For the final assignment I decided to revisit unit 1, the unit in which we used Photoshop to create a graphic design related to our health communication topic. Although I feel more adept utilizing other programs, I feel that my graphic design had the greatest margin for improvement. My decision for continuing the theme of the FAQ fact sheet stems from the knowledge that individuals lack regarding the program. As a Paid Family and Medical Leave specialist for Washington state I am in contact with potential applicants daily who are not aware of the qualifications for the program.
Revised graphic design
I would like to see this revised graphic design in clinics, on notification boards at places of employment, and as an advertisement sent via mail to residents of Washington state. The quick, easy to read FAQ provides basic knowledge of the program as well as contact information to reach the department for further questions.
The layout of the final draft was redesigned to create a balance among the graphic design. I chose a color palette that was pleasing to the eye and chose to go with one less image compared to the previous draft. Although the final version is less technical in it’s creation, it contains more information and presents it in a more pleasing fashion. In order to create the final design, I used the rectangle tool and created 3 separate shapes. I placed them in a way that seemed balanced and began to find a color palette that I was satisfied with. I embedded images found on Pixabay and brought them to the front by increasing their ranking within the layers tab.
In the future I envision myself using each of the programs used during the course of this semester and I look forward to improving the skills obtained.
Final Video Story Background music credit: Sound Cloud/Meteor by Extan
During the course of creating this video I had many ideas about shots and topics and narratives, but unfortunately with each thought came uncertainty. I knew that I wanted to create an educational video about the PFML program, and I knew I could easily incorporate the current pandemic into my instructional narrative. Initially, I was going to create a how-to video to show applicants how to fill out an online application, but I did not want the entire video to be a screen share of my computer. So, I set forth with my idea to answer FAQ’s regarding COVID-19 and PFML.
Initially, in my draft video I had images representing the messages from the narrative, but after comments from my peers stating that the pictures seemed ‘stagnant’ or did not fit the frame properly, I decided to ditch the images and face my fear of being in front of the camera. I feel the interview style worked well for the video story I was portraying. I kept the same narrative that I used in my draft video story as well as a few images for reference (ex. eligibility requirement slide, medical certification slide), but changed everything else visually. In order to film the interview style footage I set up 2 cameras to allow for options when choosing camera angles. In the end I only used one angle and edited the footage so it met the rule of one-third, which is said to be best for interviews. I added text on the initial footage that I recorded to introduce myself as a PFML specialist for added credibility.
I enjoyed using Premiere Pro very much. Once the intimidation of the various audio, video, and graphic selections wore off I found the program to be very user friendly. I played around with multiple transitions between my footage and images until I found transitions I felt suited each break. A good amount of time was spent choosing audio that fit the material. I ended up choosing an audio clip from Sound Cloud’s creative commons platform. The song is titled Meteor by Extan. I faded out the music during the narration by placing keyframes at different points and lowering or raising the volume at times I felt necessary. I also used keyframes on the slide containing the medical certification. I used keyframes on this slide to allow the viewer to see the form from top to bottom in a zoom view.
My intent for this final draft video is to educate the public on commonly asked questions regarding PFML and COVID-19. I hope to get the message across clearly and in a pleasant manner. I am satisfied with the final content created and I am grateful for the feedback that I received from my classmates that allowed me to improve on this final video story.
Ever heard of a draft draft? Well, this is it! Welcome to my draft video story for Washington state’s Paid Family and Medical Leave program (PFML).
During the course of creating this video I had many ideas about shots and topics and narratives, but unfortunately with each thought came uncertainty. I knew that I wanted to create an educational video about the PFML program and I knew I could easily incorporate the current pandemic into my instructional narrative. Initially, I was going to create a how-to video to show applicants how to fill out an online application, but I did not want the entire video to be a screen share of my computer. So, I set forth with my idea to answer FAQ’s regarding COVID-19 and PFML.
The inspiration for the visuals stemmed from responses from the questions that were being asked. In the short clip I answered the 2 top questions being asked from the public currently:
Can I apply for PFML to protect myself from COVID-19?
I’ve lost my job due to COVID-19. What should I do now?
When the medical certification is mentioned in the narrative I incorporated an image of what the PFML medical certification looks like. When mentioning eligibility requirements for the PFML program and unemployment insurance I included a fact sheet with eligibility requirements for each program. I kept the images up long enough so viewers have ample time to skim them over. Blank spaces remain in the video because I was indecisive as to how to fill those spaces. My intention is to liven the draft video by adding live footage in the areas that are blank.
I enjoyed using Premiere Pro very much. Once the intimidation of the audio, video, and graphic choices wore off I found the program to be very user friendly. I played around with multiple transitions between my images until I found transitions I felt suited each break in between the images. A good amount of time was spent choosing audio I felt fit the clip. I ended up choosing an audio clip from Sound Cloud’s creative commons platform. The song is titled Meteor by Extan. I faded out the music during the narration by placing keyframes at different points and lowering or raising the volume at times I felt necessary.
