November 16

TED Talk: Graffiti is Neat-Y

Link to TED Talk

Thoughts

Overall, I am very happy with how my TED Talk turned out. The only thing that I can think of when I watch the talk over again is how I should have done better:
The second biggest frustration that I have with my speech is the connection between different slides. My transitions are awkward at times, or at least not as seamless as I would prefer. There are a number of pauses, intentional or not, that pull away from the fluidity of my talk. The pauses pull the viewer out of the topic and lessens the effect of my words and message.
The biggest frustration that I have with my presentation is time. When the display for the time was displaying incorrectly, I panicked and rushed to finish my presentation. Had I relaxed and given the speech as I had in all of my practice attempts, I would have had a much smoother ending. Since I was not sure of myself, I allowed the distraction of the time display to throw me out of my groove. Additionally, my surprise with the time (displaying ten minutes) caused me to exclaim “Oh God,” which was unfortunately caught on the recording. The exclamation was another lapse in focus that I should not have allowed to happen.
While I feel like my presentation was strong, it could have definitely come out better had I kept focus and transitioned between topics more fluently.

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November 3

TED Outline and Visual

TED Talk Powerpoint

TED Outline

Oral Content

Topic: Graffiti Culture

 

Purpose: Show that there is more to graffiti than meets the eye

 

Thesis Statement: Graffiti began humbly but has grown into its own as a unique artform with a thriving community behind it.

 

Introduction

Attention Strategy/Orienting Material:           Show opening/title slide with Berlin Wall graffiti

Body

  1. History
    1. Humble Beginnings
      1. First graffiti is “Cornbread” in 1967
      2. Tagging his name to get a girl’s attention
    2. Growth of an Artform
      1. By 1970’s, others started to pick up graffiti
      2. Many, like Banksy, have ironically found mainstream fame through this underground artform
  2. Graffiti as art
    1. First Exhibitions
      1. 1971 is the first graffiti art exhibition
      2. 1979, artists are starting to have exhibits in Rome
    2. Selling Out
      1. Shepard Fairey and OBEY
      2. Many, like Banksy, have ironically found mainstream fame through this underground artform
  3. Graffiti as a cultural point/community
    1. Method Behind the Madness
      1. The goal is to put your name everywhere
      2. Hierarchy to what you spray, and disrespecting that hierarchy leads to a war
    2. Community
      1. Crews form between artists
      2. Some crews are famous and prolific

 

Conclusion

Concluding Remark – Graffiti is more than just a bunch of scribbles on a wall. It is an artform with rules, a full community, and its own unique and powerful history.

 

 

Reference Page(s)

<www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/the-history-of-american-graffiti-from-subway-car-to-gallery>

<www.widewalls.ch/graffiti-history-10-important-moments/>

<www.boweryboyshistory.com/2010/09/wild-era-of-subway-graffiti-1970-1989.html>

<www.widewalls.ch/20th-century-the-rise-of-graffiti/>

 

Visual Content

 

Opening Slide

“My God, Help Me to Survive This Deadly Love” provides a strong example of graffiti’s potential, while surprising the audience into listening to my presentation

 

Slide One

Cornbread standing in front of his tag, showing the starting point of a budding artform

 

Slide Two
A subway train covered in graffiti highlights both how quickly graffiti picked up and how widespread it became

 

Slide Three 

A train exhibiting the work of Fabulous Five provides a background as I explain its beginnings in galleries (also, Fabulous Five was one of the first graffiti crews to have their work taken abroad on exhibit).

 

Slide Four

A print of Andre the Giant by Shepard Fairey on the wall represents OBEY, a clothing company whose work originated from Fairey’s graffiti stencils

 

Slide Five

Pictures of 1UP spray paintings will allow me to talk about the processes and background behind spray painting

 

Slide Six

The work of the FD Gang highlights the benefits of working within a crew and provides a bit of insight as to what goes into working as a crew

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September 7

Analyzing Rhetoric Essay Materials

The first link goes to the website hosting the ISIS propaganda video. The video is not in English, because I had trouble finding ISIS videos at all (surprise surprise). The host site describes the context. The site itself is generally pro-Syria and pro-Assad, but nonetheless it is one of the best sites for Syrian war and ISIS news.

The second video is a propaganda video by the US State Department designed to dissuade people from ISIS. It has been generally negatively received and was even made fun of on “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.”

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September 7

American Ninja Warrior Nation

American Ninja Warrior Nation

American Ninja Warrior is a phenomenon, and a big reason behind the growth of ANW is its cult following. The site American Ninja Warrior Nation has in depth, up to date information in a format that allows for connection with fans. The importance of in depth information cannot be overstated. Anyone can travel to Wikipedia for information, but I want to have a blog that has deeper content. Whether that depth comes from opinions or current information, I want to create a passion blog that others would look to as an example in the future. Current, up to date information is an integral part of an integral part of any effective blog. I plan on updating character profiles and biographies as athletes reach new heights. These updates keep the blog interactive and foster a connection between fans and the site. Making readers feel a bond with the blog is important to keeping interest. I plan on asking what my classmates would like to see for the next blog post, which will allow them to become a part of the blog itself. By fostering a bond with fans and providing current and in depth information, I will improve my blog considerably using American Ninja Warrior Nation’s example.

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August 29

The Penn State Actuarial Club

The Penn State Actuarial Club

When I think about a well-designed website, my mind immediately travels to the site for the Penn State Actuarial Club. Since I am majoring in Actuarial Science through Mathematics, I am very familiar with the website. I intend to take all of the good qualities of the Penn State Actuarial Club website to improve the content in my passion blog. The qualities that make the actuarial club’s website so aesthetically pleasing are its simple layout, effective writing, and intuitive organization.

The website is easy to read in large part due to its simple and concise layout. No one section has too much information, rather the site provides links for further research. If I overwhelm readers on my passion blog, then I will push readers away rather than bring them in. Each section is punctuated by a header with bright red writing, contrasting nicely with the background and alternate colors on the page. The simple layout allows the effective writing to become apparent.

The writing itself is not beautiful or flowery, but the message that it is attempting to convey can hardly be misunderstood. Through titles, statistics, and first-hand stories, the club argues their case: the reader should become an actuarial student at Penn State. On my passion blog, I want to make the information similarly clear and show that American Ninja Warrior is a deeply interesting show with considerable depth. This message cannot be shared, however, if the information that people seek is not intuitive.

The actuarial club’s website shares an excellent template for intuitive design. Within every menu, there are clearly marked subsections that are very neatly categorized. By using the intuitive organization, effective writing, and simple layout shown by the Penn State Actuarial Club’s website, I will improve my passion blog considerably.

Building on the design choices of the Penn State Actuarial Club’s website, I plan on making my passion blog aesthetically pleasing and full of clearly marked information. By focusing on the layout, writing style, and organizational blueprint of the club’s site, I will upgrade my passion blog, bringing it to the next level.

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