February 24, 2017

These Maps Put A Spotlight On The Cultural Divide In The U.S.

It has been several months since the election and thanks to a series of post-election maps, we can clearly see which area of the United States voted for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton. But let’s say you didn’t have those maps. Let’s say you had to determine which areas of the U.S. supported either candidate more. Would you be surprised to find out that the popularity of a TV show like ‘Duck Dynasty’ correlates to how strongly Trump did during the election?

Based on these maps released by The Upshot of The New York Times, there is a very close relation between politics and culture.

Using Facebook data to determine which TV shows were “liked” by users in various ZIP codes, they found that 50 of the most-liked shows were separated into three distinct groups based on geographic distributions. The data reveals a cultural divide among three regions in the U.S.: cities and suburbs, rural areas, and the extended Black Belt, an area extending from the Mississippi River along the Eastern Seaboard and up to Washington as well as locations with large nonwhite populations.

Urban Areas

Rural Areas

Extended Black Belt

The 50 maps were ranked in order of the disparity between their highest and lowest fan percentages, and as you can see, there is a strong cultural divide throughout the U.S. Gone are the days when networks focused solely on audience numbers. Now it’s all about demographics which helps to fracture national culture.  

Take a look at some of the maps below to see just how large the cultural divide is and make sure you check out the rest of the maps here.

1. Duck Dynasty

5. The Daily Show

7. Modern Family

9. Empire

11. The Big Bang Theory

15. Game of Thrones

16. The Walking Dead

17. Bad Girls Club

19. The Tonight Show

21. Fast n’ Loud

24. Deadliest Catch

25. Teen Mom

40. 16 and Pregnant

43. Cake Boss

45. Supernatural

50. The Vampire Diaries

 

[Via: The New York Times]

Source: Visual News

February 23, 2017

You Need To See These Beautiful Alternative Movie Posters

With the Oscars right around the corner, there’s a lot of anticipation to see who will take home the little, gold man. So many fantastic films have been nominated this year, it’s hard to choose just one in each category. To honor the many films being nominated this year, the illustrators over at DepositPhotos created a series of alternative movie posters for a few of their favorite movies.

Rather than speculate on the political, social, or artistic aspects of the nominations, the illustrators decided to focus their energy on the art to capture the essence of each film for their renditions. The movie posters were illustrated before the nominations were announced as a way to inspire contributors of their site and were based on their own predictions. Each of the movie posters was illustrated based on the artist’s particular style which makes the series charming and diverse.

Check out the 7 posters below:

Source: Visual News

February 23, 2017

How to Rise above the Noise with Visual Storytelling

Source: Visual Storytelling

February 22, 2017

The Unedited StoryCorps Interview: Allegra Westbrooks & Shara Traynham

Did you know that the broadcast pieces you hear on NPR and our podcast are excerpts of longer conversations stored in the StoryCorps Archive? Participants are invited to visit one of our recording locations with a friend or family member to record a 40-minute interview with the help of a trained facilitator. Over the past 14 years, we’ve added nearly 70,000 interviews to the StoryCorps Archive.

In celebration of Black History Month, we’ve selected an unedited interview from StoryCorps Griot — an initiative ensuring that the voices, experiences, and life stories of people of African descent are preserved and presented with dignity. You’ll hear the voices of Allegra Westbrooks and her niece, Shara Traynham. The two women came to the StoryCorps MobileBooth in February 2008 when it visited Charlotte, North Carolina.

After graduating from Atlanta University’s School of Library Service, Westbrooks embarked upon her career as an educator and librarian. In 1947, she was hired as a librarian by the Charlotte Public Library system — a segregated institution at the time. The library director tasked Westbrooks with “preaching the gospel of books.” And that she did. Westbrooks launched a campaign aimed at local churches in hopes of increasing readership and library attendance. In this StoryCorps conversation, Westbrooks remembers the effects of segregation on the library as well as her lifelong passion for literature. Listen below, and access a full transcript here.

 

 
All StoryCorps Griot interviews are shared with the National Museum of African American History and Culture. To hear more unedited interviews from the StoryCorps Archive, make an appointment at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.

All material within the StoryCorps collection is copyrighted by StoryCorps. StoryCorps encourages use of material on this site by educators and students without prior permission, provided appropriate credit is given. This interview has not been fact-checked, and may contain sensitive personal information about living persons.

Source: SNPR Story Corps

February 22, 2017

How To Create Engaging Motion Graphics In Four Steps

What are motion graphics? Simply put, they are animated graphics that tell a story. Motion graphic stories can be told through kinetic text, through animated images, or both. They can be 2D or 3D. There are so many options, which is why we love them.

If you’re not too familiar with motion graphics, here’s one of our parent company’s, Column Five, for reference.

Now that video is on the rise, motion graphics are a more popular medium than ever. They’re fantastic storytelling tools, but they are not all created equal. A truly compelling and effective motion graphic includes many important elements.

If you want to make a great end product, you need to nail each step along the way. C5 has been making motion graphics for almost a decade, and they’ve learned a lot along the way. To give you a crash course, they’ve broken down the four stages of motion graphic production and provided their tips along the way.

Step 1: Write a Solid Script

They can’t stress this enough. Motion graphics are short. Yours may be 30 seconds or a minute and a half. This means you only have a little time. While you might be tempted to cram in as much as possible, simplicity and clarity are key. Ask yourself these questions to help craft your story:

• Who am I trying to reach?
• What do I want them to learn? Remember? Do?
• How do I want to make them feel?

