The legendary Yogi Berra had a unique way of stating the obvious. Yogi once said "You can observe a lot by just looking around." Obvious perhaps, yet profound in its truth. People are always asking me, for example, how they can learn about graphic design or photography or make better visuals, etc. The first step, I answer, is just to look around you and really see what there is to see. You can learn a lot, I tell them, by really taking the time to see and examine the visuals around you. Design is everywhere. Even non-designers can learn a lot by simply opening their eyes and observing the works of professionals. You just never know where inspiration or good examples will turn up. Sometimes, even a TV commercial or two can demonstrate just what it is that makes visuals effective and powerful.
Some bloody excellent promotional videos
The New Zealand and Australian tourism TV commercials are fantastic examples of the power of visuals. They've been airing on Japan's cable networks for quite some time, especially the spot from New Zealand. Both the New Zealand Travel and Australia Tourism website are great places to catch these videos too. Both sites are well done, but I give the node to Australia for offering a full screen Vividas option along with the MP and QT option.
Visceral and memorable
Visuals that surprise people, touch them, delight them, and support your story are best because they affect people in an emotional way. People are more likely to remember your content in the form of stories and examples, and they are also more likely to remember your content if your visuals are unique, powerful and of the highest quality. Yes, a 60-second TV spot promoting tourism is quite different from a 30-minute live conference presentation. I am not suggesting they are the same. But the 60-second TV commercial is a presentation, and most of them are utterly unremarkable and forgetable (there are exceptions). The lesson I get from watching these two promotional video "presentations" from Down Under is simply this: If you are going to use visuals, then for crying out loud, make them insanely great visuals.
Watch these videos a couple of times and ask yourself which one is more memorable. Which one is more effective in telling a story and making a pitch? For TV spots to be effective they need to run a lot. We need to be exposed over and over. In that context, then, which one works better? Both videos are very well done and will prove to be effective (I know they are effective because I keep daydreaming now of ways to move to AU or NZ). But I particularly like the New Zealand commercial simply because no words are spoken at all. There are a couple of advantages to this, for example, the NZ video is ready as is for most markets with no translation needed. In Japan, the Australia video has translation on screen adding noise to the screen visually. Nonetheless, the "Where the bloody hell are you?" spot does capture the brand perfectly, and perhaps the spoken word was necessary to pull that off. And frankly, the more I watch the the Australian video the more I like it. Both make great use of the visual element.
What makes some images so powerful and others unremarkable?
One of the first lessons visual artists and designers learn early is the basics of composition, including the "rule of thirds" and the Golden mean, etc. I'll focus on the "rule of thirds" as it is the easiest to apply (I introduced this in a previous post as well). The "rule of thirds" says that images (video scenes, etc.) may appear more interesting, engaging, dynamic, compelling, etc. if the subject is not placed in the center. Of course dead center is where beginning photographers or novice videographers tend to put their subject. If you try moving your subject away from the center, however, perhaps nearer to one of what are called "power points" (where the gridlines intersect), you can create a more powerful or interesting visual by creating a bit of tension or even drama. Try experimenting with this.
In the case of the tourism commercials, notice when you watch how many scenes are shot with the subject outside the middle of the frame (at least at the beginning of the scene). If you were to freeze many of the frames you would notice that the subject is often near one of the "power points" or placed far from center. To show this I've placed a grid over a few screenshots from both commercials below. This is a simple thing, but it is one of those very basic things that the pros do so well. We too can design better visuals — take better snaps, shoot better video, etc. -— by keeping the principles such as the "rule of thirds" in mind. The "rule" is not a rule at all but a simple guideline. And while it's important to understand, the "rule of thirds" is by no means a panacea for poor design, but is simply one more principle for you to be aware of as you strive to improve your own "design mindfulness."
Screenshots from "Where the Bloody Hell are You?
Above: Notice how many of the subjects are aligned vertically along a "power point" or in the outer or lower third. In the shot featuring the boy (top left), you can see that two walls in the background follow the horizontal lines of the upper and lower thirds. In the shots with the pilot and the waiter you'll notice how the horizon follows along one of the horizontal lines.
Screenshots from "100% Pure New Zealand"
Stills from the 100% Pure New Zealand commercial. Placing the subject in the outer third can give a visual more tension and drama and attract you into the scene.
For the next few days try to pay attention to posters, billboards, etc. Or watch a film and notice how scenes are shot to create mood and tension.
Quick PPT example
Above:The example slide above I made in PowerPoint quickly using an iStockphoto image. I created a "Rule of Thirds" grid by manipulating the Guides in the Master slide. The text rests directly on the upper third horizontal line; the line extends through the surfers midsection. A viewer would notice the surfer first and be carried immediately with the implied motion toward the text along the horizontal line near the upper left "power point," typically a strong focal point in a slide.
Links
• Several articles on photography and the Golden Mean.
• How to shoot good video (Tip no.1: use "rule of thirds").
• Golden mean to rule of thirds (Presentation Zen).
• Rule of Thirds (Silverlight.co.uk).
• The AFA (who are apparently led by Ned Flanders) object to "bloody hell."
• Australia has last laugh in advertising campaign row in Britain.
• Tourism Australia's Where the Bloody Hell are You?
• New Zealand's 100% Pure New Zealand.
Hiya Garr...
Very useful composition lesson!
My comment is about the two different ads... I have to say that the Australia one is the standout one for me.
The main reason is that the New Zealand one is not unique.
Sure... the shots are beautiful. Stirring. Etcetera. But I've seen every single one of those shots (except for the snow) in South Africa. And I'm sure people from around the world will be able to point out their own equivalent local beauty.
The New Zealand ad basically says, 'This is a beautiful country.'
