Factors influencing product design

• The main 5 purposes of media products are:

  • To advertise
  • To educate
  • To entertain
  • To inform
  • To influence
• To advertise (e.g):

  • Bus stop advert
  • Flyer
  • Web banner
• To educate (e.g):

  • Textbook cover
  • Revision website
  • Education podcast
• To entertain (e.g):

  • Music video
  • Comic
  • Radio quiz show
• To inform (e.g):

  • Instruction booklet
  • Transport safety video
  • Non-fiction eBook
• To influence (e.g):

  • Charity campaign
  • Political leaflet
  • Environmental sign
• Style:

  The way that colours, themes and media forms are combined together to produce a look or feel for a media product. Style can also relate to the way in which audio or video content is represented or expressed.
• Content:

  The message that the product is trying to get across to the audience which is usually outlined in the brief. This could be information, experiences, emotions or ideas. In a film, this is likely to be the plot or the storyline, whereas in advertising this instead could be a product or a concept. The content will often be clear from the brief, but if not it will be developed during the design stage
• Layout:

  The way that a product is structured or arranged. This includes the placements and sizing of images, texts and shapes. There are expected conventions for each media product: a predictable set of components that the audience would expect to see in a product#
• Client:

  The client is the person or company who is financing the media product to be created. They will often have quite specific opinions and thoughts on the style, content and layout of the media product, but they might not have as much experience in product design
• Client brief:

  The key piece of information that is written or verbal information that any designer or creative team will need and from which they will design a product. Key features include:

  • Comes directly from the client
  • Will include requirements that are necessary to make a successful product.
  • Might include a clear target audience
  • Has a purpose which is clear from the document
• Client requirements:

  Are needs or expectations that the client has. The client is likely to deicide whether they are happy with the product based on how their requirements have been met.
• Client requirements interpretations:

  • Purpose
  • Audience
  • Client ethos
  • Content
  • Genre
  • Style
  • Theme
  • Timescale
• Constraints:

  Client requirements can constrain both the planning and production of a media product. The designers of a media product must perform a balancing act between all the different client requirements
• Demographics:

  The different characteristics of the population. These include:

  • Age
  • Gender
  • Occupation
  • Income
  • Education
  • Location
  • Interests
  • Lifestyle
  • Ethnicity
• Segmentation:

  Demographics can be broken down further to try create a profile that addresses a target audience. There are several ways to segment demographics, including:

  • Audience needs
  • Geographical location
  • Interests
  • Aspirations
  • Opinions
  • Behaviours
• Demographic + Segmentation = Target audience
• Benefits of segmentation:

  • Specific - Focus your message on the group of people
  • Tailored message - Create a clearer message rather than having to be vague for a larger audience
  • Identifiable - There is a real group of people who can be contacted
  • Content matches preferences - The likes, differences and opinions of the audience can be researched
  • Achievable - It is much more manageable both in time and cost.
  • Meeting needs - When you know who the audience are, you can find out what they need
  • Success that is measurable - You can obtain specific feedback
• Demographic influence:

  For example, if the target audience don't like the media product, it is unlikely to do well
• Primary research:

  First-hand accounts, data, or opinions on something from someone who has had a direct connection with the product or idea. For example:

  • Focus groups
  • Interviews
  • Online surveys
  • Questionares
• Secondary research:

  Usually second-hand accounts of relevant information. They sometimes quote from or use primary research methods, but they might also provide some data analysis or commentary. For example:

  • Books and journals
  • Internets sites and research
  • Magazines and newspapers
  • Television
• Validity:

  This is when the method you use to collect your data is measuring what you intended it to measure
• Reliability:

  This is how consistent and accurate the data is
• Qualitive data:

  Detailed and individual information received through primary and secondary research. Not data that can be obtained with a yes/no answers or multiple-choice questions
• Quantitative data:

  Many short-answer responses. Building up a picture by analysis of the numbers and responses generated. Often called statistics.
• Technical codes:

  The way that different pieces of equipment are used to create meaning, impact or engagement in a specific media form.
• Symbolic codes:

  These codes use our understanding of society, culture and real life. They relate to the meanings we give objects, locations and actions
• Written codes:

  These codes use formal language: words and phrases. They refer to printed, written and spoken language in a media product
• Media elements:

  • Audio
  • Animations
  • Typography
  • Transistions
  • Movement
  • Mise-en-scene
  • Lighting
  • Interactivity
  • Graphics
  • Colour
  • Camera techniques
• Camera angle: The angle at which the camera is positioned so that it captures the subject of the shot in a certain way. Some examples of this are:

  • Low angle
  • High angle
  • Eye level
  • Dutch angle/canted angle/tilt shot
  • Bird's eye view/overhead shot
  • Worm's eye view
• Lighting


  The use natural, indoor and specialist lighting to light the objects within a shot.
• Intensity and levels:

  Refers to a lights brightness, and the output of light. Individual lights can be dimmed or brightened, the size of the lights can be controlled, and light can be blocked out or even diffused. Can be used to purposely create shadows and pockets of darkness which can add to the mood and tone of a scene.
• Positioning

  Refers to the way the lights are placed in a scene, both in terms of location and angle. For example:

  • Front lighting
  • Three-quarter lighting
  • Back lighting
  • Side lighting
  • Practical lighting
  • Low angle lighting
• Typography

  Involves creating a specific style and arrangement of letters to make the words clear, readable and appealing. The letters can create a tone, feeling, or mood. The categories that it fits into are:

  • Emphasis
  • Font size
  • Font type
• Graphics

  Visual images that have been created either by hand or on the computer, which represent or enhance the message. Text or sound is often used to add clarity to the graphic's meaning. Examples of graphics include:

  • Diagrams
  • Illustrations
  • Drawings
  • Cartoon characters
  • Logos
  • Abstract shapes
  • Patterns
• Animations

  Used to enhance or improve a message or meaning for the audience. also used to show something that would otherwise be too difficult to portray. Can be hand-drawn, designed on the computer, or developed using green-screen technology
• Interactivity

  The audience can take control of the product in some way. Examples of interactive products are:

  • Computer games
  • Kiosk products
  • Websites
  • Apps
  • Embedded links
  • Web menus
  • Online photo galleries
• Transitions

  Move the eye from one shot or next slide to the next. These are applied post-production, in the editing process. Examples of transitions are:

  • Cut
  • Dissolve
  • Cutaway
  • Wipe
  • Fade
  • Split cut/sound bridge
  • Match cut
  • Jump cut
• Mise-en-scene

  Relates to the different elements placed in a shot or scene. These elements need to fit together well to convey a clear message.
• Movement:


  Relates to characters and objects moving within a frame. Movements can add more to a story, over and above the dialogue. The more objects and characters moving, the more energy is produced in a scene