Remember: Motion gives you multiple ways to tell your story, and you don’t have to say the same thing with each.

Unlike static infographics where you rely on visuals and copy to tell your story, motion graphics give you movement, sound, and other tools. As you craft your script, consider which parts of your story may be best communicated through the following:

1) Kinetic (or onscreen) text: Text-only storytelling can be great for situations like trade shows where sound isn’t an option. This can also be a storytelling tool to make your audience focus, as people tend to pay attention when they have to read.

2) Voiceover: In marketing, we talk a lot about finding your brand’s voice. Voiceover is an opportunity to literally do that. VO accompanies on-screen animation, so the two work in tandem. But be wary of over-scripting. Having your voiceover artist read off your sales numbers from last year is a waste when that same information can be quickly and efficiently shown on screen with some animated data visualization.

3) Both: As mentioned before, voiceover and visualization combined work well for data visualizations, explainer videos, or any time you need to clarify or label something onscreen.

4) Visuals-only: While not as commonly used, you can still create a compelling graphic with no text. (Again, think tradeshows.)

Need a little more help for scriptwriting? Here’s how to write a motion graphic script that your team will love.

Step 2: Storyboard While you Brainstorm the Visual Treatment

The storyboard phase brings together the script and visuals, and helps you start to see the final product take shape.

C5’s storyboarding sessions begin with a brainstorm with members from their design and production team. This approach works well for them as it brings the scriptwriter (the producer) and the storyboard sketch artist (the designer) together.

During this stage, they tend to draw out frames on a whiteboard and review the final script together before they get started. Then they start sketching ideas to bring the script to life.

Step 3: Take the Storyboards into Design

As with any visual project you create, style and color communicate just as much as the story itself. Even when you’re working with your own brand guidelines, simple choices can greatly impact your audience.

Once C5 has an idea of the storyboard with sketches, they begin translating their storyboards into actual designs. Everything at this stage is used in the final animation stages, so they take the time to get the details right. Note: It helps if the person who is sketching the storyboards is also handling the design.

During this stage, they usually write out the visual notes, which are reviewed by their team and partners before they’re passed along to the animation team for use in the final cut.

Step 4: Animate the Final Designs

The animation phase is when everything comes together. Their process ensures that each step builds upon the next so that by the time they start animating, everyone has a really good idea of what’s to come. Animation and other elements introduced at this phase are as important as the script.

That said, it’s important to make sure everything at this stage is solid. Some things to think about:

• Animation style: This isn’t just about fading in and out of scenes; how you transition from one point to the next influences how cohesive the story is. Swiping away a scene communicates finality, whereas moving from point A to point B keeps the story moving. Remember: You don’t want to confuse or jar your audience.
• Timing: Pacing can make or break your motion graphic. Too rushed and people won’t “get” what you want to tell them. Too slow and you’ll lose your audience’s attention. Pace keeps people interested. Consider strategic variations to add excitement.
• Music: Like with all the other elements, music is another layer to drive your narrative. It can set the mood, fill gaps, and affect the tone of the story.
• Sound effects: This can be hit or miss depending on who you’re working with. Some animators believe that you should let the other elements speak for itself. Others think they’re a necessity. The key is to only use what adds value to your project and doesn’t distract from the story you’re trying to tell. (That goes for everything we’ve discussed here.)

If you do these things well, your end result might look something like this:

And that’s a wrap.

If you want to learn more about creating great motion graphics and videos, watch these 100 awesome motion graphics to get inspired and find out how to get the most views on your motion graphics.

Need a little help creating your motion graphics? Check their tips for how to choose a video agency and how to get awesome work from the video agency you choose. Of course, they’re always happy to chat.

Source: Visual News

February 21, 2017

Create Unusual Satellite Doodles With Google’s New Experiment

The planet that we live on is such a beautiful and fantastic place. There are so many different patterns covering the globe that if you were to look at it from a distance, no two places would look alike and almost every pattern imaginable already exists. That’s where Land Lines, the latest Google Chrome Experiment, steps in.

Google’s Land Lines app gives users the abilities to create fascinating doodles using satellite imagery. With two available options, users can either draw out any line they want and Google will match their line to a corresponding image of someplace on earth or, with the app’s drag function, Google dynamically matches up patchwork images corresponding to a continuous line the user draws. The tiles may be images of rivers in Italy to a road in Milwaukee, but when put together, the final image is an “infinite line of connected rivers, highways, and coastlines,” according to the site page.

The app is fun, a great time killer, and is surprisingly very responsive considering all the data it needs to analyze in order to return the proper satellite image.

Make your own satellite doodle here and be sure to check out Google’s other Chrome Experiments.

[Via: Co.Design]

Source: Visual News

February 20, 2017

This 360 Video Will Inspire You To Have Great Ideas Anywhere

For many, the shower is where they get most of their ideas. The only problem is you can’t exactly take a shower whenever you need a boost of inspiration. Well, thanks to The One Show, now you can!

The virtual shower is made with 360 video technology, allowing users to brainstorm on the go. The work of Vancouver-based agency Rethink, the video was created as part of The One Show’s new campaign “One is all it takes.”

To accompany the video, The One Show also designed a Google Cardboard in the shape of the ad award show’s iconic Pencil award.

“The old adage is that we’re creative in the shower,” says CEO of The One Show Kevin Swanepoel. “So we decided to help creatives come up with award-winning ideas anytime, anywhere by bringing the shower directly to their device.”

Try the video out for yourself. Who knows, maybe you’ll come up with an award-winning idea.

[Via: AdWeek]

Source: Visual News