Major Client Project
I have a client for my project. Its my brother! He has his own PR and Marketing company - 'lava'. The brief is to redesign the current website to attract potential clients. The current website can be found at www.lavaonline.co.uk
The client wants a flashy website that is in some way interactive or has animationed content.
I am planning on using Flash to create the website and am in the early stages of researching the company and it's competition.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Blog to be Used Differently
From now on I will be using my blog to post more than just my work.
This will incluce posting anything interesting I see to:
From now on I will be using my blog to post more than just my work.
This will incluce posting anything interesting I see to:
- offer an insight into my thought processes
- reveal the influences behind my work at any given time
- help with evaluation of my work
- create a source of interesting information and links that can be used later
- inspire future work
- show prospective clients what Ive been doing
Simulated Client Project
I handed in my finished project in mid November. Feedback was ok but when I showed it to Shaun Belcher (supervisor) in the seminar the images didn't work. This was because I changed a file name before saving the project to disc. This was very un-professional as Shaun was effectively the client. In the 'real-world' I would have lost the client, or at least lost their confidence in me.
The following is a still of the webpages.
I handed in my finished project in mid November. Feedback was ok but when I showed it to Shaun Belcher (supervisor) in the seminar the images didn't work. This was because I changed a file name before saving the project to disc. This was very un-professional as Shaun was effectively the client. In the 'real-world' I would have lost the client, or at least lost their confidence in me.
The following is a still of the webpages.
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Simulated Project Brief
Theme/title “insect repellent” (how does this product work? What is it called? What does it repell and how? It can be serious, touching, funny even a spoof. Produce multimedia according to the area of study you have chosen that follows the brief above.
Web and web applications option
Design and produce a micro site and banner that informs, entertains and sells insect repellent.
I will be re-designing the website of the existing insect repellent 'jungle formular'. The purpose of this project is to create a microsite and Flash banner for Jungle Formula. The emphasis of the applications is that the insect repellent product saves lives.
Responce to Brief
What the Client Wants
The client wants a promotional microsite and Flash advertisement banner to promote Jungle Formula insect repellent.
The content of the site will largely remain the same as the existing site. A re-design of its graphic design and navigational structure will be required to accomodate the new features on the site. Jungle Formula want a well branded site with a consistant semantic structure.
The promotional flash banner advert application is to be placed on external sites. Its purpose is to direct traffic to the microsite. It must be well branded and contain some form of animation or interactivity.
What the User Needs
The user experience is the primary focus of both applications. This includes usability, navigation, aesthetic quality, semantic structure, etc. A well balanced, functional site can be achieved via the features outlined in the treatment.
The primary audience for Jungle Formula are 20-50 year-olds who are planning to go abroad near the equator. The audience would need to know how and why they should use insect repellent, about the main diseases they may become exposed to, and what to do in an emergency.
Project Requirements
Redesign
The project will completely re-design the website. The homepage is all important. It sets the expectations, structure and image for the rest of the site. The navigation menu will appear on the left of the page (previously at the top of the page). To create a visually appealing and aesthetic design suited to the content, the colour scheme used will be altered from bold over-powering primary colours, to complimentary shades.
Theme/title “insect repellent” (how does this product work? What is it called? What does it repell and how? It can be serious, touching, funny even a spoof. Produce multimedia according to the area of study you have chosen that follows the brief above.
Web and web applications option
Design and produce a micro site and banner that informs, entertains and sells insect repellent.
I will be re-designing the website of the existing insect repellent 'jungle formular'. The purpose of this project is to create a microsite and Flash banner for Jungle Formula. The emphasis of the applications is that the insect repellent product saves lives.
Responce to Brief
What the Client Wants
The client wants a promotional microsite and Flash advertisement banner to promote Jungle Formula insect repellent.
The content of the site will largely remain the same as the existing site. A re-design of its graphic design and navigational structure will be required to accomodate the new features on the site. Jungle Formula want a well branded site with a consistant semantic structure.
The promotional flash banner advert application is to be placed on external sites. Its purpose is to direct traffic to the microsite. It must be well branded and contain some form of animation or interactivity.
What the User Needs
The user experience is the primary focus of both applications. This includes usability, navigation, aesthetic quality, semantic structure, etc. A well balanced, functional site can be achieved via the features outlined in the treatment.
The primary audience for Jungle Formula are 20-50 year-olds who are planning to go abroad near the equator. The audience would need to know how and why they should use insect repellent, about the main diseases they may become exposed to, and what to do in an emergency.
