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As our fall semester is winding down in my Public Relations Publications class at Georgia Southern University, we had a fun way to wrap up the key learnings.
Each student chose a small character (ninja, pirate or rubber ducky) from a basket and named the character. Then they each came up with a word or phrase that started with each letter in the name. (Full directions to the assignment are at my Becoming Learner Centered blog.)
A few volunteers came to the front of the class and presented their key learnings to us by showing their list and character on the document projector.
You’ll see what the key learnings for my students were as comments to this blog post. By having them create their own mnemonics in class today, I’m hopeful that they’ll remember many of the key points of this class long after it is over.
Ajnin the ninja:
A… audience engagement via the groudswell
j… Johnson and Johnson social network sight
n… networking socially
i… internal communication
n… new media
Nobeard the Pirate:
N…newsletters
O…optional fonts
B…blurbs
E…emphasis
A…alignment
R…repetition
D…design elements
Raphael the Ninja
I chose words which reflect the InDesign program we used and the things considered when creating a brochure, newsletter, flyer, etc.
R- Readability
A- Alignment
P- Photographs from Flickr.com
H- Headings
A- Arrangement
E- Exporting a file
L- Layouts
I enjoyed that exercise. The ninja will give me a constant reminder of what I learned in this class. His name was Paul.
P…Photoshop!!!
A…Allign/ justify text to make it more appealing
U…Unique; Use your creativity and search the web for free tools to transform your document into something that stands out.
L…Lawsuit…(as in make sure the photos and graphics you are using aren’t licensed so that no one can file one against you!!)
P..ublications is an important aspect of public relations
E..mphasis on certain elements of a design
T..exts and fonts found on dafont.com
E..veryone can have a blog and connect
My firefighter duck was Fuego…
F:orget the norms and restrictions, think outside of the box
U:se your audience for feedback/improvements
E:ach aspect of your online presence must be easy-to-use
G:o the distance with your company; be the best for employees, customers, and the community
O:nline interaction must be quick and far reaching
S- Sketch your project before trying to create it. It will make the process simpler and faster if you have an idea in your head already.
T- Trial and error is the best way to learn!
E- Evaluate your work upon completion, but before truning it in.
V- Value and take advantage of in-class lab time. You can get a lot done in 50 minutes, believe it or not!
E- Experiment! Especially with PhotoShop and InDesign. You can learn a lot when you play around!
G- Grouping on InDesign
E- Evaluating my publications
O- Organizing a blog effectively
R- Readability
G- Generations can be used as one of the main ways to segment publics
E- Emphasis on an item is used to attract readers to a page and hold their attention
K- KISS. Keep it simple stupid. simplicity is key.
I- Indesign
L- Legibility. Make sure people can read what you type.
A- Alignment
I called my figure “Lucky” duck…
L- Limit yourself to two or three colors and fonts.
U- Underline is a drop-down list instead of an icon in InDesign.
C- Colors should complement each other nicely, and not obscure readability of text.
K- Keep the same alignment throughout a publication
Y- Your possibilities are endless when you know the tools to use in InDesign!
D-Designing a table
A-Always proofread and use alignment
V-Visual interest and clarity
I-I learned how to use InDesign
D-Designing a brochure from scratch can be simple, make sure you have the right margins!