Storyboard

I began this project by looking at the pictures we were required to use.  I wanted to first see if I could make a story in my head before choosing a picture and realizing I had no idea what to write about.

I did the project a little backwards, I chose to do the storyboard using two of the required pictures first.  I chose the 4 boys in green t-shirts playing a sport and the profile shot of the man in a blue hat.  Since I chose the picture with the boys playing a sport [at least that is how I interpreted that picture] I wanted to sport to be soccer, not for any particular reason though.  I re-printed a storyboard sheet so four slides appeared on one piece of paper and used a ruler to draw black lines underneath for the narration.  The first box is a drawing I did of a boy getting a soccer ball kicked into him.  I used the 4 boys lined up next.  My narration displays my storyline.  The third box is the man in the blue hat who I made the father of the boy who got kicked with the soccer ball.  The fourth box shows the crowd of sympathetic parents at the soccer game. 

The picture I chose to use for the other storyboard was the four men walking in what seems to be a windstorm.  For this story I did first person narration.  The second box is a close-up of one of the men in the windstorm who does not have a mask to cover his mouth.  The third box is a close-up of all the men.  The last box is another close-up on a different man.  This story was harder to create since I had to draw 3 pictures instead of 2.  In order for the story to make sense I really concentrated on making the people consistent throughout each box.  I hope the audience is able to distinguish each person.

Not only did I have fun making up stories for pictures, I also learned that consistency and attention to detail are very important in both text and visual books.  I am pleased with how my stories came out because I think are slightly humorous and illustrated to the best of my ability.

Simple Table and Graphs

I had trouble beginning this assignment because it was difficult to find information about Roger Williams University.  I tried three different search engines before I came across the information I was looking for.  I chose to have to 3 variables: tuition cost of living on campus, tuition cost of living off campus, and the cost.

I created my table in excel.  I am not very familiar with excel, but I know enough to make a table and be able to graph it.  
  

The table itself is very simple, but I was not able to gather a lot of data.  The information only dates back until 2006.  Once my table was complete I made multiple graphs in order to determine which graph best displayed the information.  Each graph was constructed in excel, and then a title was given in PowerPoint.  I copied each graph into a PowerPoint document in order to adjust the size, add a title, and view the graph without the gridded lines excel has.

Sideways Bar Graph

 

Bar Graph

Line Graph

Pie Chart

3-dimensional Bar Graph

The two graphs that work the best are the Bar Graph and the 3-dimensional Bar Graph.  All the variables are the proper x and y axis and the graphs are easy for the audience to read and understand.  I'm happy I did this information because I live off campus and it was interesting to do a topic that pertained to my real life.

Flow Chart

I was slightly confused by this assignment in the beginning.  I had to carefully plan out my flow chart before designing the actual flow chart.

The first flow chart I did was "ordering the book off amazon."  I began by going to amazon.com and walked through the steps of ordering a book off amazon.  This was very helpful because each step I went through on the website I wrote down on my rough draft what the order is.  My flowchart has multiple decisions/questions in a row.  I am not necessarily sure if that is the right thing to do in a flowchart, but I did not know any other way to organize the steps.  The final product turned out very well.  I was thorough and careful because I did not want to miss any important steps.  My flowchart is easy to read and would help anyone who does not know how to order a book off amazon.
 

The second flowchart was about "researching cognitive load on google."  Again, I went through actual process and wrote down the steps on my rough draft.  This flowchart was shorter than the first one because there were not as many steps involved in this flowchart.  Since this flowchart was shorter I felt that it looked more organized.  The first flowchart had so many steps in it that it looked slightly messy.  This flowchart is not only well researched but aesthetically appealing too.  I was able to make the words larger and be less concerned about the limited space on the page.

Visual Essay

I had trouble starting this project.  I did not know what graphic to improve because I associated a graphic with a picture.  It was not until I read the suggestions on the Visual Communication web page that I had direction.  I chose to improve a graphic from  Car and Driver magazine, a magazine which I have never read before.  The magazine primarily consists of graphs and charts which compare and contrast different types of vehicles.  I chose a graphic which does just that.


I re-designed my graphic in Adobe InDesign.  I have background knowledge about the program from an electronic communication class I took.  The tools I used within the program were basic though.  I wanted to graphic to be easier to read.  I am not familiar with cars and therefore wanted to make others who do not understand cars able to read a chart comparing various cars more user friendly.

The basic format of he graphic remained the same, I re-ordered some titles in order to clarify certain information, but the information I learned in class about color, size, placement, and typeface were my main areas of focus.  Small, subtle changes make can make a wordy and confusing graphic much easier to read. 

(Original)

The original graphic has odd color usage and inconsistent fonts.

(Rough Drafts)

(Improved Graphic)

Although this project proved to be more challenging than I originally thought it would be, I am very happy with how it turned out.  My graphic is easier to read and more organized.

