Campus Signage Reflection

            In the beginning of this project, the goal was to identify a sign on campus that stood out to me. While I was walking one day from class to my car at the parking garage, I walked through Watson Hall to take a “short cut”. While walking through, I noticed a sign with a map on it, and was instantly intrigued. I am pursuing a certificate in Geographic Information Systems here at NIU and work closely with the development of maps. For this reason, I thought this sign would be an interesting choice for this project.

My first impression of the sign involved curiosity, but a little bit of confusion. It was unclear what the overall message was supposed to be in the sign. It gave information about the different languages throughout the world and then provided a website at the bottom. It was unclear what can be done at the website and how it relates to the map shown. I also noticed that the map was a little difficult to interpret, the red dots representing different living languages were sometimes very faint against the yellow background of the map.

After further analysis of the original map, I also noticed that the overall flow of the sign was not effective. The creator of this sign decided to use center alignment and did not organize the features in an ideal clockwise motion. The caption underneath the title was also a little difficult to read because it was colliding with the map.

My design process began with exploring the listed website to understand what the message to the audience was supposed to be. The homepage had a heading stating, “Explore the World’s Languages”, and I thought that would be a good title for my new sign. Giving a commanding statement to the reader lets them know what the purpose of the sign is directly. The website also had a different map on the homepage that was easier to read and much simpler to understand. I decided to incorporate these two things into my new design. I also used a brief description of what can be done on the website from the homepage, so the readers would have an even more clear message.

Once I established the features I wanted to use in my new sign, I began organizing them in a way that is more appealing using Microsoft Word. I designed the text to invite the reader in the top left to “explore”. I then positioned the map to the right-middle portion of the sign, leading the reader towards the graphic. Below the graphic, I finished the missing sentence of the title saying, “the world’s languages”. Beneath that text, I included the website name. Finally, I included a brief description of what can be done at the website in the left-middle portion of the document. This overall organization completes a clockwise reading direction, which is often ideal for most signs.

During this project, I learned to examine a technical document and determine both good and bad techniques used to create it. I then used good design processes to create a clear, and appealing design. My new design is simple, yet affective, and creates a specific purpose for the reader to understand.  

Reflection on The Hunting Ground by Kirby Dick

              After watching the documentary, The Hunting Ground (2015) by Kirby Dick, I thought there were several interesting elements. The first element was the implementation of interviews and personal stories throughout the film. With the topic discussed in this film, sexual assaults and rapes on college campuses, it was very effective to have people interviewed to tell their personal stories. It was especially interesting to see the different perspectives in the situations. The audience was introduced to several different types of people, including victims from sexual assaults, university administrators, clinical psychologists, campus police officers, and even one of the perpetrators. The views from various people helped get a better understanding of how brutal the sexual assault crimes were and how they are handled by the university. Although there were a variety of interviewees, we saw a noticeable trend throughout the film. Most staff members at universities tried to cover up the sexual assault reports on their campus to avoid any negative publicity and ultimately suffer financially. The system is portrayed as severely corrupt and made it more difficult for victims to cope with the situation. I found it very shocking that people would try so hard to cover up such a terrible crime knowing how terrible the effects are on the innocent students being attacked. A lot of people probably don’t realize how awful the situation is until you see several videos of victims crying and reliving the horrifying story as they tell you on camera. 

              In addition to the importance of interviews, I was especially affected by the use of statistics in this film. Throughout the film, there were many different statistics displayed on the screen from research done about sexual assaults on college campuses. These statistics help put into perspective how often the crimes occur, and the amount of reports that go unnoticed by the university. For me, it is much easier to understand statistics when put into percentages and simple comparisons. The use of these two things really opened my eyes when I was watching the film. 

              In my opinion, the use of statistical research and personal narratives were the two most effective strategies in this film. Personal narrative gave a strong emotional appeal while statistics helped display a logical understanding. I thought the film was very interesting and I think that many people should watch it because it is a serious topic that is a problem. I believe many people try to ignore the issue or are unaware of the severity of it, and this film did a good job bringing attention to the issue.

Homework Chapter 1 #1

The Northern Illinois website serves as a user friendly and easily navigated website. When first opening the website, it is apparent that the use of school colors was an emphasis. The overall appearance is eye catching, yet simple and professional. It is hard to verify that the information is honest, but with a little bit of research and communication with administrators I would expect that all information is up to date. The clarity of the document is very good, and there is not much room for confusion when navigating through the cite. I would say that the website is fairly accessible, considering that you can access the cite on basically any device allowing you internet access. The target of a website is obviously to people using the internet, given that is how you access it. However, the university also gives contact information to gather your information by telephone, email, or even an address to go in person. The website is also very concise and does not give too much information at once. I think that the simple quick links to forward you to another useful source is also a good touch. Overall, I think the website is efficient, and abides to all of the eight characteristics distinguishing an excellent technical document

Reflection on Scaredycat by Andy Blubaugh

After watching the short documentary, Scaredycat, I thought it had some interesting elements and topics. First, I would like to touch on the use of flashback and repetition in the film. We see many times, after a scene is shown for the first time, we often return back to the scene later on in the film. I liked this technique because it kept the audience engaged by switching from scene to scene, and also helped us remember scenes more easily and connect them with all the others. I also liked how Andy used different styles of visuals throughout the film. We saw several different interviews, voiceovers, animations, and even some real life footage of Andy in his everyday routine. Once again, I believe that switching styles occasionally helped me view the story in a  different perspective and get a better understanding of the story.

As for the topics discussed, I think Andy took an interesting turn on experiencing a traumatic experience. I like how he displayed how he dealt with fear both before and after his experience, and then related it to how people view fear in their everyday life. I also liked how he was able to talk to the person who attacked him and show people that sometimes, clarity is a very powerful feeling. What I thought was very interesting was that Andy also showed the perspective of the perpetrator, and how it effected HIS life. It makes us wonder if we are too harsh on people who commit crimes or if they "deserve" it.

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