Widescreen Presentations

Presentations are just plain hard work. I have an old saying, “10 percent of the budget, 90 percent of the grief.” The presentation becomes the focal point of most corporate speeches as the event approaches. Most executives are busy and do not even look at the presentation until a week before the event. And by that time, the presentation has been revised at least a dozen times. Marcom, event marketing, technical assistants, demo designers and at least a dozen other hands get to have a say before the executive brings the final cut to the presentation. That’s just the way it goes. But the glory for the designer is to actually see what it looks like during the speech. To see if the design helps or hurts the message. If the speaker support follows or leads the presenter. If it all makes sense. Widescreen presentations used as a background brings even a greater challenge as it becomes a backdrop, not just a floating screen stage left or right of the speaker. This presentation for CES 2008 was exactly that challenge, presentation, information, backdrop, lighting effect all rolled into a dynamically moving “Director” driven presentation. One of a kind.

Motion Graphics Package for Poker Tournament

You know when you watch TV and see the opening graphics and at the end the final graphics? Well that is a simplified version of what a graphics package is. It can also include lower thirds, bumpers, and inbetween graphics that compliment the theme of the show. In the corporate world the graphics packages include slates for information as well as the usual opens and closes. Most my clients are not locals and I have done very little work that includes a Las Vegas theme. But, I got the call from a friend at 808 Post to do a graphics package for a poker tournament. It was fast, furious and fun to do. I am not a poker player so it was like learning a foreign language and there was alot of content to organize.

3G does Logos

I think the first graphic arts job I ever got paid for was designing a logo.  Since then, I’ve designed hundreds of logos and icons.

I’ve come full circle as a designer. I started in design and print production, moved to video and have come back again. I have not abandoned video, I’ve just embraced my print roots. The video square rarely changes, but print sizes are endless. Video is basically a low resolution media. In print, 6 point text at 300 dpi is actually readable.

I think print designers that transition to video and web, have a great jump start on strictly electronic media designers. Most good print designers easily make the leap to the screen, however I find video designers cannot fathom the print world.

Let your next print job be from a designer who understands design from both sides of the screen.

Multimedia was a great term thrown about in the 1990’s. Remember all those CDROMs created in Macromedia Director? Those 800×600 gems with 1/4 screen quick times, photos, text and lot’s of interactivity. Well, creating interfaces and designing launching pages was a great transition from print to screen. 3G has kept current on all interactive technologies, using the right tool for the right job has always been our priority. Good design taste is not subject to the technology of the day. It only takes advantage of it.

In the corporate design world a “Theme Graphic” is usually the design that appears on all other media, the signage, the badges, the PowerPoint, hats, key chains and the “Walk-In” loop. Designing a great theme graphic usually comes down to a clean text treatment, stunning visuals and a sense of mystery.

Complicated information needs to be explained with clarity. You have to understand your information before you can explain it. You have to bring to the table a child-like enthusiam to make sure you “get it.” And only when, “You” get it, can you possess the ability to explain it to others with ease. It mirrors a common communication process, you explain back to your client what they just said. Try it, it will show you what it really takes to communicate efficiently. A picture is really worth a thousand words and when combined with the right message. The breakthrough is when the audience “gets it.”

Presentations 01

The heart of my business for over fifteen years has been corporate presentations. Creating presentations for Fortune 500 executives presents challenges and opportunities. The ability to be a sounding board and creative advocate for a presenter, gives me the opportunity to help craft a well balanced and structured presentation. Helping the client with pacing and speaker dynamics is also part of the 3G creative package.

Motion graphic designers suffer from an identity crisis. I’m always asked, “What do you do again?” It is very simple. You build a stunningly beautiful graphic, deconstruct it and fly in all the pieces to resolve back to the original. That is a simple definition, not taking into effect looping and timing, but you get the idea. The series of stills from above are some samples still of my pre-hd work. The top row includes a theme graphic for a Redken Symposium, a logo build for a TV show that aired in LA called Travel Cafe, an award show graphic for PC Computing Magazine and a theme graphic for an Intel event. The bottom row includes a closing tag for a Lance Burton TV special, a logo for Encore Productions reel, a pitch for a children’s science show called Mind Over Matter and a kiosk graphic for MAGIC (Men’s Apparel Guild of California).