Farewell!

This semester has gone by SO fast. I’ve learned so much in the past three months it’s hard to take in. At the beginning of the semester, I was really excited for the course but slightly nervous. Nervous that I wouldn’t be good at the programs that we were going to be using but excited that I was going to get to try things I never have before. When we were shown some of the examples of pieces that had been created I was pretty intimidated. But once we had our first few classes, I realized that everything was going to be explained to us step by step and I was excited to see the kind of portfolio that I would have by the end of this course.

I was surprised with how much I loved going to the lectures. The fact that we have the chance to be a part of a program where lectures include cool things that you can find online, and neat stop motion videos that we can aspire to make one day still boggles my mind. I learned so many helpful things throughout the lectures, and having a teacher that is so passionate about the subject at hand really helps.

For me, there wasn’t really anything that stood out about this course that I didn’t enjoy. I thought the tutorials were all very descriptive, and help was always available if I needed it. If I could go back in time, something I would change about my personal experience would be to learn Photoshop on my own. I felt that people who had used the program before did do a lot better on the Photoshop assignment but things like that happen with anything. If it was a songwriting assignment I would be ahead of the game, but I’m not the most tech savvy person. I would really love to continue with Digital Media classes throughout my four years because I think the things that we have the ability to do in this generation is amazing. Watching various videos in our lectures greatly changed my perspective on our digital world. I knew that we were becoming a more technological society, but I didn’t know the extent at which this was happening. The lectures and labs opened up my eyes to the possibilities that we have in our future, especially after going through a program like Radio and Television Arts. This program also made me a lot more confident in my technological skills. Like I said before, I was originally hesitant about this class because I’ve never been a computer person. But now that we have learned the basics of this software and had the chance to explore it, I’m much more confident with digital software and my creative ability. This course also helped me realize something else. If I want to be involved with the digital media field, I don’t necessarily have to be the one behind a computer. Though computers may one day become my area of expertise, as of right now I’m more of an idea person and that’s still okay. Ideas are the driving force behind anything, especially in digital media. So even if I’m not the best with computers, I could team up with someone who loves working with computers but doesn’t have many ideas and we could work together to create something amazing.

The most important thing that I am taking away from this class is all the ideas that I have been exposed to. I’d like to think that I’m a very creative person and the fact that I have now been exposed to videos, concepts and technology that I have never seen before  is really important to help me express my ideas. For example, I may have had an idea to make a creative website that could reach a large number of people and only ever thought of fun games and activities that I could put on the website. After learning what I have in the lectures, I could now apply the interactivity concepts to my website. Instead of just having a basic website with pictures and videos, I now know that I could create some sort of game that fans could be involved with and have them find clues across the city, leading them to a final prize- a thought that may have never entered my mind before this course. This is just one of the many examples of ways that I could apply the knowledge I’ve obtained in this course to ideas that I will create in my future.

I’ve said this is previous blogs, but I am very grateful to be in this program. This course in particular forced me to think outside the box. Every assignment pushed me in a way that I have never experienced before. Knowing that our teacher was going to see 20 + album covers made me want to design something like no one else had. It also gave me the chance to explore various programs and apply it to my everyday life. Though I may have not had the best looking album cover, the feedback I received was very helpful so when I decide to make another one for my own CD, I already have some ideas and ways to improve my original design.

I hope my blogs have been entertaining and informative these past 12 weeks! Thanks for taking your time to read them and I’ll be sure to keep posting.

p.s. here's a sneak preview of my logo for my website :)

Interactivity and Web Media

I’ve slightly touched on the concept of the importance of a good website in a recent blog, but this week in our Digital Media lecture we explored the topic even more. Websites are essential to marketing. It’s a way for people to gather information about a product or person with the click of a finger. Seeing as how we are now living in the digital age, a personal website is starting to become as important as a resume. We have an upcoming assignment where we have to design our own website about anything we want. This got me thinking about website’s themselves, and their importance in society today. Website’s used to just do basic things: show some pictures, maybe a video, have an info page, contact information etc. But they were all pretty one-sided. By one-sided I mean that-when visiting a website- you knew that you weren’t having a direct connection with anyone (chat sites excluded). But recently there has been an innovation that combines the informative side of a website with the interactive side that a company can now bring to the table.

