Design and Production Chapter 14 Chapter Outline I. Chapter Key Points II. Visual Communication III. Print Art Direction IV. Print Production V. Television Art Direction VI. Broadcast Production VII. Effective Web Design Key Points Explain how visual impact is created in advertising List the principles of layout and explain how design is affected by media requirements Describe how art and color are reproduced Explain how the art director creates TV commercials Identify the critical steps in planning and producing broadcast commercials Summarize the techniques of Web design 1
Visual Communication Grab attention Stick in memory Cement belief Tell interesting stories Communicate quickly Anchor associations Thomasville and Long Haymes Carr Bring Hemingway Back to Life Visit the Site Visual Impact A picture in a print ad captures more than twice as many readers as a headline does Initial attention is more likely to turn into sustained interest 2
The Art Director In charge of the visual look of the message Most difficult challenge is transforming a concept into words and pictures Illustrations and Photos Photos The authenticity of photography makes it powerful Illustrations Illustrations eliminate many details of a photo Color Attracts attention Provides realism Establishes moods Builds brand identity Spot color 3
Typography The appearance of the ad s printed matter in terms of the style and size of typefaces Fonts Basic set of letters in a particular typeface Serif Sans serif Uppercase Lowercase All caps U&lc Weight, posture, and width Figure 14.1a Justification Justified type Flush right Flush left Unjustified type Ragged right Ragged left Figure 14.1b 4
Type Measurement Points Smallest system of measurement units Picas Bigger unit of measurement Figure 14.1c Legibility How easy it is to perceive the letters Reverse type, all capitals, and surprinting all hinder the reading process Figure 14.1d Layout and Design Picture window All art Circus Nonlinear Panel or grid Grunge Dominant type or all copy 5
Direction Dominance Unity White space Contrast Balance Proportion Simplify, simplify, simplify Design Principles Layout Stages Thumbnail Sketches Rough Layout Semicomps Comprehensives Figure 14.4 Mechanicals Final High-Resolution Film Print Production Different media have different demands on design and production 6
Creating an Effective Poster or Outdoor Board Graphics Size Colors Figure/ground Typography Product identification Extensions Shape Motion OAAA: Promoting, Protecting and Advancing Outdoor Advertising Visit the Site Line art Halftone Art Reproduction Figure 14.5 7
Color Reproduction Process colors Four-color printing Color separation Figure 14.7 The Color Separation Process Printing Processes Letterpress Offset Lithography Rotogravure Flexography Silkscreen Printing Processes Digitization Binding and Finishing 8
Television Art Direction Excitement and drama in a television ad is created through the moving images Visual storytelling is important, even for abstract visual concepts Video Graphics Stock footage Crawl Morphing The Fallon Agency: Making Cat Herding Look Easy Visit the Site 9
Broadcast Production Who Does What in TV and Radio Production? Copywriter Art Director Producer Director Composer Arranger Editor Table 14.1 Writes the script, whether it contains dialogue, narrative, lyrics, announcements, descriptions, or no words at all. In TV, develops the storyboard and establishes the look of the commercial, whether realistic, stylized, or fanciful. Takes charge of the production, handles the bidding and all production arrangements, finds the specialists, arranges for casting talent, and makes sure the expenses and bids come in under budget. Has responsibility for the actual filming or taping, including scene length, who does what, how lines are spoken and the characters played; in TV determines how the camera is set up and records the flow of action. Writes original music and sometimes writes the lyrics along with the music. Orchestrates music for the various instruments and voices to make it fit a scene or copy line. The copywriter usually writes the lyrics or at least gives some idea of what the words should say. Puts everything together toward the end of the filming or taping process; evaluates how to assemble scenes and which audio elements work best with the dialogue and footage. Producing Commercials Animation Stop motion Music and action Television Production Process Message Design Preproduction Production Postproduction Figure 14.8 10
Honda Cog Gets it Right Effective Web Design Web pages should follow the same layout rules as posters Web pages can combine elements and design styles from many different media Visit The Site - www.crewcuts.com Action and Interaction Web advertisers are continuing to find ways to make the imagery more engaging Regular site visitors should be able to customize the site Visit The Site www.climbmeru.com 11
Forrester Research: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Visit the Site Discussion Questions Discussion Question 1 What are the differences between using an illustration and using a photograph? Give an example of a product category where you would want to use an illustration and another example where you would use a photograph. Explain why. 12
Discussion Question 2 What principles govern the design of a magazine ad? Collect two samples, one that you think is a good example of effective design and one that you think is not effective. Critique the two ads and explain your evaluation based on what you know about how design principles work in advertising layouts. Discussion Question 3 Choose an ad from this textbook that you think demonstrates a good layout with a clear visual path. Take a piece of tracing paper, as we have done with the Porsche ad in Figure 14.3, and convert the key elements to geometric shapes to see what kind of pattern emerges. Illustrate on your tracing how the eye moves around the page. Put an X on the dominant element on your tracing. Discussion Question 4 One of the challenges for creative ad designers is to demonstrate a product whose main feature cannot be seen by the consumer. Suppose you are an art director on an account that sells shower and bath mats with a patented system that ensures that the mat will not slide (the mat s underside is covered with tiny suction cups that grip the tub s surface). Brainstorm some ways to demonstrate this feature in a television commercial. Find a way that will satisfy the demands of originality, relevance, and impact. 13
Discussion Question 5 Think of a television commercial you have seen recently that you thought was creative and entertaining. Then find one that you think is much less creative and entertaining. Analyze how the two commercials work to catch and hold your attention. How do the visuals work? What might be done to make the second commercial more attention getting? You can also use online sources to find commercials at www.adcritic.com and at www.badads.org. Discussion Question 6 One approach to design says that a visual image in an ad should reflect the image of the brand. Find a print ad that you think speaks effectively for the personality of the brand. Now compare the print ad with the brand s Web site. Does the same design style continue on the site? Does the site present the brand personality in the same way as the print ad? 14