Style Guide

Somewhat adapting the UQ style guide for simplicity and to minimise seductive details:

1. Minimise the number of colours on a page, so you can use colours meaningfully
   1. Generally, this means everything should be:
      1. Black #000000 or
      2. UQ purple #51247A
   2. Occasional use of neutrals like:
      1. charcoal #3d3935
      2. sand #e8e3db
   3. Especially if we want to highlight a call to action, use purple #51247A
2. Use one font throughout (generally Helvetica Neue, Arial, or Georgia)
3. Brand the video with UQ logo and project logo somewhere, but usually just at the end (unless meaningful, like introducing the project name)

Animation recommendations

• Generally, knocking something up in Keynote is quick and easy to then export and update. Some clean, minimal animations include 'Fade and move' (adjusting down the 'travel'; below), pop, line-draw, spin, and dissolve. I occasionally use heavy ones like Anvil, Crumble, or Trace when appropriate (e.g., when something 'hits' I use Anvil; when it's falling apart, Crumble).

  • Fade and move (a useful, modern, default animation)

• Use animations so voice-over is timed to the visuals

  • While 3D graphs are generally bad data design, for videos, the Keynote animations for 3D graphs allow for better contiguity (they're more interesting that just 'appear')

• Use meaningful pictures and/or a few key words to ensure those watching aren't totally reliant on the voiceover

  • The noun project is excellent for images that avoid being seductive (it’s cheap and valuable, but ask Mike if you want to try it)

    Noun Project: Free Icons & Stock Photos for Everything

  • Storyblocks is good for b-roll, but be careful to avoid seductive details (more expensive, so ask Mike if you want to know how to get it)

    Create More Video, Faster Than Ever - Storyblocks

• If displaying something complex, use call-outs, blurs, or highlights to show learners too

  • Mike has a number of callout packages for FCPX if editing in there