lastly, cultivation is the ever-changing dynamics of a company. “Successful businesses are those that continually adapt to changes in the marketplace, the industry, the economy, and the culture. They behave more like organisms than organizations, shifting and growing and dividing and combining as needed.”(Neumeir, M., 2005) Cultivation is the consideration in every present and the future decision of will this decision help or hurts the brand. This mindset needs to grow beyond the marketing department for a successful and sustaining brand to be viable. A company as a whole should embrace the branding process via continuing education programs to workshops or seminars.

Ultimately the “foundation of the brand is trust. Customers trust a brand when their experiences consistently meet or beat their expectations.” (Neumeir, M., 2005) By building a brand upon “the principle of seeking to build sustainable differential advantages for the customer” (Doyle, P., 1989) a company successfully builds a sustainably successful brand. A company that can understand that brand is everything as a whole, from employees to service to the building it resides within will be able to weather the storm and successfully maintain a successful brand. As Dan Pallotta states, “brand is about caring about your business at every level and in every detail, from the big things like mission and vision, to your people, your customers, and every interaction anyone is ever going to have with you, no matter how small.” (Pallotta, D., 2014)

References

Adams, S. (2015, March 27). Foundations of Branding for Designers. Retrieved

June 8, 2018, from https://www.lynda.com/Design-Color-tutorials/

Foundations-Branding-Designers/363131-2.html?org=fullsail.edu

Doyle, P. (1989). Building Successful Brands: The Strategic Options. Journal of

Marketing Management, 5(1), 77-95. Retrieved June 8, 2018, from

http://web.a.ebscohost.com.oclc.fullsail.edu:81/ehost/pdfviewer/

pdfviewer?vid=9&sid=91559d2f-660e-4999-b6df-f09cea363498

@sessionmgr4008

Neumeier, M. (2005, August 04). The Brand Gap. Retrieved June 8, 2018, from

http://ce.safaribooksonline.com/book/branding/0321348109

Pallotta, D. (2014, July 23). A Logo Is Not a Brand. Retrieved June 8, 2018, from