My intent for the final draft is to lighten up this clip by inserting color and live film. I feel it is a good very rough draft and I look forward to many comments with wonderful suggestions as always. I hope you all enjoy.
Although I received positive feedback and great critiques from my fellow classmates, I felt that my draft interview had too many mistakes to be salvageable. The content worthy clips from the interview that I would have liked to of used for the final audio project included heavy background noise that I was unable to reduce or mask. I would have loved to do another interview with Lindsay Q, as I felt she did a fantastic job, but with the prevalence of COVID-19 we are now teleworking and I did not want to record audio over the telephone for fear that the audio may not have been clear.
For my final attempt at this assignment I have chosen to create a public service announcement (PSA). It is short at just over 1 minute and is intended to be played on radio stations across Washington state. I chose the discussed content because working at Paid Family and Medical Leave during this pandemic we have received numerous calls from individuals wanting to know if we will provide paid leave at this time. This PSA will address those questions.
I chose the background music because it struck me as calming and caring, which is something that I imagine would be welcomed during this time of need. I carefully placed the voice audio over the music track to capture variations of the music that I felt complimented the PSA at the perfect time. For example, the variation in the music aids in bringing the PSA to its conclusion. I learned from my classmates’ critiques that my voice could be more upbeat, and one of my own critiques was to inject more personality, so I have tried to incorporate that into this final audio project. I received positive feedback on the disclaimer that I placed on my audio draft, so I decided to incorporate that into my final project.
Once again, I used my iPhone to record the voice audio. I then uploaded the recording to my computer and opened Audition to begin a new multi-track session. I really like the fact that Audition allows content to be ‘dragged and dropped’ into the app, this is a really a user-friendly feature. Once I had my voice audio on the first track, I magnified it by using the zoom tools in the bottom right corner of the mixer box. At this point, I played the voice audio to listen for disruptions such as ah or um. I used the razor tool to crop these unwanted pieces out of the final footage. Once the pieces were cropped out, I selected the move tool to bring the remaining footage together seamlessly. Next, I downloaded my background music titled While She Sleeps (Morning Edit) by The Lights Galaxia from Free Music Archive and performed the drag and drop into track 2 to get the clip into Audition. I moved the voice audio back and forth across the background music until I felt the fluctuations in the background music complimented the voice audio. I ended the PSA with a slight fade out and a disclaimer not only because I do not want the program held liable for anything said in the PSA, but also because I felt it helped with the closing of the PSA.
Please listen to the PSA below that I have created for COM561.
I listen to a lot of podcasts, Today Explained from Vox network happens to be my favorite. This podcast focuses on interviewing a variety of people on topics that are relevant in today’s society. I knew this podcast would be my go-to when creating the vision for what I wanted my interview to be.
My topic, the Paid Family and Medical leave program, has been widely discussed around the state most times in a positive light, and at other times in a negative manner. I wanted to conduct an interview with a customer care team specialist because these are the folks on the front-line processing applications and assisting employers with reporting. My intent was to produce an informative interview by asking the specialist questions that would lead to answers that have not been widely discussed. I found it quite difficult to incorporate all the information into just 3 minutes. I had to trim a great deal off the interview in order to fit it within the time constraint. I know I will need to strengthen my storytelling skills so I can better fit a story into the allotted time. More times than not there will be a time limit on the content that I create in the future for health communication, and learning how to incorporate everything I need into an allotted time slot will be an acquired skill.
The following clip is the unedited footage of the interview.
Unedited interview
Even though I feel I did a good job of editing the final project, I feel so much more could have been done to enrich the interview such as varying questions or injecting more personality into asking the questions. In retrospect, I wish I would have had more of a conversation with interviewee vs a standard question and answer type interview. The final draft interview is located below.
Edited interview
I created my interview with the following steps:
First, I used my iPhone to record the interview. I then uploaded the recording to my computer and opened Audition to begin a new multi-track session. I really like the fact that Audition allows content to be ‘dragged and dropped’ into the app, this is a really a user-friendly feature. Once I had my interview on the first track, I magnified it by using the zoom tools in the bottom right corner of the mixer box. At this point, I played the interview about fifty times pausing each time I heard an umm or uh. I used the razor tool to crop these unwanted pieces out of the final footage. Once the pieces were cropped out, I selected the move tool to bring the remaining footage seamlessly together. Cropping the unwanted parts out of the interview took quite a bit of time, but once I was done it was simple to add the background music. I selected each cropped piece of the interview by holding the ctrl key and clicking on each piece one by one. Once they were all selected I right-clicked and selected Group>Group Clips. This grouped the pieced interview together and allowed me to slide every cropped clip of the interview back and forth easily on the track as needed. Next, I downloaded my background music titled “Swan Song” from Free Music Archive and performed the drag and drop into track 2 to get the clip into Audition. I started track 1 at about 8 seconds to allow for the intro music to play. I attempted to smooth the transition from intro music to interview by using the fade in tools that we utilized during the tutorials. I ended the interview with a slight fade out and a disclaimer not only because I do not want the program held liable for anything said in the interview, but also because I felt it helped with the closing of the story. I am excited to incorporate everything I have learned this week into my final Audition interview, including feedback from you all.