Project Requirements
Redesign
The project will completely re-design the website. The homepage is all important. It sets the expectations, structure and image for the rest of the site. The navigation menu will appear on the left of the page (previously at the top of the page). To create a visually appealing and aesthetic design suited to the content, the colour scheme used will be altered from bold over-powering primary colours, to complimentary shades.
Client Project (Module Overview)
The Context
The Client Project module (MMPR30021) is designed to help you consolidate your multimedia knowledge. It does this through providing opportunities for you to demonstrate their design and problem-solving skills. The module complements both the Personal Research Project (MMPR30020) and Successful Practice and Principles 3 (MMPR30022) modules through its emphasis on commercial and entrepreneurial practice.
In order to do this you will complete two design projects: one where you will work as a multimedia designer to solve a simulated client project (Simulated Project);
and one where you will work with a real client1 to develop a solution through the full life-cycle of a project (Live Brief). You are expected to do this through producing work within your specialisation e.g. Web or Audiovisual or Animation (this should be the same specialisation as the one that you choose to focus on for work that you create in your Personal Research Project module).
The Context
The Client Project module (MMPR30021) is designed to help you consolidate your multimedia knowledge. It does this through providing opportunities for you to demonstrate their design and problem-solving skills. The module complements both the Personal Research Project (MMPR30020) and Successful Practice and Principles 3 (MMPR30022) modules through its emphasis on commercial and entrepreneurial practice.
In order to do this you will complete two design projects: one where you will work as a multimedia designer to solve a simulated client project (Simulated Project);
and one where you will work with a real client1 to develop a solution through the full life-cycle of a project (Live Brief). You are expected to do this through producing work within your specialisation e.g. Web or Audiovisual or Animation (this should be the same specialisation as the one that you choose to focus on for work that you create in your Personal Research Project module).
Personal Research Project
Agreement Form
Title: Human-intervention that limits website accessibility.
Topic: My project will investigate who has control over what we see, how and why access is sometimes limited in different places.
Research: Primarily I will be focusing on the subject of controlled or limited access experienced by people in different places around the world. What information is not permitted, the reasons used to justify these limitations and how these limitations are implemented and enforced. I will briefly look into other factors that affect people’s accessibility to the internet. Social class in demographic society, freedom of speech, physical disability, environment, and security.
Agreement Form
Title: Human-intervention that limits website accessibility.
Topic: My project will investigate who has control over what we see, how and why access is sometimes limited in different places.
Research: Primarily I will be focusing on the subject of controlled or limited access experienced by people in different places around the world. What information is not permitted, the reasons used to justify these limitations and how these limitations are implemented and enforced. I will briefly look into other factors that affect people’s accessibility to the internet. Social class in demographic society, freedom of speech, physical disability, environment, and security.
Personal Research Project (Module Overview)
This is my first post of the 2007/8 academic year.
the context
This is a component designed to build upon the Multimedia techniques studied at level one and two by providing you with an opportunity to develop work which is specifically aligned to your personal technical and creative ambitions.
the brief
During this module you will develop a body of work, which reflects individual interests and demonstrates professional potential. You will research into the content and background of self initiated topics, including technologies theory, practice and contexts as appropriate.
The structure of the research project has two parts:
(TERM 1) Document based literature review and analysis.
(TERM 2&3) Research via practice.
This is my first post of the 2007/8 academic year.
the context
This is a component designed to build upon the Multimedia techniques studied at level one and two by providing you with an opportunity to develop work which is specifically aligned to your personal technical and creative ambitions.
the brief
During this module you will develop a body of work, which reflects individual interests and demonstrates professional potential. You will research into the content and background of self initiated topics, including technologies theory, practice and contexts as appropriate.
The structure of the research project has two parts:
(TERM 1) Document based literature review and analysis.
(TERM 2&3) Research via practice.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Design
Stage 2 - Theatre Set Design
Task: Create a ‘pitching package’ for Crowbar Theatre’s play.
“Multimedia students from the School of Art and Design, Nottingham Trent University (NTU), are offered the opportunity to collaborate with Crowbar Theatre Company (CTC), with creative and practical ideas for staging, imagery and production, for a theatre play called Dark Angels. The collaboration will be in the form of a negotiated project between the theatre company, the NTU students and NTU course tutors.”
“Multimedia students from the School of Art and Design, Nottingham Trent University (NTU), are offered the opportunity to collaborate with Crowbar Theatre Company (CTC), with creative and practical ideas for staging, imagery and production, for a theatre play called Dark Angels. The collaboration will be in the form of a negotiated project between the theatre company, the NTU students and NTU course tutors.”
