Do you have an Art Director in you?

An art director is someone who is responsible for the visual style and images in magazines, newspapers, product packaging, and movie and television productions. They create the overall design and direct others who develop artwork or layouts. Art directors work for advertising and public relations firms, newspaper and magazine publishers, specialized design services firms, and the theatre, motion picture and video industries.

What does an Art Director do?

An art director typically oversees the work of other designers and artists who produce images for television, film, live performances, advertisements, or video games. They determine the overall style or tone desired for each project and articulate their vision to artists who submit images, such as illustrations, graphics, photographs, charts and graphs, or stage and movie sets.

An art director will work with the art and design staff in advertising agencies, public relations firms, and book, magazine, or newspaper publishers to create designs and layouts. They also work with producers and directors of theatre, television, or movie productions to oversee set designs. Their work requires them to understand the design elements of projects, inspire other creative workers, and keep projects on budget and on time. Sometimes, they are responsible for developing the budgets and timelines.

An art director will typically do the following:

·         Determine how best to represent a concept visually

·         Determine which photographs, art, or other design elements to use

·         Develop the overall look or style of a publication, advertising campaign, or theater, television, or film set

·         Supervise design staff

·         Review and approve designs, artwork, photography, and graphics developed by staff members

·         Talk to clients to develop an artistic approach and style

·         Coordinate activities with other artistic or creative departments

·         Develop detailed budgets and timelines

·         Present designs to clients for approval

Art directors work in a variety of industries, and the type of work they do varies somewhat with the industry. However, almost all art directors set the overall artistic style and visual image to be created for each project, and oversee a staff of designers, artists, photographers, writers, or editors who are responsible for creating the individual works that collectively make up a completed product.

The following are some specifics of what art directors do in different industries:

Ø  In publishing, art directors typically oversee the page layout of newspapers and magazines. They also choose the cover art for books and periodicals. Often, this work includes web publications.

Ø  In advertising and public relations, art directors ensure that their clients’ desired message and image is conveyed to consumers. They are responsible for the overall visual aspects of an advertising or media campaign and may coordinate the work of other artistic or design staff, such as graphic designers.

Ø  In movie production, art directors collaborate with directors to determine what sets will be needed for the film and what style or look the sets should have. They hire and supervise a staff of assistant art directors or set designers to complete designs.

What is the workplace of an Art Director like?

Most art directors work full time. About 12% work for advertising and public relations firms. Others work for newspaper and magazine publishers, specialized design services firms, and the motion picture and video industries.

So do you have an art director in you? If yes then this can be a perfect career option for you!. Please let us know about the feedbacks about our blog in the comment section. Stay tuned to IAAN Blog for more such interesting stories!

Are you also confused in difference between Publicist & PR?

Publicity and public relations are often wrongfully considered one and the same. In fact, publicity is just one aspect of public relations.

Publicity concerns a company, organization or individual’s presence in the media. Forms of publicity include news stories, articles and event information. Publicity creates public awareness and attention around a brand, and publicists gain publicity for their clients by promoting.

Unlike public relations, publicity is used solely to attract attention. It differs from PR in the sense that public relations focuses on more than just public attention. The intent in public relations is to accomplish an organization’s stated goals by sending strategic messages to the appropriate audiences in hopes of impacting their knowledge, behaviors or attitudes. In short, PR manages the overall reputation of the client while simultaneously building relationships among all of those who are affected by it. As a management function, PR focuses on building relationships and managing an image.

Although pitching a story, event or the latest development to the media is important in public relations, it isn’t the only aspect of the job. In public relations, publicity is viewed as a way to gain the client media coverage in a cost-efficient and immediate manner. Saying that publicity is the same as public relations ignores the true goals and objectives of each discipline and fails to acknowledge the remaining responsibilities of a PR practitioner.

PR pros’ responsibilities and tools include (and are not limited to):

·        Media kits

·        News releases

·        Media monitoring

·        Crisis management

·        Event coordination

·        Social media engagement

·        Reputation management

·        Public service announcements

·        Pitch letters

·        Media advisories.

We hope now you must have came across the real and factual difference between the Publicist and PR. Please let us know about the feedbacks about our blog in the comment section. Stay tuned to IAAN Blog for more such interesting stories!

Who is a Proofreader? & what is Proofreading?

The profession of proofreader is among those professions that doesn’t require any specific education. That means that almost everyone with a degree in humanities or in anything can try themselves in this field and become a proofreader. Nowadays, there is a huge demand for proofreaders on the market as almost each sphere deals with documents, content and publishing. Any respectable enterprise knows that law quality of content is unacceptable. It may not only impact the reputation badly but can lead to the financial losses. Therefore publishing stage is preceded by the editing and proofreading stages.

