Media for Communication ArtistsEvans & Thomas, Chapter 7Melanie Yanney, Week 9
Objectives
Discuss the different media options available to graphic designers
Explain how graphic communication and media are interrelated
Explain how media can affect the delivery and perception of graphic content
Develop a historical awareness of the evolution of graphic communication and media
Explain how technological advancements have affected media development
Discuss how new and traditional media are combined in graphic communication
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What is media?
Print Media
Magazines
Books
Billboards
Newspapers
Annual Reports
Brochures
Newsletters
Electronic Media
Television
Radio
Film
The Web
“A medium is the delivery means or channel for communicating a written, verbal, or visual message” (220). The plural term is media.
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Cave Drawings
Hieroglyphics
Pictograms (cuneiform)
Alphabet
Illuminated Manuscripts
Movable Type
Lithography
Motion Pictures & Animation
Radio
New Media
Computer Animation
Television
The Evolution of Media
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Cave DrawingsPrehistoric people painted pictorial representations of animals, humans, and symbolic shapes on the walls of caves thereby giving visual form to verbal content, a process called graphic communication. (220)
Cave Drawings
Hieroglyphics
Pictograms (cuneiform)
Alphabet
Illuminated Manuscripts
Movable Type
Lithography
Motion Pictures & Animation
Radio
New Media
Computer Animation
Television
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HieroglyphicsCrude images evolved into simplified pictorial representations called symbols or hieroglyphics. The type of media used was paint on papyrus, a type of paper. (220)
Cave Drawings
Hieroglyphics
Pictograms (cuneiform)
Alphabet
Illuminated Manuscripts
Movable Type
Lithography
Motion Pictures & Animation
Radio
New Media
Computer Animation
Television
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Pictograms (cuneiform)People later developed their own written language using pictograms called cuneiform, which evolved into more abstract, linear symbols. The type of media used was inscriptions on clay, stone, metal, and other hard materials. (220)
Cave Drawings
Hieroglyphics
Pictograms (cuneiform)
Alphabet
Illuminated Manuscripts
Movable Type
Lithography
Motion Pictures & Animation
Radio
New Media
Computer Animation
Television
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AlphabetLater, the cuneiform script was reduced to a collection of 22 characters, a precursor to today’s alphabet. (222)
Cave Drawings
Hieroglyphics
Pictograms (cuneiform)
Alphabet
Illuminated Manuscripts
Movable Type
Lithography
Motion Pictures & Animation
Radio
New Media
Computer Animation
Television
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Illuminated ManuscriptsEarly forms of today’s media took shape during the Middle Ages when bibles and psalm books were hand-assembled for the wealthy class. These illuminated manuscripts were penned with a feather quill onto vellum, a thin sheet of calf or sheep skin. (222)
Cave Drawings
Hieroglyphics
Pictograms (cuneiform)
Alphabet
Illuminated Manuscripts
Movable Type
Lithography
Motion Pictures & Animation
Radio
New Media
Computer Animation
Television
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Movable TypeJohannes Gutenberg invented movable type and the printing press during the Renaissance, which allowed for mass production of the printed word. Printing was the most common form of media through the industrial revolution through newspapers, books, handbills, and posters. (223)
Cave Drawings
Hieroglyphics
Pictograms (cuneiform)
Alphabet
Illuminated Manuscripts
Movable Type
Lithography
Motion Pictures & Animation
Radio
New Media
Computer Animation
Television
10
LithographyDuring that period, visual communication began to evolve by integrating graphic and fine arts into communication pieces. Lithography allowed artists to reproduce colored imagery by printing from inked stones. (223)
Cave Drawings
Hieroglyphics
Pictograms (cuneiform)
Alphabet
Illuminated Manuscripts
Movable Type
Lithography
Motion Pictures & Animation
Radio
New Media
Computer Animation
Television
11
Motion Pictures & AnimationAt the end of the nineteenth century, mass media shifted to electronic media thanks to the invention of motion pictures. Early animated forms progressed to sound animation and use of Technicolor. (224)
Cave Drawings
Hieroglyphics
Pictograms (cuneiform)
Alphabet
Illuminated Manuscripts
Movable Type
Lithography
Motion Pictures & Animation
Radio
New Media
Computer Animation
Television
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RadioRadio also came into common use in the early 1900s particularly as a news and advertising medium. Its popularity began to replace newspapers and other print media. (224)
Cave Drawings
Hieroglyphics
Pictograms (cuneiform)
Alphabet
Illuminated Manuscripts
Movable Type
Lithography
Motion Pictures & Animation
Radio
New Media
Computer Animation
Television
13
TelevisionTelevision began to replace radio as the broadcast media of choice in the 1930s and proved to be one of the most important advances in media technology. Color television was introduced in the mid 1950s. (225-226)
Cave Drawings
Hieroglyphics
Pictograms (cuneiform)
Alphabet
Illuminated Manuscripts
Movable Type
Lithography
Motion Pictures & Animation
Radio
New Media
Computer Animation
Television
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Computer AnimationElectronic media and computers allowed for graphic communicators to incorporate computer animation into their designs. (227)
Cave Drawings
Hieroglyphics
Pictograms (cuneiform)
Alphabet
Illuminated Manuscripts
Movable Type
Lithography
Motion Pictures & Animation
Radio
New Media
Computer Animation
Television
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New MediaThe digital revolution moved people into the age of computers at the end of the twentieth century. New media forms blended graphic design with audio and cinematic media, pushing beyond the two-dimensional realm. New media options include interactive media, the Web, and multimedia. (228)
Let’s take a closer look at each.