Elements required:
1. Research material i.e. background & inspiration, ideas, mood/design board(s), photographs etc sketches, plans
2. Rationale for the project/aims/context & Design team profile, audience research, where appropriate.
3. Technical specifications (including a Location ‘profile’ for installation) & equipment required
4. Budget, based on projected costs from real sources
5. 3D model, indicating materials to be used.
6. Prototype sample of one multimedia element.
1. Research material i.e. background & inspiration, ideas, mood/design board(s), photographs etc sketches, plans
2. Rationale for the project/aims/context & Design team profile, audience research, where appropriate.
3. Technical specifications (including a Location ‘profile’ for installation) & equipment required
4. Budget, based on projected costs from real sources
5. 3D model, indicating materials to be used.
6. Prototype sample of one multimedia element.
My Initial Ideas
•Use some kind of projection within the set design.
•Create a dark and gritty feel:
- to immerse the audience in the story
- to reflect the situation/mood of the characters onstage at any given time
•Use equipment that is easily and quickly setup and packed
•Somehow incorporate the space in the play
•Use some kind of projection within the set design.
•Create a dark and gritty feel:
- to immerse the audience in the story
- to reflect the situation/mood of the characters onstage at any given time
•Use equipment that is easily and quickly setup and packed
•Somehow incorporate the space in the play
Project Aims
•To create a practical set design that can be easily setup in a number of small spaces and packed away to fit into a standard sized van.
•Depict the mood and feelings of the characters onstage through lighting and projected images.
•To create a practical set design that can be easily setup in a number of small spaces and packed away to fit into a standard sized van.
•Depict the mood and feelings of the characters onstage through lighting and projected images.
Equipment
•Projector:
- cheapest - £400
- reasonable - £680
- expensive - £11,000
•Projector mount - £50
•Projector board (optional)
•Lights:
- simple and cheap - £9 each
- more suitable - £200 each
•Lighting gels
•Lighting rig:
- first choice - £500 (total)
- cheap option - £75
- ebay cheap option - £56
•Black sheets
•Projector:
- cheapest - £400
- reasonable - £680
- expensive - £11,000
•Projector mount - £50
•Projector board (optional)
•Lights:
- simple and cheap - £9 each
- more suitable - £200 each
•Lighting gels
•Lighting rig:
- first choice - £500 (total)
- cheap option - £75
- ebay cheap option - £56
•Black sheets
Examples of Set Design
Audio Visual Production
I will be using Macromedia Flash MX to create the animation. I am familiar with this software and i have the software on my home computer, which will allow me to work on my project easily during weekends and the easter break.
Stage 3 - 90 second Narrative (Proposal)
Brief: Produce a proposal for a 90 second narrative and pitch your idea to a producer.
Brief: Produce a proposal for a 90 second narrative and pitch your idea to a producer.
'The Escape'
STORY
This is an animated chase story between the police and the main character, who remains anonymous throughout the film.
This is an animated chase story between the police and the main character, who remains anonymous throughout the film.
The story starts off in a village at dusk. Two police cars screech to a stop, lights and sirens blazing. The next shot is lower to the ground at bonnet height of the car. Just as the car door opens, a silhouetted figure's legs can be seen as the main character (villain) runs across the screen from left to right.
Next there are various angles of the villain being chased through dark streets with the police cars on his tale, creating suspense . The villain leaves the streets of the village and runs into a field. A shot over the shoulder of the villain shows an unrecognisable object in the distance. As the villain runs forward, the object gets closer, lens blurred, but still unrecognisable.
The villain appears to jump over something and turns to face the police. The police car door opens, police officers get out of the car. The villain pulls out a weapon, a long bladed knife. The villain is still only a silhouette, but the knife glistens in the, now, half dusk/half moonlit light. Next shots are ropes being chopped, frantically, with the knife. Shot of the villain (from front). Suddenly a bright light, like an explosion or a fire, engulfs the whole screen (except for silhouettes villain).
The figure moves upward and a basket follows from below.
A wide shot of the landscape reveals the police cars, village, mountains in the background and a hot-air balloon! A shot looking down from the balloon shows the police and village get smaller as the balloon rises upwards. Next are a few scenes of the balloon and the landscape.
The story ends with a shot from the balloon traveling towards the sunrise.
STORYBOARD
JUSTIFICATIONS
The style of the film will be quite dark and mysterious (at the start), and so the story/audience will be reliant on the audio content to gain information about what is happening and create the suspense that is needed.
