Prentice Hall, © Design and Production Part 4: Principles: Creativity and Breakthrough Advertising Chapter 14

Prentice Hall, © Questions We’ll Answer What is the role of visual communication in advertising? How can we define layout and composition, and what’s the difference between the two? How are art and color reproduced in print advertising? Which steps in planning and producing broadcast commercials are most critical? What are the basic techniques of Web design? CHAPTER KEY POINTS

Prentice Hall, © Using Visual Effectively VISUAL COMMUNICATION Grab attention Stick in memory Cement belief Tell interesting stories Communicate quickly Anchor associations

Prentice Hall, © Using Visual Effectively VISUAL COMMUNICATION An intriguing idea grabs attention and sticks in memory. A picture in a print ad captures more than twice as many readers as a headline does. People remember ads with pictures more than those with just type.

Prentice Hall, © Other Purposes of Visuals VISUAL COMMUNICATION Visual storytelling—the visual sets up the narrative and tell the story. Brand image—the brand must be consistently represented. –A logo graphically identifies a brand or company.

Prentice Hall, © The Art Director ART DIRECTION In charge of the visual look of the ad how it communicates mood, product qualities and psychological appeals. They decide which type of visual to use— art, photography, film, animation, etc. for ads. May also work on branding/corporate logo including office interiors, merchandising materials, delivery vehicles.

Prentice Hall, © Designers Toolkit: Photos ART DIRECTION Photography’s authenticity makes it powerful, more realistic –“John West” is a British canned fish –Ernest Hemingway Collection is a line of Thomasville furniture Photos add credibility Photos are realistic Use is determined by strategy

Prentice Hall, © Designer’s Toolkit: Illustration ART DIRECTION Illustration eliminates the details of a photo and focuses on the “highlights” of the image. Can also simplify the message and focus on key details. Illustration is more fanciful. Use is determined by strategy.

Prentice Hall, © Designer’s Toolkit: Color ART DIRECTION Color can attract attention, provide realism, and establish moods, and build brand identity. Lack of color—black and white—can add dignity and sophistication. Spot color—added to black to accent or highlight certain elements.

Prentice Hall, © Print Layout ART DIRECTION A plan that imposes order and creates an arrangement that is aesthetically pleasing. –Picture window — a single, dominant visual occupying 60 to 70% of the ad with headline and copy underneath and logo at bottom.. –All art––art fills the frame; copy is embedded in the picture. –Panel or grid — uses a number of visuals, like a window pane or comic strip panel. –Dominant type or all copy — emphasizes type over art, headline may be treated as type art. – Circus — combines lots of elements—art, type, color—to deliberately create a busy, jumbled image. –Nonlinear — can be read starting at any point in the image. –Grunge — shows what is presumed to be a Generation X–inspired lack of concern for the formalities of art, design, type styles, and legibility.

Prentice Hall, © Layout Stages ART DIRECTION Thumbnail sketches — quick, miniature preliminary sketches. Rough layouts — show where design elements go. Semicomps and comprehensives — drawn to size and used for presentation either inside or to the client. Mechanicals — assemble the elements in their final position for reproduction. Final high-resolution computer file — used for the actual production of the ad.

Prentice Hall, © Composition ART DIRECTION Refers to the way elements in a picture are arranged. Photographers and videographers –Place or arrange elements for the camera –Manipulate the point of view if elements can’t be moved Storyboards are sketches of the scenes and shots in a commercial and reflect camera positions.

Prentice Hall, © Print Media Requirements PRINT PRODUCTION Different media have different design and production demands. Newsprint is printed on high speed, inexpensive, rough-surfaced spongy paper. Magazine offers better reproduction than newspapers. Yellow Pages ads must stand out in a cluttered environment, but contain useful information.

