I have developed this thing where when I find a concert poster, I take it home with me. I don’t think it’s illegal(?) since they’ll eventually be ripped off and thrown away. The main reason why I collect these are not only because they feature some of my favorite artists, but because of its design. I love the colors and font and everything about it. I love it enough to want to have it hanging on my wall in my room. So for this post, I’ve looked up how ACL’s posters have evolved over time and how a lot of it’s changes (for the better) have to do with its minimalistic design and typeface.
This one’s from 2003. I guess they had a “submit your design” contest and this was the winner.
and here’s one from ‘08. Can you see Vampire Weekend towards the bottom? It’s cool to see that they’ve moved up since then. My babies :’)
Here’s 2011. It’s definitely starting to look like the ones we see today, but still very amateur. Not really liking the font, but we’re getting there!
and here you have our more modern poster that promises good vibes and good times~
Discussing the Guerrilla Girls in class reminded me of the anonymous org that has been targeting the KKK and Ferguson police. I first heard of them scrolling through Tumblr when Ferguson was blowing up every social media. Basically, Anonymous it’s a group of hackers that serve to protect the peaceful Ferguson protestors by threatening the police and others who harm innocent citizens by releasing their personal information onto the internet for anyone to see. This video was released to the public and it’s pretty creepy. I’m not too sure how legit the source is, but Anonymous is definitely real. TIMES magazine quotes:
“Anonymous is by definition a secretive group, one without leaders, an agenda or a set list of members. “No one has any idea” how many people are involved in Operation Ferguson, according to Leiderman, who called Anonymous a “nebulous and decentralized collective.”
Anonymous. Secretive. One without leaders. No idea how many people are involved. Sounds kind of like the Guerrilla Girls, right? It just makes me think about how many groups exist like Anonymous and GG’s. Also, I think about the polarity of the social justice spectrum: from feminism and art discrimination to racism. Anonymous is most definitely leans towards the more extreme social activist group as you can see in this quote from the video:
“If you attack the protesters, we will attack every server and computer you have,” wrote the Operation Ferguson author. “We will dox [document trace] and release the personal information on every single member of the Ferguson Police Department, as well as any other jurisdiction that participates in the abuse. We will seize all your databases and e-mail spools and dump them on the Internet. This is your only warning.”
Just wanted to share this with everyone since it serves as a good segue into our upcoming #ferguson topic.
"Mario Kart Wii Experience." Mario Kart Wii. Nintendo, 1 Jan. 2011. Web. 24
Mar. 2015. <http://www.nintendo.com.au/gamesites/mariokartwii/#home>.
Nintendo created this interactive website to promote their famous racing game, Mario Kart Wii. This website is aimed towardsfamily friendly gamers that have enjoyed the Mario Kart experience and further adds to the experience by making the website layout as a racetrack. The purpose is to highlight the newest features for the Wiiversion- but in order to do so, Nintendo takes avid gamers through memory lane by showing older editions. It is claiming that the Mario Kart series is proven to be a good time- which is reinforced by comments from people who have already played the game; all of which further presses the audience to purchase the game. Nintendo is a highly established gaming brand, deeming this website as very credible. The web page utilizes an interactive layout that is similar to the game itself, which is relevant to my final project: parallax scrolling.
LINK
Sony
"Sony." Sony. Sony. Web. 24 Mar. 2015. <http://www.sony.com/be-moved/>.
Sony is not advertising a specific product, but rather the whole brand itself. By doing so, this creates a notion that if the brand itself is of superior quality, all of its product must be too. This website is targeted towards tech savvy individuals, particularly towards those that are brand loyal to Sony. In addition, the website is presented in a way to attract nonusers as well. It is persuasive because it takes time to highlight a popular Sony product and show consumers how it is made and the technology behind it. The creator is unspecified since this is the main Sony website. However, the website remains relevant to my project to reveal the benefits of parallax scrolling by visually stimulating the audience and make them believe they are seeing each little piece that goes into making the product- all of which ensure that Sony is all about top quality and attention to detail.
