In the 21st century, technology completely dominates the animation and graphic design world. However, in the midst of creating amazing technologies, animators often forget to develop well-rounded characters -those with a distinct personality. In fact, if you compare the animation of old characters, such as Tom and Jerry with their modern animated avatars, you will understand the difference.

Today, in this article, we will highlight the importance of good acting. Additionally, we will discuss the various aspects of believable acting.

What consists of good acting?

Many people think that good acting and believable acting is synonymous. However, the truth is that good acting includes both interesting and believable acting. Believable acting consists of a certain aspect of good acting.

Why is believable acting important?

Believable acting encourages people to relate with the characters and feel their emotions. This is why we feel frightened when Woody in Toy Story lands up in danger. We feel sorry for Woody because we believe in the character and can relate to him.

Believable acting takes place when the audience is convinced that personality of the character is prompting it to act in a certain way. With believable acting, the audience never feels that the animator has forced the characters to behave in particular ways.

Aspects of believable acting

We highlight few aspects that contribute to believable acting.

1. Feel- Highlighting defined feelings (such as anger or sadness) of the character is not enough. A good animator should try to portray the consciousness that the character may possess. To fulfill this goal, an in-depth understanding of the character’s personality and quirkiness is critical.

2.  Think- A well-rounded character does not always react impulsively. It takes time to decide and thereafter, reacts. Highlighting thinking process of the characters will contribute to its depth and richness.

3.  React- Never force your characters to react blindly. Rather, justify reactions of your characters in a logical manner.

4.  Consistency- Your characters should react in a consistent way. If a shy character reacts aggressively, without any reason, it will fail to create a good impression on the audience.

5.  Personality- To develop personality of a character, defining it clearly, such as arrogant, shy, is not enough. Defining it, of course, is part of the process. However, to make the personality more endearing, you should add interesting features. For example, think about the fears that the character may have. What he loves doing? What he hates? Whom he is afraid of? By adding these details, you can make a character more believable.

6.  Mood- In contrast to personality, mood is temporary. For example, a person who is under the pressure of meeting deadlines in the morning, may react differently when he is in a calm mood.

From the above discussion, it is evident that to develop personality of a character, a good graphic designer and animator should understand its psychology. For this reason, he/she should study the script, storyboard carefully, and feel the character. This will help the animator to create a character with a distinct personality and believable acting.

Web content writing is different from print media writing. The write-up style of a newspaper article will not suit the web audience because online reader psychology is different from that of print media readers. You need to follow some basic rules when you write for websites, blogs, newsletters, etc:

• Pay Attention to Grammar, Words, Ideas – Beginning a sentence with “but” is grammatically incorrect, as is beginning with “and” or “yet”. The beauty of web content however is that it does not follow any hard and fast rules of grammar and readers don’t really mind. However, while liberties can be taken, you should maintain some modicum of sense in what you are writing.

Most of how an idea is conveyed depends on your style, and not grammar. For instance “We deliver and this is not just a guarantee, but promise!” is grammatically correct. But to make your idea more effective in a salescopy, something like: “We Deliver! …And, this is not just a guarantee, but a promise!” has more impact.

Use of “its” instead of “it’s” and vice versa, is a common mistake committed by many content writers. When you write “its”, it means ‘possessing of’. For example, “its color is red“. When you write “it’s”, it is the short form of “it is”. For instance, “it’s going to be a long cricket match.” If you mistakenly put “its” in the place of “it’s”, it’s a grammatically incorrect sentence.

Most of us like to use the word “also” a number of times in a long paragraph, but continuous use of “also” can make your content read poor. For example, “he likes to play cricket, and also basketball, soccer, and is also interested in tennis” could be written as “he likes to play cricket, basketball, soccer, and is also interested in tennis”

• Write Short Sentences in Short Paragraphs – Avoid writing long flowery sentences in a web copy. Whenever you write for a website, you should keep your sentences short and include a single idea in one sentence. Instead of a long sentence and multiple ideas, you can use bullet points to list down and explain a complicated topic.

