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TO: Douglas Walls

FROM: Bree Slauscius, Tiona Lantley, Sarah Worrell, Amy Mente, Chris Beavers

DATE: November 17th

, 2014

SUBJECT: Proposed Revisions and Texts for Department Use

Overview The task of this project consisted of analyzing three different artifacts produced by the Department of Writing

and Rhetoric (DWR); the major flyer, the course descriptions and the department t-shirt. A collective analysis

was made in order to make changes to the artifacts that will increase their utility. To determine and make the

necessary changes our group researched principles of design, conducted faculty interviews within the

department, and distributed student surveys. These things provided focus for the group to begin revisions for

meaningful content. Through praxis, our group was able to help identify and construct the ethos of the

department. This memo outlines the process of revision, the framework of our three rhetorical goals, the

proposed solutions based on research, and a style guide for the suggested artifacts.

Introduction While engaging with the existing texts, we found the primary issues of composition to be related to typographic

consistency, usability of information, and visual design. The nature of these problems varied, but generally

speaking there was no consistent font choice between the three texts, an absence of a unit identifier, a lack of

pertinent information, and a non-specific audience. While these documents were functional, they were not

optimal. Thus, our efforts were focused on re-imagining them for a specific set of purposes:

1. To promote the major to students

2. To provide relevant information about the major to students

3. To articulate the department’s identity

Research To begin the process of redesigning our artifacts we decided to research the values of the Department of Writing

and Rhetoric as a whole, the students that are part of it, and the connection between these groups. We reasoned

that if we could identify how faculty in the department viewed the department (or wanted it to be viewed) then

we could draft artifacts that aligned student engagement with department values.

We surveyed students on what factors they considered most when selecting a major, their most frequented

websites, future plans after graduation, number of times they changed majors, television and music habits, as

well as their personal definition of subculture movements and operational terms for ‘hipster’. We also held two

focus groups, one before the redesign process and one towards the final stages. These focused on what students

liked or disliked about the documents and what information was vital or extraneous.

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When interviewing professors and faculty members we concentrated on how they perceive themselves or would

like the department to be perceived. We asked them to describe their ideal day in the classroom, what ways

rhetorical skills supersede employment, and what are some of the most valuable traits of a rhetor in the 21st

century.

Student Survey Analysis The formal student survey was distributed to 25 UCF students enrolled inside and outside the major, which

consisted of nine questions: four multiple choice and five open ended. The survey was distributed to gain an

understanding on what exactly a student considers when choosing a major and how the artifacts can be

redesigned into a more helpful object that can assist them during that process. Students were allowed to select

multiple answers to the questions. The first four questions pertained to the values of education and

professionalism, and the perception between what a degree should do for the student and their future. The final

five questions of the survey helped us define how students acted as consumers and common cross-cultural

values. These latter questions proved particularly vital when revising the t-shirt and designing graphics.

In our student surveys, we also asked about the most frequented websites. We used the information of social

media platforms to find patterns throughout the mediums. The majority of what we found on peoples’ Tumblr,

Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram feed dealt with issues of social justice and a repetition of images related to

nature and space.

Results Our results to these questions found that 19% of students chose a major because it would lead to a high paying

job, 12% did well in the subject in high school, 19% chose a major for increased earning potential, 23% chose a

major because it provided a well-rounded education 23% chose it prepared them for graduate school, and 52%

of students chose a major because it was a field they were passionate about. All of the students used Instagram,

Facebook, or Twitter, as social media platforms, or in some combination.

Informal Student Polling Analysis The second survey was distributed to five students and discussed perceptions about the flyer, the course

descriptions, and what they would still like to see as part of these artifacts. These questions were open-ended

and gave our group more specific answers for the design changes. When asked about the flyer, the students like

the bullet points and the questions and answer layout because it was easy for them to navigate the page for what

information did and did not concern them. All five students agreed that the major flyer and course descriptions

were inconsistent with the layout, repetitive with information and difficult to read. The students also stated that

they wanted more information about what the major can do for them outside of the classroom, such as

internship opportunities and extracurricular activities. The students also questioned the barcode for smartphone

applications at the bottom of the page stating that most of them have never and would never use it.

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Faculty Interview Analysis All program coordinators, assistants, and professors, mentioned similar department values. Everyone replied

that students should have an understanding of the subtleties of language in across media. Understanding how

pairing an image with text can be more powerful than a picture or sentence alone. This idea of nuance was

often discussed in terms of social inequities. That is, how language practices have histories that are

simultaneously attached to philosophies while being producers of the philosophies themselves. In this sense,

the professors alluded to the major being capable of identifying how structures affect the flow of information,

knowledge, and ultimately power.

With this in mind, their hopes seemed to be that after completing the program, a student would be able to use

their skills to operate in the professional world and use the tools they have been given to address social

inequities persistent in linguistic practices. That is, they wanted students to be able to use their skills to create

and invitation for others to solve problems collaboratively and effectively.

