Last post for PR Publications

By Mary Morton in Assignments, JMC 3433

Wow! I cannot believe that this semester is actually over! Seems like the first time I did an assignment for this class wasn’t all that ago. I have to say I really enjoyed taking this class. The lab intensive format was very different for me, but I got a lot out it. I learn a lot better when I can actually experience what I’m supposed to be doing instead of taking notes on it. So the fact that we actual got to do assignments and learn basic skills that way was so much better for me. I wish more classes were this way because the skills we’re supposed to learning as PR professionals will stick better with students. If we can experience things and learn from our mistakes I feel like we will be better prepared for the tasks we will have to perform when we graduate.

I became a lot more efficient in inDesign than I was before. Adam was very helpful in showing us shortcuts that I had never known before when I worked with it in High School. Although I had worked with inDesign before Adam was much more knowledgeable and easy going than the teacher I had before so he was easier to learn from. I also found that the way I worked with inDesign was a lot different. Since I had more freedom to create what I wanted I created things that were a lot different than before.

I will admit that writing for a public audience was hard. Although I am a PR major I find writing is the most difficult thing we do and we do it A LOT. Trying to choose the right words and placing it in the right place is really hard. It’s also exactly why some people pay other people to do it for them. (i.e. Why our profession exists) But I found that with the progression of the class I became more and more confident in my writing and in my designs. I definitely plan on keep up with this website and blog so I can continue to write.

Originally posted at Mary Morton- PR Publications Course

Last Post for the Class!!

By Brooke Strother in Assignments

The one thing about InDesign, Photoshop and the website on Word Press is that they are not made for people to learn as they go. I think that is what I found the most frustrating. I’m spoiled with social media sites and programs that are easy to navigate and user friendly and I felt that these programs expected you to hit the ground running. I would most often ask the people next to me if they knew how to do something and would receive blank stares before I knew it was time to ask Croom. He’d just swoop in and tell me what to do and, for some reason, I’d panic under pressure and not be able to find any of the buttons he was talking about. So I hated asking questions.

With that being said, I have learned A LOT. Things I found challenging before are becoming easier and I find myself using this software in other classes as well. I had a very fun time designing and it gave me the best feeling to see something that I created come out looking the way I wanted it to. I never really had a problem designing for an audience, but I realize that may only be because we were able to choose our audience for every project. More often than not, I designed with an audience similar to myself in mind, but I liked that because it allowed me to be my own critic.

I liked the lab setting because even though we were all together, it felt private. Like no one could see my project until we were all finished (other than Croom, of course). Everyone in our class seemed comfortable with each other and I loved that everyone’s work was always available to use upon completion to get ideas or push our creativity further. I also liked that class time went by fast from having something to work on and keep us busy rather than being lectured. This is a big part of what we do in the field of public relations and I do think it’s very important to know. Colors and design are the first thing to catch the eye and, in my opinion, can make or break a company.

Originally posted at Brought to you by Brooke

Scrapbook Blog?

By Brooke Strother in Assignments

Lately, I have been trying to think of something that my blog could be used for after this assignment is all said and done, and so far, It has been very hard to think of a topic interesting enough for me to write about that people will want to read. In addition, The only other people I know that have blogs are my 17-year old sister and all of her friends, but they only talk about make-up and style and all of the “in” brands. I like some of that stuff, but I would rather do almost anything else than sit sand talk about it to a camera–mostly because I think that’s super weird and annoying.  But then I remember I am the only one looking at this website and it can be about whatever I want it to be about even if it’s about a stupid hobby of mine that everyone makes fun of me for….scrapbooking!

I love it. I have a scrapbook every year since 2007 and I think each one gets better and better. I collect pictures and stickers and paper and letters and go practically broke every Christmas when I spend my free time catching up with it. Honestly, I don’t think sharing a few of my pages would be that much different than sharing photos on instagram or twitter.   My thought is that after an event, I can show the new scrapbook page and talk about what happened (like every other social media site). It’s perfect! Here are some examples:

IMAG0653_1

Whitney’s Wedding 2013

IMAG0530_1

Gamma Phi Beta Bid Day 2013

IMAG0517_1

OU/TX 2013 (Sorry the image doesn’t have superb quality)

"Moonstrike" 2014

“Moonstrike” 2014

Originally posted at Brought to you by Brooke

Advertising Campaign

By Mary Morton in Assignments, JMC 3433

For this last assignment in my PR Publications class we were asked to make up our own assignment. I decided to make my “students” make a small advertising campaign. I decided to do this because I have recently had to make several ads for my internship and it was difficult to know where to start. So I feel like the next Publications class should at least touch on the basics and thought process behind advertisements so students have a basic knowledge.