Web users generally scan sentences and if you write a long sentence combining ideas separated by 2-3 commas, the sentence is tough to scan. If you want to contradict an idea you have presented in the previous sentence, start the next sentence with “however”. Same is applicable for “and” use as well. If you want to continue an idea presented in a preceding sentence, begin the next sentence supporting that idea. There is no need to put an “and” in between.

Of course, if you are writing an online story, you can use long sentences and paragraphs, because you can expect people to actually read your content and not scan through it. So ultimately, it all boils down to what you are writing and to serve what purpose.

Remember, content for subjective websites for marketplace/products/services = short sentences and paragraphs while content for descriptive/informative websites = write as you wish.

• Note Capital Use in Headline/Sub-Headlines – The first letter of each word used in a headline/sub-headline should be in capital. However, you don’t need to write prepositions used in a headline/sub-headline in capitals.

To grab a readers’ attention, you should include a main headline and preferably sub-headlines before each new paragraph to give your readers’ an idea about the points you have discussed in the respective following paragraphs.

• Trust Your Eyes. Not Auto Grammar/Spell-Check – When you revise content for grammar/spelling errors, don’t rely completely on grammar/spell-check softwares. What may seem correct to the software may not be correct in reality. For example, in spelling, “can I have a peace of the cake?” and “can I have a piece of the cake?“, the latter is correct. In grammar, “I am eating break fast” and “I am eating breakfast“, the latter is correct.

• Write to Present Information - Online readers expect comprehensive information and facts from your website/blog and not vague ideas. Sentences like, “some people think that font size can affect website design” is generic. However, when you write “according to a survey, 20% web designers in USA feel that font size can affect web design”, you instantly earn the readers’ trust.

• Think before Using Apostrophe – Apostrophe use in content will depend on your target audience. If you are writing for a corporate website, your readers would probably expect “do not” instead of “don’t” and likewise.

• Avoid Acronyms – Avoid acronym use in content unless specified you will be using acronyms for certain words. For instance, NAAC is the acronym for National Assessment and Accreditation Council. If you want to use NAAC in your content, make sure you mention “National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC)” to help readers understand what NAAC stands for the next time it appears in content.

• Don’t Change Your Approach - If you start writing an article in first person; don’t switch to third person midway. For example: “Your graphic design should impress their viewers“. Stick to “Your graphic design should impress your viewers“

• Use Hyperlinks - Use hyperlinks to offer your readers ease of navigation. If you run a web design company, hyperlink the word “website design” in the “about us” page content to the “website design services” page. For example: “We are a web design company offering website design services“

• Avoid Literary Terms – Web users seldom have the time to decipher fashionable or literary meanings. You should avoid similes and metaphors in web content and use simple, direct sentences. For example, avoid metaphors: “his Nile-like eyes looked at me lovingly” or similes: “his eyes were like Nile itself, so blue“. KISS it to “He looked at me lovingly with blue eyes“.

Of course, a lot of your writing style will be determined by what your article is all about and what purpose it will serve.

Web design professionals need to know how to use texture with apt design elements in a web page to make it stand out. Textures often help key elements in a web page to stand out and draw visitor’s attention to content headings and subheadings. Texture should not be overused in website design as doing so will give a grungy and cluttered look to a website.

Textures should not be confused with patterns as the latter denotes small, tileable graphic design elements. Textures constitute of larger images without repeated designs. Before using texture in website design, a web designer should keep in mind that it should not be used without a purpose. Design needs to be used for a purpose or else it cannot succeed with target viewers.

When used simply, textures segregate website content from other elements. It directs user’s attention to important content in a web page. Texture can also be used to split content into sections. This is not to say other elements of content segregation should not be used. Texture can be used to enhance its effectiveness. Sometimes, textures can be used to great effect to add impact to an otherwise bland looking page background.

Web designers should never compromise on content legibility for texture. If a user finds reading some information he needs in a website cumbersome owing to a texture used in background, it defeats the purpose of publishing content. It is also important to use contrasting colours when it comes to using text on textured web page backgrounds.

