Guest Lecturer

Last week we had a guest designer come in to class to speak to us and also look at our semester's work and give us feedback. Liad Baniel specializes in establishing brand/message recognition using creative direction, brand innovation and all aspects of visual presence. He showed us several different websites with design work that were very interesting and gave a broad array of examples. I appreciated how well he was able to analyze what was going on in the different designs and why they worked. He wasn't just showing us good design but rather he was very successful in explaining why it worked which is helpful in learning from these examples.
As for the feedback he gave me on my work, it was definitely helpful to get a fresh perspective. Having spent the whole semester working on this I don't really have much distance or objectivity. I was happy to hear, of course, that he liked the general idea of my product, PitchPerfect, He gave a lot of suggestions for my marketing spot which was very helpful since I was still struggling with my concept at the time, and having him just list so many different concepts really helped to get me thinking and expand on the ideas I already had. 

Vanity Fair for the iPad

Article: Vanity Unfair from the New York Times

I appreciated this article for its take on the digital version of Vanity Fair for the iPad. Vanity Fair (and several other magazines) have found a seemingly poor solution to the challenge of presenting their content digitally. One has to buy the app for 5 dollars and then spend 4 dollars for every issue. Thus there is no financial incentive to read the magazine on the iPad. If anything it feels like you are paying for the privilege to be able to buy the issues online. Shouldn't the app at least be for free if you are going to be using it to buy the issues at almost the same price that you would be buying the actual physical magazine for? Also, the same app can be bought for the iphone or iPod touch which seems even more ridiculous considering that then you are reading the magazine on such a tiny screen (especially since vanity fair is not just a way to get one's news). In any case, I know I would still very much prefer to read the actual magazine.

Thread Sculptures

Article: Sculptures made of 50 miles of thread put double rainbows to shame

These thread sculptures by artist Gabriel Dawe are absolutely beautiful. I love the effect created by the colored thread.

Sustainable Subways

Article: Poland Unveils BMW-Designed Subway Cars Which Are 98% Recyclable

98% recyclable is pretty impressive. These subways that will be used in Warsaw are designed to be environmentally friendly and also to be more comfortable and enjoyable for the people on it. I feel like the MTA probably doesn't worry about either of those factors.

First trial segment using flash

I didn't know how to make it not loop...

Styleframe Storyboard

Styleframe Storyboard

The effects of technology on social interactions

Don't Look Now, But Your Social Relationships Have Changed

This is a great article that concisely sums up all the ways in which our social interactions and relationships are constantly changing due to the technology we use.

A chair as storage space

Lost in Sofa

This chair is interesting. I don't think I like it aesthetically enough to actually want to own it myself. But the idea is cute.

Offline Thinking for Screen Workers

http://imprint.printmag.com/web-design/offline-thinking-for-screen-workers/

I agree with this article on the importance of also working offline, with actual physical materials. While I love working at the computer, I have often found that when I turn away from it, pick up a pencil and paper, and just start sketching, ideas flow more readily and I feel a lot more able to experiment.

Storyboard for marketing spot

Click here to go to storyboard

Brainstorming for marketing spot for PitchPerfect

Connotations/Characteristics:

-       help achieve goals

-       help succeed

-       help do job

-       make phone calls and public speaking less stressful

-       can support you throughout various life situations

-       evokes feeling of comfort and confidence

Provides solution for:

-       people who have to spend a lot of time on the phone

-       people who are nervous about public speaking

Marketing spots I like the feel of:

Schweppes: I like the calm and almost serene atmosphere of this ad while being still upbeat and giving a feeling of comfort and happiness. While the product of this ad is very different from my product, these are all emotions which would be great to convey for PitchPerfect.

This ad made me think about the concept of jealousy/wanting what others have/ not being good enough. It led me to thinking about someone talking without PitchPerfect vs. someone talking with PitchPerfect. Of course the person with PitchPerfect would be more successful and get more attention and the person without it would be jealous – could be an idea for the spot….?

I like the style this video is done in:

This ad plays on how the product (in this case a VW) is good for everyone and in every situation. For PitchPerfect this could apply by showing lots of different scenarios in which PitchPerfect could be used.

This is a cute ad:

Potential advertising strategies/ Ideas for marketing spot:

-       show images of nervous person before speech/lecture, then show PitchPerfect as solution

-       show different scenes in which one could use PitchPerfect, then emphasize how PP can help you succeed and be confident in any situation

-       show someone moving forward in life (from phone interview, to receptionist, to PR person giving press conferences) and how PP assisted them along the way and helped them get to where they are

-       show scenario of a person giving a speech, worrying about it being boring and about having a shaky voice, then show the audience’s positive reaction.

-        

Guy on soap box with crowd thinning out around him, next frame of a politician giving a speech surrounded by a big crowd, possible catch phrases:

-       Wish more people listened to you? With PitchPerfect they will.

