Visual Design Components
Online Class – Monday Class 3
Please work through the tasks below:
Please perform the tasks below. UEENEEE038B Participate in development and follow a personal competency development plan
| Plan to achieve team outcomes –
Today I would like you to focus on how you can identify, establish and document
The overall purpose of this is the creation of a cohesive (unified and connected) team. Every team member should know what their role is and what he or she is working on. Research the tools below that will help achieve team outcomes! |
| What is an action plan and how does it differ from a to-do-list? (Online Resource: MindTools.com) |
| Are action plans suitable for small or large projects? (Online Resource: MindTools.com) |
| List the 3 steps in an action plan? (Online Resource: MindTools.com) |
| What does SCHEMES stand for? (Online Resource: MindTools.com) |
| Create an action plan for yourself and 2-3 other team members! Pick a task that you need to do in real life, that involves some planning and that requires you to work with others (eg family members). An example could be the renovation of a shed.
Make sure that you apply the 3 step approach and that it clearly identifies the roles of each team member. Sub-divide the approach into the 3 steps and describe each in detail. (Duration 10 – 25mins) |
| Please e-mail me and keep a copy as proof of completion and upload the file to Moodle/ My Kangan. |
Online Class – Monday Class 2
We will cover these units online and will have 1 hour of contact every Monday.
Today we will focus on this unit:
UEENEEE038B Participate in development and follow a personal competency development plan
Please commence on this Assignment:
Assessment 1_PersonalDevelopmentPlan
Use this text for your information:
Personal competency development plan URL
Sustainability Class – Week 1
Introduction
Welcome to your online class in Develop Strategies to Address Environmental & Sustainability Issues in the Energy Sector.
I know that is a catchy title and has quite a ring to it… and this is your class in Italian:
Sviluppare strategie per affrontare le questioni ambientali e di sostenibilità nel settore dell’energia. You see, it sounds like an opera by Giuseppe Verdi now! … and for the record: YES! I used Google Translate…
This class has a 1hour contact scheduled, so you will be able to discuss issues with me in person. Please e-mail me if you have any questions.
This is the unit of competency text: UEENEEK132A_Develop Strategies & Sustainability in Energy Sector
Our focus for this unit will be to create an understanding of sustainability and how it relates to ICT. You will need to perform the various tasks, that you will find in every part. The parts basically relate to the weeks and will be updated weekly.
The unit will cover 2 main assessments, and smaller weekly tasks to underpin key information needed to complete and comprehend this unit. The will be a discussion forum and you will need to check in there from Week 3 onwards.
Assessment Day 1 Task
Please download task 1, place your responses in the blue boxes, do not forget to type your name and student ID (it happens often) and upload to MyKangan where it says ‘Submit task 1 here!’:
Thanks!
Online Class – Monday Class
Hi guys and welcome to your first class!
We will cover these units online and will have 1 hour of contact every Monday.
Please open the attached units as we will read through them together. I would appreciate if you try not to snore if you fall asleep.
UEENEEE137A Document and Apply Measures to Control OHS Risks Associated With Electrotechnology Work
UEENEEK142A Apply Environmentally and Sustainable Procedures in the Energy sector
UEENEEE038B Participate in Development and Follow a Personal Competency Development Plan
UEENEEE101A Apply Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, Codes and Practices in the Workplace
After reading this interesting material please complete the attached document below and email it to me before the end of class.
Visual Design Components – Class 7
Link to all Classes Class 1 Class 2 Class 3 Class 4 Class 5 Class 6
Today’s Class
- Feedback on both Assessments
- Assessment Files
- Adding Meta-data to an Image in Photoshop
- Inspirations
Feedback on Both Assessments
I will walk around and provide feedback on your work. Make sure that you consider the Visual Hierarchy of your work.
Create a layout of your work from basic outlines and place numbers against the different elements or pieces.
Is there one element that stands out the most? Are they all equal? Boring!!! You want to create a piece that is dynamic! For it to be dynamic it needs:
- some movement
- an entry point to the work (this is the first piece or element in your visual hierarchy)
- a second, third, and other pieces in your Visual Hierarchy
- A focal point – this can be achieved by an arrow pointing, a person pointing, a person looking at the focal point, the direction of text, etc
The image of the Beetle advertisement by iconic graphic designer Helmut Krone is a good example for a clear Visual Hierarchy.