A web designer also needs to dabble with graphics at times. Instead of searching online for suitable textures for use in client websites, a designer can store custom brush sets in design apps like Photoshop. He can use these in projects later for making various types of textures. There are a number of online tutorials available for creating texture with Photoshop Brushes.

While implementing texture in web design, a web designer needs to ensure that it does not take a toll on page loading and rendering time. Using a nice looking texture that adds to file size and subsequently lengthens page load time does not make sense. Designers need to strike a balance between image optimization and visual quality while using texture in websites.

A web designer also needs to choose logically when it comes to texture application in websites. For instance, selecting a metallic texture for a website that sells wooden furniture does not really look well. However, this same texture would gel well with a site that sells gadgets. Textures should be used to build brand identity for sites and online stores, not to baffle visitors. Usability is as important as good looks, in this context.

The invention of Twitter has changed the dynamics of social networking completely. Twitter offers exclusive services to its users and has made communication swifter and briefer. It has also benefited networking, advertising and marketing, manifolds.

Despite its usefulness, there are a large number of people who don’t know how to use Twitter properly and thus, misuse it.

Too many recommendations- How many times did you see a tweet from your virtual friend asking you to follow another? I guess many times. What these people don’t realize is, recommending a person is good, but would anyone like to follow an unknown person?

If you want to recommend someone you know, then recommend only one person per tweet and elaborate why you think he is worth following.

Look, someone praised me! - If you are good blogger, graphic design artist or website design expert, and have some loyal followers in Twitter, sooner or later you will receive a tweet from a follower praising you for your work. Some people love to share such tweets with other followers and retweet it.

Please don’t do this! It shows that you are dying for praise and want to bang a drum when someone spends 140 characters (or less!) to praise you!

Don’t use Auto DM- If you have enabled Auto DM in your account, whenever someone follows you, he receives a message like this, “Hi, thanks for following me.” Such generic messages irritate followers. They instantly understand that it’s an automated message and you may not have even noticed that they have started following you.

The ideal thing to do is, when someone follows you, tweet the same message in his timeline. It shows you are aware of your follower and want to communicate.

Never auto follow or unfollow- You may have 200 followers but would you like to follow back each one of them? In Twitter, you should connect with those people who interest you, not with everyone who has an interest in you. If you use auto follow, your timeline will be spammed. Similarly, auto unfollow uses its own calculations to unfollow a person from your friends list. This way, you might lose a valuable contact.

Twitvalidation irritates- Twitvalidation sends a DM to anyone who starts following you. Its aim is to determine whether your follower is a human or a robot! But would your followers like it? It’s very insulting when someone likes your profile, follows you and you ask him, “Hey, are you a human or a robot?”

Don’t tweet the same tweet- You want to promote your article in a famous blog or website? Fine, tweet the link with a short description. But please don’t retweet the same tweet several times. It looks like spam.

If you really want to capture your followers’ attention, tweet the link 3-4 times with different intro. For example, “Read the advantages of ecommerce @ www.xyz.com” and “Explore how online shopping can change your life @ www.xyz.com”. Both will take the visitor to the same page, but the new intro will make it look like a new article.

Reply to your followers- You may have 1000 followers and be a very busy person, but if someone tweets you regularly, find out some time to reply to him. If nothing, say “thank you for your comments.” A little courtesy will keep your followers devoted.

Using too many hash tags- Hash tags are helpful and allow you to connect a tweet with a topic, but using too many hash tags is not good. If you want to use hash tags, make sure they are relevant and use only 2 hash tags in a tweet.

Tweet protection- The idea of protected tweet is absurd! If you want to keep something private, then why are you sharing it online?

Conclusion- Respect the facilities of Twitter and create more friends online. If you use Twitter properly, it can give you huge exposure. If misused, your image can be destroyed.

Online promotion has become mandatory for many companies. An email newsletter is a direct medium of communication. It reaches the target audience’s inbox and conveys your message individually. Compared to online banner ads, email newsletters get more attention because we generally read mails we receive in our inboxes. An email newsletter can help you to make people aware of your service and convert a casual visitor into a regular customer.