We talked about various interactive websites that allowed the visitors of the websites to get involved in an activity and feel as though they are a part of something. Whether it’s going to a location, finding a clue, and submitting online for a reward – like the Halo fans got when they were allowed to play Halo 2 before it was released, or something like what Nine Inch Nails did. We watched this video in our lecture that amazed me on multiple levels. It started when someone found a USB in a bathroom after a Nine Inch Nails concert and took it home with them. They uploaded it and long story short they transcribed the sound frequency and turned it into a digital signal and noticed that – when extremely zoomed in – the sounds were made out of numbers. The fans called this phone number and followed a whole bunch of other directions that took them to an abandoned warehouse and they all went willingly. The end result was a reward of a free private concert for the dedicated Nine Inch Nails fans. Fans of bands, products, games-they all love things like this and it in turn is a very effective marketing strategy.

We also talked about the history of games in the lecture and how they have the ability to create an augmented reality. I’m not into video games or computers games so when Laurie asked the class to raise their hands if they were gamers I didn’t put my hand up. Then she clarified that she didn’t only mean video games, but even people who play games on our their cell phones. As she said this a statistic was put up on the board about the amount of people our age who play games. My initial reaction was that it must be wrong, but then I realized almost all of us do fall under that category. We all use games as an escape from our world, even if it’s playing a simple game on our phones or iPod’s. Apparently 97% of us use games as a diversion from our everyday lives. If you want more statistics on percentages of various demographics you can go to http://pewresearch.org/pubs/953/teens-video-games-and-civics. When looking on this website the statistics astonished me. It’s crazy to think about how reliant we are on technology. Whether it’s to make websites to market ourselves or products, interact with people all around the world, or entertain ourselves on our daily commute. Where would we be without entertainment that we can hold in the palm of our hands? Who knows. All I know is that I’m excited to see the amazing things that are created within the next decade, and I hope I’m the one the creates some of them.

Our Social Identities (long lost week 9)

I’ve always known that it was a good thing for a company to have their own website. It’s something that would be essential to any company as it is a means of advertising a product, selling a product, giving the history of their company, and basically making their company look as good as it can. Something that I didn’t know was the importance of having a personal website. I thought that it would only be useful for someone who was selling something or trying to do some sort of advertisement, but then I realized something. We are selling and advertising ourselves in this day and age. We are marketing ourselves to future employers and basically the world. Websites may be useful to showcase talent and one’s work and achievements, but it is surely not the only thing a future employer will be looking through when you hand in your resume.

Early on in the semester, we had lectures about the impact of social media in today’s society. It’s literally everywhere we go. In our laps, on our phones, sometimes even on the side of moving vehicles (only in Toronto would you see a video advertisement on the side of a truck).The fact that I can have GO Train notifications sent to my phone telling me the train’s going to be 4 minutes late still boggles my mind. That’s an example of the way social media is affecting everyone and most of us love it. We all realize how much time we spend on Facebook or Twitter reading about other people’s lives yet somehow we can’t stop. It’s become a part of our lives and has greatly influenced how we as a society function. Most of the time, social media is here to help us – whether it’s helping us to spread the word about a product we’re selling, or connecting us to long lost friend. Like I said, most of the time it’s here to help us, but it we’re not careful, it could easily hinder us too. We have to be very conscious of what we are putting on the internet because it is very easy for anyone can see it. This brings me back to my point about future employers researching us online.

 A website that we create of ourselves would be a great representation of everything we have to offer – if done correctly. But many are unaware of how easy it is to have your privacy breached. Facebook is changing privacy settings without telling anyone, some things you say on Twitter get posted straight to Google (if you search you’re name), and those embarrassing pictures that were taken of you last weekend, everyone’s already seen them. This is where the “hindering” aspect of social media comes in. If our generation is not conscious of what we are showing on the internet, and how easy it is to search our names and have everything about us known, then we’re going to be in a lot of trouble. Gone are the days where you could hand in a resume, go in for an interview, and get the job- all the while knowing that you have complete control regarding what your boss knows about your personal life. But this is what society has come to. We will get Googled and Facebook’d before we even get a phone call about a potential interview. I’m very fortunate that all this was pointed out to me, and I hope that someone stumbles upon this that hasn’t yet learned the importance of social media in this day and age.