Main requirements:

·         To be fluent in the language you proofread

·         To have good spelling skills

·         To have a good knowledge of grammar and punctuation rules

Some companies may also require to pass their proofreading trainings or courses. The trainings or mentorship programs may be provided by the company or you may be asked to pass them outside the company. Also you may find a lot of trainings available online.

Often along with the interview you may be asked to pass a proofreading test. Proofreading test usually presupposes a text excerpt full of different kind of mistakes. A test is usually time limited.

How to prepare?

You can easily train your proofreading skills by doing grammar, spelling exercises, revising rules of punctuation etc. It is also advisable to read different kind of literature: from newspapers to doctoral thesis.

Depending on the variety of subjects involved, proofreading may be general or specific. General proofreading takes place when you work with different subjects and literature types such as do my physics homework.

When we talk about specific proofreading we mean that we work only with one subject. It can be legal proofreading or medical proofreading or anything. While in case of general proofreading no specific degree is required, specific proofreading may require degree or at least deep understanding of the subject you work with. For example Legal proof reading

Responsibilities

Proofreader is supposed to:

·         Read the original text

·         Mark spelling mistakes

·         Mark grammar mistakes

·         Mark usage mistakes

·         Mark punctuation mistakes

·         Mark factual mistakes

·         Make the text coherent and cohesive.

Sometimes proofreader has to be a team worker cooperating with author, editor or second proofreader.

Proofreader is not supposed to:

·         Improve the content

·         Rewrite sentences

·         Edit the style

·         Insert something new

·         Delete something.

Personal qualities that the proofreader has to have:

·         Attentiveness to details

·         Good concentration skills

·         Patience and persistence

If you possess all the mentioned qualities – this job is right up street! Move ahead and grab up, IAAN always tends up to brush the hidden talents of its students in the college and make them professional in their naturally owned rough skills into finer one.

Do you know what is a Vlog???

Vlogging?

With all the techie terms that keep flooding the internet, it’s hard to keep up with the new ones.  We’ve gotten use to the term blogging, but what is vlogging?  A vlog is simply a video blog, or a blog that contains video content.  There are bloggers who have included video content for years, but vlogging is now becoming more common with the equipment, software and hosting becoming much cheaper and search engines (such as Google) featuring video sections.

So how can you start vlogging?

If you have access to a camera with video capabilities and a fairly recent computer with a high speed connection, then you have the equipment you need to get started!  Now decide on an interesting topic that you can vlog about!  Here are some steps to follow:

Ø Think of a topic for your vlog.  The topics are endless!  Just be sure that it isn’t boring, insulting or illegal.  There are a multitude of video bloggers that you can get inspiration from, but remember to be true to your own uniqueness!  Don’t be a copycat and do what “everyone else is doing”!

Ø Now, get a YouTube account if you don’t already have one.  Make sure to give your channel a unique and attractive name.  You want your channel to be interesting so be sure to think about the username you choose.

Ø Set out to make about ten EXCELLENT videos!  They should be interesting and pertinent to your potential viewers.

Ø Post one or two videos daily at first.  Then switch to posting a video daily and eventually you can drop down to posting a video every other day.  Try not to skip two days because you a setting a standard for your viewers.

Ø Post one of your videos to a related and well-known video as a response.  This will get you at least a fifth of the views of the original video!

Ø Stay active!  No one will be interested if you don’t post a video for weeks or months.  If possible, you should set a weekly calendar in which to upload videos.  Bloggers should establish a schedule of publishing a video three to four times a week.  If this is too much for you, try scheduling a video upload one time a week.

Ø Remember that you want to only upload good quality videos.  So make sure that you EDIT!  This could mean the difference between viewers scrolling past you and clicking on your video.  Search for tutorials on using the editing software that you currently have.  Windows has Windows Movie Maker already installed and all Apple products have iMovie available.  Android also has its own version.

Ø After you have established a good reputation with the YouTube community, try to become a YouTube partner.  You will need to have at least a few thousand views in order to do so.  YouTube pays you for allowing ads to be displayed on your videos.  This is how vloggers make money!  This allows your videos to appear often in search engines as well.

Ø Remember to communicate with your followers.  This is very important.  You do not want to shut them out or ignore them.  Make the time to respond to their comments, messages and video responses.  This leaves a lasting impression with your followers and they will appreciate it.

Tips for Vlogging

Make sure that you have a Twitter and Facebook account.  This is a fantastic way in which to interact with your followers and inform them when you add new content.  You can also add pictures that you want to share as well.

