Pre-Production

Initial Concepts for the Infomercial and Outdoor Projection

Outdoor Projection Ideas

This is a VERY subtle video that includes the words "the volunteer centre" but other than being told that, you probably wouldn't see it!



This below video I think would be eye catching.




Some others







An Idea of what the projection MIGHT look like...


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Visual Style, Making it Stand Out, Generating Curiousity and Colour Scheme.

Visual Style

I aim to use motion graphics in a fast paced showreel type way (if that makes sense).

An example iv'e taken inspiration from is below:





These above videos indicate an idea of what I am going for. The use of various different effects and colour that contrast greatly I think make the animations more intriguing and keeps the viewer interested.

Colour Scheme

I beleive that colour scheme will vary greatly in this project as I am trying to acheive a sort of "visual explosion" that will captivate the viewer. Since I am not focussing on logo design or brand design, rather I am focussing on how to promote the brand using new media in a different and creative way, I feel that the colour scheme can be anything I want within good practices of course.

Making it Stand Out from the Clutter

In terms of clutter, I refer to posters, postcards, billboards etc. By creating an outdoor projection, it is like an animated billboard/poster that is not sen everyday.

The concept of having animated walls outside is sure to go a long way to acheiving the desired outcome of my campaign standing out from the clutter.

Generating Curiosity.

I have contacted Discover Radio about the possibility of mentioning nothing more than a keyword to ask the listeners to search for in youtube. Since humans are naturally curious, this should pique listeners interest and make them want to find out what its all about.

Furthermore, by using the projections to not give anything away, other than the words VCD, the keyword and instructions to type that keyword into youtube, this should naturally make people want to know what its about also. If I was to see such a projection, I would eventually go on to youtube when I wasn't busy and search for the key word.

MEMORABILITY IS PARAMOUNT TO THIS CAMPAIGN BECOMING A SUCCESS!!!

My Initial Concepts and Project Ideas

I have been making some short motion graphics clips that I hope to improve on and then incorporate into one whole video and use a backing track to accompany it. Some videos may be used in the data projection aspect also.



ALONG THE LINES OF THE BELOW VIDEO IS WHAT I WISH TO ACHEIVE



For the above scenario to work, it would have to take place at night. I may consider moving it to an indoor location such as the library foyer.



INITIAL EXPERIMENTING WITHIN AFTER EFFECTS





















Just a quick clip of possible areas where students can gain work experience.



Just a random clip with a picture of Dundee used.

Ispiration Behind Using Outdoor Advertising

Below are some videos that I came across which initially gave me the idea of using projectors in my project.

Using Outdoor Projectors

Using Outdoor Projectors can be an effective medium to promote awareness of volunteering within the student population as well as the non-student population.

By setting up my animation that promotes the volunteer centre in dundee around areas such as bus stops, taxi ranks, at the enterence/exit of universities and colleges, the city square and the student unions this would no doubt generate a curiosty and ineveitable awareness of the volunteer centre.

By furthermore including the youtube link to the video for the duration of the animation, it means that nobody has to stop and stand to watch the entire animation (in case it is too cold or they are in a hurry etc) they can simply search for it on their computers when they get to a computer.

I have found some examples of outdoor projections that I think are very effective in either getting a message across and/or show massive potential to do so in the future.



If only Dundee had tube station! This would be a fantastic way to raise awareness of a brand as there is not much else to do other than read. If this was playing when I was on the tube I would most certainly just sit and stare at that which would no doubt, leave an impression.



This would be a great way to get the attention of students entering the Union!

Although the below video is not of outdoor projection rather it is interactive projection it is awesome and inspiring to see the potential of using projectors.

Magic Projection Live @ TEDxTokyo 2010 from Marco Tempest on Vimeo.

SHOW AND TELL

show and tell on Prezi

My Project Ideas & Initial Concepts

I have been making some short motion graphics clips that I hope to improve on and then incorporate into one whole video and use a backing track to accompany it.

Once this video is completed, it will be added to youtube and then a promotional campaign will get under way that will focus on getting people to view it.

Initial Ideas:



I think I would like this effect to be the intro to my video giving it a calm and slow build up before it explodes into a barrage of colour and visual effects that (hopefully) will captivate the viewer.



A bit shoddy regarding the camera movements but once I have my new PC that will be capable of handling high end rendering, I will have more patience when tweaking these things.

I'm not sure about using all of this type as it is a bit too much information; perhaps I will shorten it.