However, to make a newsletter appealing, you should focus on its graphic design and layout factors. Here are some of the most important designing factors that can make your email newsletter a successful medium of communication and promotion.

Have a clear focus- When you design a newsletter, plan its purpose in your mind and make sure that your newsletter design reflects that purpose successfully. Your email newsletter can inform your target audience about your existence, a discount sale, subscription or anything else you think is important for your business. Whatever the purpose, the design should inspire the customer to take an action.

Simple design- Don’t complicate the design with unnecessary images or text. People spend only a few seconds reading an email newsletter. They don’t even read the whole thing, only scan the main portions. A simple and clean newsletter design conveys the message more effectively. Content should be short and descriptive so that readers can get the message instantly.

Use tables- Using tables in the newsletter design is a good idea. Tables offer visual harmony. It keeps the newsletter organized and all the elements in the newsletter are displayed properly.

Use minimum images- When you check newsletters in your mail, you must have noticed that images are not displayed until you give permission for the same. Gmail strictly follows this rule. So does Rediffmail.

If an image-heavy email newsletter comes to the inbox, Google asks users whether images should be displayed or not. If the recipient declines to view the image, the main purpose of that newsletter is failed. For that reason, use only a few images in the newsletter, like your logo, banner, or product image. An image rich newsletter looks great, but when the recipients receive it, they see a blank page.

Never use video or animation- Just like images, video and animation look attractive but not useful for newsletter design. If you want to use animation, then use it in the website design of your site. Nobody likes to download Flash player just to see a Flash design in your newsletter. Most of the backdated browsers don’t even support video streaming or animation.

Emphasize on “call to action” button- The main purpose of sending a newsletter is to urge the customers to click on the call-to-action button. Give the message clearly and direct them to the call-to-action button. Make the call-to-action button large and clearly visible. The button should describe the action you want the customers to take. For example, your call-to-action button can show, “subscribe now”, “join us”, “get flat 50% discount”, etc.

Link to web version- Sometimes, newsletters don’t view properly in the inbox when users click on it. It’s not the designers fault. Sometimes older version of browsers don’t support modern newsletter formats. The wise thing to do is to add a link to the web version of the newsletter. Users can click on the link and see the newsletter without any problems.

Portable device optimization- While designing a newsletter for promotional purposes, try to optimize it for smartphones and tablets. More and more people are accessing their inboxes from their portable devices. If your newsletter does not support these devices, your marketing campaign can be a failure.

Email newsletter is one of the most affordable and useful weapon for online marketing. Without marketing and promotion, even the best companies cannot earn profits. Email newsletters are extremely effective and result oriented, if used properly.

Graphics and fonts styles go hand in hand in graphic design. Either one without the other can dampen the overall effect of an image, just like these following film posters:

1. Bruce Almighty

Michelangelo’s ‘Creation of Adam’ looks somber on the Sistine Chapel frescos, but with funny-man Jim Carrey posing, this tongue-in-cheek poster (half inspired by the master’s original), is a laugh-riot! Creative and amusing, the image is an excellent primer to the movie’s theme, but gives little away about its story. All in all, poster has clever composition with good hype-generative content.

The problem: The ‘Almighty’ in all-caps and bold black font that appears almost like a blotch on what seems very close to a hand-drawn wall painting. Also, too much clutter at the bottom of the poster mars the overall effect of the same.

A little white space on all sides and separating the image and text would be nice.

2. Confessions of a Shopaholic

The white background with just a tinge of blue-gray is a nice and refreshing contrast to the bright red. Intelligently thought out imagery that builds curiosity about the movie. A peppy and feminine design that is perfect for the audience the movie targets.

The problem: Only partially readable font; the white font color is not quite prominent and letters are too closely placed to be able to read clearly, especially the part ‘confessions of a’.

A little less white space, bloating the central graphic and enlarging the font could perhaps make it more readable.

3. The Polar Express

The poster has wonderful dreamlike quality. The play of blue, white and subtle black compliments the winter theme. Beautiful detailing in snow flakes, the train, the bell at the top, the light and smoke, and the tree and snowman on far left (possibly, all cut from a couple of film shots and composed).

The problem: the font color and style kills the graphic! The white and yellow/orange gradient is ugly, does not contrast or compliment the overall color-scheme of the poster.

Personally, I would have stuck with white for the font color. The font style is altogether ugly and would have changed it to simple, straight-lined bold fonts.

4. The Omen

It’s gray, it’s eerie and it’s absolutely fantastic! The graphical details are stunning; notice the grass, the background and especially the eyes on Damien and the face of the Rottweiler. Poster has high impactful graphics and composition that serve as an excellent primer to the film.

The problem: The font makes me cringe every time. The crucifix trailing from the ‘O’ is creative, but the shadows don’t work for me. The font itself is a damper (used to good effect in The Mummy) but here it does not sit well with the overall graphical theme. Also, that whole text at the top of the poster is irritating. It’s not even properly centrally aligned!

I would experiment with Greek or Hebrew Biblical font styles or perhaps Gothic fonts. I don’t have a problem with the alignment but that text on top would have to go, or be at the bottom.

5. Lady in the Water

Use of color is obvious but the composition is highly creative; great detailing. Poster works almost like an optical illusion; look close and you can find at least 3 more images, the man with the torch aside. Overall effect is like something left of last night’s dream. In one word – awesome!

The problem: Font style is hard and although contrasts, does not compliment the watery theme of the poster.

A softer font style, or perhaps simple, unicode fonts with some blur effect could have been better.

Case in point…

Be it graphic design or website design, web font typography is important. Research well on the font before you proceed with designing for the web, or otherwise.

Different browsers, in most of the cases, display a webpage in a slight different way for adding a distinctive note in their wide array of features. If this is not enough, the display of a webpage in a Mac PC is drastically different from that of the display of a common PC. Images that are displayed in a Mac PC are far brighter and better than the images shown in a common PC. This plays a pivotal role in the overall appearance of images. Not only does the brightness, the size of pixel is also different. A common PC with a resolution of 640×480 usually has 96 pixels per inch whereas in Mac it is just 72 pixels. Therefore, we need to find out a tangible solution for overcoming these differences as far as possible otherwise the basic purpose of website design would remain unfulfilled. Continue reading ‘Impact of Graphic Compression On Website Design’ »

A brochure is basically a leaflet advertisement. It is used as a marketing tool that provides important information to the people regarding an organization’s goods and services. It is true that a brochure talks on behalf of a company’s products and services. So, while designing it, one needs to be very careful. Through an effective brochure, intended message is conveyed to the right people and thus it helps to attain the ultimate goal of a business corporation.

Useful Tips for Brochure Design

Some of the points that should be remembered while designing a brochure are mentioned below: Continue reading ‘How to Design an Effective Brochure?’ »

Corporate identity is basically the persona of a business enterprise. In order to give corporate identity to a commercial organization, graphic elements are used. The visual elements like, posters, fonts, letterheads and logo are indeed important parts of a corporate identity.

In the true sense, corporate identity allows a consistent visual presence for an organization and has the ability to reinforce a brand’s image. This is probably the reason why most of the well-known companies give so much stress on their visual identity.

With the course of time a company may change their business focus. In this case, the corporate identity of that company needs to be updated. This is because an identity of a corporation should highlight its business objectives.

Corporate identity logo design requires creativity as well as careful handling. While designing a corporate identity, one needs to understand the following things: Continue reading ‘Points to be remembered while designing a Corporate Identity’ »

Web graphic designing is a form of art that requires creativity as well as efficiency. The overall look of a website is very much dependent on its graphic design. So, in order to make a site visually appealing, the designing should be done with proper care. Graphic is a very important part of a website design. It is basically the visual presentation of the products and services that are being promoted through the websites.

Useful Web Graphic Design Tips

In order to make unique and attractive graphic, the designers can use macromedia fireworks. Some of the useful tips that can make the web graphic design more effective are mentioned below: Continue reading ‘Web Graphic Design Tips’ »