Digitally animated TV commercials – setting trends for 2012?
With the advent of TiVo in America in1997, rolled-out internationally, user-generated content coupled with the Internet and PVR decoders has made viewers much more independent in choosing what they wish to watch. The general public is no longer lulled by conventional advertising, and, if they can skip a commercial, they will – unless, of course, the ad is highly engaging. People don’t want to be talked down to, but they do want information presented to them in a clear and succinct way. Above all though, they still want to be entertained.
Television advertising in many ways started with animated commercials, which exploded in the fifties and insinuated itself into the industry well into the early nineties. You couldn’t see a breakfast cereal or sugary drink advert as a child without remembering the bunny or captain or monkey accompanying the jingle. Since the introduction of cheaper home-video equipment in the early nineties, smaller businesses have been able to make adverts at a reasonable rate, and more and more companies started opting for live action. It appears as if the industry has come full circle now, however, with the return to animated adverts, albeit this time with computer generated and digital animation.
Digital Character Animated Television Commercials (DCA TVCs) are an emerging trend in the television and advertising world, but even within this market further sub trends are developing. The benefits are plain to see. Lower costs, less staff, and a near endless well of possibilities. Flying cars, talking dogs and transforming buildings are now as easy [as a few thousand clicks of a button. One of the biggest, and certainly the most memorable trends to emerge, is that of anthropomorphic or personified characters, animals or objects that have had life breathed into them. Seldom will you find an effective mascot or brand image that does not have this quality. Granted, many are also ineffective, but this is where superior creativity and execution comes into play.
For more information, please visit: bizcommunity.com
Read MoreWeb Design Trends in 2012
It’s that time of year again, where we look into our crystal ball to see what will be the hot trends in web design for the upcoming year. It’s no secret that trends come and go, with some hanging around longer than they should. (Yes, splash page, I’m talking about you.) But trends are a necessity in the development and growth of our craft. Trends are born, improved upon, and often spawn other trends. So as a web designer, when you apply trends to your projects, challenge yourself to expand upon them and make them your own.
As you read this article, keep in mind that the shift in trends from one year to the next may be subtle, and you will probably recognize some of these trends already. But it’s our estimation that the concepts we mention below will grow and become even bigger in 2012.
1. Responsive Web Design
I believe eventually, we’ll all stop talking about responsive web design – not because it will go away, but because it will become what’s expected. However, I don’t think this will happen in 2012. It’s still too new of a concept, and there are many web designers that are not familiar with it at all.
The continued introduction and adoption of more an more mobile devices is what will make 2012 the year of the responsive web site. Web designers and developers will move to the use of fluid layouts instead fixed width, and media queries will find their way into many more stylesheets – allowing more sites to easily be viewed across multiple screens sizes and devices.
2. Fixed-Position Navigation
We have all run into this technique at some point, mostly on personal websites or individual blogs. I have seen a large drop in this trend during 2010-2011, but a resurgence has been appearing over the last few months.
If your website doesn’t have a lot of main navigation then you only need to provide a few small links. So why not keep these visible to each user at all times? This can dramatically improve website performance and even blend into the overall page layout with ease. The concept idea is to keep the navbar and internal links/logo locked in place as your visitors scroll through the content.
For more information, please visit: webdesignledger.com
Read More