Ethical Ways To Find Images

The following are pictures I’m thinking about using for my upcoming slide cast project. When it comes to finding images to use in repots like this, it is important to make sure that you are using them ethically.  Fair use and Creative Commons are two of the ways to find and determine if an image can legally be used. 

Fair use is when there are limited restrictions on the images you use.  Consider the four main factors when trying to decide if an image is fair use or not.

1) The purpose and character of your use.  In most cases, you’re safe to use the image for parody or analytical purposes.

2) Nature of the copyrighted work.

3) The amount or portion of the picture that’s taken.  The less of the image you use the better.

4) What kind of effect your use of the image could have on the market. 

Creative Commons is a non-profit that makes it easier to share and use creative creations like images and music through a combination of legal tools.  Through their copyright program, they allow creators to choose how their creations can be used.  The following images are examples of both.

This image above is an example of fair use.  I plan on using it for analytical and educational purposes in my service learning report, both of which fall under fair use.

Both images above were acquired from Creative Commons.  Each picture has a different creator, but both gave permission for the images to be used by others. 

Using CRAP to Analyze a Slide Cast

This week I am analyzing Philip Powers’ A Quick Tour of Logos: The Logical Appeal slide cast for effectiveness using the CRAP design.

First, let’s define what a slide cast is.  A slide cast is simply a set of slides used for a presentation (Shwom).  In these kinds of presentation, the slides need to make sense without a presenter there to read it to you.  Communication experts call this “stand-alone sense” (Shwom). These stand-alone presentations have three key characteristics:

1) An “agenda” slide that outlines the entire presentation

2) Headlines on each slide that summarize the key points

3) Supporting material in the body of the slide that supports the headline

A Quick Tour of Logos: The Logical Appeal has every key characteristic of a stand-alone slide cast EXCEPT that it has no agenda slide in the beginning.  I would argue that it is still an effective stand- alone presentation. 

Now, let me tell you a little bit about CRAP. It’s not what you think :). CRAP is a design style that consists of four elements: Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, and Proximity.  Together, the acronym just happens to spell crap, which is funny and means you probably won’t forget it!

Contrast

This means that various elements of the design are made different from each other through colors, size, font, etc. to create distinction. 

I would argue that Philip doesn’t effectively use contrast throughout the entire presentation, however he does in some cases. The following screen shot shows the second slide in his slide cast.  He uses different colored text to make examples stand out as well as bold text to make his definition of logic stand out.  I don’t think the bold texts creates enough of a contrast when compared to the different colored text.  Also, I think it is important to note that the background is too distracting.  Instead of contrasting with the text, it clashes with it and makes the slides difficult to read.  When choosing a background, less is more!

Image 1

Repetition

Repetition is repeating various design elements throughout the entire piece to create a sense of flow and unity.

Philip creates repetition by using the same background on each slide, same font, and same color scheme.  Although I don’t think the background, font, or color scheme were smart design choices, they do create a sense of unity throughout the slide cast.

Image 2

Image 3

Alignment

This means that elements of the page are lined up and not just randomly placed around the slide. 

The previous slides also show how Philip uses alignment to format his text. The title is aligned in the center of the page at the top, and an indent distinguishes the listed numbers from the rest of the text.  

Proximity

This refers to how elements of the page are arranged and grouped together on the slide to help organize the information.

Philip effectively uses this design element by creating logical, organized spaces for his photos, which you can see in images 2 and 3. 

Overall, I think this slide cast uses only part of the C.R.A.P. design

Effectively.  In its current state, the ethos (credibility) of the slide cast is lacking.  I think its ethos could be improved with changes to the background, font, and a few other design choices to make it look more professional and polished. 

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Update

The following image is a slide I made myself using the CRAP design principles.  

To create contrast I used a lighter background and darker text, as well as a dark, bold title.  Its hard to create repetition in just one slide, but I did make a point to use the same bullet points through out the slide to create a sense of unity.  I really utilized alignment and proximity in this slide.  I applied the alignment principle to the placement of the bullet points on either side of the page and by making sure they were lined up and equal distances from the edges.  I used the proximity design principle by creating a clearly defined space for they text and another at the bottom of the page for the pictures.  By using the CRAP design, I think I was able to create an easy-to-read, stand alone slide.  I think the design choices work together to create a slide that will appeal more to readers sense of ethos in comparison to the slides I analyzed above.

Works Cited

Powers, Philip. "A Quick Tour of Logos: The Logical Appeal." A Quick Tour of Logos: The Logical Appeal. 30 Oct. 2013. Web. 5 Nov. 2015.

Shwom, Barbara Lynne, and Lisa Gueldenzoph Snyder. Business Communication: Polishing Your Professional Presence. Second ed. Pearson, 2014. Print.