Cave Drawings
Hieroglyphics
Pictograms (cuneiform)
Alphabet
Illuminated Manuscripts
Movable Type
Lithography
Motion Pictures & Animation
Radio
New Media
Computer Animation
Television
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InteractiveInteractive media allows users to control their media experience. Hypertext and hyperlinks were one of the earliest forms of interactivity. Prior to wide accessibility of the Internet, interactive programs were available on diskette. Technology evolved by allowing more digital information to be stored on interactive technologies like computers and mobile phones, including animation, illustration, photography, sound, text, and video. (228)
Cave Drawings
Hieroglyphics
Pictograms (cuneiform)
Alphabet
Illuminated Manuscripts
Movable Type
Lithography
Motion Pictures & Animation
Radio
New Media
Computer Animation
Television
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The WebThe Internet was developed in the 1960s by the US government to facilitate communication in the event of a nuclear attack. In 1982, it was made accessible to research labs and educational institutions. Then in the 1990s, it became available to schools and businesses. 30 million people were online in 1997, and today the Internet has over one billion users. Web designers must think cross-culturally in this new global marketplace. (229)
Cave Drawings
Hieroglyphics
Pictograms (cuneiform)
Alphabet
Illuminated Manuscripts
Movable Type
Lithography
Motion Pictures & Animation
Radio
New Media
Computer Animation
Television
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MultimediaMultimedia technology blends animation, audio, and video with text, imagery, and interactivity. Common multimedia technologies include Web sites, video, and computer games. Interactive technologies that are limited to text and imagery only are not regarded as multimedia. (230)
Cave Drawings
Hieroglyphics
Pictograms (cuneiform)
Alphabet
Illuminated Manuscripts
Movable Type
Lithography
Motion Pictures & Animation
Radio
New Media
Computer Animation
Television
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Elements, Principles, and New Media
The principles of design also apply to multimedia, the Web, and interactive media. Elements like balance, typography, unity, color, and compelling imagery are just as important in Web sites as they are in traditional media. (231)
One unique factor designers must consider in new media is time. Content must be easily accessible, streamlined, and simple to navigate. (231) Other design considerations include: Motion
Web Site Design
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Motion
Computer technology allows designers to give type movement through animation to support the message
Individual frames are less important than the complete composition over a period of time
Motion design requires plenty of planning through storyboards to develop the piece
Audio/video productions involve even more planning through use of outlines, scripts, hiring actors and illustrators, and development of music and sound effects
21Pages 231-232
Web Site Design
Web sites exist for many reasons Information source
Entertainment
Promotion of services, products, organizations, events
E-Commerce
Web designers begin with an information architecture identifying how users will be guided through the site
Then a site map is established to show where type and images fall in a way that unifies individual pages as a cohesive whole
Finally, designers create style sheets to ensure that type and layouts will look the same across all types of browsers, screen resolutions, and platforms like mobile devices
22Pages 233-235
The Right Media Choices
New Media Targets a youthful
demographic
Takes a grassroots approach to marketing
Provides source for entertainment and information
Facilitates e-commerce
Traditional Media Newspapers and
broadcast media reach a wide range of people
Magazines and books narrowcast specialized information to smaller audiences
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“The best media campaigns use a combination of media to deliver a message” (236)
Page 236
Chapter 7 Activity
Identify a Web site that incorporates multimedia, and answer the following questions:
1. What multimedia technology (animation, audio, video, games, etc.) is incorporated into the site?
2. How does the interactive design help communicate the intended message? (Why did the designers go to all of this trouble?)
3. Who is the intended audience? How can you tell?
Examples:
http://www.kraftbrands.com/a1
http://hipstamatic.com/
http://www.wbaltv.com/
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Reference
Evans, P., & Thomas, M. A. (2008). Exploring the Elements of Design (2 ed.). Clifton Park, NY: Delmar Cengage Learning.
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Image Sources Cave Drawings: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_painting
Hieroglyphics: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_hieroglyphs
Cuneiform: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuneiform
Alphabet: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Komi-Udmurt_latin_alphabet_(1931).jpg
Illuminated Manuscript: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illuminated_manuscript
Movable Type: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Gutenberg
Lithography: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toulouse-Lautrec
Motion Pictures & Animation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steamboat_Willie
Radio: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio
Television: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television
Computer Animation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation
New Media: http://www.bestbuy.com/
Interactive: http://usedipad123.com/ipad-games
The Web: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Wide_Web
Multimedia: http://www.technobuffalo.com/2013/01/19/the-6-iphone-home-pages-since-the-original-launched-in-2007/ 26