-       What makes him so special? Why do they listen to him? He’s got PitchPerfect.

-       Public speaking doesn’t come naturally? With PitchPerfect no one will ever know.

-       Wish people paid more attention? With PitchPerfect they will.

Use statistics on public speaking anxiety and stage fright and make spot about it and how PitchPerfect can help in Flash.
Statistics on fear of public speaking

Secret closed NYC subway station

Stunning New York Subway Station Hidden in Plain Sight
A friend was actually just telling me about this and now I happened across this article and it really is a beautiful station and looks like stunning architecture, so I thought I'd share it.

Happiness Tracker

Article: The Pursuit of Appiness

Happiness is being tracked using an app that pings users over the course of the day to ask them what their mood is. It is a much more accurate way of compiling a happiness/life satisfaction survey than the regular past ways in which people were asked to respond on their general happiness based on their memory of the past week, month, or year. Using an app to compile the information, you get much more accurate data.

Destroying Apple stuff for art

Artist Pays Homage to Apple, Destroys Products These images by the German artist Michael Tompert are being displayed at a San Francisco gallery. He destroys apple products by shooting them, running them over, using a blowtorch on them, and other means. The images of these destroyed objects are quite stunning and there's a plethora of ways in which this comment on our obsession with apple products can be interpreted.

A non-digital interactive book

http://www.fastcodesign.com/1662680/inside-jonathan-safran-foers-unmakeable-interactive-book

I love interesting books and it's nice to see people are still experimenting with actual physical books. Everybody is constantly talking about interactivity in the digital book world and the future of digital books, it feels almost refreshing to see interactivity being applied to the physical book. This looks like a beautifully made book and I love that it was finally created despite many printers claiming that the idea would be impossible to execute.

Stop Motion Video

This a short stop motion video giving an example of what the PitchPerfect interface would look like and how one would set up PitchPerfect in preparation for giving a speech.



Click on the full screen button and then choose 720 for the resolution in order to watch it bigger and in good quality.

Motion Design

This article did a really good job of really isolating the different components and aspects of animation. It is helpful to have this kind of a source especially for such a complicated, potentially overwhelming, topic. With animation there are so many different things to pay attention to and the technical aspects can seem quite daunting, so it is great to be able to pick apart the things in order to keep in mind which things need to be payed attention to and what techniques can have which effect on what you are trying to do.

Robots to guard your home

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/04/technology/personaltech/04basics.html?_r=1&src=me&ref=technology

While it seems a bit creepy to have robots moving around our homes while we're gone, I can definitely see this taking off. People are plenty worried about securing their homes, keeping their possessions safe, or also themselves at night while we're asleep. I think that having a robot roaming around could give an added sense of safety. It seems like it would be especially useful if one is going on vacation and doesn't want to ask a friend to go check on ones house. Then the robot would also be useful for things other than just burglary. Since the robot can relay the video footage that it takes in, you could actually check to make sure you really did turn that stove off before leaving. 

Taking pictures, hands-free

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/07/business/07novel.html

This is a camera that is worn like a bluetooth headset and can take pictures and videos of anything you see at anytime and can then directly email it out once done recording.

Summary of PitchPerfect up to this point

1) My color choices are intended to evoke the qualities that PitchPerfect would provide you with. Since PitchPerfect would be used to present a certain image of yourself, the colors should imply these desirable characteristics. The orange signifies warmth, friendliness, and an upbeat and energetic attitude. The blue resembles a more serious, soothing, responsible and reliable side.

2) The brand soundtrack evokes similar characteristics in line with the color choices. The chirping birds in the background give a feeling of lightness and give an upbeat and simultaneously calming impression. The sound-clip is balanced and evokes a feeling of comfort and well-being. Again, these are qualities that should also be evoked when using the product PitchPerfect.

3) The product PitchPerfect can be used in a variety of situations in which one needs to be speaking on the phone or to a crowd and would like to be sure that one is using the right tone and a voice and talking speed conducive to a positive interaction or to hold the audience's attention.

4) The most important feedback I received on my social network for PitchPerfect was concerning the different uses for PitchPerfect and concerning the moral issue of altering one's voice and therefore misrepresenting oneself. As for the different uses, the large amount of brainstorming help really assisted me in getting a clearer idea of the product's potential. As for the issue of misrepresentation, a poll concerning this gave me results that let me go ahead with the product since this issue does not seem to be a deal-breaker for the majority of the poll-takers.

3G on Mount Everest

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/29/bits-pics-video-calls-from-the-top-of-the-world/?ref=technology

I've always wanted to climb Mount Everest but the one thing keeping me was my fear of not being able to check facebook regularly on the way to the summit. Thank god I don't have to worry about that anymore!

Storyboard for Stop Motion - 1st draft

http://claraeckertframm.com/digitaldesign/storyboard.gif