In this section, my aim is to highlight three pieces of writing I have submitted for class assignments that display my multimedia writing skills. Before college, I had not had experience in creating multimedia content and writing using various mediums such as images and video. However, as I look towards graduation and seek employment, I can confidently say that multimedia rhetoric has become one of my strengths as a writer. I included three different pieces of multimedia writing: an infographic, a prezi project, and a video.
https://outdooreducation.blog/2019/11/25/freelance-writing-infographic-pwr-217/
This project was written for my Professional Writing & Rhetoric (PWR) 217 class, and it outlines a few examples of editing jobs and what they entail. I wrote this on an infographic website since I wanted to relay information in a brief and simple manner. I used some design principles to help make the infographic stand out to my audience. I used the repetition strategy to create an easy and readable infographic. I made each text box the same color, with an accompanying image of the same color, and around the same length of text throughout. This gave my infographic a uniform look, ensuring understanding for the information I was relaying to my audience. I also used proximity to keep each image and text box close together so the audience won’t have to jump around to different spots on the page, it’s all in one spot. My audience consisted of college aged students who major in a field related to professional writing. The project guidelines for the class called for an infographic based on a topic of my choosing that was important to me, and since I’m interested in apply for editing jobs myself, I figured I would write an infographic based on professional writing. I wanted to educate my audience and help them understand the opportunities editing jobs offer, and some of the different kinds of jobs they can apply for. I feel that the infographic was successful in accomplishing this purpose. The simplistic design aligned with the structure necessary for an infographic and helped keep interesting and direct. I also used a source at the end where I gathered some of the information from, which not only adds credibility but encourages the audience to look into the topic even further.
https://outdooreducation.blog/2019/11/25/prezi-presentation-pwr-304/
This project discusses the definition, history, and impact of rhetoric and how it is used today. This was a final project for my Professional Writing & Rhetoric 304 class, which was centered around understanding and learning about rhetoric. The audience for this project was my professor as well as my classmates, however the information from this project can be used for anyone interested in learning more about rhetoric. To help inform my audience, I used a couple of design principles to add to the overall meaning of the presentation. One example was the use of contrast. I employed different images in each text bubble, helping to break up each section and definitive topics for the reader to follow. The second principle I used was alignment: I put the most simple information (definition and history) at the top of the iceberg and the more complex information (rhetoric and real-life application) at the bottom of the iceberg. The message I wanted to convey to my audience was how important rhetoric is for communication and writing today, and how we use it constantly without even realizing it. I chose prezi as the website to develop my project in since it offered a way to present information in a linear sequence. I selected the iceberg template, using surface/basic level information for the tip of it and more complicated and detailed information at the bottom — showing that there’s more to rhetoric than meets the eye. I feel that the design of using the iceberg made the information interesting and informative, successfully putting details in chronological order and adding a visually pleasing template to keep the audience engaged.
https://outdooreducation.blog/2019/11/25/outdoor-education-imovie-project-pwr-212/
This project was for my Professional Writing & Rhetoric 212 class, and the assignment was to create a video based on a topic of my choosing. My chosen topic was outdoor education. I made an iMovie with various images, sounds, and text to get my message across. My audience was my professor and other PWR students, but it can be used for parents who might not see the benefits of letting their kids participate in outdoor education curriculum. I wanted to inform my intended and unintended audiences about the multiple benefits of experiential learning, and how it can be used to help students in the classroom. In order to get this message across effectively, I used two design strategies: alignment and contrast. I used alignment by putting the text at the bottom of each slide, and the image on the top. This helps the audience anticipate where to look for the information and keep a structure for the movie to follow. I used contrast by including different images of children and people, to help draw the audience’s eyes and make the video pop visually. Overall, I believe the video was successful in using brief text and vibrant images to get an important message across, all the while making sure it was informal and fun.
Multimedia writing afforded me the opportunity to write about diverse and interesting topics I am interested it. This experience helped make me a well-rounded writer, and I will undoubtedly use it in my future career.
Jack McIntyre's Portfolio 