Your Audience

Introduction to Multi-Media

Lesson Standards and Objectives

LEARNING OBJECTIVES IDENTIFY information that will help

determine audience needs

IDENTIFY criteria that determine the purpose for images

DEMONSTRATE how to identify the audience and its needs

IDENTIFY client goals

ACA Exam objective:

Objective 1.1:Identify the purpose, audience, and audience needs for preparing image(s).

Nampa School District Learning EOCA Outcomes:

Common Core Standards:

THE CLIENT KICKOFF MEETING

Hold the client kickoff meeting before starting work on a new project. At this initial meeting, you can gather critical information about:

• the client’s goals and primary business • the project’s purpose • the project’s scope, deliverables, and deadlines • the client’s audience • the audience needs

This information allows you to effectively and professionally prepare images for any design project.

KNOW YOUR CLIENT

What is your client’s primary business? What is your client’s purpose for this project? Who is your client’s target audience for this project?

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE

Who is the client’s target audience? What are the target audience demographics, such as:

• Age • Occupation • Gender • Education • Residence • Ethnicity • Computer literacy

Knowing your audience will help guide your selection of images, color schemes, and design.

CLUES ABOUT YOUR AUDIENCE

Sometimes the client cannot provide detailed information about the target audience. Ask the client who the main competitors are, and then scan those websites for clues about your client’s audience. Examples:

• Pastel colors, flowery artwork, and photos of women and families indicate a young, married, female audience.

• Dark backgrounds, photos of men in business suits or work clothes, and a technical emphasis are clues of a midlife, married, male audience.

FOR A YOUTH AUDIENCE

Choose images showing high energy. Composited images with Photoshop effects also work well.

FOR A MATURE AUDIENCE

This age group generally has less experience with computers and smartphones.

Images showing multigenerational families often reflect this audience’s priorities.

Seniors sometimes require larger fonts and simpler layouts.

Many mature couples and individuals enjoy activities such as travel and entertainment.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT IMAGE

The images you choose will also depend on your client’s business.

Select images that best represent your client’s customers or target audience.

Even if the customer is a business, the true audience will be the people who represent that business.

Customers relate most to images of people in situations similar to theirs.

FOR AN AUDIENCE OF URBAN PROFESSIONALS

Images to consider:

• Sleek images of modern city life are appropriate.

• Choose images reflecting upscale lifestyles.

• Urban professionals are active in sports and outdoor activities.

• This audience is “plugged in” to computers and smartphones.

FOR A CORPORATE AUDIENCE

Images to consider:

• Stock images of individuals and groups should show them in business attire.

• Images of modern office buildings are often useful.

• Stock images showing small groups in meetings can be appropriate.

FOR A HIGH-TECH CLIENT

Images to consider:

• Professional portrait of company founders, if available

• Young people working in a modern, open office in casual business dress (no ties or suit jackets)

• Small group collaborating intently, in casual business dress

Images to avoid:

• People working in cubicles (or a row of cubicles)

• Individual working at a computer

• Generic modern office buildings

FOR A SMALL RETAIL BUSINESS CLIENT

Images to consider:

• Smiling owner standing behind counter

• Smiling owner in front of product displays

• Owner with client, both smiling

Images to avoid:

• Unhappy customer

• Stern-looking owner

• Street view of storefront (unless it’s unusual)

FOR A HOSPITAL CLIENT

Images to consider:

• Caring doctor or nurse at a smiling patient’s bedside

• Doctor or nurse working with a patient (e.g., using a stethoscope; tucking in the sheets)

• Confident doctor standing in front of his or her team

Images to avoid:

• Patients obviously in pain

• Crowded hallways or emergency rooms

• Street views of hospital buildings

• Empty hospital rooms

FOR A DOCTOR OR DENTIST CLIENT

Images to consider:

• Caring doctor with smiling patient in examination room

• Friendly receptionist with smiling patient

• Nurse calling for smiling patient in waiting room

Images to avoid:

• Patients appearing to be afraid or in pain

• Empty examination or waiting room

• Hospitals, emergency rooms, or ambulances

FOR A BANK CLIENT

Images to consider:

• Friendly bank teller at his or her station

• Smiling couple at desk with friendly bank officer (with couple facing camera)

Images to avoid:

• Customers who look disappointed or worried

• Stock ticker or any image that could be interpreted as a sign of financial instability

• Generic-looking bank building

FOR A RESTAURANT CLIENT

Images to consider:

• Smiling couple looking up at friendly waitperson

• Professional portraits of signature dishes

• Chefs cooking in the kitchen

Images to avoid:

• Customers putting food in their mouths or chewing food

• Empty plates (with or without food)

• Generic restaurant dishes or interiors, which can misrepresent your client’s restaurant

FOR AN ARCHITECT CLIENT

Images to consider:

• Professional photographs of client-designed buildings

• Architects with their client reviewing blueprints in modern conference room

• Architect in suit and hardhat at construction site, looking over blueprints with contractor

Images to avoid:

• Customers who look unhappy or upset

• Finished buildings your client did not design, which would misrepresent your client’s work

• Rows of cubicles, or office staff working in cubicles

FOR A NONPROFIT CLIENT

Images to consider:

• Professional photographs of programs in action (e.g., after-school programs; Habitat for Humanity home-building days)

• Professional group photographs of the nonprofit’s staff and/or volunteers

• Professional photographs of fundraising events

Images to avoid:

• Generic stock images of volunteers or programs, which can undermine the nonprofit’s credibility

• Street views of the office building

• Programs that have no relation to the nonprofit’s work (e.g., young families, if the nonprofit works exclusively with seniors)

FOR A REAL ESTATE CLIENT

Images to consider:

• Friendly agent giving smiling couple a tour of an empty home for sale

• Friendly agent shaking hands with smiling couple in an empty home for sale

• SOLD sign nailed to For Sale sign in front of home

• Smiling young family in front of newly sold home

Images to avoid:

• Anything hinting of foreclosures or distressed homes

• Worried looks on real estate clients’ faces

• Rundown or outdated empty homes for sale

FOR A TRAVEL AGENCY CLIENT

Images to consider:

• Stunning images of destinations

• Smiling travelers seeing the sights

• Suitcases, airplanes in the air, cruise ships sailing, trains traveling

Images to avoid:

• Street view or inside of travel agency’s office

• Anything hinting of danger or fear (e.g., soldiers)

• Travel agent working at the computer

REVIEW

Use this information as a guide to selecting images, choosing color schemes, and designing the project:

• Meet with your client before starting work on the project.

• Ask what the client’s purpose is.

• Ask about the client’s target audience.

• Ask what the audience’s needs are.