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.

3

Cave Drawings

Hieroglyphics

Pictograms (cuneiform)

Alphabet

Illuminated Manuscripts

Movable Type

Lithography

Motion Pictures & Animation

Radio

New Media

Computer Animation

Television

The Evolution of Media

4

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

5

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

6

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

7

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

8

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

9

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

12

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

14

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

15

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

16

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

17

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

18

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