Visual Communication and Design, Now with Audio!

Podcast: Deconstructing a new video series – what works and what doesn’t?

HarryMiller — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:06:00 GMT

This episode captures a meeting where two writers and their manager deconstruct their new video series called Top Templates (edited for time – who wants to sit through a whole meeting?). Take a few minutes and watch some episodes of the show so you know...(read more)

Podcast: Office Offline and comics in communication

HarryMiller — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 21:26:00 GMT

David Salaguinto joins us to talk about his comic Office Offline. David creates Office Offline to get people thinking, talking, and sharing in a way they never would with short text blog entries about the same subjects. He gives us some insight into his...(read more)

Podcast: Is familiarity or novelty a better strategy in visual design?

HarryMiller — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 17:21:00 GMT

People get bored of seeing the same old things all the time. But they also don’t like things that are different. So what do you do when you’re planning how to back up your communication with effective visuals – go for novelty or familiarity? Listen to...(read more)

TC4D: Make Better Videos with Less Rework by Using Storyboards

HarryMiller — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:54:00 GMT

Storyboards help you plan your video shot by shot. That way, you can make sure your video is at least as interesting as the audio, and you have a list of all the most important shots. If you just make a text-only script, it can be easy to overlook sections...(read more)

Podcast: Should I think about design or is clear communication enough?

HarryMiller — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 20:29:00 GMT

When you create a document or a presentation, is the information all that’s important? Is it worth spending time to make it look nicer, when there’s already barely enough time to finish? The answer may surprise you! Although probably not. And there isn’t...(read more)

Podcast: Video in Social Media

HarryMiller — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 20:42:00 GMT

Video has become an integral part of social media. Especially for younger people who are growing up with it, in some cases it’s easier to talk into the camera on the computer and upload it to Facebook, where all their friends will see it, than to write...(read more)

Podcast: Using Visual Space Dynamically

HarryMiller — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 22:13:00 GMT

Visuals are usually created with the display space in mind. If the display area is a certain size, you make your visuals fit in that space by shrinking things, rearranging them, leaving things out, or breaking them up into related spaces. But in the digital...(read more)

Podcast: Office Casual and the success of directness

HarryMiller — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 02:28:00 GMT

Office Casual is one of the most successful video series created by Microsoft content producers. Doug Thomas, the person behind it, talks about how it got its direct, no-frills look (and why the show keeps that look). Listen to the episode Duration: 15:59...(read more)

TC4D: Guiding viewers through complex information

HarryMiller — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 01:16:00 GMT

Complex information is usually easier to understand when it’s presented in a graphic format, such as a process flowchart or workflow diagram. But even those can be confusing at first glance, and look more complicated than they actually are. Well, here’s...(read more)

Podcast: Eye candy and aesthetics make things work better

HarryMiller — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 01:42:00 GMT

Research has indicated that attractive things are easier to use and work better than purely functional equivalents. Listen to the episode Duration: 14:48 Size: 10.4 MB We know it’s more fun to use tools and software and kitchen appliances that are not...(read more)

TC4D: Preparing for a media-centered future

HarryMiller — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 00:09:00 GMT

Well, the title of the presentation I saw was "Preparing for a Media-Centered Future", but the interesting content was mostly about preparing your media (video in particular) for effective distribution. I talked with one of the presenters, Travis Petershagen,...(read more)

TC4D: Technical Communication in the 4th Dimension

HarryMiller — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 07:09:00 GMT

TC4D is my video blog about technical communication in the fourth dimension. In episode 1, I talk about the fourth dimension and ways to use it. Right-click and save to Download in Zune format Download in iPod format (also enclosed in the RSS feed)...(read more)

Podcast: Leading visual content teams

HarryMiller — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 03:48:00 GMT

Where does Jonathan want to take content for the visual tools PowerPoint, Office Graphics, and Visio in the future? Listen to the episode Duration: 14:23 Size: 9.88 MB Harry and Jonathan talk about trends in Web video, what Office is doing, and why it's...(read more)

Visio: Drawing on Experience with Scott Helmers

HarryMiller — Wed, 27 May 2009 00:17:00 GMT

Learn more about using Visio to create diagrams and illustrations from people who use it every day. Scott Helmers interview Scott Helmers went from doing primarily consulting work to creating software that extends Visio in specific directions. He talks...(read more)

Visio: Drawing on Experience with Chris Roth

HarryMiller — Wed, 20 May 2009 19:21:00 GMT

Learn more about using Visio to create diagrams and illustrations from people who use it every day. Chris Roth interview Chris Roth, also known as Visio Guy, gives some insight into the types of solutions he creates using Visio. Sometimes these solutions...(read more)