We are lucky to have a world of possibilities at our fingers tips, especially in this generation, and in this program. The things that I’ve learned from my teachers and throughout the early morning lectures have changed my outlook on media a lot, and I am very fortunate for this. Before this program I was unaware of how much social media was used by everyone, and how posting informative tweets and blogs are helping us to create our own social media identity. Truthfully, I probably would have never begun to blog if it wasn’t a part of the curriculum but I’m very glad that I am now. By the end of these four years, I will have a blog filled with interesting concepts and theories, a twitter account to demonstrate that I understand the importance of social media in today’s society, and a lot to offer a business and I am very fortunate for that.

Motion Graphics Artist Statement!

I spent a lot of time trying to make this assignment look how I wanted it to. Like I mentioned in my previous blog, I had a major set-back when my original idea didn’t work properly. So I changed my idea from a stop motion project for 16 and Pregnant to a video trailer for Paranormal Activity 2. I had a few ideas for how I wanted to film this, but in the end I think I chose the most effective way to show the most information in 5 seconds.

When I imported my video to After Effects, I decided that I wanted the video to have a very home-made feel to add to the “real” essence of the movie. The movie is filmed in such a way to make it look like it is all home-made footage so it appears as though it’s all real. So I used a normal camera and had my friend shake the camera while looking around the hallway to show a sense of fear and nervousness. The original video was plain so I decided to add some effects to it. I added an old movie effect that gave my video lines across the screen, once again adding to the home-made feel. I also added a night vision effect, but turned down the opacity to 20% so that the green wasn’t too over powering. When editing the clip, I accidently put a marker at the beginning of the video and it went bright green, and when I showed people, they really liked this about the clip. I then added a bend effect which bent the video and added to the chaos that I was trying to create. The last thing I did was add the hand drawn typography. I wanted to write in red to add to the spooky theme of the clip. I also wanted to write very messily so it looks like someone just scribbled it. This could then be interpreted as someone who was writing in blood, and had to write a fast note. I used the paintbrush tool and instead of creating a text layer, I wrote it right on top of the clip. I really liked the way this ended up looking because you can still see the static of the video in the background.

When it came to the sound for the video I decided that I wouldn’t add any music, just sound effects. In the original video, my friend was breathing heavily so I kept that it for most of the clip and cut it when he was breathing in so it sounded like he was suddenly shocked and out of breath. It sounded fairly plain with just the breathing, so I decided last minute that I would add a heartbeat constantly going throughout the clip. When I get scared, I can clearly hear my heart so I thought by adding this sound that it would make the viewer feel as though they were standing there witnessing this themselves.

If I had extra time to work on this assignment, something that I would change would be the way that I filmed it. I had my friend film it while breathing heavily and shaking the camera to represent how scared he felt about the situation, but when I took the video into After Effects I realized I could have shaken it myself. If I had of done that I would have had more control over how much it shook, and in what direction. In addition, I filmed it with a regular-not the best quality- camera. I originally did this purposely to add to that home-made and jittery feel which I liked. But once again, once I had the video in After Effects, I realized that I could have filmed it with a better quality camera and make it fuzzy myself so I had more control over how fuzzy it was.

I’m very glad that I got the chance to explore this program. There are so many things that you can do with video and text that I thought I would never be able to do myself. Though this is my first making a piece of motion graphics, and it may not be the greatest, I am looking forward to using this program in the future and creating amazing things.

My Motion Assignment in Progress!

So I had a major set-back with this assignment. The blog that I wrote before this talked about my wondrous fool-proof idea for my motion graphics assignment. But once I started working on it I realized that it wasn’t going to be as easy as I imagined. Long story short, I had to come up with a brand new idea for this assignment and I decided I would do a 5 second teaser for Paranormal Activity.

I decided that I would use a normal video camera and have a 5 second clip of someone in a room, shining a light on the wall, saying “what was that?” or “are you in here?” and hearing a bang (representing some sort of ghost). I tried this out and found that the noise of the bang wasn’t picking up that well on the camera, and nothing about the video-when played back- seemed at all scary. Then I had this idea to do the same sort of thing and at the last second have the camera zoom in on a door knob that started shaking. I once again tried that out and when played back it just looked extremely corny.

So I sat around thinking of what I could film in 5 seconds that could somehow summarize the movie, and show something scary at the same time. So I had an idea that my friend would hold the camera while breathing heavily, and move the camera from one side of the hall to the next. When the camera was on one of the bedroom doors it would show that there was no one in front of the door, then the camera would pan to the bedroom, then back to the door where a person would appear. After that the camera would drop or dangle to create a sense of disorientation then the title would flash on the screen. I’m going to hand write the text in red so it has a creepy and personal feel. I may even have it appear as though a child wrote it for that extra erie affect.

I tried to post some of my video footage on the blog but unfortunately wasn’t able to. I then tried to create pictures out of my video but once again was not able to so it will be a surprise when you see it on Tuesday! I still have lots of editing to do but I hope it will all come together as I planned. What I learned from this assignment was that my first idea won’t always work. The original idea that I had came to me instantly and I was sure that it was going to work. Instead of coming up with backup ideas just in case it didn’t work out, I focused all my time on this idea and ended up wasting a couple weeks that could have gone towards a better idea.

I hope to get it all done and I'm excited to see what the final product will look like!

Motion Graphics and After Effects!

For the past little while in our Digital Media class we have been using a really cool program called After Effects. I find that it is a lot like Photoshop but even more advanced because it allows you to work with video. When I first used After Effects, I was very surprised at all of the things this program allowed you to do, and I am very pleased that we get the chance to work with it.

Right when I read the assignment sheet for the motion graphics assignment, I immediately knew that I wanted to do some sort of stop-motion clip. I thought that the videos that we watched in our lecture were so cool and I was really eager to try something like that myself. The program that I’m going to do a clip for is 16 and Pregnant. The reason I chose this show was because I had an idea from the start that I wanted to write on a calendar and rip it apart while making it look like the calendar was changing month to month.

When I started drawing on the calendar, I was writing things such as “English presentation today” or “unit test today” which suggested that the girl who owned the calendar was in high school. Then I wanted all the things that were written on the calendar to lead up to one main focus. I got the idea that this would be a high school girl’s calendar and each month would say something like “6 months left!” and counting down until the final month. I would make it clear that this was a high school girl’s calendar by strategically dropping hints within the activities that happen throughout the month. I would hint that the girl was pregnant by saying things like “pick up crib from aunt sue” and “doctor’s appointment at 1pm”.

I want it to look as though the pages are being ripped off piece by piece while counting down to this girls due date. The final month will have nothing on the calendar but the words “due date” on one of the days, and I will have a heading that says “16 and Pregnant – Monday’s at 5pm”. I realize that I only have 5 seconds to get all this information across so I may only do a 3 or 4 month countdown to the date. That’s my plan for the assignment and hopefully it works as well as it does in my head!

The Power of Typography!

Typography is a very powerful tool used to make a poster or design effective. I had never really noticed it before, but the typography of a design says alot about it. When it comes to movie posters, the typography has the ability to tell you about the theme of the movie without saying more then the title. Below I've posted 3 posters for movies that I thought had very unique typography.




This is a poster from the horror movie “The Last House on the Left”. I’ve always found horror posters much more fascinating then say comedy posters, and the reason being because of the typography that tends to be used. From what I have seen, it is a much more unique and detailed typography then other genre’s tend to use.The typography used for the title is very effective because it immediately sends a message to the viewer. Using a typography that looks like it has been slit and cut, and appears to have blood splats flying off of it instantly has the viewer thinking this is going to be a graphic horror movie. The fact that the word “house” is the only word that is in red and has blood coming off of it, it foreshadows the fact that something brutal may occur inside this house. The interesting part about this font is that it seems to be a pretty basic font that has had editing done to it. The clean look of the font makes the blood spatter that more shocking because it is so unexpected. This typography appeals to horror movie fans and does its job while following the theme of the poster.

Here’s another horror movie poster that caught my attention. I find this typography very intriguing. The fact that it looks as though it was drawn in blood and is very shaking immediately tells you it’s a horror movie involving lots of blood and gore.  The font stays basically the same throughout the poster and is written on some sort of slant every time it’s used. This gives it a chaotic feel that adds to the theme of the poster. The typography wouldn’t have been nearly as effective if it was in yellow or blue. It would have had that scratchy hand drawn look to it, but the fact that it was put in red allows it to be perceived as though it was written in blood. This sort of typography appeals to the horror-loving audience because when you see this type of font, you instantly know what the theme of the movie is.