Credit:
I would like to thank Lindsey Q from Paid Family and Medical Leave for doing this interview and Free Music Archives (https://freemusicarchive.org/curator/Creative_Commons) for providing the background music which is titled Swan Song by Paper Navy.
When creating my final logo I knew my obstacle would be designing a logo that was scalable. This meant changing much of what was created in my initial draft logo. I really enjoyed the elements of my draft, so the first thing I did when creating my final logo was break up the elements and try to place them together in a more simplistic, scalable way.
Draft logo
Elements of draft seperated
The umbrella was the first to move. The umbrella design was grouped intentionally so it could be moved with ease without having to readjust the design. I decided to lose the gradient and color the umbrella a flat black. The state outline adopted a new color as well. For this, I chose to pursue a color inspired by the actual company logo. The inspiration to model my logo after the company logo came from a design of my classmate, Taryn Brown.
Finally, I added the text ‘PFML’ for Paid Family and Medical Leave directly to the right of my design. I am happy with the simplicity of my final design and I feel that the rate of scalability has greatly increased with the changes that I have made.
Final logo
The feedback that I received from my classmates was extremely valuable. Issues with scalability was a trend among the feedback I received, because of this I decided to delete the raindrops and most of the text. I wanted a logo that could be easily recognizable and complement the existing company logo.
I feel my final logo meets those expectations. Please see the steps below to create the elements of this logo which are incorporated in both the draft and final project.
Here are the steps to create the elements of my Draft / final logo:
Create the state outline by embedding an image into illustrator and tracing it with the pen tool. Once the trace is complete the image used for tracing can be deleted.
Create the umbrella by using the ellipse tool. Draw an ellipse, then use the rectangle tool and place a rectangle over half of the ellipse. Use the selection tool and select the ellipse and the rectangle. Once the two are selected, use the shape builder tool to delete the bottom half of the ellipse by selecting alt and clicking on the unwanted parts.
Create a circle with the ellipse tool. Select the circle and copy it three times. Place the 4 circles on the straight edge of the half ellipse. Use the selection tool to select the half ellipse and 4 circles and proceed with the shape builder tool following the same instructions listed in step 2.
Use the line tool to create the handle of the umbrella
Create the letter ‘U’ with the text tool and align it with the handle of the umbrella
Group the umbrella by selecting it with the Selection tool, click object located in the top toolbar and then select group.
The final step is to add the text ‘PFML’ and place it beside the state outline
I wanted a logo that stood out and expressed Paid Family and Medical Leave to a ‘T’. I focused on initialism and began drafting multiple logos.
I was inspired by other companies such as HBO and CNN that have created memorable logos with a simple acronym. I felt I could take what I’ve learned in illustrator and create a text that is simple, yet eye-catching. Plus, a simple acronym would easily be scalable. Once I finished my sketches, I began to create my logo in illustrator, but nothing felt quite right. I decided to add an outline of the state of Washington, that way I could just place the text ‘PFML’ (Paid Family and Medical Leave) in the center of the outline and BAM! Washington State Paid Family and Medical Leave! Sounds easy enough, but I still was not satisfied. I loved the outline that I created by embedding an image into illustrator and tracing it with the pen tool. I didn’t care that the trace was not perfect, that was not my goal. Once I completed the trace, I deleted the original image and I was left with a pretty nice outline of Washington state that I decided to use as my border. I increased the stroke until I was satisfied with what I had created.
My next step was to incorporate Paid Family and Medical Leave. I left the initialism idea behind and began to ponder… what is synonymous with Washington state? Rain. Umbrella. Covered. I got it! I created a simple umbrella with the ellipsis tool. I deleted the bottom half of the ellipsis by drawing a rectangle over it and deleting it with the shape builder tool. I created the indentions at the bottom of the umbrella essentially the same way. I formed a circle with the ellipse tool and copied it three times. I placed the circles on the straight edge of the half ellipse, and I used the shape builder tool to delete the spaces I no longer wanted (this tool makes magic!). I created the umbrella pole using the line tool, and after many failed attempts at fashioning a handle, I used the letter ‘U’ and increased the stoke to match that of the pole. With a quick tilt, I matched them up until they appeared somewhat seamless. I added the rain and gradient to create a more attractive logo. I chose the colors because I believe they are symbolic of Washington state. The logo may not be as scalable as I would like with the font and small ovals representing the rain, therefore the focus of my revision will be the scalability.
Overall, I am fairly satisfied with my draft logo. Paid Family and Medical leave is an insurance program available to Washingtonians when they need it most. The rain represents difficult times when someone would need paid leave and does not have it, and the umbrella represents the financial protection that Paid Family and Medical Leave provides.
I look forward to comments that will help me to improve my logo. Ideas and critical feedback are welcome.
Washington state's Paid Family and Medical Leave 