Learning Portfolio 2

Activity

In my first slide I decided to change the glow background of the main image to a red colour.  Previously the picture had just been formatted to have blurred edges with no colour choice. I chose to change it to red as this is a common theme throughout my presentation, with the colours, grey and light blue.  I felt this added a sense of contrast and symphony between the different elements on the page.  The red colour also highlights and brings out the red parts of the image.

My second slide I changed the whole design of the page, with a new background, and colour and positioning of the text.  Previously I had used the same background throughout, providing little variety between the different slides.  I chose to use an image of a dog behind locked behind a gate, to provoke emotion and empathy in the audience.  I also repositioned the text to the left of the page so that it did not clash with the image of the dog being positioned on the right.  The image background along with the text also creates some sense of meaning about the point of the presentation.

The third slide I simply changed the background colour to a black from grey to create depth within  the design of the slide.  On the fourth slide I add a blue shadow to the three images.  This once again creates a sense of contrast bringing in the theme colours of red, blue and grey.

I changed the background once again on the fifth slide, using an image off the internet of a dog and cat sleeping together.  I also eliminated some of the textual information provided on this page to minimize overcrowding of elements.  On the sixth slide I simple chose to highlight the important words in red, as done so with a previous slide.  Finally on the seventh page, I changed the background colour to black, evoking a stronger impact, and gave the image a red shadow blur.

Learning Portfolio 2

Q2)

My chosen topic for the Powerpoint presentation required for Assignment 2, was animal cruelty.  I decided to try and create emotion in the viewers by evoking a sense of sympathy for the animals through the usage of certain graphical images.  Whilst I did not succeed in using all 6 aptitudes; design, story, symphony, empathy, play and meaning, I do feel I used some of these elements throughout various parts of my slides.  Empathy is perhaps the strongest most obvious aptitude used throughout my presentation.  There are also certain colour themes used which work together well in creating a symphony of contrasting elements. 

 

 

 

 

 

Empathy:  The slides shown above indicate a sense of empathy as the audience is encouraged to put themselves in the animals position.  The images included are designed to grasp a sense of the pain and suffering experienced by these dogs and cats.  As mentioned by Pink; “it involves an understanding of the importance of the nonverbal cues of others and being aware of your own”.  These slides demonstrate the need to think about what these animals are experiencing, through the graphical and confronting style of the images. 

Meaning: From these images we also develop a sense of knowledge about the presentation and the message being conveyed.  These slides display the need for something to be done in order for the suffering of these animals to stop. 

 

 

 

 

 

Symphony:  In the above slides there is a sense of symphony created through the usage of colours and positioning of the text and images.  The blue colours work well in contrast with the grey colour, keeping it simple yet effective.  Only the most important elements were included in these slides which mattered the most in terms importance.  The positioning of the images also demonstrates a sense of symphony in terms of variety and impact on the audience.

Play:  The play aptitude is left out of my presentation as the idea of humour throughout would not suit the attitudes provoked towards animal cruelty.  Instead I relied on the long-lasting effect of images and short factual evidence to have an impact on the audience. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Story: The slides shown above indicate the usage of story throughout my Powerpoint presentation.  From the images used and the quotes given, the animal’s life time of suffering is constructed as being a story in itself.  The quotes given with the images lead the audience to question their existence and when this is going to end.  This style of story created demonstrates what sorts of things are real problems to the people. (Pink)

Learning Portfolio 2

Q1)

Design

• To many people design is simply a nice element but does not exist as mission critical, therefore developing the term of “decoration”.  (Reynolds[2008])
• The value of design lies in its ability to capture the emotional connections which consumers have or might have with a certain product of service (The Archetypes of Creativity[30/6/09])
• The best designs are the ones that dont stand out as obvious and noticeable to the users or observers. 
• When designing a product or presentation, it is the initial element that should begin the process of creativity. 
• One should consider the topic, studied objectives, key messages, and needs of the audience at hand. 

Story

• Stories are a natural way of beginning dialogue with the user.
• Cognitive scientist Mark Turner calls storytelling “narrative imagining, something that is a key instrument of thought”. 
• As humans we are born storytellers, wired to tell and receive stories.
• Acknowledging the value of storytelling, seeking and employing such abilities, and using them to propel business into the future seem logical (The Archetypes of Creativity[30/6/09]).
• Somewhere along the long “story became synonymous with fiction or even falsehood”
• The best professors put their own personality, character, and experiences into material in the form of a narrative.
• It involves the capacity to explain, understand and persuade not only with logic, but also with narrative.
• Stories reveal what people like about their work, what they hate about it, what works well and what sorts of things are real problems. 

