Distances in Advertising Design

Whether it is a television ad, one in a magazine or a billboard on the side of a bus, marketers and advetisers try to get their product to you.  One of the basic concepts is how close the product is to you.  The closer the product the "friendlier" it is.  There are three types of distances:

1. Social distance:  This is the distance that is most comfortable in a public space (distance btw people/objects being 4ft or more; you can see a the whole person).
2. Personal distance:  This is the distance often referred to as personal space.  This can change depending on what culture you are from, but for the most part it is btw 4ft and 18 inches;  you can see a person from the waist up (1/2 of the person) and should be able to comfrotably hear them if talking.
3. Intimate distance:  Less then 18 inches.  This distance is considered private space- the distance reserved for friends and family; those things that are very familiar (i.e. food/eating, kissing, examining something very small, etc.)

Advertisers play with these distances to get you comfortable with the product.  Movies, incidentally, use it also to get you to like characters (the close-up).

Homework

Homework: There is no official homework- but you should take this time to review, get yourself up to date, and think about your integrated project.

Last Week Review (end Sept 25)

This week there were a lot of NOTES!  Specifically they were about BRANDING and TARGET AUDIENCE.  These are techniques used by marketing departments, advertisers, companies, and governments to gain public opinion and convince people to consent to something (i.e. buy a product, support a cause- like a war, allow a law to be passed).

It is important that they use the decision making process (Identify, Analyze, Design, Implement, and Evaluate) as the base to sway their target audience.  Also important is to realize that everyone has an agenda and an opinion- even no opinion is considered when making the statistics that marketers need.

On the mini-day we went over the requirements for your Integrated Project Presentation- due Oct 22.  We look more closely at power point presentations.  Until then you should have answers to the following: 1) what you will create, 2) what organization you will represent, and 3) which subjects (and teachers) you will connect with.

Coming Up: we will be looking at a particular case study of Branding: Cigarettes (for fun do a search of YOUtube- CIGARETTE COMMERCIALS) and then watch the movie Thank You for Smoking.

Homework: There is no official homework- but you should take this time to review, get up to date, and think about your integrated project.

Last Week Review (end Sept 17th)

This last week we looked further into the process of how we make decisions. This process (Identify, Analysis, Design, Implement, and Evaluate)is something that we do sometimes in split seconds and other times it takes us weeks and months to do.  This is the outline you will follow for your Integrated Project.  We looked at how advertisers attach themselves to this process and create either a NEED (Got Milk?) or a SOLUTION (Sham-Wow) by using HOOK STATEMENTS. 

Designing a good hook statement is not the easiest thing to do; the hook statement should hint at the product while targeting the audience (TARGET AUDIENCE).

We also looked at what makes a good Power Point Presentation- the amount of information, the pictures and their arrangement on the slide is key.  Be sure when you are arranging those things that you take into account their size, color and form (these are basic elements of design).

Coming up: we are going to look at the concept of target audience, logos and branding

Homework:

1. Response to Class Questions/Ideas #1 with a picture to illustrate your thoughts
2. Integrated project idea (sadly very few people have done this... not so good...)
   

Image of the Week

Homework: Class Questions/Ideas #1

Respond to one of the ideas/questions that are below- The idea here is to build a discussion from our thoughts.  With the questions asked and your answers we can get a discussion going- feel free to let your mind wonder on the topic- sometimes the best thoughts sound the silliest at first.  Give extreme examples of your ideas (make them up if you want to...) and remember you are talking about media...

1. You begin to trust them when you start seeing that people around you follow what is being said in the media- Leo.  How strong is a peer group... and what if you pay one person in the peer group to influence the rest of the peer group... how much "free thought" does a group have?
2. We have looked at how we make decisions, Do we truly make our decisions?
3. How can trust (or how is) trust gained between a product and the people who (might) buy it?  How do you get Brand Loyalty? 
4. ...most news we pay attention to is American .we hear their perspective on things .What they believe is going on in Iraq.But once we hear how the Iraqi people look at things we then soon see ourselves thinking outside the box. - Marianna  Talk about this idea of perspective;  Who has the power?  Do they have the power if they have the media?
5. Reacting to something Sally said- when is there too much "Media"?  Is there ever too much?  Are there some things that are NOT media worthy?
   

It should be a paragraph the size of this entry minimum and also needs to have an appropriate image to illustrate what you are talking about.

Last Week Review (end Sept. 11)

Last week we worked on looking to see how the mind builds information. The steps we follow: Identify (the need), Analysis, Design, Implement and Evaluate are key to understanding how minds work and better yet how Advetisers and other interests manipulate our interests.

Coming up: We are now looking more closely as to how we can manipulate the verbal language of a media message to add to its impact.

Homework:  You should have posted an image that shows stereotypes and write why you think this.