Prentice Hall, © Creating Effective Outdoor PRINT PRODUCTION Graphics–eye stopping Size–images are huge Colors–bold, bright, contrasting Figure/ground–keep it simple Typography–simple, clean, legible Product ID–make label or package large Extensions–go beyond the frame Shape–use 3D Motion–use movable parts, or revolving panels

Prentice Hall, © Print Art Reproduction PRINT PRODUCTION Line art is an image with solid lines on white paper. A halftone is an image with a range of gray tones. Printers create the illusion of a halftone by shooting a photo through a screen to create a dot pattern. Screens are also used to create tint blocks or percentages of black or color.

Prentice Hall, © Color Reproduction PRINT PRODUCTION Process colors (magenta, cyan, yellow, black) are used in the four- color printing process. Color separation is a process by which a printer reduces or “separates” to four negatives for each of the four colors.

Prentice Hall, © Digitization PRINT PRODUCTION Method for creating a reproducible form of an ad to distribute to a number of publications. Also used by agencies to send ad proofs to clients. A computer codes images electronically for tone or color; they can then be transmitted electronically to clients, printers, or newspaper printers. Digitization is also used to create out-of-home advertising with changing digital screens and moving images.

Prentice Hall, © Binding and Finishing PRINT PRODUCTION Die-cutting — a sharp-edged stamp is used to cut out shapes. Embossing (raised surfaces) or debossing (depressed surface) or image. Foil-stamping — a thin metal coating molded to the paper surface with heat or pressure. Tip-ins — separate, preprinted ads clued into a publication (perfume samples in a magazine). See-through — graphic images are separated and printed on the front and back of a page.

Prentice Hall, © Broadcast Terms BROADCAST PRODUCTION Stock footage –Previously recorded images, either video, still slides, or moving film. Crawl –Computer-generated letters that move across the bottom of a screen. Morphing –One image gradually changes into another.

Prentice Hall, © Filming and Editing BROADCAST PRODUCTION Copywriter — writes the script, even if there are no words. Art Director—in TV, develops the storyboard and establishes the look of the commercial, whether realistic, stylized, or fanciful. Producer (can be an agency staff member)—handles production including bidding, all arrangements, specialists, casting talent, and budget. Director—responsible for filming/taping, including scene length, action, how lines are spoken and characters played; in TV determines camera set up and records the flow of action. Composer—writes original music and sometimes lyrics, too. Arranger—orchestrates music for the various instruments and voices to make it fit a scene or copy line. Editor—assembles all the pieces including audio, dialogue, and footage.

Prentice Hall, © Producing TV Commercials BROADCAST PRODUCTION Television ads create excitement and drama through the moving images. Can be filmed live, prerecorded on film or tape, or animated. Film-to-tape transfer — shot on film or video, digitized for editing, then transferred to videotape for distribution. Visual storytelling is constructed through the careful design of individual shots and the sequencing of moving images.

Prentice Hall, © Producing TV Commercials BROADCAST PRODUCTION Animation –Used to create characters like the Geico gecko. –With computer animation, images appear real. Stop motion –Used in claymation or to make other inanimate objects appear to move. Music and action –Should match music to action; can be used to get attention, set a mood, or stick in memory.

Prentice Hall, © Television Production Process BROADCAST PRODUCTION Preproduction –Production notes; preproduction meeting; find talent, location, props, costumes. The Shoot –Recording the action; technicians include camera operator, gaffer, grip; record music, sound effects, voices; graphics. Postproduction –The editor assembles the pieces to match the storyboard.

Prentice Hall, © Web Design Guidelines EFFECTIVE WEB DESIGN Web pages, especially first screens, should follow the same layout rules as posters. –Graphics should be attention-getting but quickly downloadable –Type should be simple; avoid all caps –Use high-contrast colors Web pages can combine elements and design styles from many different media including print, still photography, film, animation, sound, games. Web designers use many tools including animation, complex navigation paths, and sophisticated design software.

Prentice Hall, © Action and Interaction Action and Interaction EFFECTIVE WEB DESIGN Web advertisers are continuing to find ways to make the imagery more engaging. – Sites should have clear navigation. –Users should be able to easily move through the site and find what they want. Regular site visitors should be able to customize the site. Minicomputers, PDAs, and cell phones present new opportunities and challenges for businesses to display products on the small screen.

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