Symphony

• Symphony includes synthesis and the ability to use seemingly unrelated pieces to form and articulate the big picture.
• It encourages people to become better at seeing things and recognizing the patterns.
• It also involves utilizing our whole mind to make sense of the world
• Deciding what matters as being important and what does not.

Empathy

• Empathy involves putting yourself in others positions such as that of the audience.
• Understanding the importance of nonverbal cues is essential when working with empathy
• Notice when  the audience is ‘getting it’ and when they are not.
• Computers can’t demonstrate empathy.
• Your inventor of the future will be someone who has the skill to observe and listen to others and then continue to have some deep insight regarding their actions, needs and desires. 

Play

• Work is not just about seriousness but about the play as well.
• Good old fashioned humour can help during time of presentations and leave lasting impression on audience.
• “Laughing people are more creative people.  They are more productive people”. 

Meaning

• A successful presentation can have a long-lasting effect on the audience and your own career.
• This can be a very rewarding experience for both sides of the party.
• Appear different to the audience, challenge expectations, produce an impact.

NAIP Patent Blog; The Archetypes of Creativity [ 30/6/09] Retrieved on 25/10/09 from url;

http://naipblog.blogspot.com/2009/06/archetypes-of-creativity.html

Reynolds, G. (2008). Presentation in “The Conceptual Age”. In Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery (pp. 14-19). Berkeley. CA: New Riders

Learning Portfolio 1

Q2)

 

iPod’s

iPod’s have over the years evolved in terms of functionality, colour and size.  When they were first released a new and exciting generation of portable music was introduced to society.  The bulky, heavy Walkman we were all familiar with was replaced by light, transportable devices that took music to another level. 

When the device was released by Apple in 2001, the popularity of the iPod was owed not only to the practical usage of the product, but to its original ways of promoting and advertising.  The aesthetical qualities the product presented, ranging from the design features to the packaging, also improved the acceptance of the device within the community.  The most important element that was considered by the creators when establishing the shape of each new model, was the perfect proportioning.  The newest item was designed to be light and easy, in order to be carried in all sizes of pockets, yet it had to look like a powerful and strong device. 

With a larger screen and thinner aspect, the new iPod video turns out to be a stylish and aesthetic product, which slightly changes the image of the previous modes, yet keeps the brand features intact (The New Look of the New iPod Video, [18/10/09])

Nintendo Wii console

The overall design of the Nintendo Wii console is simple, neat and visually appealing.  It is one of the latest models of the Nintendo consoles out with a modern, fresh look about it.  While an elegant design, the actual console itself is quite small and about the size of three CD box stacked one on top of the other. The Wii console sits on a light grey base that has a slight slant at the front to add to the aesthetic look. It comes only in one colour however does not exist as an obvious and unattractive object in the household.  Over the years Playstation, Nintendos and Xbox game consoles have often existed  as large bulky items who are often put away after usage.  The Nintendo Wii however is not only functional with new game objectives but introduces aesthetically pleasing design elements that make the object a larger success. 

 T.V’s.

The aesthetics of home-making not only articulate domestic life but define a place for the home – and through it, the household – in the world (Painter[2002]) T.V’s have over the years evolved from bulky, heavy units to digitally enhanced, slick and flat designs that add a touch or art to any living room.  As television makes greater and greater inroads into our lives today, it is undeniable that for a large number of people, TV furniture is almost as crucial as the television set itself. (A Guide to Television Furniture: MODERN OR TRADITIONAL[3/10/09].  Both color and shape are crucial aesthetic questions to consider when buying an item of TV furniture.  Today they can be mounted on walls, or balanced on trendy t.v stands.  Even though one may not be in desperate need of a new T.V the idea of owning a visually attractive new aged set is appealing to people of today’s technological age.  

 

END TEXT REFERENCES

Articlesbase; Free Online Articles Directory; The New Look of the New iPod Video (18/10/09), Retrieved on 17/10/09 from url;

http://www.articlesbase.com/education-articles/the-new-look-of-the-new-ipod-video-1351192.html

Articesbase; Free Online Articles Directory; A Guide to Television Furniture: MODERN OR TRADITIONAL (3/10/09), Retrieved on 20/10/09 from url;

http://www.articlesbase.com/furniture-articles/a-guide-to-television-furniture-modern-or-traditional-1297918.html

Painter, C. (2002) Contemporary Art and the Home, (pp. 77) UK, NY: Berg.

