Thing 4: Communicating Visually

At this point in the Rudaí 23 experience, I should insert a disclaimer. I am not the official voice of my library, which shall remain unnamed. I do not coordinate public relations there, or even serve on our marketing team. I understand there are limits on how I may apply the material presented in this course, and it is not my intent to overstep boundaries and perform tasks assigned to somebody else. No content I post on this blog represents the opinions of my employer. (That should cover me!)

-------------------------

At my library, I work as a public services and liaison librarian, creating LibGuides and educational materials. Outside of the library, I have been and continue to be a contributing member of professional association committees. In these roles, there may be opportunities to apply some of the course material.

I enjoyed experimenting with PhotoFunia, although I found it easier to use on my workstation than on a phone. A number of the templates are visually “busy,” best combined with simpler images. Libraries or other entities with strong visual brands could certainly take advantage of these options. (I do wonder if the Wyoming State Library’s Mudflap Girl image would still be effective in the “cup of latte” template.)

For fun, I tried applying a yellow and red “watercolor” (actually “watercolour”) modification to a tempting sight captured at my local farmers’ market.

The results don’t do much for the tomatoes, except perhaps permitting them to masquerade as small blurry potatoes instead. But the colors are certainly eye-catching.

I also tried my hand at creating a Quik video. No doubt, this one will keep viewers glued to their seats.

[Title: The Library is Your Seat of Knowledge. Color photographs of different types of library seating, with zoom effects inserted by the Quik software. (0:45)]

Editing on the phone was quick but not always intuitive. Help screens are linked under the settings icon, but I generally prefer reading text on a larger screen. While pulling together another video I realized Quik constructs default title screens based on the metadata of the photographs--in that case, “An afternoon in (the town where I shot the photos).”

Being a librarian in the USA, I need to consider the accessibility of library resources and services. I’m not sure how Quik clips play for a person with impaired vision. Would a phone voice the text, is it necessary to add descriptive audio, or are there are better means of conveying the visual information?