Last Week Review (end Sept 4)

Last week we worked on getting our blogs up and running (some of you still have to get them posted!). Then we started look at the nature of what media means to each of us personally- this was done with the questionnaire!

We looked at the definition of Media and Medium;

Media- anything that has a message (i.e. advertisements, news, entertainment shows, etc.)
Medium- anything that carries a message (i.e. T.V., radio, the computer, cellphone, etc)

We also looked at the idea of Stereotype and Archetype- two techniques used by media so the audience can easily recognize and identify with the characters represented.

Stereotype- A conventional, formulaic, and oversimplified conception, opinion, or image (EX. all villains wear black and the good guys wear white).

Archetype- Prototype, the original pattern or mode, the reference, the set, the example.

The work that is required for the week:
answering the last questions of the Questionnaire and Post a Media Picture.

Last 5 questions of questionnaire:

1. What is Media?

2. What is your favourite form of media?

3. What medium do you use the most?

4. Where does media make itself visible in your life?

5. What is the impact of media on our society?

Course Syllabus

So you know what you will be doing:

Term 1: What is the impact of Media Messages?

Media Awareness: This term will be spent looking at what media is, how it effects us in our daily lives, and how it shapes society. Through the practices of numerous exercises, films and readings we will learn the media language to the point where we can manipulate it and make it our own.

Movies: “Fear and Favor in the Newsroom”; Michael Moore’s TV Nation; Ted Talks

Readings: Marshall McLuhan, Adbusters, Noam Chompsky

Concepts: Audience, Medium/Message, Artist/creation/viewer relationship

End of Term Expectation:

1. Understanding and awareness of media’s influences

2. Power Point Presentation

i. your media message,
ii. the cause you plan to support and
iii. why you chose that cause

Term 2: How is the media message made?

Research and Design (R&D): This 2^nd term will be looking at ways to deliver media messages and what medium is the best to do it with.

Movies: Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds”; Michael Moore’s TV Nation; Ted Talks

Readings: Naomi Klein, Adbusters, (computer programs)

Concepts: Archetypes/stereotypes, Point of View (POV), message/communication, logo, branding

End of Term Expectation:

1. List of three Designs (possibilities)

2. Have chosen one design and justified your decision

3. Gathered all the required material and/or permissions for a successful completion of your Integrated Project.

Term 3: How is the media message delivered?

Creation: The 3^rd term is dedicated to the production of the integrated project. We will continue to look media issues focusing on delivery and responsibility.

Movies: “The Truman Show”; Michael Moore’s TV Nation; Ted Talks

Readings: Adbusters, Noam Chompsky, (computer programs)

Concepts: Artist/creation/creator relationship, medium, rule of 3rds

End of Term Expectation:

1. a successful completion of your Integrated Project.

2. a record of the steps taken to complete your project.

Term 4: What makes a media message successful?

Creation: The 4^th term concentrates on finishing and presenting your Integrated Project. The final steps will evaluate and reflecting on your project’s success.

Movies: “The Killing Fields”; Michael Moore’s TV Nation; Ted Talks

Readings: Adbusters, Noam Chompsky, (computer programs)

Concepts: markets, audience, Artist/creation/creator relationship, responsibility, critical thinking

End of Term Expectation:

1. Reflection on the processes taken to create your Integrated Project (written essay).

Connecting and Nameing your site

When you become a member of this Blog, YOU MUST BECOME A MEMBER OF YOUR BLOG TOO otherwise I won't be able to find you! So you have to become a "FOLLOWER" of your own blog.

Also- and this is very important!- you NEED TO USE A NAME I RECOGNIZE! The best thing would be to use your first name with the last letter being the first letter of your last name- i.e. John Doe would be johnd.blogspot.com. If that name is taken, put the number 09, or 0910 infront of it (you being the class of 09-10...)

Welcome!

This year we are going to look at media to become aware and socially conscious. Looking at websites, watching movies and TV, talking on cell phones is not enough! Don't let the technology put you to sleep! We need to take control and start sending our own messages- our own product out! The best way we can do that is if we understand the media that we are using (or being used by)!


The materials that you will need for this are as follows:

• USB memory stick (1 gig minimum)
• a notebook with lined and/or blank (whatever you are most comfortable with)
• pens, pencils, markers, colour pencils- anything that can make marks
• have internet access!
• glue stick

This course has not only your media awareness component but is also where you will create/produce the integrated project! This is a self-motivated, self disciplined, independently created work. You have the whole year to do it- will it be enough?!?

Oh- and did I mention that we're going to have fun?

First assignment (week of: September 1-4):

1. find at least one media image
2. create your own blog and become a "follower" of this one (that way I can link back to yours and see it)
3. Post your first response (by Monday, Sept 7th)