Vlogger Beware…

Don’t jump into vlogging too quickly.  You don’t want to come across as pathetic or a wannabe.  So hold off on creating a bunch of accounts and asking for likes right off the bat.  Wait until you have some subscribers you already appreciate you first.

So if you have that spark in you, then you can be the next star Vlogger of the world!!

Indian Media: Then.... Now... and Later

Sensationalism has become synonymous with the Indian Media, especially Television. In 2008 during the coverage of 26/11 terrorist attack in Mumbai, Barkha Dutt, India’s known journalist, received flak from several sections of the society for her overzealous reporting style. Critics blamed her for ignoring the ethics of journalism by making the coverage dramatic. Similarly, during the 2015 Nepal earthquake Indian Media was criticized for its insensitive coverage of the incident. #GoHomeIndianMedia was ‘trending’ then to express people’s outrage against the Indian media.

Shift from Voice of the People to Voice of the Governance

Media is one of the four pillars of a vibrant democracy and India can be proud to own freedom of Press. TV news channels evolved from a single Doordarshan, which telecasted a five minute news bulletin in 1965, to a total number of 397 news and current affairs channels in 2014, most of which have 24/7 news broadcast. However, the presence of these many players has obviously led to cut- throat competition. Higher TRP ensured sustainability which eventually increased the company’s profitability. This has shifted the focus to sensationalism rather than credibility of the news. Journalists take advantage of India’s love for sentiments and emotions to spread propaganda.

In the beginning, news channels were considered as a credible source of ground reporting that provided ‘information’ to people. The inferences and judgement of the news were left to the conscience of the viewers. However, that is not the case now. Today’s journalists and anchors usually go beyond the scope of just ‘reporting’ the news by giving their personal verdict of the matter, giving the viewers very little space to think on their own. Anchors of debates act more like judges rather than mere mediators. The inclination of media houses towards certain political parties and business houses have given rise to biased-journalism. They have been used as tools to influence and tweak people’s thoughts. Political parties and corporate houses use them to increase their vote-bank and market value respectively.

Social Media in Journalism

Internet especially the social media has re-defined Journalism. More and more people depend on social media for breaking news. They serve as a platform to read about different perspectives. Also, the prevalence of blogging, Facebook and Twitter has given rise to citizen journalism wherein even a common man has an option to report, criticize and comment on topics. This has made the traditional media more accountable about what they broadcast. Any hypocrisy, prejudice or bias shown in their reporting immediately gets mocked and shamed on the Social Media. Example: the Indian cricket fans used the #ShameOnTimesNow hashtag to slam Times Now channel for sensationalizing Team India’s defeat at the previous World-Cup.

Journalism is what maintains democracy. It’s the force for progressive social change.

-ANDREW VACHSS

Evolution is inevitable in any industry, with media being no exception. However, the purpose of evolution should not bypass a collective cause. India has many serious issues that require attention, like poverty, corruption, illiteracy etc. Jessica Lal Murder case is an example of how the media can play an influential role towards social causes. Power of media together with the support of citizens can be a threat to anyone who brings hindrance to the country’s growth.

Copywriter vs. Copy Editor

Copywriters craft content for everything from News, Articles, billboards and bumper stickers to speeches and catalogs, while copy editors make sure these contents are as good as they can get. Copy editors need to be great copy writers themselves. They must know what makes for compelling reading by being able to see what works and what does not.

 

What Copywriters Do

Copywriters create written content for news agencies, publications, business clients, advertisers and marketers. Copywriters identify and define the content their clients want to get across and turn them into compelling pieces of writing designed to educate, inform, entertain and motivate. Copywriters must have solid research skills and the ability to communicate and converse with many types of people. They also must have the ability to translate complex or technical concepts into language their target audience demands.

What Copy Editors Do

Copy editors check written pieces for errors and suggest ways to improve the work. Copy editors find and fix grammatical and spelling mistakes, make sure language is consistent, and ensure that the content is appropriate for the readership. They also look for what is missing in a piece of writing, so a copy editor must be more than a grammarian. He/She must be analytical and able to suggest questions for the writer to ask in the rewrite.

Copywriters at Work

Some copywriters work for News or Media houses, publications or agencies, and many copywriters today work freelance from home also, thanks to the Internet. A bachelor's degree, typically in English/Hindi journalism or communications, is required for most staff positions in copywriting, and in such a competitive field, even most freelancers have a degree with a writing or technical background.

Copy Editors at Work

Some copy editors work at Media Houses, publications or in offices for marketing and advertising agencies, but like copywriters, many copy editors also work on their own. Editors must keep projects to strict production deadlines and often work on several projects at once, so the work can be exhausting and repetitive. Generally, editors have bachelor's degrees and a deep knowledge of style manuals

So if your dream is one of these you are on a right track in terms of print media.

Be True

Transparency teaches you acceptance of yourself. Not everyone is courageous to be open and clear with themselves, but perhaps you are?

You may never know unless you give it a try. The people who learn to be true to themselves set high principles in life. Being ambitious is a much valued quality, yet it comes to self correction. Some achievements in life are left wanting only because self correction was not done when much required. It was neglected and an excuse was always ready, owing to a belief that it's okay to do what everyone else does. 

Clarity in life is necessary, but clarity in the heart is healthy for one's own self. Mistakes always make us feel guilty and in order to move on to new opportunities to one has to be honest enough. The person who has a clear and pure heart, will definitely have a better quality performance through their lives, in events big and small, because they know how to present a positive attitude.

Be true to yourself. If today you accept your flaws or your mistakes, and everyone has flaws and mistakes, you will take a step towards improving your persona and will become a much better human being. It will be a step in self development. 

When one makes a mistake and it come out in from of everyone, a feeling of shame overtakes us. Still, it is on us to make of the situation what we will. Whether you latch onto the humiliation and make it the centre of your universe, or you learn acceptance off yourself and of the mistake, and move forward as a responsible person. 

After acceptance of a fault, of which I myself have many, you realise that you are much stronger than earlier. Acceptance gives us the courage to be self independent in order to face people who wrong you. With acceptance, self independence grows with time as you work on yourself. Just as you sow a seed, and nurture a plant until it starts bearing fruits.  

Remember that we all are growing as humans, and acceptance gives us the power we require to grow. And that power comes from within, from the fact that you are at peace with yourself and are true to who you are. 

The power to accept oneself, is perhaps the greatest power we have. It is, the greatest power I know.

How much do you really know about India Today Group? Ahhh…Sorry its Living Media Group!

Living Media (India Today Group) is an Indian media conglomerate based in New Delhi, India. It has interests in magazines, newspapers, books, radio, television, printing and the Internet.

LMI was founded in 1975 and its first publication was India Today International which was a fortnightly news magazine. Aroon Purie is the Chairman and Editor-in-Chief and Ashish Bagga is the CEO.

Lets now talk about the different verticles of this group in details-

India Today is an Indian English-language fortnightly news magazine and news television channel.India Today was established in 1975 by Vidya Vilas Purie (owner of Thompson Press), with his daughter Madhu Trehan as its editor and his son Shivani Gupta as its publisher. At present, India Today is also published in Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu. The India Today news channel was launched on 22 May 2015.

Business Today is an Indian fortnightly business magazine published by Living Media India Limited, in publication since 1992. In August 2008 Rohit Saran became the editor of the magazine, replacing Sanjoy Narayan in the post. It had a second quarter 2010 readership of 338,000 per issue, ninth among English-language magazines surveyed in India.

TV Today Network is an English-Hindi news television network based in India. It is listed on the BSE and the NSE and consists of the several news channels namely, Aaj Tak(Hindi), India Today Television (English), Tez TV (Hindi), Business Today (English) and Delhi Aaj Tak (Hindi) news channel.

The network is largely owned by the Arun Purie controlled Living Media Inc which publishes India Today magazine.

AAJ TAK was launched in December 2000 as a 24-hour Hindi news channel, which covers India with insight, courage and plenty of local flavour. Within six months of its launch, AAJ TAK emerged as India’s number one news channel. And within eleven months, it was awarded the best news channel by the India Television Academy. Two years on, it bagged the Indian Television academy’s award for being “The Best News Channel” again, and added the RAPA award for “Best Advertising Campaign”. Beginning with an impressive connectivity of 5.2 million homes at the time of launch, AAJ TAK today boasts of a reach of over 30 million homes and a channel share of more than 55% among the news channels. Its unique style of passionate story telling and live coverage has become its hallmark.

Now lets talk about its few Other Subsidiaries, It has many other subsidiaries which includes the following-

•             Oye 104.8 FM

•             Lallantop.com (Digital platform)

•             iChowk

•             Thomson Press, printing business, which prints magazines for several contemporaries and      competition

•             Music Today, Music publishing business

•             BagItToday.com, Online Shopping Website

•             WonderWoman.in

•             Business Today

•             DailyO

LMI also has several joint ventures and licensing agreements with prominent brands for their Indian editions, including:

•             Cosmopolitan

•             Good Housekeeping

•             Golf Digest

•             Harvard Business Review

•             Mail Today, a joint venture with Daily Mail

•             Men's Health

•             Prevention

•             Reader's Digest

•             Scientific American

Now we hope, that you might have came across the enough knowledge about India’s one of the leading media group. Stay connected with IAAN’s this platform to get more such interesting content.