- Product image – due to position (we are trained to look at the top left first), high contrast (darkness of the beetle against the white background helps to make it stand out), generous use of white space (makes the image visually more important).
- Heading – due to position (it is positioned on the path to the next elements), bold and larger than body text, high contrast.
- Body text – position and size of text area. You could argue that the logo is visually as important.
- Logo – position, size (opposed to text) and white space around the logo.
The advertisement can be found at the AIGA Design Archives (and many other sites).
Scale – play with the size of things! Do not accept the first concept that you create. Rearrange it and change the scale of one element. How does the work look if one element is much larger?
Playing with the scale should be a lot of fun! In illustrator you might need to group some elements (Ctrl+G/Cmd+G) and select with V, the Selection Tool and drag to increase or decrease.
Assessment Files
Below are copies of both your assessments:
Assessment 1 – Student Diary Cover
Adding Meta-data to an Image in Photoshop
The easiest way to integrate Meta-data into a file in Photoshop is to open the File Info Sheet: click File>File Info from the drop menu or use the short cut: Shift+Ctrl+Alt+I to open the window.
Next enter your information into the text fields. You want to add a title, name of author (creator), description, keywords and a copyright status.
Inspirations for Your Assessments
We were discussing different trends and inspirations in class. Here are some ideas and inspirations. Click on the images to activate a Google Image Search for the type of images in the thumbnails.
Visual Design Components – Class 6
Link to all Classes Class 1 Class 2 Class 3 Class 4 Class 5
Today’s Class
- Feedback on your Student Diary Cover for Assessment 1
- Work on Student Diary Cover
- Inspirations
Progress with Assessment 1
Please open your assessment 1 – Student Diary Cover; I will walk around and look at everyone’s progress.
You will receive feedback and be able to work on your assessment.
Inspirations for Assessment 1 – Student Diary
You want to visit and bookmark these two online resources:
- 99Designs has a designer blog with many useful tutorials: http://www.99designs.com/designer-blog/
- Digital Arts Online – this website is also in Links for Learning and Links for Inspiration
Typographic images can be a strong visual treatment of thought and ideas someone may have. The thoughts could be made visual in a comic-like sense.
Visual Design Components – Class 5
Link to all Classes Class 1 Class 2 Class 3 Class 4 Class 6
Today’s Class
- Discuss your assessment progress with Assessment 1
- Discuss your approach to your target audience
- Inspirations
- Assessment 2 – handout
- Glossy Reflection Tutorial
- Continue with Assessment 1 – Student Diary Cover
Progress with Assessment 1
Please open your assessment 1 – Student Diary Cover; I will walk around and look at everyone’s progress. Please open up anything you have done.
I would like to see some ideas and concepts at this stage, a description of the target audience and possibly you might have started on the project in Photoshop, Illustrator or InDesign. I will spend approximately 20 mins on this.
Inspirations for Assessment 1 – Student Diary
Swiss International Style – an iconic style of graphic design from the 1950s, strongly influenced by the ideals of the German Bauhaus – Click the image for a Google search on Swiss Style:
Constructivism – The immensely graphic art and propaganda style of Communist Russia, or to be more precise, of the Soviet Union. Early 1920s – 1940s. Click the image for a Google search on Constructivism:
Vietnamese Propaganda Posters – this is a particular style popular in Communist Vietnam. Visually very flat with the use of rich patterns and stunning in colour scheme. I feel very attracted to this style. Vietnam particularly in 1960s and 1970s. Click the image for a Google search on Vietnamese Propaganda Poster:
Photomontage – Artform that became extremely popular in the early 20th Century. Particularly popular in German Expressionism and Dadaism. Click the images for links to the original images or sites:
Assessment 2 – Design a GUI
This assessment covers this class for these units: Create Visual Design Components and Analyse Information and Assign Meta-Tags and Create A User Interface.
Due Date: in July
Design a Graphic User Interface. You can choose to design for a Website or App.
First: think about a project. What do you want the GUI to be for? Think about a client scenario, who is your client and what is the purpose of the site or app? What do you want the user to do after visiting it?
Develop sketches and refine your design in Photoshop.
You will need 4 pages (example Website: home, about us, portfolio, …)
Make sure to include:
Platform consideration – basically decide on the output platform and write it down
Dimensions – at what size will the user view your GUI?
Target Audience – Visit class 3 for ‘Visual Design Components’ for ideas on how to develop your target audience.
