Graphic Design

We're learning to create useful documents such as flyers, advertisements, tickets, and programs. If these items, however, are not appealing to our customers, they may never be read or used. There are four graphic design principles that will guide us in creating attractive publications:

• Contrast
  
• Alignment
  
• Repetition
  
• Proximity
  

Every publication you create for this class should keep these four principles in mind.

Your assignment:

1. Review the PowerPoint slide show again that we reviewed on November 12.
   
2. Read Mike Rundle's blog post on these principles.
   
3. Create a Blog Post titled Graphic Design in Word 2007. Define what it means to show contrast, alignment, repetition, and proximity in publications. Example: Define contrast. What should you do to show contrast? What should you not do?
   
4. Using The Best Designs web site, find four links to web sites that provide examples of contrast, alignment, repetition, and proximity. You only need one link per principle. Explain how this web site shows that principle. Remember to create your links to recognizable phrases, not just the web address. For example: Contrast, NOT http://www.onwired.com/.
   
5. Run spell check and post your Blog.
   
6. Your blog will be evaluated against the following criteria:
   
   1. A minimum of 150 words
      
   2. Appropriate use of grammar, spelling, punctuation, format, etc.
      
   3. Content (all elements of assignment are included)
      
   4. Writing is thoughtful and engaging

Business Tech II Blog

This is my first posting for my Business Tech II blog. This summer, I became interested in what blogging was and how it can be used in business. Although I've seen blogs on web sites such as Facebook or MySpace, I began to wonder how a blog could benefit business. MySpace and Facebook web sites are meant for personal use, however, it is important for students to realize that many businesses do check personal web spaces prior to hiring. Is your online image what you want an employer to see?

My first goal this summer was to find a web site to create a blog on. Using Google, I found Blogger. Creating a blog was as easy as creating a user account and posting a message. My second task was to research how businesses use blogging. Check out these web sites for examples of why or how businesses use this technology:

Why Blog for Business?
Corporate Blog on Wikipedia
Corporate Blogging: Is it Worth the Hype
Manpower Blog

Your assignment:

1. Create your own blog at Blogger, using your Gaggle.net account. You must verify your account by signing-in to Gaggle.net and clicking on a link from a message from Blogger. You will not be able to use Word 2007 to post to your blog without doing this.
2. Review this tutorial at Microsoft to learn how to create a blog posting from within Word 2007.
3. Your first posting should be a response to how you see blogging being useful for business. Provide at least three links to businesses that use blogging for professional use. Key your response as a new blog post from within Word 2007. When finished, post your blog from Word 2007. Your writing should have three paragraphs: 1) What is a blog, 2) How will blogging be a useful tool in business, 3) Provide links to at least three businesses that are using blogs (your links should be clickable, but I only want to see the name of the web site as the link). To find businesses, use Google to search or find examples on the links above.
4. Check your blogger account to make sure the post was successful.
5. Write an email to Mrs. Ewert (jewert@gaggle.net) in Gaggle.net with a brief message and a link to your blog.