"How-To" Spaghetti Dinner

I approached this project the same way I did for the in class assignment, "How-To" make a Peanut butter and Jelly sandwich.  I wanted to keep all of my graphics simple so the audience would not be confused.

I first began by breaking the page into four separate sections.  The top line consists of a barilla box of spaghetti and a can of red spaghetti sauce.  The next image, which appears on the same line, is a pot on top of a stove that is filled with water.  Looking back, I wish that I had added one more step in between these.  I should have shown a graphic displaying water being poured into the pot. 

The second lone consists of spaghetti being poured into the pot.  Again, I wish that I had added another step.  I wish that I had somehow figured out how display that the water must come to a boil before spaghetti is poured into the pot.  Next to the pot with spaghetti being poured into it is a clock.  The image next to the pot is of the spaghetti cooking in the pot.  Again, a clock is next to the pot.  The clock reads seven minutes later than the clock to the left of it.  A spaghetti box instructions include a seven minute cooking time.

The third line is the cooked pot of spaghetti being poured into a strainer in a sink.  The next graphic is the spaghetti in the strainer being poured onto a plate.

The final line is an image is the can of sauce being poured onto the spaghetti.  The final image is the plate if spaghetti with sauce on it, a fork and knife, and a glass of wine.

While this project seemed simple at first, it is not easy.  Once I completed my project I found that there were steps I missed.  Since I am so familiar with making spaghetti, I forgot steps that are second nature to me.  I have learned through this assignment and the in class assignment that a pre-graphic should be drawn so the final graphic does not have extraneous information or lack information.

Tracy Kidder

Tracy Kidder, Pulitzer Prize winner and renowned author, spoke at Roger Williams University about his experiences as a journalist and author.  His most recent nonfiction story, “Mountains Beyond Mountains” was the central topic of discussion. 

The book focuses on two main issues, the global health crises, tuberculosis and AIDS.  Kidder shadowed Dr. Paul Farmer, an ambitious doctor hell bent on establishing clinics and hospitals in Haiti.  The success of his novel has led to traveling throughout the country in order to speak to college students who have read the book as part of the school’s curriculum.

Kidder evokes relaxation and serenity.  He is an approachable professional who was truly encouraging to the Roger Williams students who attended his discussion.  His set-up was atypical for speakers.  He did not lecture; instead chairs were placed in a circle.  Kidder made the situation a welcoming environment.

Aside from talking about “Mountains Beyond Mountains,” Kidder touched upon his life as a writer.  Kidder has written several books and had work published in magazines throughout his lifetime.  He explained that writing a book is an enormous commitment.  Research can almost seem endless; in fact, research is supposedly the fun part.  It is commonly the editor, at least in Kidder’s case, who determines when the research ends and the writing begins. 

Kidder’s writing career began during his sophomore year of college.  He felt strong impulses to continue writing after taking a class focusing on Short Stories/Fiction.  Aside from his intuition, the thought of being his own boss proved to be an appealing perk. 

Kidder seems to be a pretty good boss.  With a Pulitzer Prize under his belt and several successful books, his career is what a writer strives to achieve.  His inspirations for all of his pieces come almost accidently though.  He believes inspiration comes from everywhere and anywhere, but a good writer or journalist must go out into the world and experience things first hand to find a good story. 

“Writing is the only real thinking I do,” Kidder commented.

Lawncare Decision Graphic

The first step I did was figuring out how I could represent the necessary words as images.  I began with the Yes and No since they appear the most frequently on the graphic.  I chose to do a thumbs up symbol for yes and thumbs down for no.  At first drawing a thumbs up/thumbs down was no a problem but as I continued the project the drawing got more tedious.  I am still happy with how the thumbs looks though and I do feel that is a universal sign.  The next step was drawing turf grass.  It is difficult to display turf grass in a creative manner aside from a simple bed of grass.  Hopefully the image I created is effective!

There is the large starting image on the left side which then branches off into yes and no(thumbs up/thumbs down).  Since the yes side stops after only one box I chose to use a not allowed sign.  Since stop signs are not necessarily universal I thought that the image I created would be better.  The box on the no side consists of a thermometer with a degrees symbol of 90 degrees or above.  All of the information comes from the paragraph given in class.  Continuing off the thermometer branch is dry grass.  Off of each dry grass branch is a pest in grass, a.k.a. destroying grass.  Choosing a graphic for the pest was the most challenging.  I am not a wonderful artists and therefore had to choose a fairly simple image.  My pest most closely resembles a caterpillar but I still feel as though the image gets the message across.  Branching off the pest in grass is the proper treatment for the turf grass.

At first I did not understand the purpose of the project; it is difficult to think of symbols that will be able to reach the entire world.  For most people, including myself, if a symbol is familiar to you then it is very difficult to imagine it not being familiar to someone else.  Choosing universal symbols was the most challenging step for me, but helped me to think outside of the box.  This project has proved to be very beneficial in order to improve my visual communication skills.   I feel as though if I can create graphics about turf grass I could probably do several different topics.