I thought I would finish this blog off on a brighter note, which leads me to the Shrek movie poster. The Shrek typography is very recognizable for people of all ages. Its bubbly style, rock-like texture and Shrek ears on the bright green “S” is what makes it so unique. Though the movie appeals to most age groups, the typography especially appeals to children because it looks fun and cheerful. It also says alot about the movie that you are about to watch. Because it is such a fun and cheerful font, you know that it is going to be a fun and cheerful movie. The color of the typography is also very effective in making it so powerful. If it was a plain font with orange lettering, it wouldn’t have the same impact. The “S” would not be able to stand on its own and have the audience know that it’s representing Shrek – as it does behind the characters. The Shrek “S” is a symbol and trademark on its own. When you see those ears, you immediately know which movie you are about to watch. This typography supports the theme of the movie and was very effective in the overall presentation of the poster.

Before it was pointed out to me, I didn't realize how much of an impact typography has on a piece of work. I didn't even realize that people could design their own! Now that I know how important typography is, it will help me create more complete designs of my own that have one solid theme throughout.

Here's a link to a website with a bunch of cool different typographies!

http://www.youthedesigner.com/2010/03/18/40-extremely-cool-and-inspiring-typography-designs/

Enjoy!

Motion Graphics!

This week in class we discussed motion graphics. It's funny how when you're watching something on TV you don't necessarily think about how time consuming it was to make that intro to your favourite film, or all the work that went into it. It's made to look as though it was effortless and natural, but when exploring motion graphics this week, it gave me a new appreciation for everyone who is involved. I’ve always known that it would be very difficult to do something involving motion graphics but I figured that the people who create these pieces are naturally talented, and that it somehow all falls together. I thought that until we watched the making of that music video. I was right about the people who created this piece to be naturally talented but it did not fall together as simply as I imagined. They took something like 2400 pictures I believe and had to know exactly what picture they wanted before they even took it. Then they had to put it all together while timing it with the music. It was truly amazing to watch how it all came together and my immediate thought was that I would never be able to do something like that.


Then we were shown some 5 second clips that students in the program had created that also had me a little worried about the upcoming motion graphics assignment. When working through the After Effects tutorial though, I saw that once you understood the program, it was fairly easy to make a clip of something, but it’s the little details that make all the difference. It’s interesting to see how a 5 second clip could take days to make.


Which brings me to one of my favourite motion graphics works that I have seen: the Juno “All I Want is You” music video. I love this piece of motion graphics because it caught my attention right away and kept it. There is something about hand drawn effects that greatly interest me, so when I saw this video I was immediately in awe. I can’t tell if everything was hand drawn, or if some of it was video clips that were made to look like they were hand drawn because the faces of the characters are so clear. I also love that it goes from real footage into this drawn world, then effortlessly back again. When watching this, it makes the viewer feel as though they are walking in this world with her and it’s a really cool thing to be able to see. This was probably the first hand-drawn style motion graphics piece that I had seen and since then I have loved watching pieces like this. Maybe one day I’ll be able to make my own hand drawn music video and amaze a young person like me!

First album cover with artist statement

For this assignment I decided to do an album cover for myself. I’ve recorded my songs and I am coming out with a demo CD so I thought that this would be the perfect thing to do for the assignment. I immediately had an idea in my head about myself throwing letters into the air with the album name surrounded by these letters. I didn’t expect that it would be that hard to have a picture taken of myself pretending to throw letters. I probably took about 30 pictures before I found one that I could use.

The idea that I finally decided to stick with was a little different from my original idea. I had put all the letters in the background of the album name but when I showed various people they found it hard to focus on just the album name without getting lost in the letters. Eventually I made the decision to take the letters out. I then altered the lettering to make it look like it was the album title “Love is in the Air” that was being thrown into the sky.

I had a hard time deciding what to do with the background image. I fiddled around with it for a while and finally decided that I would blur it then add a drawn affect on top of it so it was more of a silhouette of a girl throwing these letters into the sky. I did this because it made the lettering stand out much more. Originally I wanted the picture to be taken inside but I found that it was much harder to find the right angle without having too many things in the background.