The assignment will require students to pick an organization and decide what type of campaign to make for them. For example if a student chose a certain nonprofit they could make a campaign for their upcoming fundraising gala. The assignment will require them to make three different parts in inDesign. The first part will be a full page ad (8.5 x 11). The second will be a half page ad (8.5 x 5.5). The third will be a direct mailer that could be sent out to promote the campaign as well, also half page.

After the students make the campaign they will have to fill out a sheet that breaks down who their audience is and what influences them. Then they will write a blog post explaining how they made the campaign, the specific design elements that they used and how they feel that design will tie into their target audience.

The difficulty rating I would give this assignment is a 3, because coming up with a campaign might be a little tough. But once the student chooses an audience and a look for one ad the other two parts will not be very difficult.

Originally posted at Mary Morton- PR Publications Course

Wrapping Up PR Pubs

By Megan Young in Assignment 4, Assignments, JMC 3433

Wow, this semester has flown by so fast! I can’t believe we’re finishing up our final project of the year. Well, first of all I have learned so much in this class over the course of the semester. I definitely enjoyed working in a lab-intensive environment on all of these projects and having the opportunity to learn about InDesign and Photoshop. Personally, I feel accomplished knowing more about these two program. I hope to learn more about these two programs, and I hope I have the chance to work with them at my internship or job in the future. I think these specific technology skills are important to know, especially in the public relations field, because although PR mainly consists of writing, PR practitioners should be able to create visuals for their clients as well. My favorite part of this class was being able to work on these InDesign and Photoshop because I like creating different projects and learning new skills on the programs.

Throughout this course, we also had a writing component on our blogs about the book we read at the beginning of the semester as well as describing how we went about making our projects. Personally, I did not think it was too hard to write to a public audience because of my past experiences. During my freshman year of college, I wrote blogs for OU for their prospective student blog site. In addition, while I was studying abroad in Seville, Spain, I wrote a blog for family and friends to keep up with my trip. So I enjoyed writing for a public audience, and I look forward to continue writing on this blog after PR Pubs ends.

Truly, I wish every PR class could be like this class because I enjoyed coming to class every Tuesday and Thursday! Personally, I  believe that students should have to take PR Pubs before PR Writing because then students can utilize their skills on InDesign and Photoshop on their projects in PR Writing. For my PR Writing class, we had to create a portfolio, with writing and visuals. However, I made all of my visuals on Microsoft Word. Although they ended up looking pretty good, I think it would have looked much better if I had known how to create them on InDesign or Photoshop.

Overall, I would say that this is one of the best PR classes in Gaylord. Although the class could be tough sometimes with making sure to have enough time to complete projects or not knowing how to do something on InDesign or Photoshop, I really enjoyed everything I learned throughout this class. Sometimes I feel like certain classes I take not meaningful and will not help me throughout my life. However, this course is the exact opposite. PR Pubs made me excited to work at an internship or job in the PR field, and I’m looking forward to utilizing all my new skills developed from this class in the future!

Originally posted at Megan Young - Gaylord Student

What Makes Me Smile

By Megan Young in Assignment 4, Assignments, JMC 3433

Throughout my college career so far, I have learned some of my passions in life. Although I thought I knew most of the things that make me happy, I have discovered two activities that truly make me smile: community service and studying abroad.

When I first came to OU, I had no idea about what activities to participate in, except for events going on within my sorority. I looked around for the first few months and couldn’t figure out what my niche could be at this school. In high school, I loved going to community service events, and on mission trips with my church. However, during my first year at OU, I couldn’t find community service events that I loved. I wanted to be involved with an organization who loved to help others in need. That’s when I discovered Soonerthon.

In March 2012, I participated in my first OU Dance Marathon, which is now called Soonerthon. I had no clue what to expect at this event, and only knew it was OU’s biggest philanthropy which raised money “For The Kids,” or (FTK). I arrived on the morning of Soonerthon with excitement in my heart and a motivation to stand for 12 hours all for the kids. With my sorority sisters by my side, we danced the day away and played with some of the sweetest and amazing kids you would ever meet. By the end of the night, I will never forget how much body, specifically my feet, ached with pain. However, when the Soonerthon chairs revealed the final total of over $100,000, the pain suddenly went away. I looked at my best friend and immediately began to weep. I couldn’t believe how much we had raised for these deserving children. That’s when it hit me: I wanted to become apart of this organization.

