Research and Know Your Topic
Knowing
your topic is one of the most, if not the most important step in the creation
of any document, speech or presentation.
It stands to reason that one should know what they are talking about
before they begin putting words to the page.
In the text Marsh explains some important reasons why one should conduct
research prior to laying out a document.
He states “To
win a consumer’s attention, you must conduct extensive research on the client,
product, competition and target audience.” (Marsh, p. 115) If you truly want to generate a successful
advertisement or any other document, you should know about your audience. You should know the demographic that you are
trying to reach with your message so that you can generate the message in a way
that is best tailored to that particular group.
Research will also assist greatly with the layout of a document because
it helps you to put your thoughts and ideas into a more logical train of
thought so when you finally do create the layout, it will be easier to know what
should go where.
Marsh, Charles, David W. Guth, and Bonnie P. Short.
"Strategic Writing for Public Relations." Strategic Writing:
Multimedia Writing for Public Relations, Advertising and More. 2nd ed.
Boston: Pearson Education, 2009.
Know Your Audience
Identifying your audience is just as
important as conducting research prior to laying out a document. They are actually very similar actions. Not only must you know the topic you are
writing about, but you must also be aware of who will be reading your
work. This is important because knowing
your audience will help you to know how to tailor your document to meet their
needs and their understanding. You
should understand what it is your audience needs to take away from your writing
and tailor the document to meet that goal.
I recently had to give a presentation on sexual assault for my
command. I generally split the brief up
into two different classes. I tailor one
presentation to be geared towards that
junior troops by discussing issues that they can relate to within their peer
groups. I create my other presentation
to be geared towards the senior ranking individuals as their role in dealing
with sexual assault requires more of them.
There is more information that they need to know in regards of how to
deal with a troop under their charge that may have experienced an assault. I wanted to ensure that while both groups
had the pertinent information, I presented it in a way that each group could
relate to.
Using Various Forms of Media to Reach the Widest Audience
Using various forms of communication is
key to reaching a target audience. If
you have a business or some form of information you wanted to convey to a
certain audience, it would make sense to use more than one form of
communication to ensure that your information is disseminated as widely as
possible. If you only limit yourself to
one form of communication you run the risk of not reaching a certain amount of
your target audience. Everyone gets
their information from different sources.
Even in today’s society there are still people that may not have internet
access or a television so if you use only television or internet to spread information,
your information may not reach all of your intended recipients. In essence you are limiting your business and
clientele by limiting yourself to only one form of communication to reach an
audience.
Choosing the Right Font
Using the correct font for a layout is
just as important as researching your intended audience. You will not only want to tailor the message
to your audience but you will also want to tailor the type of font to your
audience as well. For instance, If the
intended audience was military personnel, I would probably choose a “Stencil”
font versus a cursive handwriting which would seem a bit out of place in a
military environment. Using different
fonts is also very important because it can break up the monotony of a layout
design. Using only one type of font will
not entice an audience to want to look any further at your layout because all
they will see is a cluster of wordiness and immediately be turned off. Using for instance, a bold face font to
differentiate between a section’s title and the actual wording in the section
of writing will make it easier for readers to see when the next section will
come and how much they actually have to read.
Also, using italics to highlight something important can come in handy
versus just leaving the important words in the same font as the rest of the
document. Italics or bold print can set
apart the important sections within a layout.
An example of a piece of media that uses fonts effectively would be National
Geographic Traveller magazine. They put
the word “Traveller” in bright bold print right on their front cover to
distinguish the “Traveller” version of their magazine from the regular national
geographic magazine or the “Explorer” version of their magazine so readers can
easily locate and identify the magazine they wish to read.
Using too many fonts can have the opposite
effect that a design should have at times.
While the layout designer may think that using many different fonts can
draw attention to the layout, it may actually deter an audience from wanting to
read it. Using too many fonts can be
distracting to a reader and may make the document or layout look too wordy and
confusing. The readers’ eyes may not
know where to focus their attention and it could become frustrating to the
audience. An example of too many fonts
could be found at many international airports where they post one welcome sign
that has the word “Welcome” in several different languages. Not only is it slightly confusing at first
due to the many languages the word is in, but it can also be distracting and
difficult to read because the word is usually in different fonts as well.
Marsh, Charles, David W. Guth, and Bonnie P. Short.
"Strategic Writing for Public Relations." Strategic Writing:
Multimedia Writing for Public Relations, Advertising and More. 2nd ed.
Boston: Pearson Education, 2009.
Graphics
Graphics
are just as vital to the success of a layout design as proper use of
fonts. Just the same way that using the
wrong font for the wrong message can confuse and frustrate an audience, so can
using the wrong graphics for the wrong message.