When working through this assignment I found that I was second guessing myself a lot. I finished three album covers and it was harder for me to choose which one to hand in then the editing was. The three that I made appealed to three different audiences, but in the end I chose the one that I believed represented the audience that would listen to my music.

What's Next?

Technology is evolving every second. Everyday new things are being discovered - whether it’s a new app for your iPhone or a new way to communicate with someone across the world. But the question still stands: what will come next? We were shown a video in class today about a man who discovered a new way of computing all sorts of information with the touch of a finger called sixth sense technology. This got me thinking. If he was able to discover this sixth sense technology over 10 years ago by using two computer mice, what can be discovered today? We have many more accessible resources available now, so why doesn’t everyone know about this sixth sense technology? Why isn’t everyone using it? It’s weird to think that we are exposed to the things that the creators choose to expose us to. There are thousands of things that have been discovered and created that we won’t hear about for another decade – some things we may never hear about. But why? Why is it all being hidden from us?

Well I’ve come up with an answer to that question. It’s a long-term money making scheme that assures that there will be never ending funds thrown in the direction of companies such as Apple. First Apple had the original iPod. This was big news because up until then we had been – for the most part – strictly listening to CD’s on our Walkman’s. Some people had mp3 players but nothing was as convenient and easy to use at this new iPod. Before they even put the next iPod on the shelves they had an idea for what they would release next. Then came the iPod mini (I believe that’s what it was called) which everyone had to had because it was the new thing. Keep in mind all of these were still in black and white. When that was released, Apple was already in the works of making an iPod that had color. Instead of waiting to release the iPod mini with color they released a half ass version knowing that it would be purchased and in turn knowing that the next iPod would be the new “must have” toy. This cycle kept repeating and still is today. We’re now in the iPod touch generation. The first iTouch was wanted by everyone. It was a facility for games, note taking, music, pictures – everything. If you had the money at the time, you had the iTouch. Everyone knew that something better would be coming out but it seemed to not matter for the majority.

Many of us recognize this never ending cycle yet it doesn’t matter to us – but why is that? When watching the video about sixth sense technology, a lot of the things that he was doing (i.e. zooming in and out of pictures by pinching or spreading your finger tips) were things that were a part of the iTouch/iPad. All of the ideas for Apple’s technology seemed to be based off of this sixth sense technology. If that is the case then it means that they have had these ideas for the past 10 years and are spacing the release of new products in ways which are most profitable for the company. So back to my original query: why aren’t we all using sixth sense technology? Because there are hundreds of product’s left to create that all stem from the idea of sixth sense technology and millions of dollars to make. So if you’re the type of person that has to have that brand new toy, wait a couple more months and save your money, because years from now when everyone is using this sixth sense technology and you have empty pockets and a house full of useless electronics, you’ll be kicking yourself in the leg.

CRAP!

This week in our lecture we learned all about CRAP. CRAP being the principles that advertisement agencies commonly use to make an ad more effective and successful. Contrast, repetition, alignment and proximity are the four basic principles of CRAP. I was looking through some ads and the ones that tended to catch my attention the most were humour ads. So below I’ve posted my four favourites and I’ll explain if I think the CRAP principles played a part in the success of the ads. I stumbled upon a website that was all about humour advertisements if you want to take a look:  http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2009/11/40-seriously-funny-print-ads/

This is an ad for IAMS low fat dog food. When I first looked at this ad there were two things that immediately caught my attention: the dog in the door and the bag of food. The use of contrasting colours forced me to subconsciously do this. Everything around those items is dark and less vibrant where as the bag of food and the dog itself are shown in more vibrant shades. This also forces the viewer to make the connection between the dog and the IAMS food bag. Beside the bag it says “contains 30% less fat so you can get your dog back” in white font. The IAMS bag also has white font – immediately connecting the two. The placement of the bag of food and the writing are in the bottom left corner so it’s clear that it was not meant to be in the picture itself. The placement and colour of everything in this ad is what makes it so effective.