The style of the film will be quite dark and mysterious (at the start), and so the story/audience will be reliant on the audio content to gain information about what is happening and create the suspense that is needed.
For this reason I will compose a track for the music. This will start with having a tempo that building quickly and include sharp samples of strings such as violin (for the chase). I will add sound effects of heavy breathing, footsteps and sirens to create the suspense.
The second half of the track will be slower in tempo. It will use strings, but instead of being sharp, they will be smooth and gradually build for a feeling of relief (the escape). Multiple versions of the two halves will be made and a final music track blended to correspond with the visuals.
I realise this is an ambitious project which is dependant on me sticking to my schedule, but by taking some precautionary steps, I am confident that I will achieve my deadline. At the start/end of every week I will review the progress made and plan, in advance, the next course of action.
To avoid confusion between scenes, I will split the story up into three-30-second sections and store all relevant work in three folders, respectively. I will also keep a hard copy backup of these files as well as in my home and university documents. Before animating the sections, I will compare the un-animated scenes with the storyboard, and then double-check.
I will be using Macromedia Flash MX to create the animation. I am familiar with this software and i have the software on my home computer, which will allow me to work on my project easily during weekends and the easter break.
Web Design
Stage 2 Coursework
There are many aspects which need to be thought about when creating and designing a website. Often, people try to create visually impressive sites without thinking about how the user will navigate around the site.
The key in creating a good website lies in thinking about what information you want the user to get from the website, and then positioning that information logically.
The key in creating a good website lies in thinking about what information you want the user to get from the website, and then positioning that information logically.
Space/Screen size
Space Division
The first issue to look at when talking about design is space division. Whether you are working with a computer screen, magazine, or movie screen, there is the concept of space. A computer screen is wider than it is tall and has a ratio of 4:3. This space should not be divided down the middle as the eye keeps switching from one side of the screen to the other. An example of bad space division can be found at http://www.helptheendorly.co.uk/.
It is generally better to make the division closer to one edge of the screen.
Space Division
The first issue to look at when talking about design is space division. Whether you are working with a computer screen, magazine, or movie screen, there is the concept of space. A computer screen is wider than it is tall and has a ratio of 4:3. This space should not be divided down the middle as the eye keeps switching from one side of the screen to the other. An example of bad space division can be found at http://www.helptheendorly.co.uk/.
It is generally better to make the division closer to one edge of the screen.
The rule of thirds means that you divide the screen into three divisions, both top and bottom. The idea is to put the centre of interest at the intersection of the lines. A good example of this is the home page of http://www.rotary.org/ where the organisation’s main project is displayed in the top third of the screen. This creates a nice composition.
Scrollbars
Another instant when the space design of a page affects the user is in scrollbars. Horizontal scrolling is extremely annoying. Online journals and social networking sites are prone to this problem. http://www.myspace.com/
(e.g. http://www.myspace.com/radarnottingham)
A good example of a design fitting the size space is http://www.hicksdesign.co.uk/
Colour Scheme
The colour scheme in websites, and indeed all types of design, is integral to the feel and function of the design. If the colours used don’t compliment one another, the design will fail. A good example of bad colour scheme can be found at http://www.helptheendorly.co.uk/. The red ‘upcoming gigs’ section of the page is eye-catching and always in the same place, which makes reading the black section difficult.
A good example of a well-designed colour scheme can be found at http://www.ntu.ac.uk/.
The colours are mainly used in the middle section which draws the eye to the most important information. The other colours in the page compliment each other and are not too vibrant, and so aid the user, whereas http://www.helptheendorly.co.uk/ detracts from the information on the page.
Another instant when the space design of a page affects the user is in scrollbars. Horizontal scrolling is extremely annoying. Online journals and social networking sites are prone to this problem. http://www.myspace.com/
(e.g. http://www.myspace.com/radarnottingham)
A good example of a design fitting the size space is http://www.hicksdesign.co.uk/
Colour Scheme
The colour scheme in websites, and indeed all types of design, is integral to the feel and function of the design. If the colours used don’t compliment one another, the design will fail. A good example of bad colour scheme can be found at http://www.helptheendorly.co.uk/. The red ‘upcoming gigs’ section of the page is eye-catching and always in the same place, which makes reading the black section difficult.
A good example of a well-designed colour scheme can be found at http://www.ntu.ac.uk/.
The colours are mainly used in the middle section which draws the eye to the most important information. The other colours in the page compliment each other and are not too vibrant, and so aid the user, whereas http://www.helptheendorly.co.uk/ detracts from the information on the page.