Just a quick clip of possible areas where students can gain work experience.



Just a random clip with a picture of Dundee used.

HONORS YEAR - CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT

What makes a brand so successful?


Top 20 Cool Brands 2010


1. Aston Martin
2. iPhone
3. iPod
4. BlackBerry
5. Bang & Olufsen
6. Harley-Davidson
7. Nintendo Wii
8. Google
9. Ferrari
10. Dom Perignon
11. BBCiIplayer
12. Vivienne Westwood
14. Tate Modern
13. Apple
14. Tate Modern
15.YouTube
16. Mini
17. Channel
18. Ray Ban
19. Alexander McQueen
20. Jimmy Choo

Apart from their desirable products and services, they are all "sought-after" brands. Perhaps in understanding how these companies use new media advertising I can gain a good insight into how to go about promoting the volunteer centre's services.

Aston Martin

I was not impressed with the adverts they had put out for some of their recent models which basically (see below)
consists of



This requires more investigation.

HONORS YEAR!

So honors year is here. First day/week jitters so far as I find out my modules and what is expected of me.

This blog will be based upon concept development and I have been asked 3 questions in which to base it on.

1. What inspires, motivates and intrigues me as an artist?

2. How do I research/explore ideas?

3. How do I communicate, interpret and Define?

 

What is inspiring and motivating me recently?

After Effects!!!

I have been playing around with adobe's video compositing software program After Effects which allows you to do some really cool things and since I am planning to create an infomercial for my honors project to promote volunteering in Dundee, I think that this is a good program to get into.

Examples of some designers that have inspired me to learn this software are:

DIANA PAEZ makes very nice compositions using this program. I especially like the boxes that jump out of each other like Russian nesting dolls and also how she uses the music to progress her show reel in a flowing manner as it subtly builds up over the progress of the video.

DSTRUKT
This is a very nice show reel of the designers capabilities. I especially like the evolution of the flowers at 1min 24secs and I would like to perhaps create some thing like this in future; perhaps incorporate something similar into my infomercial?

IGLOO REEL

This show reel is impressive. Notice how they promote their services in such a way as it keeps you glued to to the screen? 

With this in mind, it would be good to think about doing the same thing with my re-branding elements and incorporating this into the information I would be including in my infomercial.

I am as yet undecided on whether to arrange and record an interview with a volunteer staff member or participant but it would be good to think about the idea of using some really nice effects and techniques to go along with the video if I did.

The beauty of this software is that it is almost always used as a mixed media tool. Integrating photographs, recorded video, sound and created graphics from say photoshop, illustrator and maya for 3D text for example, you can compose really interesting videos that will captivate any given audience.

I think this program would be ideal to create an eye catching infomercial with.

I have started playing around with after effects trying out simple effects before trying to jump in at the deep end. I have been doing online tutorials that I hope have been helping me to understand the program more.

A few of my early attempts are below:


A variation of the basic tutorial I did on my son's second birthday.





A variation of a tutorial I did with the concept of looking inside a person's head exploring their thoughts.





A VERY basic typography attempt that has both bad timing and layout/spacing. I hope to investigate these errors by having patience and using a typography book respectively.





A freelance project I did over the summer for a client selling online tarot readings and pagan supplies.


I had a lot more examples but youtube seems to be having a problem converting the video files! one of these frustrating computer mysteries as they were made in the exact same way as the above examples!


Branding - My research and exploration

If I am trying to increase awareness through promotional techniques, then I should think about looking at the most successful brands of 2010 as a good starting resource. I should then think about researching into how the concept behind them was developed.

ASTON MARTIN & APPLE

Aston Martin is rated the number 1 coolest brand in the UK and Apple was number 2 as voted for by The Centre for Brand Analysis on behalf of Superbrands (UK) Ltd.

"Aston Martin has topped the rankings four times out of the last five years showing that the quintessentially British brand is always held in high esteem by the nation." 

The reason for this may be the fact that it is a British icon as I personally think that Apple's brand looks a lot nicer and frankly,has been far more successful as all you see just now is iphone this, ipad that.

I will try to research into these two brands success (along with others) to try to establish where and how the concept was developed. 

 

The above logo is the current version the volunteer center is using. It is in fact quite a nice looking logo and I think re-branding this will be a challenge.