Influences – ‘screenshot after screenshot’, capture screenshots of influences, look up sites that influenced you.
UCD considerations, design your GUI around User Centred Design considerations
Follow a step by step approach for your design process – Visit class 2 for ‘Visual Design Components’ for examples of a design process
You will need to supply original photos taken by you! Each photo needs meta-data assigned to it. Include photographer details, tags, image title, copyright statement. Include a folder with the edited images with meta-data.
Glossy Reflection Tutorial
Follow the in-class presentation of this tutorial The 5 Essential Photoshop Reflections or complete it yourself.
Visual Design Components – Class 4
Link to all Classes Class 1 Class 2 Class 3 Class 5 Class 6
Today’s Class
- Continue with Assessment 1 – Student Diary Cover
- Complete the Target Audience Workshop
Visual Design Components – Class 3
Link to all Classes Class 1 Class 2 Class 4 Class 5 Class 6
Today’s Class
- Applying Step 1 of the Design Process: The Project Outline
- Target Audience Workshop
Applying the Design Process –
Step 1: The Project Outline
- You must clearly define what is required to be designed.
What requirements/problems must the design solve? – inform, promote, sell. define a mood, etc. - Define the target audience?
- Determine format and delivery platform. Are there any specifications or constraints? Think about size, format, cost, time, colour, etc.
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Target Audience Workshop
When defining your target audience you might fall into the same trap as most people, you might define your target audience to broadly. It is a common mistake to assume that (potentially) everyone is your target audience. The mistake is the assumption that a larger target audience gives you a larger gruop of potential customers, buyers or clients. The reality is unfortunately different and I would like to clarify it with a metphor:
Love in the making… Cupid 1 says that he wants to shoot an arrow and hit any person in a park. He assumes that he will hit one eventually. He closes his eyes and shoots an arrow.
Cupid 2 aims for a specific couple, he studies them, estimates the distance, the direction and strength of the wind and then (and only then) takes aim on that particularly couple.
Cupid 2 has it right, he will get the target audience that he anticipated, his product (the arrow) is custom made for the task. Furthermore Cupid 2 takes the time to find the right people for each other, not just anyone…
When defining your target audience you need to be specific and aim to get into the mindset of your audience. Understand what excites them, what interests them, what issues are important to them, how they communicate verbally and in social media. You want to understand what style appeals to them, what colour scheme is suitable and what other products, websites, apps, social media they purchase or frequent.
Clear Goal Media advises to find a niche market and ask yourself these 5 questions about your target audience:
- Desires (things they aspire to but not necessarily need)
- Values (a code of behaviour they define as ‘good’, ‘cool’ and /or ‘appropriate’)
- Needs (things within your niche they cannot do without and if you provide solutions will ‘hook’ them)
- Can they pay for the products you promote or sell?
- What is their level of expertise (you need to pitch your ideas slightly above that, but not too far above that).
Read the complete post by Clear Goal Media: How to define the target audience for your website?
Define Demographics and Psychographics
Inc. advices to define a target audience by looking at demographics (aspects related to the persons status and whereabouts) and psychographics (personal characteristics of a person).
Read the complete post by Inc. : How to Define Your Target Market
Think about demographic factors:
- Age
- Location
- Gender
- Income level
- Education level
- Marital or family status
- Occupation
- Ethnic background
Think about psychographic factors:
- Personality
- Attitudes
- Values
- Interests/hobbies
- Lifestyles
- Behaviour
‘Determine how your product or service will fit into your target’s lifestyle. How and when will they use the product? What features are most appealing to them? What media do they turn to for information? Do they read the newspaper, search online, or attend particular events?’ Inc.
Create Personas
Finally, another important step in making your target audience more real and being able to reach them on a more personal level is creating personas. Personas are a customised target audience. What it is you are actually naming your target audience segment and give them a personality. The idea of personas is to make your target audience more real and to give them a face with needs and characteristics.
Read more about Personas on: Raventools’ How to define your target audience the right way
Create 2 -3 personas for the target audience of the student diary cover.
![The concept was used on the German side as well with this 'Auch du sollst beitreten zur Reichswehr' [You too should join the German Army], design by Julius Engelhard, Image: courtesy of mental_floss](https://classoffederico.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/world-war-propaganda_auch-du-sollst-beitreten.jpg?w=249&resize=249%2C318#038;h=318 "world war propaganda_Auch du sollst beitreten")
RAE - Research and Exploration 