File Size
Tables
An important consideration when creating a website is file size. A large file size loads slower and costs more to host. “Using tables to create a website makes the file size of pages unnecessarily large, as users must download this presentational data for each page they visit.” – (http://www.hotdesign.com/seybold/)
http://foxie.ru/ is an example of a table-based design. The long load-time of the home page is annoying for users on a slow connection and suggests an inefficient organisation.
Cascading Style Sheets
“By using structural markup in our HTML documents and Cascading Style Sheets to lay out our pages, we can keep the actual content of our pages separated from the way they are presented.” - (http://www.hotdesign.com/seybold/)
This makes it easy to change the layout of the site, by changing the style sheet, without editing the pages themselves. The main advantages for using CSS is faster load times of pages, easier to redesign, and more accessible to everyone. An example of a website which uses CSS is http://www.csszengarden.com/.
Accessibility
“Good web site accessiblity isnt just about achieving the highest accessibility ratings, it's about making sure your site meet all of your visitors' needs.” – (http://www.nvisage.co.uk/).
http://uk.yahoo.com/ is an example of a site which has the ability to re-size the text. This makes it more accessible to users with visual disabilities. http://www.thefwa.com/ is an example of a website which has a fixed text-size.
The contrast between the text and the background of a page should be sufficient enough to be accessible by users with colour blindness. I couldn’t find an example of a website with an insufficient contrast, but they’re out there! Most likely on someones page on http://www.myspace.com/.
Using Web standards also makes pages much more accessible to users with disabilities and to viewers using mobile phones and PDAs to access the Web.
Tables
An important consideration when creating a website is file size. A large file size loads slower and costs more to host. “Using tables to create a website makes the file size of pages unnecessarily large, as users must download this presentational data for each page they visit.” – (http://www.hotdesign.com/seybold/)
http://foxie.ru/ is an example of a table-based design. The long load-time of the home page is annoying for users on a slow connection and suggests an inefficient organisation.
Cascading Style Sheets
“By using structural markup in our HTML documents and Cascading Style Sheets to lay out our pages, we can keep the actual content of our pages separated from the way they are presented.” - (http://www.hotdesign.com/seybold/)
This makes it easy to change the layout of the site, by changing the style sheet, without editing the pages themselves. The main advantages for using CSS is faster load times of pages, easier to redesign, and more accessible to everyone. An example of a website which uses CSS is http://www.csszengarden.com/.
Accessibility
“Good web site accessiblity isnt just about achieving the highest accessibility ratings, it's about making sure your site meet all of your visitors' needs.” – (http://www.nvisage.co.uk/).
http://uk.yahoo.com/ is an example of a site which has the ability to re-size the text. This makes it more accessible to users with visual disabilities. http://www.thefwa.com/ is an example of a website which has a fixed text-size.
The contrast between the text and the background of a page should be sufficient enough to be accessible by users with colour blindness. I couldn’t find an example of a website with an insufficient contrast, but they’re out there! Most likely on someones page on http://www.myspace.com/.
Using Web standards also makes pages much more accessible to users with disabilities and to viewers using mobile phones and PDAs to access the Web.
Navigation
“One of the key rules of design is that form follows function. Although most obvious with industrial design, it is also a very important principle for Web Design and interactive applications. No matter how brilliant the design, if the user cannot navigate easily and intuitively through a Web site, the designs a failure.” - (Digital Creativity, Bruce Wands)
A good example of this is http://www.amazon.co.uk/. This site uses a hierarchical structure with the most important options being in a horizontal menu at the top of the page.
“One of the key rules of design is that form follows function. Although most obvious with industrial design, it is also a very important principle for Web Design and interactive applications. No matter how brilliant the design, if the user cannot navigate easily and intuitively through a Web site, the designs a failure.” - (Digital Creativity, Bruce Wands)
A good example of this is http://www.amazon.co.uk/. This site uses a hierarchical structure with the most important options being in a horizontal menu at the top of the page.
A bad example of this is http://www.improve-education.org/. The unclear links used in the vertical menu (left) are not helpful to visitors.“Designers are experts in typography, space, colour, composition and form. Information architects are experts when it comes to the look and feel of a Web site and the factors that influence navigation through it.” - (Digital Creativity, Bruce Wands)
For individuals creating Websites, they must display all of these skills in providing the user with a website that both looks good and is easily to navigate.
Audio
http://www.improve-education.org/ is a badly designed website for many reasons. Its audio content is particularly bad. When the page first loads there is a sound file (with a glitch) which automatically plays in the background. This music is on a loop and gets very annoying after a short time. Also there is no way to turn the music off and so the user is resorted to muting the volume on their computer or, as I did, exiting the page as quickly as possible!