I think this is a pretty effective ad also. It proves a point the second you look at it and this is done by colour. The only problem is at first glance it might be misconstrued as a ketchup ad which is a risk the Ariel White Company made. There is a subtle contrast of colour in this ad that makes the distinction between the Heinz bottle (green outline) and the Ariel White logo (red). Both of these were put on a white background which makes them stand out even more. The Ariel White logo is also written in a very different typeface so that there is a clean distinction between the products. The only thing that I noticed repeating throughout the page was the use of white. If they had put another colour in the background, it wouldn’t have been nearly as effective. Having the white background, and the white ketchup bottle – that we all know is usually red- proves the point that this Ariel detergent really must get things clean. It makes the viewer think it works so well that it even takes the colour out of ketchup. In addition, the Ariel logo is in the top right corner, not aligned with the ketchup bottle, so that there is a clear division between the two and their proximity. Over all I think the CRAP principles were used very effectively in this advertisement.

This ad was one of my favourites. It’s very effective ad because it immediately captures the attention of whoever sees it. This ad embodies all four of the CRAP principles. There is a very strong contrast of colour throughout the ad. There is white font, on a solid black background, with George Bush in a blue and red suit at the bottom – all bright colours. Colour and font are repeated throughout the page. The font in the top left corner is the same as the “open your mind” font which makes the ad seem as though there is a common thread from start to finish. The colours of Bush’s suit and the smart car are the same as well – making the viewer see the connection between George bush making a decision that wasn’t smart, and a car that is smart. The main statement in this ad was placed in the top left corner so that it is the first thing to be read. The next thing the viewer notices is Bush’s face. They then make the connection between the line at the top and him. Then the viewer’s eyes are be taken to the bottom right of the ad and finish there. When each part of the ad is in a different location (top left, middle, bottom right) it is much easier to follow in the right order. Everything in this ad that was related was put in close proximity to each other it so the ad was easy to follow. It gets the point across while keeping the attention of whoever is looking at it.

This was another one of my favourite ads. There’s a whole bunch of different font sizes and type faces in this ad. It’s very effective because if the ad was to say“reality sucks” and in the same font it said “utopolis ground of cinemas” it would seem as though those two things were connected. The fact that the typefaces are so different helps to make a clear distinction between the two. Also, anytime there is white font on a dark colour it creates a good, strong contrast which makes it an attention grabber and easily legible. There are various shades of blue that repeat throughout the page and seem to subtly tie everything together.  At the bottom of the ad, there is a blue bar going accross and within that bar is all the writing. Using this style in an advertisement allows the viewer to take in the picture, think about it, and then read about the company at the bottom. The humour in this ad also helps to keep get attention of the viewer and keep their interest.

Using the CRAP principles have proven to be an effective way to get a message accross. Using contrast draws attention and repeating sayings or colours creates a sense of connection throughout the ad. Alignment – when used correctly – subconcioulsy forces the viewer to take in the ad a certain way. It’s in our human nature to read from top to bottom, left to right so if the advertiser uses this to their advantage it could be beneficial. Proximity is also a useful tool for advertising because it creates organization throughout the ad. If related things are put together, it’s much easier to follow the ad. I believe that if all of these design aid’s were used effectively when in an ad, then it would take the ad to another level. When using subtle techniques such as this, the advertiser is making the observer think something. Whether that something is about how great the art in the ad is, or how much they now want/need a certain product. The advertising world is filled with tricks that force us to think a certain way, and the CRAP principles are what assist this trickery. Next time you look at an ad think about what the advertiser is trying to make you believe, and see if it changes your mind.

Who Am I?

I know who I am, but after today’s lecture it makes me wonder if people out there perceive me the way they should be. I knew that once something was posted online it was there for good, but I didn't realize how easy it was for ANYONE to find it. All you have to do is type someone’s name in Google and you instantly know at least 5 things about them. Then you click on one of the links that pop up and you now know 3 more things about that person. Then another click takes you to their Facebook profile and you now know anything you need to know about this person’s life. It’s a scary thought that anyone in the world has access to this information – employers, family, friends, even people that you will never meet.

