THE WEEK IN DESIGN 13

Setting the tone

So often with Design, we are the first seen aspect of news presentation on a particular story.  In this respect, we are charged with setting the tone of the piece.  If a package begins with a live read, then what we show will describe that which follows.

We have a duty of care to get this right, whether the treatment describes the fun nature of the story, or the serious connotations behind the facts.  Get it right and everyone benefits; get it wrong and not only are we open to ridicule, but we risk misinforming or alienating the viewer.

The UFO intro was spot on. Quirky, fun, irreverent, but still relevant to the subject and communicating the information.  It panders to the viewer as a target market to just the right degree.

Petrol prices really benefitted the story.  The nod to a retro feel played to the historical nature of the facts; the treatment was simple (clean, clear, crisp, confident design) and the communication did not suffer from any design ego.

Loved the Spying Row design.  Without going too far, there's something of the Harry Palmer about the design.  With spying in this context, we can get absorbed in the tech and lose sight of the story.  This got the spying aspect spot on.

Let's be clear on the difference between setting the tone and selecting a relevant premise:

For the Online Child Abuse story, we generated a set up which was wholly pertinent: representations of images, facts and figures on a laptop.  There's some real cleverness in the animation (the status bar) and the information is clear.  There are some legibility issues with icons, but this isn't the real problem.

The problem, is that tonally, it doesn't feel right for the subject.  The treatment would feel equally at home in a story about  BT as an ISP and this does nothing to aid communication of the subject.  Bluntly, it's a little 'happy'.

As mentioned in previous weeks, we must be careful not to over editorialise with our treatment, but we should ensure that the 'look' is firmly in 

the right arena; in this case we need to represent criminal, sordid, sinister.

See the frame below as an example of what could be achieved to fix this – even after the fact and without a significant rebuild.  It is an area where we can certainly raise the bar.

CDE

C.

BREAKING DESIGN AWARDS NEWS

I'm very pleased to announce that Sky Creative News Design and Digital News Design 

have won 3 awards at the prestigious PromaxBDA Global Excellence Awards in Los Angeles.

These awards are The Oscars of creative media promotion and Design and our success is a fantastic achievement

The winning entries were:

ART DIRECTION & DESIGN: NEWS PROGRAM INFORMATIONAL GRAPHICS

SILVER

US ELECTION

SKY CREATIVE

ART DIRECTION & DESIGN: NEWS PROGRAM INFORMATIONAL GRAPHICS

BRONZE

FISCAL CLIFF

SKY CREATIVE

PROMOTIONAL SMARTPHONE/MOBILE APPLICATION

BRONZE

SKY NEWS US ELECTIONS FOR IPAD APP

SKY CREATIVE

In all, Sky Creative collected an amazing 15 awards.  The full list is below.

Huge congratulations to all.

C.

ART DIRECTION & DESIGN: GENERAL CHANNEL IMAGE SPOT

SILVER

SKY MOVIES 007

SKY CREATIVE

GENERAL CHANNEL IMAGE SPOT - LONG FORMAT

BRONZE

SKY MOVIES 007

SKY CREATIVE

CHANNEL HOLIDAY/SPECIAL EVENT SPOT

BRONZE

CHRISTMAS NETWORK SPOT

SKY CREATIVE

PROGRAM PROMOTIONAL SPOT - IN-HOUSE

BRONZE

SKY MOVIES 007

SKY CREATIVE

LIVE EVENT SPOT

SILVER

ENGLAND'S TOUR OF INDIA

SKY CREATIVE

ART DIRECTION & DESIGN: HOLIDAY/SEASONAL/SPECIAL EVENTS SPOT

BRONZE

SKY XMAS NETWORK PROMO

SKY CREATIVE

HOLIDAY/SEASONAL/SPECIAL EVENT PROGRAM SPOT

BRONZE

SKY MOVIES 007

SKY CREATIVE

THEATRICAL FILMS SHOWN ON TELEVISION SPOT

GOLD

SKY MOVIES 007

SKY CREATIVE

SILVER

HARRY POTTER

SKY CREATIVE

DAYPART/BLOCK OF PROGRAMS SPOT OR CAMPAIGN

SILVER

LOVE SUNDAYS

SKY CREATIVE

ART DIRECTION & DESIGN: NEWS PROGRAM INFORMATIONAL GRAPHICS

SILVER

US ELECTION

SKY CREATIVE

BRONZE

FISCAL CLIFF

SKY CREATIVE

MOVIE PROMOTION

SILVER

SKY MOVIES 007

SKY CREATIVE

MUSIC OR INSTRUMENTAL THEME WITH OR WITHOUT VOCALS

SILVER

BOARDWALK EMPIRE

SKY CREATIVE

PROMOTIONAL SMARTPHONE/MOBILE APPLICATION

BRONZE

SKY NEWS US ELECTIONS FOR IPAD APP

SKY CREATIVE

THE WEEK IN DESIGN 12

 Some great work this week.  The efforts to clean up design and commissioning are really paying off.

The education and NHS pieces were stunning.  Clean, Clear, Crisp, On-Brand and with a nice simple premise supporting the information. 
Graphics in a pseudo-environment are nothing new, but when done well, they can really lift a package and communicate the information.

Equally, the GCSE graphic kept it simple and supported the script.  This shows how information can be communicated quickly in a graphic style when the
mock-up route is not an option (either by time/resource or package fit).