Visually impaired users of the internet can use audio screen readers to view websites. I haven’t been able to find any examples as you need special software to hear the audio, but the most common screen readers are compatible with Internet Explorer and Netscape browsers, so in effect most website will support screen readers.
Typography
The most important consideration when choosing a typeface is readability. Certain typefaces lend themselves better to titles, than they do to body text.
The four major fonts used in web design are Helvetica, Ariel, Times New Roman, and Verdana. “A good general way to work with type is to isolate the most important concepts and ideas and place them in the heading or subheading.” – (Digital Creativity, Bruce Wands). http://www.smashingmagazine.com/ is a good example of text that is clear and concise.
www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/~oduibhin/mearchlar/fonts.htm uses an italic font at the top of the page which is hard to read.
http://www.improve-education.org/ is a badly designed website for many reasons. Its audio content is particularly bad. When the page first loads there is a sound file (with a glitch) which automatically plays in the background. This music is on a loop and gets very annoying after a short time. Also there is no way to turn the music off and so the user is resorted to muting the volume on their computer or, as I did, exiting the page as quickly as possible!
Visually impaired users of the internet can use audio screen readers to view websites. I haven’t been able to find any examples as you need special software to hear the audio, but the most common screen readers are compatible with Internet Explorer and Netscape browsers, so in effect most website will support screen readers.
Typography
The most important consideration when choosing a typeface is readability. Certain typefaces lend themselves better to titles, than they do to body text.
The four major fonts used in web design are Helvetica, Ariel, Times New Roman, and Verdana. “A good general way to work with type is to isolate the most important concepts and ideas and place them in the heading or subheading.” – (Digital Creativity, Bruce Wands). http://www.smashingmagazine.com/ is a good example of text that is clear and concise.
www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/~oduibhin/mearchlar/fonts.htm uses an italic font at the top of the page which is hard to read.
Graphics
Favicons
“Favicons are mini graphics for a particular web-site which can be displayed in the browser’s URL bar, next to the site’s name in lists of bookmarks, and next to the page’s title in a tabbed document interface.” – (www.smashingmagazine.com). Favicons are normally th
e logo of a company so that it’s recognized immediately. Favicon are much under-used in bookmarks where users can easily find the link to the website. http://www.yahoo.com/ has an easily recognizable favicon, as shown here.
Websites that don’t have favicons appear as explorer graphics. Favicons are designed to stands out.
Favicons
“Favicons are mini graphics for a particular web-site which can be displayed in the browser’s URL bar, next to the site’s name in lists of bookmarks, and next to the page’s title in a tabbed document interface.” – (www.smashingmagazine.com). Favicons are normally th
e logo of a company so that it’s recognized immediately. Favicon are much under-used in bookmarks where users can easily find the link to the website. http://www.yahoo.com/ has an easily recognizable favicon, as shown here.Websites that don’t have favicons appear as explorer graphics. Favicons are designed to stands out.
User Experience
The user experience of http://www.travelersinsynch.com/challenge_popup.html is excellent. “The website is an interactive 3D experience for risk managers to test your knowledge of safety, security and maintenance issues in relation to your home and business.” – (http://www.thefwa.com/). The site is fun, immersive and educational.
http://www.improve-education.org/ is probably the worst website I have ever visited. Ironically called ‘Improve Education’, most of the links I clicked on the page lead to a blank page! The site is rubbish, basically.
The user experience of http://www.travelersinsynch.com/challenge_popup.html is excellent. “The website is an interactive 3D experience for risk managers to test your knowledge of safety, security and maintenance issues in relation to your home and business.” – (http://www.thefwa.com/). The site is fun, immersive and educational.
http://www.improve-education.org/ is probably the worst website I have ever visited. Ironically called ‘Improve Education’, most of the links I clicked on the page lead to a blank page! The site is rubbish, basically.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Ahh, long time no posty.
This is a quick message to explain that the reason i havn't posted in a while isn't that i havn't been doing work, but that ive just been too busy to post about it.
Also, as its easter, i am at home and ive been having problems with my the internet connection on my parent's computer (its rubbish).
Rest assured though, I have been making progress with all of my wonderful projects!
I will spend the next few days recapping on whats been going on over the last month. And ill make a conscious effort from here on to post more often.
This is a quick message to explain that the reason i havn't posted in a while isn't that i havn't been doing work, but that ive just been too busy to post about it.
Also, as its easter, i am at home and ive been having problems with my the internet connection on my parent's computer (its rubbish).