I have been fairly careful in regards to what I post online. I don’t write on Facebook groups, and I’m not one to say anything hurtful. I don’t put pictures up of myself that could cause one to think poorly of me. Just to reassure myself though, I Googled my name to see what came up. The first few things that came up were song cover’s that I had posted on YouTube (not my best ones either). That’s something that I will look into changing. A few articles came up about me from when I played rep fast pitch along with my twitter and Blogger accounts. So instantly anyone who Googled me would know that I sing, play sports, and go to Ryerson for Radio and Television Arts. They then can assume I live in Toronto or in the GTA. That’s a lot of information for a random person to stumble upon.

The fact that people I don’t even know can gain all this information by the click of a button will defiantly change my approach to my online presence. Not so much in the sense that what I have online is inappropriate, but in the sense that anyone who has access to my Facebook account knows where I live and where I went to high school. Anytime I post a status saying where I am and what I am doing, people I don’t know could potentially be reading that. I am now more aware of this and will take more precautions.

Though it makes me slightly uncomfortable that this information is available to anyone, I think it is important for one to have a strong online presence, especially in our field of work. If I wanted to get a job at a company that required me to post blogs and tweet about upcoming event and a potential employer Googled me and saw that I’ve never tweeted or blogged in my life, I wouldn’t get the job. So one has to weigh out the good and the bad and see if it’s worth it. For someone like me who wants to get into a field where digital media is a part of everything, then it’s essential to have a strong digital identity. On the other hand there are people out there who are completely unaware that all their information is floating around on the web. Some people have Facebook just to keep in touch with old friends and are unaware that they have to turn on privacy settings if they want to keep anything hidden. I personally think that sites such as Facebook should automatically have full privacy settings on and give you the option to turn them off for people who are unaware how exposed they are. But at the end of the day, everyone knows that once you post something online it can never fully be erased. So if you are willing to say something online, or post a picture, you have to know that there is a chance it could come back and haunt you. If you want everyone to see your cards, lay them on the table. But you can’t be surprised if you lose.

My first photoshopped postcard!

Digital What?? - Week 1

          What is Digital Media? Well before I was familiar with specifics about what we were learning in class, I heard the term Digital Media and immediately thought computers. Media is a means of mass communication, whether it’s through posters, newspapers, magazines, or any other number of ways to get a statement across to a large number of people. To me, Digital Media was the same idea, but solely focussed on electronic ways to get this message across (i.e. computers, televisions, etc). I thought that this would mainly focus on making commercials to target a certain age group and online advertising by use of websites such as Facebook. Though I was right in the sense that we would be exploring things such as this, I did not realize that there was so much more involved. When watching the clip that was played to demonstrate how a simple change in music could alter ones’ perception of a video, I came to the realization that Digital Media was much more than just using computers. Subtleties that I never even thought were a part of Digital Media were brought to my attention and showed me a completely different point of view. I now realize that it is not only using computers to make a video and putting simple clips together; it’s using your imagination and creative side to engage anyone who watches it.

At first I was fairly intimidated by this new technology and equipment and I was worried that it would be overwhelming. I wasn’t sure if we would be expected to know certain computer programs – but in our first lecture I soon learned that everything would be taught step by step. When I saw all of the videos and examples of what we would be doing throughout the semester it surpassed my expectations and I knew that this would be a very useful and fascinating class.

In the lecture I learned that this course would expose me to many different aspects of media and teach me how to put everything I learn to use in an effective manner, which is why it is so important to be exposed to a course like this in my first semester as a Radio and Television Arts student. Digital Media is a very effective means of communicating, especially when we rely so heavily on media in this day and age. It is very important to understand how our society is evolving in regards to technology, and it is crucial to be aware of how we connect as a social community. Without this knowledge, and without being exposed to this aspect of media, we would be holding ourselves back and not allowing ourselves to grow. If one wants to be successful in this field, being able to understand Digital Media and put it to use in an effective manner is critical.

Marshall McLuhan was spot on when he said “media is the message”. Media is how we communicate today, and media is the future. We rely day to day on all the technology that has been integrated in society, and this technology has in turn become a part of us. It is everywhere we go – whether it’s a poster that you see when you walk down the street or a commercial you see advertising a product on TV.  It is our Facebook updates that we check every day, and it is the new time filler. Music, movies, and even books are now available to us with the push of a button. It is exciting and scary at the same time, but yet we all wait to see what new idea comes out next. I am so excited that I have the opportunity to be at the forefront of technology in such an amazing program, and cannot wait to see what we learn next!