During the fall of my sophomore year, I applied, interviewed, and received a position on the Operations Staff of the new and improved Soonerthon. I couldn’t wait to get started and work with other people who loved this philanthropy as much as I do. After an entire year of planning and getting ready for March, Soonerthon 2013 was finally here. Once again at the final reveal, I was bawling over our final total of $196,034 all FTK. This year, I had the opportunity to serve on the Recruitment Committee of Soonerthon and once again had the experience of a life time. Since this was my second year of being apart of the giant Soonerthon family, I truly soaked up every ounce of it and when it came to final reveal, I couldn’t believe what I saw. We had raised $318,711.14. My heart overflowed with emotion. That’s when I truly felt like I found my home on campus, with these people raising all of this money FTK. Soonerthon has inspired me and my dreams in the future. I hope to either intern or work for Children’s Miracle Network or Hospitals in the PR department.

The other activity that I truly love is studying abroad. Before college, I had only traveled out of the country to Mexico and Costa Rica. I had never been to Europe, but I had a passion to go and experience the different cultures. However, during my sophomore year I received the opportunity to study abroad in Seville, Spain. My best friend and I decided to take a chance and go with students from different universities throughout the country to study Spanish in Spain. I was worried about so many things before going abroad, such as traveling to Europe with only my best friend or being pick-pocketed in the streets of Spain. In addition, my family had just decided to sell my childhood home and move into a condo a few blocks away. However, the excitement to study abroad conquered my fears and I forgot about everything I was worrying about.

After months of anticipation for this trip, we finally traveled to Seville at the end of last May. Although I had been away from my family for a month before, this was a new experience for me being over seas, and I felt bad not being there to help my family move. However, when we arrived in Spain, my whole world changed. People always tell you that you’re going to feel homesick and experience culture shock, but I was the exact opposite. Living and studying abroad in Seville made me never want to go home. I wanted to stay there forever, and keep living the relaxing, Spanish style of life. A few days before I came home, my mom even asked me if I was still coming back or staying there forever. After being back in the U.S. for a few weeks, I realized I had adjusted my lifestyle to some of the Spanish traditions. I learned so much about Spanish culture, life, and traditions while in Spain as well as discovered my passion for studying abroad. I also made life long friends through this activity, and will never forget the memories I made.

As a result of this trip, I decided to pursue this new love of mine, and thus became an alumni ambassador for my study abroad company. After learning about the other programs the company offered, I decided to study abroad again this upcoming summer in Dublin, Ireland with another best friend of mine. I look forward to learning about a new culture and once again, taking part in one of my passions.

Through both of these activities, I feel like I have found my place here on campus. Studying abroad and community service have become a part of my life that I continue to cherish every day. Without these opportunities, I would probably still be walking around OU’s campus without a clue of what I was interested in. I’m thankful for these opportunities, and hope to continue traveling abroad and volunteering at philanthropies after college. These activities will always be important to me because I’ve truly discovered two things that make me smile.

 

Originally posted at Megan Young - Gaylord Student

Intriguing Infographics

By Megan Young in Assignment 4, Assignments, JMC 3433

For assignment 5, students will design two infographics for an organization of their choice. Students should create these infographics with the help of InDesign and/or Photoshop. The infographics will be graded on specific aspects of the images, such as:

• color
• design
• creativity
• use of art
• no clutter
• layout
• clearly ties to the organization

When choosing an organization for this assignment, students should consider creating these for an organization they work with or are interested in working for in the future. Selecting an organization should be the first step the student takes in creating this project. It is also a good idea for students to consider choosing an organization that they have a relationship with, if they are in need of assistance or information from the organization. If students choose an organization that already has infographics made, then redesign these and develop your own style through these new infographics. I suggest using Pinterest as a source for ideas and look around for other organizations’ infographics on the Internet.

- Document Specifications:

Students should design each infographic to be smaller than 700 px wide and saved as a .png.

Make sure to upload both of the infographics on D2L to be graded when done with the assignment.

- Grading:

Design (80 points – 40 points for each infographic) Demonstrates proficiency in creating, design clearly ties to organization, not cluttered, color, creativity, use of art, layout, alignment, and contrast.

Self Reflection Blog Post (20 points) Explains how each infographic ties to the organization, who would be interested in these images, and how the student used design concepts to create each infographic. In addition, the student needs to explain to the audience how they designed this and what ideas helped create these graphics. Walk them through your ideas.  Also answer the questions of: What did you learn? What was difficult on this project? What was different about this project compared to the other assignments? Also, make sure to embed the infographics into the blog post to show the audience what you made.

Difficulty Level: I would rank this project with 3 stars because I think it takes time to make good and informative infographics. This should not be a fast project for the students to complete. They need to take the time to think about what organization they want their infographics to be for and how they want to design these images. I would allow the students about 2 and a half weeks to work on this assignment. Also, I would assign this in probably the middle of the semester to allow students time to understand InDesign and/or Photoshop so they can make impressive and intriguing infographics.

