COM 637 report in Summer 2010

2. Message design concepts …
… involves the careful
integration of …
words images
motion sounds
… into a message that easily and
clearly conveys an idea to
relevant publics.

3. The
Creative
Process

4. Steps in developing a viable
creative concept
Decide
exactly what
you want to
Evaluate say
these ideas
from the
point of view
of how well
Analyze the they
information communicate
Assemble as in light of the the client’s
much needs of the purpose as
relevant client interpreted
information by target
as possible publics

5. Guidelines in writing your
message
0 The verbal part of the message is the most important
ingredient
0 Seek a consistent look from one message or medium
to the next
0 Simplify everything
0 Use as few elements as possible

6. Symbols
0 Must be used as substitutes for ideas
0 Symbols are either:
0 Words
0 Type
0 Color
0 Sound
0 Images

7. Image Symbols
Images include:
0 Animation
0 Pictures
0 art
0 Logos
0 Trademarks - ™®
0 Graphs

8. Word Symbols
0 The building blocks of all messages
0 Not ideas themselves but representatives of ideas
Types of Words
0 Concrete words
0 Objective
0 Describes an object precisely giving the audience a clear mental
image
0 Needs modifiers to give it texture and form
0 Abstract words
0 Subjective
0 Represents abstract ideas and needs descriptors and context to
give it clearer meaning

9. Great writers …
• Make ideas clear
• Can put words together
so ideas seem to come
alive
• Their dynamism is
arresting and stimulating
• Remembers to effectively
use analogies, metaphors,
and other similar devices
to give dimension and
substance to a message

10. Type Symbols
• A series of letter forms that makes a message visible
• Letter forms in a font of type include all of the
characters of:
• The alphabet: a b c d e f g h I j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x
yz
• Punctuation marks: . ? ! , ; : - ( ) [ ] / ‘ “”
• Numbers: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
• Special characters: ~ @ # $ % ^ & * _ + = < > |

11. Typeface vs. Font
Typefaces are families of Fonts are variations of a
fonts. typeface.
0 Times New Roman 0 Arial
0 Arial bold
0 Arial
0 Arial italics
0 Arial underline
Use this sparingly to
emphasize parts of a
message

12. Key points in the correct use
of type
Legibility Old style
0 Do not select a typeface based Modern
simply on its appearance. Make
sure that your copy is readable. Slab serif
Appropriateness Sans serif
0 Concerned with the connotative Script
qualities of a type font.
Décorative
Distressed

13. Comparing Types
0 Script might be a pretty font but it does not
translate well to long lines of text with small
fonts.
0 While this font is much clearer, slab serif’s uses are more
limited.
0 When in doubt, it is always safe to use Arial (a sans
serif font) as it is a generic use font and is easy to
read.

14. Samples of correct use of type

15. Samples of correct use of type

16. Samples of correct use of type

17. 0 Also known as
“wordart”, this digitally
altered type should be
treated like a piece of art
0 It becomes a visual just
like a photograph or
hand-drawn art
0 DO NOT OVERUSE! You
might get carried away
and create a visual that
is difficult to understand

18. Logo Symbol
A logo is a symbol of an Purposes of a logo:
organization, group, or 1. It should make a positive
person impression on us
2. It should be recognizable
3. It should be unique
4. It should age well
5. It should translate
faithfully across media

19. Things to remember in
creating a logo
0 Simplicity
0 Format
0 Varies from client to client
0 It could be an artwork that evokes an emotional response.
0 It could be a unique (but legible) font type.
0 It could include a trademark or descriptive symbol. A
trademark could be a name, symbol, or a combination used
to identify the product of a business,
0 Design

20. Five stages of design
1. Research
2. Clearly define the target publics
3. Design a logo that is usable across different formats
4. Find out if the client has the budget and
commitment to use the logo every time as it was
designed.
5. Longevity - Always design with the future in mind.
Design a logo that will last.

21. Color Symbols
0 Evokes an emotional response
0 Interpretation of color is subjective
0 Our memories, experiences, and environment
influence the associations we make
0 Colors stimulate our calm our nervous system
0 Color preference is influenced by emotional behavior,
lifestyle, gender, age, and sense of style and fashion

22. Psychology 0 Red
of Color 0 An exciting color that excites not only the
Red bull but people as well.
Orange 0 Often associated with aggressive behavior,
Blue passion, success, and impulse
Violet 0 Orange
Yellow
0 A combination of red and yellow
Green
0 It is a bright, happy, and festive color that
White
is not as dramatic as red.
Black
0 Blue
0 Associated with tradition, orderliness,
and stability

23. Psychology 0 Dark blue has a calming, relaxing effect
of Color 0 Light blue is associated with cleanliness
Red 0 Violet
Orange
0 Frequently associated with intimacy
Blue
0 Purple is thought of as daring and is
Violet
sometimes seen as royal, elegant, and
Yellow
expensive
Green
0 Yellow
White
Black 0 Often associated with health and well-
being
0 Bright yellow seems to raise our blood
pressure

24. Psychology 0 It is the color of optimism, presumably
related to the brightness of a new day
of Color 0 Green
Red
0 Associated with nature, regeneration, and
Orange self-preservation
Blue 0 White
Violet 0 Symbol for purity and innocence
Yellow
0 Black
Green
0 Symbol of mourning
White
0 It can also have a sinister connotation
Black
0 When used in lingerie it can be seen as
sexy
0 It may also be thought of as elegant, as in
a “black tie” occasion

