Slidecast Assignment

For the Slidecast assignment I designed a slidecast with an audience of real estate agents in mind, which I address in the title seen in Image 1. You can view the entire slidecast at this link: Wallis Slidecast

Image 1

Research from my Nest report lead me to discover something called the 80/20 Rule.  The rule states that 80% of content should be valuable or inspirational to followers and 20% should be promotional.  This balance of valuable and promotional content helps to increase followers and traffic to realtors sites.  

My goal was to create a pathos of professionalism as well as a strong ethos so that realtors viewing my slidecast would view it seriously. Our Business Communications textbook says that an effective slide deck needs to be easy to follow.  This is created by using content that supports the headline of the slide, effective use of blank space, and using images to help develop ideas. While these were all design elements I used, I found that using images to develop ideas was a significant tool in creating my rhetorical appeals. I was able to align my visual rhetoric choices with my written rhetorical choices by applying the CRAP design principles to my slides, which are outlined in detail below:

C: Contrast was created through bold and colored text, and semi-transparent text boxes. The semi transparent boxes allowed for the audience to see the background image as well as read the text clearly. The clarity allows for easy reading which boosts logos and the professional pathos I was hoping to accomplish.

R: Repetition was represented by the repeating font, text color, slide transitions and page layouts. This creates coherence throughout the presentation and gives it the polished look and pathos I was trying to achieve.

A: Created a visual connection between text boxes and images by aligning them opposite the main focus of each image. By aligning the text boxes properly with the images, I created a relationship where the images mimicked the same rhetoric as the written text.

P: Proximity was used in the placement of text boxes to create organized and easy to read slides. This allowed both the text and the images to be seen with ease, boosting logos.

In addition to the CRAP design, I used fair use and creative commons images that were high quality, polished, and that supported the text on each slide. I created links to each image at the bottom of each slide to further build ethos. Images 2 and 3 are examples of how I utilized CRAP and the fair use images to create a polished and coherent slidecast.

      Image 2 Image 3

After completing the slidecast project, I feel that I have a better understanding of visual rhetoric and how design choices make a huge impact on the way the audience is influenced. I now feel confident that I have gained the skills and knowledge to design an effective and easy to follow presentation in my future career of operations management.