For me, the power of the Australian ad is that it contextualises that beauty. The Australian ad says, 'You've seen beauty all round the world. But the Australian spirit lets you EXPERIENCE it in a whole new way.'
For me, the Aussie ad makes me pose questions to myself. The New Zealand one just has me gaping at natural beauty. For me, an ad has to demand engagement, and the New Zealand one makes me a spectator only. The Aussie one has me participating.
Blue skies
love
Roy
Posted by: Roy Blumenthal | June 22, 2006 at 03:58 PM
Garr - howdy!
1. As a pro photographer you know that some SLR cameras allow you to change the focusing screen and use one with gridlines etched on them (I have one in my trusty Canon T90), which is great for aiding composition and balance.
In the case of digital cameras and camcorders, an easy or el cheapo way to be 'forcefully' reminded of the Rule of Thirds, or the grid representing it, is to stick a clear screen protector (for PDAs) onto the camera's LCD screen and then draw the grid on it (so you don't ruin the LCD protective coating; you can also remove the protector if it stands too much in the way, or design more creative grids).
This won't work out well if it is placed on an optical viewfinder, due to the short distance between the eye and the glass piece.
2. The 'dead center, dead safe' option resolves the picture too easily and leaves nothing much to the imagination: the picture is what it is supposed to be, "I'm right here", nothing different. Even voice-overs often resolve things way too easily.
If you place things off-center or without sound at all (that is, off the beaten track...) you are breaking this expectation by making things sort of unbalanced: Is there anything else in the picture that I am not aware of and should be? Why this much space left/right? What is he up to? You can then supply this information to build the viewer's knowledge and 'complete the picture'.
I know people who get upset with off-center compositions (and vice-versa); sometime even more when it is slightly skewed (say, not in an 'easily' detected spot, like 1/3 of the way between two walls or 45 or 90 degrees, etc). I used to place subjects on the third (or even further out) and make them look *out* the picture (away from the center) and people complained that they could not see what was out there - why wasn't I showing it?
Of course, depending on the situation, you can also use a dead center composition (when the audience expects it another way) to create this imbalance and break the flow (purposefully).
3. Great site, a wealth of very, very good ideas!
Posted by: Mauro Mello Jr. | June 22, 2006 at 04:16 PM
As both a marketer and photographer I couldn't agree with you more. Just thought I'd include a completely different type of ad that has caught my attention recently. It's for Sony Bravia www.bravia-advert.com. The brilliant visuals not only make the ads point -- colour like no other -- but also envoke a really happy, playful feeling. And when I learned that it wasn't done with CGI but with 250,000 superballs bounced down San Francisco streets, well... that's worth talking about.
Posted by: Kim Dawley | June 23, 2006 at 01:52 PM
This is an excellent post and one that I am going to use for my students as I teach them powerpoint. My sister is a graphic designer and she often says the easier something looks to do, the more thought has gone into it. This is true with the rule of thirds. You just explain it so well and so visually. That is one thing that you do that is so very helpful, you use visuals to explain, so many people leave them out which is not helpful to those of us who do not live in the industry. I've been reading you for a while, but you've moved up to my A list.
Posted by: Vicki | June 23, 2006 at 09:53 PM
Nice post & great advice. The comments on “100% Pure” are interesting to read. I’ve seen it screening on Discovery and wondered what sort of impact it has when you don’t live in New Zealand!
Posted by: Robin Capper | June 24, 2006 at 11:51 PM
The question I have about photography and the "Golden Mean" is this...Do photographers conciously look for these patterns, or are they just taking pretty shots?
Posted by: Sholom Sandalow | June 30, 2006 at 06:59 AM
Good stuff as usual.
Just a quick point to state the obvious - digital cameras have made this kind of thing much easier. Even a "boring" subject-centre-centre shot can be 'salvaged' with a quick trip into Photoshop (or my favourite, GIMP): just a quick crop and stuff does wonders.
Essentially the offset issue works because it implies movemement, I think. We're culturally expecting things to be centre-centre so when they're not, our minds assume that they're moving towards *being* centre-centre... and that assumption implies dynamism in the picture. I wonder if it'll still work so well when we're all exposed to the more sophisticated offset shots like this?
One last point - I'm going to be referring people to this post in my own (www.Curved-Vision.co.uk) presentation skills training in the UK.
Posted by: Simon Raybould | July 07, 2006 at 06:37 AM
Nice post & great advice. The comments on “100% Pure” are interesting to read. I’ve seen it screening on Discovery and wondered what sort of impact it has when you don’t live in New Zealand!
http://public-speaking-tips1.blogspot.com/2008/10/fear-public-speaking_19.html
Posted by: fear public speaking | November 03, 2008 at 02:01 AM
This is true with the rule of thirds. You just explain it so well and so visually.
That is one thing that you do that is so very helpful, you use visuals to explain, so many people leave them out which is not helpful to those of us who do not live in the industry.
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The question I have about photography and the "Golden Mean" is this...Do photographers conciously look for these patterns, or are they just taking pretty shots?
Posted by: hikaye | July 17, 2009 at 10:03 PM
For me, the power of the Australian ad is that it contextualises that beauty. The Australian ad says, 'You've seen beauty all round the world. But the Australian spirit lets you EXPERIENCE it in a whole new way.'
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"the outer third" is the reason why many of my pictures look great. I don't like to center the center of attention, but instead put it in the side - that way you'll get nice images.
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Essentially the offset issue works because it implies movemement, I think. We're culturally expecting things to be centre-centre so when they're not, our minds assume that they're moving towards *being* centre-centre... and that assumption implies dynamism in the picture. I wonder if it'll still work so well when we're all exposed to the more sophisticated offset shots like this
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