Learning Portfolio 1

Learning Portfolio 1

Q1)

Aesthetics is characterized as being the heightened sensitivity to beauty, art and or taste (Answers.Com, [n.d]) We are surrounded by aesthetically pleasing objects everyday whose design elements influence our personal attitude towards the item.  Aesthetic designs are regarded as being easier to use than elements of unattractive appeal. It affects the object’s acceptance, usage and performance as an object within society.  If the item is visually appealing it has a higher probability of being used whether or not it is actually easier to use than an object of the same functions.  Instead of viewing aesthetics as a direct aim, it can also be considered as an outcome of an approach to product deisign that has different objectives. (Walker, 2006)

First impressions on the human mind always last forever and can influence our long-term attitudes towards and object.  Aesthetic designs lead to positive attitudes which then can affect the way a product is used within the community.  If an item is visually attractive with a sense of beauty and taste about it, this can evoke feelings of affecting, loyalty and patience towards it.  ”Design became a process for solving communication problems”, the aesthetic touch can be the element that takes it to the next level.  (Gill, 1981) . Aesthetic designs are also important within the working environment in order to decrease stress levels and fatigue and improve creative thinking and problem solving performances.  Nokia is an example of one of the first phone companies to introduce aesthetic visibility to their products (Lidwell,Holden & Butler, [n.d]).  In order to increase the success of their phones they introduced different colours available for each phone along with a variety of ringtones and functions alike. 

There are many design principles that should be taken into account when producing a visually appealing product.  Such things include hierarchy, where the most important elements are prioritized, emphasis and focus, contrast, tension, balance and rhythm.  One should also think of flow, depth, scale, movement and unity when involving aesthetic design.

 

END TEXT REFERENCES

Answers.Com; The Worlds Leading Q&A Site, [n.d], Retrieved 15/10/09 from url;

http://www.answers.com/topic/aesthetic

Walker, S. (2006) Sustainable By Design, UK; Earthscan

Gill, B. (1981) Forget All The Rules About Graphic Design, NY; Watson-Guptill

Lidwell, W,.Holden, K., Butler,J. (2003). Aesthetic-Usability Effect. In Universal Principles of Design, (pp.18-19) Massachusetts: Rockport.

 

Self-Evaluation Table

CMM1108 Self-evaluation table

 

Mark	Comments	1	2	3	4	5
Quality of the product & submission	I believe I could have taken more time into designing the layout of my blog better and putting more effort into the colour schemes.			()
Depth of information & discussion	The information I have provided is from a range of sources including both internet articles and book references.  I feel it covers the topic quite well.				()
Quality of the conceptual underpinnings	I feel I got the hang of posting and creating pages and uploading images to the site.			()
Quality of referencing	The referencing is up to standards I believe as I tried harder than last time in making sure it was sufficiently done.				()

 

Using WordPress

WordPress is an online blogging site anyone and everyone can use to share information about themselves and other interesting topics.  I had not used a blogging site before and found wordpress very easy to use and navigate around.  Here are 3 main points on how to use wordpress effiecently;

• Dashboard: The dashboard is something like a home page or main menu showing all the blogs under your user profile, any posts, categories, widgets, links, pages, posted comments, and media uploads.  On the dashboard there is a quickpress box where posts can be submitted easily and on the spot.  I found this box very handy and simple to use.  Images and files can also be uploaded from this box.  On the dashboard it also shows a collection of recent drafts, a ‘your stuff’ title where all uploaded pages and posts are shown from both a while ago and that day.  This outlines what you have completed so far in a organised collection.  The dashboard also includes at the bottomn of the page, whats hot on wordpress at the moment, including news, the latest blogs and top posts from the site. 
• Posts and Pages: Submitting a post or creating a page on wordpress is as simple as writing an email and clicking send.  It does not take alot of effort and anything can be writted for the public to view if chosen so.   Under the posts heading on the left of the screen there are the options to edit, add new posts, post tags or select categories.  All your posts can be efficiently organised into named categories.  WordPress supplies an about me page to start you off where information about ones personal life and goals can be posted. 
• Appearance: The appearance of the blog can be altered in terms of colour, design and theme.  This can be done under the appearance title on the left of the screen.  Here for example the colour of the main header can be changed from the top to the bottom with different colour selections available.  There are certain pre-set themes available for choice and the header of the pages can be altered and customised in terms of size and shape.  The colour themes and design layout of a blog can say alot about the person who it was created by.