A layout designer will want to ensure that they are using a professional
looking graphic for instance, if they are designing a layout for a business
meeting or an advertisement for a professional organization such as an
attorney’s office. The layout designer
should always consider the intended audience when creating a layout. For instance, if they are marketing an item
to children as their main audience, then they should use graphics that would
appeal to children such as bright colors and perhaps some cartoons and silly
looking lettering. A designer should not
use these kinds of graphics when designing a layout for say, a men’s clothing
store, or a fancy perfume ad.
Feature Story
Vietnam: Something for Everyone
Vietnam is a land of culture and contrasts. It is a land of rich history, a bustling
present and a promising future. From its
vast mountainous region to the north, to the massive limestone formations of
Halong Bay to the east, to the quaint fishing villages of the south, Vietnam
has a place and a people for every traveller to discover.
Having once been under Chinese and French control,
Vietnamese culture shows a great influence by both countries that is still
present today. Much of the architecture
seen in cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City for instance, demonstrate the
French influence on the country. Despite
all the foreign influence on Vietnamese culture, the country has managed to
maintain its solidarity and a culture all its own.
Vietnam has something to offer every kind of
traveller. For the foodie in the group,
there is a fantastic variety of flavorful dishes and drinks to sample all over
the countryside that will be sure to satisfy every palate. For the traveller who likes to focus on
history and landmarks, there are a myriad of important sites not only from the Vietnam
War which we are so well acquainted with, but also from Vietnam’s own historic
tales. One such tale is of the giant
tortoise that resides in Hanoi’s Hoan Kiem lake. The legend has it that Emperor Le Loi of the
Le Dynasty was sailing on the lake one day when a giant tortoise surfaced and
took the sword given to Le Loi by the golden turtle god. The turtle dove back into the lake with the
sword and could not be found again. Le
Loi named the lake Hoan Kiem lake which means “Lake of the Returned Sword”
because he assumed that the turtle was taking the sword back to the turtle
god. Many have reported seeing a very
large tortoise in the lake to this day, but it will be up to the individual traveller
to decide if this is indeed the legendary giant tortoise of Hoan Kiem
Lake.
One of the best and most important aspects of travelling
to a new place is sampling the local cuisine.
Food is something that can bring even total strangers together. Fortunately, for the hungry and adventurous
traveller, Vietnam offers a fantastic array of local fare to make every mouth
happy. Pho, is probably the best known
of Vietnamese foods. It is a delicious
noodle soup that can be served with many different types of meats from beef
brisket to chicken to various types of seafood.
It is accompanied with a chili sauce and a small container of vinegar
that can be added to the dish at the diner’s discretion. It will also often be served with a plate of
vegetables on the side, again to be added or not. This soup is a typical breakfast food for the
Vietnamese but is eaten really at any time of the day. It can be found on nearly every street corner
or even in small restaurants dedicated solely to the dish. It is definitely a “must-try” dish when
visiting Vietnam. Another local delicacy
that be suited more for the adventurous type is dog meat. While most Westerners are immediately turned
off by the idea of eating Fido, this dish is considered to bring good luck to the
one who eats it and is as commonly eaten as chicken or pork is in the United
States. It is typically eaten in special
restaurants that are dedicated to serving dog meat and it is commonly eaten
around the time of a lunar festival mainly by men as it is believed to raise
the male libido. If dog meat doesn’t
sound appealing, snake meat is also frequently consumed in country. There are many restaurants, (usually found in
the same area) that serve snake meat.
Eating snake in Vietnam is more than just a meal however, it is an
experience. The diner will select a
snake to be eaten much like one would select a lobster in a fine
restaurant. The handler will then coax
the snake into a quick show for the guest before killing it. Once the snake is killed, the blood is
drained into a glass to be sipped by the guest throughout the meal. The bile is also similarly sipped during the
meal. The heart of the snake is
presented to an honored guest and is to be consumed in a shot of the snake
blood. The blood is said to help with the
male libido and is also believed to be generally very healthy to drink. After the blood is drained, the snake is
taken away to be prepared as an actual meal which may consist of it being
served in various forms such as snake spring rolls, or sautéed pieces of
meat. While slightly on the pricey side
for a meal in Vietnam, (the whole experience can range from $40-$70) it may be
worth the money simply for the opportunity to return home and say that you have
enjoyed snake meat in Vietnam.
It is interesting that Vietnam is so overlooked by many
travellers. Oftentimes it has fallen in
the shadows of slightly more famous and popular destinations such as China or
Thailand. However, with so much history
and culture to share Vietnam is a place that should certainly be on everyone’s
itinerary.
References
Chapple, S. (2011, August
18). Hanoi last minute. National Geographic Traveller, Retrieved from http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/city-guides/hanoi-traveler/
Anonymous.
(2011, April 23). Vietnamese food
for beginners. Lonely Planet. Retrieved from
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