Week 9 Thank You Card Research

Both Zoë and Adrienne have spoken with me about setting up thank you cards for this years sponsors, so I decided to spend this week looking and researching card designs.

The first card I found is from a consulting business, and while this might not have a lot in common with a film festival, there are strong graphic elements that work well in this card. The simplicity paired with the font creates a professional feeling to the card, something that should definitely be present in our card. These sponsors want to know that their money has been given to a legitimate and responsible source, something the card should reflect. 

Another card I found was done in the style of a silent film title card. This idea would not match V6, but the use of screen-printing to make the graphics and text pop on the paper is interesting and might be worth looking into. The screen-printed look is chic and looks more high quality. One design idea using this method would be to print the logo and thank you in silver on black paper. The text and logo would be reflective, which has an old-school, spacey vibe of everything being made out of chrome. I'm not too sure if this would be in our budget, but if we can get the supplies from the Art Building on campus, this could be easily crafted by myself in no time. 

Weekly Blog and Research

ART DEPARTMENT IS COMING TOGETHER!

Over this past week (or two), Art has really stepped up its game and is figuring out the method and groove of the job. The creation of the Art Request Form really helped organize requests as well as helped make sure everyone's needs were/are being met. On top of that, we have been using Facebook to approve a lot of the art we were behind on (CFE, Flyers, Logo). Everyone was very supportive in voting and making comments, which really helped my team and I figure out how to better the designs. Right now, we are working on getting flyers approved and designing the Banners (FilmFreeway and Facebook) and 4-Ups. Even though it is getting better, we have to make sure to continue to work hard and stay on top of our requests. Both of my teammates have been better about keeping in communication and have been taking criticism head-on, prepared to make appropriate changes if needed.  I am also checking in on Art Requests at this time and working them into the Art Master Calendar. Most of our issues stemmed from not knowing what we were doing, so by taking these extra steps in communicating we have eliminated a lot of the uncertainty. Things are only going to get crazier, but its a crazy I am learning to control.

Article Research:
http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-be-a-leader-people-want-to-follow-2014-10

More Article Research for V6 Website

http://byregina.com/creative-action-plan/

Zoë sent me a link to this awesome article about writing a creative action plan. There is a lot of good information in here, but the main thing I focused on was the writers advice about Website Design. The article correlates the design of the website to the audience that will be using it. She writes that wed designers should uses the website will multiple mindsets (someone who is using it for the first time, a 10th time user, ect.) so that they can begin to question and pick apart the issues that may or may not be present. In using what I have designed thus far, I have determined that the use of submenus really helps with the organization of the information. Originally, I had every part of the site as its own separate page/entity. But grouping them together, I eliminated clutter and also made it easier for users to find what they need. A first timer might prefer having it all in front of them as they are trying to find specific information. However, as they get used to the site and continue to visit it, they will appreciate the organization and will probably find what they need faster with the grouping. This article is definitely something I will keep in mind and refer to as I create the site.

http://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/10-scientifically-proven-ways-to-build-and-manage-great-teams-wed.html

Another thing I am trying to improve on is team managing. This article offered team strengthening advice, which may help my team members in becoming more combinative and comfortable in their position on the team. The article recommended team-building exercises and non-work communication to help with opening up. While I don't really think we need something super intense, having a shared meal might be a good way to bond with the team after a meeting. We need to feel like we can depend on each other and that this is more than just business. We are all students trying to learn and we should take advantage of that relationship while we are in the appropriate situation. The article also talked about how remote teams are effective, but can also be tricky with the lack of face to  face interaction. Communication is key in this job because we do not have the luxury to work beside each other constantly. My team needs to give me more updates and respond better to my text/messages. If we can improve this, I truly believe it will have a good impact on our performance.