I think it is quite simple yet effective. I will need to think of a way to improve on this with perhaps typography in mind as well as taking into consideration how I can make it more appealing and perhaps stand out a bit more. I will be uploading ideas of my own shortly and I will gather opinions on their effectiveness and also contrast these with the current logo.


Some early logos I have thought of for the branding campaign.

   

Copy of Pitch Week Prezi on Prezi

Copy of Pitch Week Prezi on Prezi

The above video is one that is giving me an idea of using the same technique as shown 58 seconds in. I think that taking shots of Dundee from different locations showing off the city and landscape while adding motion graphics such as 3D text is a pretty effective way of keeping people's attention as well as promoting the city and volunteering within it.

This informercial remix is an example of an inventive way to promote a product. I think because of the way it is done, it is entertaining as well as being very catchy but it still shows the full use of the product and sells it effectively.

20 things about I have noticed in one week

20 Things About Design That I Noticed in 1 Week (in no particular order)

and What is Influencing Me Just Now.

20. Designs That Caught my Eye

Very creative photographer named Olivier Pasqual check his website. I am starting to really get into photography. I took a photo of my son while he was having his bath on my 3 mega pixel phone and had a go at making one of those professional kids photographs with the white background.

I think it turned out not bad considering the photo was taken randomly on a 3 mega pixel camera phone.

Another piece from Olivier Pasqual

Love the Band. Love the Design

Very detailed.

Reminds me a lot of Viktor Koen. The artist's name is Derek Stenning http://lookslikegooddesign.com/illustrations-derek-stenning/

Very Good.

Love the old fashioned feel to this design. It reminds me of a 50's horror movie or comic book.

This design looks very retro. The colour use is really effective.

19. While Browsing the Internet, I Came Across This Guy

Although I think he's had too much coffee, I think he makes some really good points. Although print is one of my preferred ways to show my designs, it is eventually not going to be needed and may even be seen as an unnecessary luxury in the future due to the internet's power to deliver any of your dsigns in a much more efficient and cost-effective way.

18. E4 Idents

They just keep coming. Every time I watch E4 I notice a new Ident. Its trademark is the purple colour and it is used in every one of the idents some are very well done.

17. GraphicDesignerBlog.org

This blog gave me inspiration, determination to be better at design, despair that I will probably never be a "great" designer and hope that with practice and hard work, I can become at least a "good" graphic designer. Other people's graphic design blogs give you a great insight in to they way they think and you often find that they think much the same as you do on some things and completely differently on other things. They are great for research and thinking in perspective.

Some good posts from this blog:

http://www.graphicdesignblog.org/hidden-logos-in-graphic-designing/

http://www.graphicdesignblog.org/conceptual-print-ads/

http://www.graphicdesignblog.org/successful-graphic-designers-talent-versus-degrees/

16. Clever Concepts

I love the concepts behind these images. They are very creative and some are very funny. I think I would like to focus a lot of time on this sort of work and I would love to do this for my career. Yes everything is digital now. However, there will always be a need for the printed form of graphic design (unless digital screens become as cheap as paper) above are some images that I have noticed this week.

15. Vince Frost

A incredibly influential artist. Check his website. His use of creative typography especially is amazing and probably ground-breaking at the time. The type he used on a fashion magazine that spells out "fashion" in what looks like glass letters is extremely well done.

14. Make sure you get paid!!!

The Nike swoosh was designed by Carolyn Davidson in 1971, while she was a student at Portland State University. She was paid $35

How sick would you be 30 years on after the success of Nike sportswear if your design was the foundation of their success and you only got $35!!!

13. South Africa 2010 World Cup Logo

I can't wait for the world cup to start. The logo I think is effective as it gives of an African vibe terms of colour and choice of text.

12. Re-Branding

Corporations and companies have recently started to re-brand to give themselves a more appealing look. This could be for various reasons. As shown a bit further down this blog, BP re-branded to give themselves a greener image. It looks like the London Museum went for a more contemporary uplift from the basic to the abstract. Personally, I am not a fan of either Logo. I dont oike the blandness of the before version and the colours of the second logo dont go well together in my opinion.

I like Dubai internationals re-brand. It stands out a lot more than the previous version.
Cisco Sytems' new logo is also an improvement on the old version. The older version looks outdated and and really corporate-esque where-as the new logo is a little bit more approachable.
Capital One have went backwards with their re-brand. Adding the swoosh is very 1980's. And the "One" typeface could be more appropriate next to the "capital" typface.
Barclaycard's re-brand I think was a success as it has made a more streamlined logo and because of the white background it allows for more options in terms of how it can be used. The update from the quite strange blue rectangle of the old version is a big improvement. That blue rectangle is just plain ugly and is it so large in comparison with the text?

