Digital Strategies Terminology

Book Definition: A method for checking your work with your stakeholders. Feedback can happen throughout the process and often results in multiple revisions. My Definition: A circular process for reviewing your work with stakeholders, receiving feedback from each stakeholder and revising the work as you go.  Example:

Book Definition: Using an idea or concept related to your main purposes and uses a part of it to stand for a whole (also called synecdoche); in multimodal text, a multimodal element can act as a simile for the whole text's purpose. My Definition: Using a related theme or object to represent your primary purpose in your design.  Example:  

Book Definition: Redesigning the purpose of a text through multimodal elements. For example, if  you're creating a text about eating habits in different cultures, maybe your text could look like a plate with different kinds of food on it. The goal being to find a way of representing your topic that adds meaning to your text.  My Definition:   Redesigning text and parts of your design to elicit hidden meanings and purpose, in order to portray the overall message of the text in more than one way.  Example:

 Static Genres Book Definition:  Genres that are typically associate with analog presentation that are often found distributed in printed forms, such as posters, flyer, brochure, reports, paintings, and the like, but may equally appear in three-dimensional forms. They are meant to be read as a singular object, in one glance.  My Definition:  Genres that are meant to be read as a singular object, in one glance. These genres are often found distributed in printed forms, such as flyers, posters, brochures, etc. Example: Dynamic Genres Book Definition: Genres that change and are often timeline based or require user interaction to work. Dynamic genres include videos, audio projects, websites, etc. Dynamic Genres also can be digital websites and applications.  My Definition:   Genres that have moving parts, that often require user interaction or attention. Videos, audio, websites, apps, performances, etc. are example of dynamic genres.  Example:

Book Definition:   Groups of similar genres that all fall under the same category  My Definition: More specific groups of different genres that fit under the same category. For example, Crime Thriller is a subgenre of the Thriller genre. Example:

Book Definition: Features that audiences expect from a text. Conventions of a horror movie, for example include dark lighting and ominous music. My Definition: The elements in a certain genre that are expected to be seen based on the genre's content.  Example:  

Book Definition:  Grouping similar texts and communications to relate to its medium, such as newspapers, albums, or movies. Sometimes can refer to more specific items within a genre, such as horror, romantic comedy, Western, and so on.  My Definition:   The categorization of different mediums and content of mediums to make it easier for an audience to understand their communicative purpose.  Example:

Book Definition: The closeness in space, how close elements (or groupings of elements) are placed in proximity to each other and what relationships are built as a result of that spacing.  My Definition: The strategic spacing between elements of a design that effect the flow and effectiveness of a design. Example:

Book Definition: The way pieces of a design line up and position themselves, a composition that uses alignment to best effect controls how our eyes move across a text. My Definition:   The positioning and placement of elements in such a way that makes the audience read or look over it in such a way that is productive and beneficial.  Example:

  Book Definition:  The way in which elements are arranged to form a coherent unit or functioning whole.  My Definition: The placement and alignment of all parts of a design or space that is practical and functional for the intended purposes and use.  Example:  

Book Definition:  Used to emphasize visual text, or elicit difference emotions from different tones and shades. Warm colors are usually read as more emotionally intense- like fire, sun and summer, and are used to elicit emotional reactions in audiences. Cool colors are usually read as calming and are used to create less emphases than warm colors in a visual composition. My Definition:  The usage of different shades and tones to elicit different emotions and responses from audiences, or to draw different types of audiences to the design  Example:  

Book Definition:  The difference between elements, where the combination of those elements makes one element stand out from another. Can be determined by comparing elements in a text. Color, size, shape, and content can all be used to create contrast in a text. My Definition:  Using different parts of design to create a visible difference between two elements in a design. Example:

Book Definition:   Stressing parts of text, design, or speech to give it more importance. My Definition:  Giving the primary point of the work a bolder look or sound to draw the audiences interest to the point of the work.  Example:

Book Definition: The decisions writer/designers think through to decide which of the modes and media available will be best suited for the situation. For example, different visual modes affords us the opportunity to communicate emotion in an immediate way, while the linguistic mode affords us the time we need to communicate a set of detailed steps.  My Definition: Making careful choices of which communication medium to use in order to create the most desired response from the audience. Example:  

  Book Definition: The way movement, such as body language, can make meaning. Including facial expressions, hand gestures, body language, interaction between people.  My Definition:  The meaningful movement of a persons arms or facial expressions that carry meaning and show the persons feelings.  Example:

  Book Definition:  The physical arrangement of a design, including the medium of the design and the content arrangement, organization, and proximity.  My Definition: The physical and digital arrangement of pieces of a design or set up that takes into account the arrangement, organization, and proximity of each part of the design in order to optimize user productivity. Example:  

Book Definition:  The use of language, including word choice, delivery of written or spoken text, and the organization of writing or speech into phrases, sentences, paragraphs etc.  My Defin ition: Using language and word choice to manipulate the delivery and organization of text and speech to make or understand meaning. Example:  

Book Definition: The use of sound in a design or presentation, which includes speech, sound effects, audio elements in a radio program, music, ambient noise, silence, tone of voice, volume, emphasis and accent.  My Definition: The use of sound and vibrations to effect the auditory senses of the user. This can include music, volume of sound, and even silence.  Example:

Book Definition: The use of images and other characteristics that readers see, i.e. Billboards flyers television, websites, lighted advertising displays, etc. to instruct, persuade, entertain, or generate feeling from a viewer.     My Definition: Using color, layout, style, and other creative sources to create an advertisement or spectacle that viewers will see and react with. Example: These designs are based on the visual side of design, the colors and shapes makes them captivating and interesting.

Book Definition: Refers to ephemeral or real points of interaction between stakeholders (users, service providers, etc.) in a designed experience. Touchpoints are how designers pinpoint, assess, reflect, and redesign all the different steps in a situation or text as the potential audience will encounter it.  My Definition:  Interactive points in a design that direct a user from one place to another within the design. The touchpoints guide a user to where he or she needs to go depending on his or her choices she makes with each point. Example: