Week 9: Image Post
How did you author the photo you recorded for upload to Instagram?
The image was taken on my iPhone 6s. I utilised the original photography format of Instagram with the square shape, and the object in focus simply in the center of the frame. I achieved this by standing over the subject, utilising the light in the space. Inspired by Donald Norman’s quote, in particular when he states, “Good designs fit our needs so well that design is invisible…”, I chose to take this image of my cat sleeping in her pod bed. The design allows her to perfectly curl up inside, and the colours almost match her coat exactly, factors all together make the design of the pod seem almost invisible. Overall this image was an easy one to get because my cat sleeps in that position every day, so I could rely on the fact that the opportunity would be there.
How did you publish the photo you recorded for upload to Instagram?
The image had no additional filters to it (including any extra touch-ups or enhancements), because I also wanted to explore the idea that the image has been taken and shared as a snapshot into my life as a quick moment in time. On personal accounts, this format is something I usually go for anyway, so I found the natural state to be quite suitable. I appropriately added the hashtag ‘#nofilter”. Additionally, I added the hashtag “#catsofinstagram”, a heavily popularised tag aimed at reaching a wide audience. These tags were placed lower in the caption, to create a cleaner look. The caption, “Spot the Cat’ with a subsequent emoji, not only alludes back to the notion of invisible design from Donald Norman, but also places the post in a particular group of posts found widely on Instagram.
How did you distribute the photo you published on Instagram to other social media services?
The image was distributed to Twitter and Tumblr, both platforms of which I will be sharing all of my posts too. This is because I believe that image posts work well in the context of both Twitter and Tumblr. Twitter is a vast sharing platform where the hashtags used will also work in the app, and Tumblr is known for it’s heavy reliance on aesthetics of user’s blogs, so image-sharing translates well into that space.
Week 9: Video Post
How did you author the video you recorded for upload to Instagram?
The video shows a red heart lamp turning on, with the light it gives off subsequently being red. The object itself is my sisters, and I chose it simply because I like the design of it. For me, it evokes a warm and cosy feeling. As an extention to Norman’s concepts, I believe good design is in the way that the object can make one feel. The video utilises the square aspect ratio, filmed within the app with my iPhone 6s. I removed the audio in the editing stage, as to keep the focus on the visual. I also used the filter “Lo-fi”, which made the colours of the red lamp pop.
How did you publish the video you recorded for upload to Instagram?
The caption is simply a red heart, because it reflects the simplicity of the object itself. Utilising again that method of a ‘clean’ caption, I have moved the hashtags down to the end. I used the hashtags “#Lofi” which was the filter I used, and “#Love” and “#Heart”, encapsulating the contents of the image itself. I did note this time around that the keyboard when editing the caption contains the hashtag function (hash key immediately linking to a hashtag) which is no doubt there to encourage users to utilise the feature.
How did you distribute the video you published on Instagram to other social media services?
Again, I shared the post to both Twitter and Tumblr. The hashtags transferred appropriately to Twitter, and I am able to search through the hashtags throughout the app. on Tumblr, I feel as though the video format does not transfer as well, having to play the video manually. Generally on Tumblr, GIFs do better and are more eye-catching.