Good GCHQ graphic from Viz, which would have graced any episode of Spooks.  High-tech, data transfer set-up which steered away from an approach which could have appeared cheap.  The one thing I would say here, is that it could have been lifted a little with better brightness or contrast – see the simple fixes below.

When generating set-ups, we need to be mindful of legibility.

These two sequences are stylish and simple, with just the right amount of effort put into the environment to communicate the subject and a first glance, they show a beautiful treatment.  However, the legibility of primary information has suffered too much.  Text on an angle will always decrease communication.  Firstly, we should be careful the camera angle does not become too shallow; secondly, watch that the angle of read is not too steep.  Where the design at the top of the page is perfectly legible, these examples are not.

As a general rule, angled text reads better running up the page as read, not down.

Let's be clear though; this is not a blanket ban on angled text.  Used correctly, it can bed into the scene and even add to the viewers engagement. 
Be careful it doesn't go too far.


Celebrate Design Excellence.
C

BREAKING NEWS - THE DESIGN EXCELLENCE AWARDS

The votes have been cast and the results are in.

It was a strong month and a very close race, so well done to all nominees.

I'm pleased to announce this months winner of The Design Excellence Awards is…

Digital Currency – for iPad

Designer: Ally Pugh

Producer: Chris Creegan

This is a beautiful infographic, which also utilises our strength in 3D very successfully. The brand is strong and the information is clear.  

As with all non-linear storytelling, it can be difficult to communicate the precise nature of the subject and this is by no means a 'perfect' solution, but the information

Is delivered in a clear concise fashion which ultimately leads to it's success.

Gentlemen, see me for your trophy and prize!

Celebrate Design Excellence

C.

Chyaz Buffett: Head of News Design: Sky Creative
tw: @Chyaz

THE WEEK IN DESIGN 11

I'm focussing entirely on a single design this week and here it is:

The first thing to say about this is that mistakes happen.  Here, there are errors in writing and design, storytelling and visualising.  The final product was generated relatively quickly,
but when pressure dictates delivery, we should be even more mindful that poor work is avoided.

We must not shy away from criticism of work which is unacceptable, rather attack the product, not the individuals, with a view to education and improvement.

So what's wrong here?

Road sign
As soon as the hospital icon is removed, you lose the context and are left with the question: why are hospital stats displayed on a road sign?
Hospitals have an enviable array of signage and iconography which could have been used to better effect

Too much information
The first animate has way too much info; its confusing.  In the script this is broken down into two distinct parts. A separate animate should have been used.
Look at the story you're trying to tell.  313,000 patients waited 4+ hours : 5.9% of patients waited 4+ hours : 313,000 = 5.9% of patients
There are much better ways of visualising this.
As a minor point, it should be 4+ hours, not 4 hours +

Information badly broken down
Two animates on one page, followed by another animate directly related to the same context.  We need to be more consistent.

Information which tells the story incorrectly
June 11 – 5% of patients shouldn't wait more than 4 hours
This says that 95% of patients should wait more than 4 hours, which is incorrect.
Much better to say Less than 5% of patients should wait more than 4 hours or
Target 95% of patients to wait less than 4 hours

Add to all of this a messy background, mismatched perspective and conflicting text angles and we are left with  a confusing and misleading graphic which should never have gone to air.

Thankfully this was ultimately fixed and whilst the replacement is not perfect, it shows thought, consideration, style and clarity which we should have aimed for in the first place.
The clip is attached.

From both sides of visual output, we should never be afraid to question the products we believe do not work.

…

DESIGN EXCELLENCE AWARDS

These are the nominations for this months awards

Some excellent work, plenty of variety and visual relevance and a first entry for the iPad.  Why not comment on your favourite.

Celebrate Design Excellence

Chyaz

THE WEEK IN DESIGN 10

Talking this week about appropriate treatment in design.  It's all very well having a housestyle which reinforces the brand of the channel, but if 

this comes at the expense of storytelling, then we fail.

We should always ensure that the treatment, that is the visual styling of any design, fits with the subject we are communicating.  

At the same time, we should be mindful of not taking this too far, so that we lack ownership of the design. 

Channel brand and story need to work in harmony.

For the Oklahoma Tornado our output was predominantly a series of maps and weather explainers, but as always, success was demonstrated by our 

information and storytelling.  When we created what was effectively a public service announcement on tornado survival advice, we stripped away all 

confusing elements, gave the information a focal colour to draw in the viewer and kept the information central.

The sombre, reverential tones stopped this turning into a cartoon and was befitting of the package.

For Dangerous Dogs, the selection was an emotive treatment which portrays fear and anger. The grunge approach still feels like Sky News.  

It is confident, the subject image is a bold cut out, information is to the fore and text is kept in clean space.

We need to be careful this is never taken too far as to suggest editorial comment, in this case, a nod to a seedy underbelly.

Cot Death is a hugely difficult subject to handle from all perspectives and this design steers very close to the wind.  The simple premise is what rescues it. 

A very stripped back approach with bold information concentrates the eye on the avoidance advice and the design is beautiful and emotive.  

However, the funereal, slightly sinister treatment, though it may seem appropriate, is perhaps one step too far.  Always be mindful of where the line lies

and the power that visuals can carry with the viewer.

A potential and very simple rescue is shown below.

Finally, selection is taking place this week for this months Design Excellence Awards.  I'll send a mail with the shortlist later in the week.

CELEBRATE     DESIGN     EXCELLENCE

Chyaz

Chyaz Buffett: Head of News Design: Sky Creative
T:  020 7032 4699
M: 07920 285 132
tw: @Chyaz