When thinking about the look and style of your programme, website
or artwork there are a number of useful techniques for generating
ideas
- Many designers keep scrapbooks full of pictures, headlines,
titles, articles, textures and colours as a source of inspiration.
- Inspiration is everywhere - beg, borrow and steal ideas from
your surroundings
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Research very much depends on the show.
Increasingly a lot of the shows that we're working on
are in the factual entertainment area and they're quite
expert driven. The shows are a product of personalities
so a lot of the research we've been doing in the last
year or two is big trawls for new faces in different
kinds of areas. A lot of the shows live and die on the
face, the person that's linked to them.
David Flynn |
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- Many ideas may already exist in one form or another, but from
that a designer is able to re-invent and create innovative solutions,
so it is always a good idea to keep a note of things that inspire
you.
- Even if ideas cannot be used on a current project they may
prove useful later on.
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I'm using stuff that I had ten years ago
that I thought was hidden under the bed forever, so
it's just keeping all these ideas in the back of your
head, keeping a book somewhere and just jotting down
everything you need to know or want to keep. Michael
Ellott |
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- Use the Internet to lead you in all sorts of directions you
hadn't considered.
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Being a new media company the first port
of call is always going onto the Internet. That's our
biggest, biggest thing. In addition to that we get things
like The Guardian and daily newspapers just to keep
a check on things that are going on in government and
in the health education side of things. Dominique
Lee |
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- Always have an awareness of current press and publicity material,
particularly relating to your subject area.
- It is important not to lose sight of the audience you are
designing or producing a project for. In order to stay on track,
it is wise to look at other material currently targeting your
audience type.
- By using market research and looking at online use, this
may influence what content you provide and the style and structure
implemented.
- One of the most valuable research tools is the telephone.
Through direct voice contact with a person, you will discover
fascinating stories and information. This may elevate a mediocre
programme, site or design to a much higher status.
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The key to TV research is actually just
getting on the phone because it's all about speaking
to people, it's about getting information through speaking
to people and you just get a lot more a lot quicker,
so you use the web to get your initial kind of contact
details and then you get on the phone to people. David
Flynn |
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- Research current technology and trends. By researching what
is possible using various software and hardware, a realistic
picture is painted of what is possible in practical terms.
- Previous experience is always valuable so if a project is
running along similar lines as one that yourself or a team member
worked on previously, refer back.
- Going to events can be a useful way of meeting consumers
and producers and as well as finding out what is relevant and
irrelevant, this may indicate elements that are not necessary
in a project.
Know your audience or user, know their entry level of knowledge
in a particular subject and from this gauge what is needed in
your content. Content evolves as fine detail becomes evident.
You must also be sure that the content you produce fits the editorial
style of the site and that it is in line with client branding.
At all times think about the consumer or audience. |
