Exercise 4: Annual Report narrative

Due Thurs. Mar. 24

For the Project 4 preliminary work, students will need to create the narrative their annual report will tell. Your narrative will have a beginning, middle, and end, and be translated into the annual report you design for Twitter.

Narratives to Build: Each student will create three different and unique narratives for their Twitter annual report.

Methods to Use: format each of your three narratives in any of the following ways:

• graph: plot the beginning, middle, and ending, charting areas of excitement, repose, and then your conclusion
• index cards or sticky-notes: use these to either story board your narrative, or map out what each spread will look like; these aren't thumbnail drawings, but rather, what the key points in the story will be
• outline: order your narrative from I to X or any other sequence of numbers, writing out what you will show and tell the reader
• prose: write it as a story, with a beginning, middle, and end
• you can experiment and try some of the items above, or you can choose one of these methods and use it for all three of your narratives

Presentation: students have two options

1. Display your work using the RVRC Mac overhead display as a PDF. 
2. If you have hand drawn or written work, we will need to post it in the RUTL 220 classroom on the cork board.
3. You can also photocopy any of your work, and have handouts for the instructor and your classmates. 

 Exercise 4: worth 30 points total

• 10 clarity of narratives presented
• 10 uniqueness
• 10 appropriateness, relationship to Twitter

Project 4: Annual Report

Problem: design an annual report for Twitter, providing a look back on the 2015 year, and a look forward for what the company has to come

Content: students will use the assigned content, as provided by the instructor

Format: 24 page self-cover, printed book

1. 24 pages is the minimum, you may exceed that page count if needed and if approved
2. full color printed, bound, and built annual report book submitted to the instructor, and kept on file for the department archives; students are highly encouraged to make an extra copy for themselves
3. PDF in spreads, saved as "High Quality Print"
4. final PDF submitted to Turnstile2 > VCOM 453

Suggested content order below, you may deviate from this if needed and if approved

• content below, as "text heavy" is required
• "heavy visuals" could be photo or text illustration, or both, other image/visual

1. *1 page cover (with back, makes 1 spread*)
2. spread: (visual heavy) inside-cover; photo, or text illustration, other "high" visuals, could be quote or quotes
3. spread: (text heavy)  letter to shareholder
4. spread: (text heavy)  retrospective of company's past year
5. spread: (visual heavy)
6. spread: (text heavy)  current state of company - must also include charts, graphs, financial figures as information design
7. spread: (text heavy)  future of company
8. spread: (visual heavy)
9. spread: (text heavy)  philosophy of company, could be interview
10. spread: (text heavy)  employee testimonials, reinforce philosophy
11. spread: (visual heavy)
12. spread: (all text) - inside back cover, list company executive names and titles
13. *1 page back cover, mailing information, address, and website URL (with front, makes 1 spread*)

Final delivery during scheduled exam: Wed. Apr. 27 at 8 a.m.
See the class calendar for incremental review dates and progress critiques.

Project 4: worth 100 points total

• 20 craft and rendering of digital works, quality of built book
• 40 composition/layout, design appropriateness and uniqueness
• 20 concept, research, uniqueness
• 20 presentation, professionalism

Project 3: Spotify Redesign

Update: Final delivery and deadline Tues. Mar. 29th

Problem: redesign Spotify's brand identity, creating a new logo for the company, and a look and feel for their website, app button, and other touchpoints. This multi-part project includes various components due over the course of two class periods. This must be a wholesale, and complete redesign. It is not a simple modification of their existing design, logo, colors, etc. Keep the Spotify name.

A. SWOT Analysis

Due Thurs. March 3 at 9:30am: present a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats (SWOT) analysis of Spotify with a minimum of 2 issues in each category. Consult your textbook to see if there are case studies you can use as examples to further your research, specifically your textbook's Part 2: Process. Consult examples online, researching Spotify to learn about them then and now, and in the possible future. 

Slideshow should be ready to present at 9:30am, so make sure it's on Turnstile_2 before then.

Your slideshow may have text and imagery.

1. Definition of your demographic
2. Identification of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats; be sure to state why you've defined/identified those areas

Demographic. A snapshot of your demographic would work best, such as a persona. Give a general visual description of the type of person who would or should use Spotify. Information graphics can be included, but most importantly, this should be fact filled and easily understandable.

The research from your SWOT will inform your redesign. See below.

B. Spotify Brand Identity Redesign

Due Tues. Mar. 8 at start of class, promptly at 8:00 a.m.. This will be presented in our RUTL 220 classroom, not the RVRC iMac lab, so plan accordingly and have your presentation ready for use on the Dell Windows presentation station in RUTL 220.

1. Spotify logo redesign which will be a wholesale redesign of their logo/mark, may also include new typography treatment too; show your logo in a positive (black on white), negative (white on black), and with color (may be singular, multi-color, or splashes of color, as this is open); you must show static graphics, but can also show it animated; apply your new logo to the following
2. Website landing page (for desktop web, not for mobile), redesign of look and feel; composed with a browser edge to show that it's a website; mock up with real text as it would appear on the website
3. Email newsletter, or email announcement mocked up with real text
4. App Button redesign shown among various other phone apps
5. Brand board, such as a poster, app splash page, or other supergraphics intended to be viewed large, animated, etc.
6. One additional touchpoint of student's choice, that extends the brand

Format all final works as a high-quality, high-resolution PDF with each item on its own PDF page; RGB color, format dimensions should be no smaller than 6-inches in any one direction; resolution should be no smaller than 300dpi. Submit your SWOT assets at this time also.

Work presented and delivered on Mar. 8 will be handed in for a grade at that time. After your presentation is done in RUTL 220, be sure to put your PDF files in our Turnstile_2 folder VCOM453.

Project 3: worth 100 points total

• 20 craft, rendering quality
• 40 composition/layout, design appropriateness and uniqueness
• 20 concept, research, uniqueness, use of SWOT in redesign
• 20 presentation, professionalism