LINK
Ben the Bodyguard
"Ben the Bodyguard." Ben the Bodyguard. Nerd Communications. Web. 24
Mar. 2015. <http://benthebodyguard.com/index.php#home>.
Ben the Bodyguard takes you on a stroll through a dark urban setting, allowing the audience to act as a potential client. This app claims to protect your information on your iPhone, from contacts to reminders and everything in between that you don’t want anyone seeing. Perhaps this app will appeal to someone who embraces privacy, or wants to take a preventative measure to conceal their identity in case their phone gets lost or into the wrong hands. It is persuasive in the fact that Ben claims that everyone has something they want to keep secret and that he can ensure it stays that way with his help. The app is created by Nerd Communications. I personally have never heard of them, so trusting this company with your most hush-hush secrets feels risky. However, the website also uses parallax scrolling to create a dark environment that suits the consumer- who is probably seeking a method to put their private life in the dark as well.
LINK
Spendee
"Spendee- See Where Your Money Goes." Spendee. Spendee. Web. 24 Mar.
2015. <http://www.spendeeapp.com>.
This app is for smartphone users that need a way to monitor their spending. It allows for the user to log in the amount spent on an item, along with a feature for easy categorizing. The app’s claim is to help “see where your money goes”. It is persuasive to the frugal, money conscious consumer by showing logical, clear cut data- something you would want to see when it comes to your money. The creator is not fully credible to someone who has not yet tried the app (since the creator is not a well known company) but once the app proves itself worthy then the credibility may be gained. The Spendee app is revelant to parallax scrolling because it has the interactive scrolling feature, which also gives a tutorial on how to use the app itself in a visually appealing way.
LINK
Proposal:
For our final project, Amanda and I plan on creating our own website/article that fosters parallax scrolling. Parallax scrolling is a peculiar scrolling technique in computer graphics that has the potential to create a connection to its user by allowing him/her to interact with it. This website/article will be one that is able to break down a complex topic into a form that is easier to digest with the usage of visual aid and interactive features. Multiple types of media will be shown- including but not limited to, integrated videos, links, photos, etc. Parallax scrolling is effective in teaching because it destroys the plain and boring text form and incorporates a more visual type of learning that is appealing to the human eye. By embedding videos and photos in between texts, it allows the audience to take a break from reading lengthy paragraphs and learn from different sources that has the potential to reinforce the topic in a new light. Instead of an article with just words, there will be visuals that pair with the text, which can help the intended message to “stick”. After all, it is easier to remember something when you have a visual aid to pair it with. My above four sources are websites of certain brands that have used parallax scrolling to help sell their product. Their interactive interfaces sparks the audience’s curiosity with its unique format, which will only show more the further you scroll. Most of the time, it is rewarding and satisfying to watch and allows the audience to learn more about the product in a fun, playful manner.
So bio is a real struggle for me right now, and thankfully Hank Green (yes, John Green's brother) makes learning a little more enjoyable. He runs a channel on youtube called CrashCourse and gives you a nice run down on any scholastic topic that's easy to digest. At the end of each lesson, an interactive table of contents pops up on the screen that lets you skip back to whatever topic you're still confused about. When I first saw this, I was pretty impressed cause I know the hassle of trying to pinpoint a certain section of a video. Trust me. I ride that struggle bus. So the table of contents was super convenient for confused me.
I'm relating this experience to our accessibility lesson. I know that this example isn't exactly targeted to a disabled audience, but it really makes life easier. Is it safe to say that students like me, that have a difficult time navigating through videos, benefit from this feature? Is it safe to say that the table of contents makes the video more ACCESSIBLE to viewers? Bc Green's easy to navigate videos make me return back to his channel every time I'm having trouble in bio.
So this is my mind map. It's a little cluttered, but I guess it's a good representation of how my mind works. Most of the chains end with questions, and hopefully they get answered soon..