Rest assured though, I have been making progress with all of my wonderful projects!
I will spend the next few days recapping on whats been going on over the last month. And ill make a conscious effort from here on to post more often.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Design
Model Making
Today we looked at scaled model making and how they're used by threatre designers to plan an accurate design of a space to scale.
This is the result of our first lecture/seminar about model making.
Next week i will be making a 1:25 scaled model of a 3 meter square interior space, incorporating a scaled model of a person.
Model Making
Today we looked at scaled model making and how they're used by threatre designers to plan an accurate design of a space to scale.
This is the result of our first lecture/seminar about model making.
Next week i will be making a 1:25 scaled model of a 3 meter square interior space, incorporating a scaled model of a person.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
AV Production
Stage 2 Coursework: Street Life Documentary
We decided to extend one of the flashback scenes and add text overlays for important phrases and statistics. All of the changes were in response to feedback that it was a little boring just watching the silhouetted interviewee. We added the changes to break up the interview and add more visual interest for the audience.
Here is the finished version of the 4-minute-documentary about the life of a youth offender.
Stage 2 Coursework: Street Life Documentary
We decided to extend one of the flashback scenes and add text overlays for important phrases and statistics. All of the changes were in response to feedback that it was a little boring just watching the silhouetted interviewee. We added the changes to break up the interview and add more visual interest for the audience.
Here is the finished version of the 4-minute-documentary about the life of a youth offender.
Friday, December 15, 2006
Web Design
Stage 1 Coursework - Advertising Banner
Task: You are required to produce an online advert. It can be for the company, service or institution of your choice. It can be static, animated and/or interactive. It can contain audio and film footage if required.
Stage 1 Coursework - Advertising Banner
Task: You are required to produce an online advert. It can be for the company, service or institution of your choice. It can be static, animated and/or interactive. It can contain audio and film footage if required.
Because Tesco sells pretty much everything nowadays the idea I came up with for the final banner was a shopping list theme.
The banner starts with a blue background and a pencil scrolls across, writing some text.
The pencil doesn’t actually write the text. I used a guideline for the pencil to follow and a mask over the text so that when the pencil runs across the banner, the text appears at the right moment. I used the font style “Bradley Hand ITC” because I wanted the text to look like handwriting. The first line of text says “Bread. Milk. Car insurance?” The point of the banner is to get across the message that Tesco are now selling specialist goods as well as everyday groceries. The first two items are everyday items that are on everybody’s shopping list. Adding “car insurance” gets the audience’s attention because people wouldn’t normally associate specialist and everyday goods in the same place.
Next, the pencil rotates and moves back to it starting position. This time it rubs out the first line of text. To do this I made the pencil’s rubber end follow the same guideline as the first animation. I used a mask like in the first sequence, but this time the words disappear when the pencil passes the text.
Next, text fades in and out saying “Everything you need”… “in one place”. This clarifies the message behind the banner (Tesco are now selling specialist goods as well as everyday groceries).
A white bar moves from right to left, leaving a small section of blue at the left of the banner. The Tesco logo then appears, shortly followed by the “Every little helps” slogan, which is constant on all of Tesco’s advertising.
I did originally use Action script with a Bounce easing class for the white bar, so that the bar bounces into position. Unfortunately, I had to remove this because when tried to publish my banner with this selected a ‘Syntax error’ was displayed. I found out where the problem was, but was unable to fix it. The bar works well though.
The colours I used in my banner advertisement were red, blue and white. I chose these colours to match the Tesco logo and give the advertisement consistency. They are also primary colours and so are eye-catching.
The banner advert follows a consistent narrative and presentation style concerning fonts and colours which maintains the brand’s identity. The images are compressed, resulting in a file size of 18Kb and the banner’s dimension’s are in the standard size of 468x60, and so will load quickly slow dial-up connections. I used a .swf graphical format.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Design
We were told to document a journey of discovery in groups by coming up with a random route formular (e.g. walk for 30 seconds, cross the road and take the next turning) - and stick to it. 
Mind Maps
We were told to document a journey of discovery in groups by coming up with a random route formular (e.g. walk for 30 seconds, cross the road and take the next turning) - and stick to it.
However, i missed the seminar and so wasnt in a group..
I think the idea was to discover areas of a city you dont normally get to see in your day-to-day life. Although, my mind map documents a direct journey through nottingham, when i was out on my journey i tried to look at the surroundings in more detail and in different ways. So that even though i wasn't able to find new areas of the city, i did notice new elements of the places i had already seen and my understanding of them was now slightly different.