11. The New LED Advert Concept

As you can see from the video, the use of perspective here using digital screens is particularly effective. It is very inventive and leaves a lasting impression. My cube concept for the IAMCG project would have been good using these sort of screens. :)

10. Weird Contemporary Artist

Came across this video on youtube showing a series of different images from this mystery artist. There is no information or contact details for him/her. Some of it is pretty good and must have taken a lot of time where others look like children's paintings that still look like they would have taken a lot of time.. It is very contemporary and very well done I haven't seen work like this before.

9. Geometrical Head Bending Designs

I noticed this sort of design because of Mr Erik Johansson's (also see no.1 Photo Manipulation) own designs as shown above. So I decided to check out some other designers that had the ability to produce these. I can't understand how they do it and would rather just look at theirs than attempt my own me thinks.



Chris Williams has a talent for it - check the video above

Ghee Beom Kim also is a bit of a dab hand at these incredibly complicated images. Check the video above.

8. BP

Ironically, "The company has spent $7m or £4.5m in researching the new brand. It is expected to spend $25m a quarter supporting the brand change."

I included this because of BP's involvement in the oil spill disaster off the coast of America and how much money they have spent on a "going green" branding image.

The actual money they have spent on researching this does not in my opinion, have much of an impact. It went with what is supposed to be a flower: hmm... not so sure.

7. ASDA's Price Guarantee Brand.

The reason I have included this is because the concept is so simple. The change of background from white to black is instantly recognisable as something new because you are so used to the white background. I was in ASDA today and it caught my eye straight away and I thought to myself "that must be something new coming out". It goes to show that the slightest variation on a household brand can make it seem completely different and new.

6. C.G.I Animals - It's the new thing.

I've noticed a lot of companies such as 5 Alive have taken heed of Compare the Market.com's meercat success and created a "dancing dodo" which I personally find irritating but my girlfriend and other friends seem to think it's hilarious. One of my friends actually bought a carton of 5Alive specifically because he had the advert stuck in his head while in the shop. The logo is on the advert at the end that I just noticed when I got home from ASDA funnily enough.

1. Photo Manipulation - This is what is influencing me just now.

Recently, there was an article in a national newspaper showcasing a Swedish 24 year-old artist named Erik Johansson with an amazing ability to manipulate photographs to genious level. an example is below of a man ironing himself that is mind-blowing.

http://www.alltelleringet.com/ check his work out.He will give Viktor Koen a run for his money condisdering he's only 24. Some examples are below as well.

There is a growing interest in this type of art and it is something that I really want to be able to do. The process is extremly meticulous and attention to detail is imperitive to a successful end product.

This type of work is what I want to do. I still do not possess the technical ability/knowledge of how to do it to any where near this extent shown above, but I have some ideas that are in the bank. I am going to learn a lot more about photography because I believe there's no point in manipulating bad photographs.

Continuing With 20 Things...

2. Icons

Creating an effective icon is no easy task. It has to represent a specific function/action etc and be instantly recgnisable or at the very least memorable. The above image is an example of great icon design. It is based on the Helvetica Bold font face. I would say that the way they have been designed is very simplistic but very informative at the same time.

It would be hard to imagine using a computer for anything without the presence of icons. Form microsoft office to playing computer games, icons are always present in some shape or form.

3. Typography

I would love to be able to design things almost entirely out of fonts. This may seem easy, but there are a lot of things to take into consideration such as typeface, leading, kearning, pointsize and positioning. Every one of these aspects need to be done well in order to produce a great looking image using typography.

To see a great range of examples of great typography use, click here

4. Colour Use

There is a very interesting website that tries to answer the question: why is that object that colour? Click here to visit it.

Through researching the use of colour in modern design, a particular technique I really like is the use of minimal brown tones and grey tones and similar colours of that nature. To give a sort of antique felling to something I think works very well.

Click here for an example of suttle tones.

5. Adobe's CS5 promotion designs.

I love these designs. The number 5 is tranformed into little buildings and even little worlds. They are interactive and are actually a good example of data visualization as well.

Click Here to view an example.

This style has a slight resemblance to the monty python animations of old. The hands especially remind me of monty python. I think this style is very effective if executed properly. Otherwise, it would just look a like a childs attempt at drawing.