25. Qualities of Color
• Synonymous with the word color
Hue • It is one of the primary colors
(red, yellow, blue) or a blend of them
Value • Refers to the level of lightness or darkness
in a color
Saturation • Refers to the intensity or vividness of color

26. Paper Color
0 Provides a background color for
your message
0 Paper stock can enhance or
detract from a message in a
printed piece

27. Pantone® Color
0 Pantone was a printing
company that started in
the 1950s
0 Pantone matching system
is the standard in ink color
matching
0 An international color
language that lets you
specify colors by
numbered ink colors

28. Photographs and Art
0 Should be selected first Functions of Photography
because they are and Art
appropriate to the 0 Get the attention of
readers or viewers
message
0 Impart information
0 Appropriateness of a
photograph or art is a Should never be used merely
judgment call. You need to dress a presentation. It
to have a very clear idea should contribute
of what the message is specifically to the purpose of
supposed to say. the message

29. Infographics
0 The use of visual devices
intended to
communicate complex
information quickly and
clearly
0 May appear as a chart,
diagram, graph, table,
map, or list.

30. Infographic Devices
0 Summarizes statistical 0 Illustrated graphics
information 0 Pictures
0 Bar graph 0 Tables
0 Column graph 0 Maps
0 Chart 0 Bulleted (unordered) list –
0 Pie charts – usually seen as used when you need to
circles or ovals in which the show related items that are
slices or wedges show data not sequential
as parts of a whole 0 Numbered (ordered) list –
0 Diagrams – used to show used when items have to
how a system works appear in a specific order
0 Organizational chart
0 Systems flowchart

31. Sound and Motion

32. Radio and other audio
0 Create the script sheet 0 Public domain = free
1. Write the message first 0 Copyrighted material =
2. Write production cues pay royalties
on the left 0 Original material
3. Break the message into
chunks so what is said Most audio are now
corresponds to produced digitally. Digital
production cues
sound bytes are cleaner and
0 Copy sound effects from represent cutting edge
sound libraries technology.
0 Music

33. Television, Film, Video, and the
Internet
Develop a storyboard
0 It shows rough sequential sketches of major scenes. The
script appears below or adjacent to each frame of the
board so it is easy to connect verbal content to the
visual

34. Television, Film, Video, and the
Internet
0 If your message is longer than a traditional spot or public
service announcement, then you may construct an image in
production script form.
0 Try to maximize a major asset – the ability to show
movement.
0 Avoid talking heads because they don’t exploit this quality.
0 Don’t use action for the sake of action, use if for a purpose.
Make it fit what is being said.
0 Production cost is high.
0 Carefully check the copyright status of everything

35. Qualities of a good message
design
0 Clear creative concept
0 The creative way that you decide to interpret the strategy
0 The tactical way you finally shape the message
0 It affects all elements in the message
0 Getting and holding attention.
0 This calls for the careful integration of words, visuals, and designs.
0 Understanding publics
0 This signifies the degree to which you are limited by your
knowledge of the publics beliefs and behavior.
0 Good organization
0 Your message should be organized so that it seems to flow
naturally from point to point.

36. Visual
Principles 0 Balance
Balance 0 Formal or symmetrical
Visual weight 0 Message elements are equal in visual
Lines weight on both sides of an imaginary line
Contrast 0 Connotes stability, security, authority,
Movement leadership, and thoughtfulness
Harmony 0 May be seen as unexciting, unimaginative,
Unity and lacking tension or movement
Proportion 0 Readers or viewers don’t have to work hard
to see relationships between message
elements

37. Visual
Principles
0 Informal or asymmetrical
Balance
0 Message elements are unequal in visual
Visual weight
weights on either side of an imaginary line
Lines
0 Offers less stability but is generally seen as
Contrast being more interesting and exciting
Movement 0 Requires more effort in readers and viewers
Harmony to perceive the whole message
Unity 0 Seen as dynamic, fresh, inviting, casual,
Proportion creative, and friendly
0 Visual weight

38. Visual 0 Lines
Principles 0 Horizontal and vertical
Balance 0 Tend to stabilize our visual perception of a
Visual weight message
Lines 0 Diagonal
Contrast 0 Create visual or dynamic tension
Movement 0 Tend to jar readers and viewers
Harmony 0 Use with restraint and they can be effective
Unity
0 Contrast
Proportion
0 Primary way to indicate differences as
opposed to similarities

39. Visual 0 Builds interest and stimulates our
Principles attention
Balance 0 Helps anchor the eye so it can see a visual
more clearly
Visual weight
0 It exaggerates, emphasizes, accents,
Lines
dramatizes, and excites, and attracts
Contrast attention
Movement 0 Movement
Harmony 0 It is a good idea to place key elements in
Unity the general area of the optical center
Proportion 0 Arrangement of elements creates the
illusion of movement and keeps the
message from being seen as static and
uninteresting

40. Natural Eye Movement

41. Visual 0 Harmony
Principles 0 All the pieces fit together in what appears
Balance to be a natural, cohesive way.
Visual weight 0 They collectively convey a clear message
Lines that is enhanced by the
Contrast type, visuals, color, and paper or screen.
Movement 0 All the pieces “speak” with a single voice
Harmony
0 Unity
Unity
0 Where all of the elements are
Proportion
complementary
0 Relationship between elements is more
than spatial

42. Visual
Principles 0 Techniques to unify a message include:
Balance
0 Use of borders, screens, background
Visual weight colors, and overlapping elements
Lines 0 Grouping - this gives the impact of a larger
Contrast visual without taking away from the content
Movement of each.
Harmony 0 Proportions
Unity 0 Refers to the size of an element in relation
Proportion to other elements

43. Thank you.