Sunday, December 03, 2006
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Audio Visual Production
Documentary Progress
On 20 Nov i learnt that Airon, the Producer, had left the course. (Been kicked off for not enroling). This left us without a Producer and only four group members. The group had many discussions about how to cope and what we should do. We came to a decision on the current and FINAL idea for our documentary project, which was not to be commical, but is more alone the line of what i was wanting to do. So although i was annoyed that Airon had left, i was happy about where the project was heading.
We basically kept the old idea of making a documentary about youth offenders but we now concentrate on one single youth offender who we'll interview. The documentary's working title is 'Street Life - the story of a youth offender'. The 4-minutes-film should start off with some vox pops and people telling their (short) opinion about youth offenders, then it leads over to the title screen.
Now that Airon has left, we seem to be progressing fast with the documentary and i feel that everyone has an equal say in would should be included.
We have already produced a short trailer of that first part of the documentary as seen below. Christian (Editor) has edited the vox pops we did last week and created a rather fitting title screen. The style of the pilot uses scanlines on the vox-pop shots to make it look like its filmed off a TV screen. I think we will use this style for the vox pops in the final edit of the documentary.
After that intro there will we some random street scenes with narration over it telling some statistics and leading over to the actual interview. The interviewee's face will not be shown. We plan to shot that interview with two cameras - one main camera and one camera that works in the hidden-camera style (so filming close-ups of certain details like hands while the interviewee's speaking).
We'll try to include cuts to re-enacted flashbacks into the interview based on what the interviewee says. Those flashbacks will have special effects on them to make them look like a dreamish kind of style. The documentary then will end with a summary and the credits - of course.
Documentary Progress
On 20 Nov i learnt that Airon, the Producer, had left the course. (Been kicked off for not enroling). This left us without a Producer and only four group members. The group had many discussions about how to cope and what we should do. We came to a decision on the current and FINAL idea for our documentary project, which was not to be commical, but is more alone the line of what i was wanting to do. So although i was annoyed that Airon had left, i was happy about where the project was heading.
We basically kept the old idea of making a documentary about youth offenders but we now concentrate on one single youth offender who we'll interview. The documentary's working title is 'Street Life - the story of a youth offender'. The 4-minutes-film should start off with some vox pops and people telling their (short) opinion about youth offenders, then it leads over to the title screen.
Now that Airon has left, we seem to be progressing fast with the documentary and i feel that everyone has an equal say in would should be included.
We have already produced a short trailer of that first part of the documentary as seen below. Christian (Editor) has edited the vox pops we did last week and created a rather fitting title screen. The style of the pilot uses scanlines on the vox-pop shots to make it look like its filmed off a TV screen. I think we will use this style for the vox pops in the final edit of the documentary.
After that intro there will we some random street scenes with narration over it telling some statistics and leading over to the actual interview. The interviewee's face will not be shown. We plan to shot that interview with two cameras - one main camera and one camera that works in the hidden-camera style (so filming close-ups of certain details like hands while the interviewee's speaking).
We'll try to include cuts to re-enacted flashbacks into the interview based on what the interviewee says. Those flashbacks will have special effects on them to make them look like a dreamish kind of style. The documentary then will end with a summary and the credits - of course.
Audio Visual Production
Documentary Summary 3
This post documents the events after 14 November, 2006.
In a meeting on 15th Nov, with Deb Tuck (Module leader), we discussed an overview of 'where we are now' in terms of the project. This contained a 30 minute or so discussion between Deb and Airon about how he hadn't enroled for the year yet. (I will explain later how it would turn out to affect us all)
The major concern that was raised was 'what is the documentary trying to portray'. Group members were either divided, or even unsure themselves, about what infact was the angle/style we were trying to investigate the subject from.
My view was that i wanted to document the youth offenders' view. What they thought about themselves and how they are portrayed.
This was kind of where we were at at the end of the meeting.
Documentary Summary 3
This post documents the events after 14 November, 2006.
In a meeting on 15th Nov, with Deb Tuck (Module leader), we discussed an overview of 'where we are now' in terms of the project. This contained a 30 minute or so discussion between Deb and Airon about how he hadn't enroled for the year yet. (I will explain later how it would turn out to affect us all)
The major concern that was raised was 'what is the documentary trying to portray'. Group members were either divided, or even unsure themselves, about what infact was the angle/style we were trying to investigate the subject from.
My view was that i wanted to document the youth offenders' view. What they thought about themselves and how they are portrayed.
This was kind of where we were at at the end of the meeting.
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