 

 

 

 

Originally posted at Megan Young - Gaylord Student

Last Blog Post for Public Relations Publications class

By Taylor Jurica in Uncategorized

Public Relations Publications was by far one of the best classes I have taken at the University of Oklahoma. Before my junior year, I felt as though there was still so much I needed to learn for the PR world. As this class is wrapping up, I have realized just how much I have learned and how much I am going to use in the future. There were so many new skills that I learned, especially on InDesign. I have never been taught to use InDesign before and now I feel very comfortable with it. My internship boss told me I would need to know InDesign, and now I know everything about it! I feel as though my eye towards design and color has improved greatly and I can’t wait for my first internship assignment on InDesign to show off my new skills.

This class also pushed me out of my comfort zone, that in the end was extremely rewarding. I have never considered myself to be experienced with new technology, but after working with Photoshop and InDesign, I am much more confident. I learned to specify my target audience which is very important when working in PR. Specifying your target audience and sticking to that plan was difficult for me at first. Especially in the direct mailer assignment. But, I know that this will help me in the future.

I loved having the format of a lab intensive class. There was no time wasted in this class, which I can honestly say isn’t the case in other classes I have taken here at OU. Our professor lectured every once in a while, but the lectures were about important topics that helped us with our assignments. Other than the lectures, we were diligently working on our assignments and making deadlines which is closer to how the real world is going to be. I loved being able to come into a class and get straight to work. I wish more classes at Gaylord could be like this.

Originally posted at Taylor Jurica- Gaylord Journalism Student

The obstacles of my life

By Taylor Jurica in Uncategorized

The college years have seemed to go by very fast. I find myself stressing about my school work getting harder and harder while also worrying about what the future holds for me. At the same time though, it is an extremely exciting time. Looking back, my journey to the University of Oklahoma was a difficult one full of tough decisions and doubts. It is almost funny to think about the issues I used to stress about while back in high school.

In high school, tennis was my life. I started playing at the age of eight. I grew up playing multiple sports, but tennis was always my favorite. Once I reached high school, I was sure that tennis was going to be in my future for a very long time. My goal was to play D1 college tennis. I would leave high school early every day around 1:00 to drive to Dallas and train from about 2:00-7:00 p.m. On most weekends, I was traveling all around Texas for tournaments. Once every month, there was a tournament in some other state across the nation. My social life was my tennis life. I was dedicated to the sport because I knew in the end it would be worth it to reach my goal and get my college paid for. I got as high as number 4 in the state of Texas.

At the beginning of my senior year, I experienced what I now call an eye opening experience. Back then though, I thought my life was over. Just as I was about to pick the college I wanted to play for, I hurt my back very badly. I herniated the lowest disk in the right side of my back. With this injury, I was never going to be able to play college tennis without being in pain every single day. I realized my goal was never going to be reached and I found myself feeling lost.

Luckily, my brothers girlfriend at the time (now his fiancé) introduced me to the University of Oklahoma. I had never even considered OU because I knew nothing about it. She took me on a tour halfway through my senior year and I fell in love. It was so much prettier than the schools I had seen previously. I never considered myself to be a sorority girl, but she convinced me to go through rush anyways. I ended up pledging Gamma Phi Beta which was the sorority she was in. I also discovered the club tennis team that I am now President of. It allows me to play tennis for fun without injuring my back any worse.

Now, here I am, almost 4 years later trying to reach goals and stressing about the future again. What I must remember though, is my past, and all of the obstacles I had to take to get here. I must remember that life will create a path for me. This path may not be what I thought it would be, but I know that in the end everything will work out. This is something I will always remember when I am going through stressful times such as finals or internship interviews.

Originally posted at Taylor Jurica- Gaylord Journalism Student

Info-graphic Assignment

By Taylor Jurica in Uncategorized

Background:

The info-graphic assignment is designed to help the student understand the importance of reaching their target audience through visual appeal. Info-graphics are used to easily relay information to the viewer through charts, graphs, etc. These are easy-to-read images that can portray a large amount of information. These can show an organization’s improvements or past history.

Description:

For the assignment, the student will create two info-graphics for an organization of their choice. The information that the student chooses to relay through the image is up to them. The student also needs to think about the specific target audience for whom the info-graphic will be based towards. Info-graphics can be made on Microsoft Word, InDesign or Photoshop. Make sure the image is large enough to see and present to the class later in the semester.

Here is an example of an info-graphic:

interesting-infographics-cover-1

 

Here, one can see that this info-graphic is portraying information through percentages. There is a great use of color in this info-graphic that catches the eye of the audience.

Level of difficulty:

3 STARS

Originally posted at Taylor Jurica- Gaylord Journalism Student