Combined Results Through the surveys we concluded that the student’s interests, whether it be their major or their musical

preferences, need to be considered during the creation of the artifacts so they appeal to the students in a way

that makes the artifact more than just a flyer, but could help create a dialogue between potential students and the

department. We also learned that the content on the artifacts should inform the student about the flexible job

opportunities in the major, the ability to continue on to graduate school with the degree, and the fact that this

major covers an array of innovative subjects. The concerns of the students were explicitly linked to how the

degree was going to provide them personal and professional enrichment.

Typically, social media platforms allow people to participate in asking “bigger questions” and juxtaposing

serious social grievances with appropriated images for a rhetorical purpose. Social media enables students to

engage artistically, culturally, socially, and politically simultaneously through multiple modes of

communication. This reflects emerging concepts in the discipline of writing and rhetoric dealing with new

literacy practices that promote social justices, which was a recurring theme in our faculty interviews. We found

that on social media platforms, many potential students were already engaged in these practices. Our revisions

began focusing on how these “marketing” texts can be catalysts that can elicit people with acute social

awareness into an academic setting.

When designing graphics we consulted the most popular social media platforms and saw what images appeared

most often. We found that the most re-blogged images related to stars, nature, and space, as well as many

images that were re-appropriated for different purposes. With this in mind we began brainstorming ideas for the

t-shirt design and graphics that could be used on web based platforms. We wanted to challenge the stereotype of

the traditional “white bearded man” which represented rhetoric and demonstrate a diverse discipline that is

relevant cross-culturally. With this in mind we researched modern rhetoricians who focused upon indigenous,

racial, and queer rhetorics to combat the promotion of a myopic and patriarchal perception.

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Style Guide

As we were creating our artifacts we found that the artifacts could not exist in a rhetorical vacuum, rather the

choices for revision and creation should be able to complement one another and work in tandem without

redundancy. To pursue this, we imagined three specific audiences for each set revision and then crafted our

artifacts in relation to our goals based on our research. For the course flyer we envisioned it to be used at

orientation for freshman or transfer students, the course listing for existing students in the department

(certificate, minor, and major) and the t-shirt for marketing. The following section displays potential mockups

of our artifacts used in conjunction with the revisions of existing texts. Each is accompanied by a short

description of how it relates to our goals and why the changes are necessary. All completed artifacts and

revisions can be viewed in the appended pages along with the survey questions used to draft them.

Logo and Unit Identifier

All content from the DWR will contain a reference to UCF, such as the Pegasus, to ensure that students know the

DWR is part of, and supports the UCF community. “The Department of Writing and Rhetoric” will also be

written out in the same font across all the artifacts to create a unit identifier within the department. The three unit

identifiers below can be used on almost any artifact produced whether it is a major flyer for orientation students,

course listings, or a t-shirt and should be used in accordance with the typographic principles of the other

documents. They each make use of different Pegasus logos approved by brand services in conjunction with the

department title.

Color

Across all of the artifacts we continue the use of yellow and blue, which are the colors of the DWR program.

The use of two colors guides the eyes of the reader to help chunk information and creates consistency. For cost

efficiency, the course descriptions are on a white background using mostly black font for the content, with blue

and yellow color changes for titles. We chose more of a color contrast on the major flyer because we want this

artifact to excite and inform the student at events like orientation. We also included these colors in a potential

graphic for the t-shirt to be consistency across all of the artifacts and make a connection between the blue and

yellow DWR colors and the student.

#43C6DB #38ACEC #FFFF00

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Typography

Cambria is used across these artifacts because according to perception theory the eye has a tendency to detect

words easier due to the feet of the font. Throughout all of the artifacts we use, font ranges from 10-14, bolding

or enlarging and headings, titles or information that would be more important to the student. We also suggest

Impact and Script MJ Bold to help provide accents for unit identifiers and t-shirt designs, as well as any other

less formal documents.

Including a graphic that gives a modern take to traditional heuristics of rhetoric and attempts to articulate a

department identity in relation to social justice

Text Revisions

Below are some examples of revised texts that abide by our style guide and incorporate our rhetorical goals and

research. These suggestions are supplemented by a full inclusion of graphics included in the appendix that can

also be used as further design options.

T-shirt Design

This graphic is meant to expand upon

traditional concepts of rhetoric with

modern rhetoricians that reflect the

cross-disciplinary nature of the field,

as well as reflect values of social

justice.

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Major Flyer Revision

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Course Description Revisions

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Conclusion The process of this project required our group to review three artifacts; the major flyer, the course descriptions

and the t-shirt of the DWR to determine what areas, if any, needed improvement and what redesign

suggestions could be made to support them. Through our faculty interviews, student surveys and meta-

analysis of our research, we intend to create artifacts that are engaging and can help convey applicable

information to audiences. The students and faculty interviewed both want to maintain a modern and

professional identity for the program. By adhering to the suggested style guide and utilizing the principles

reflected in the suggested artifacts, we believe that the department can further continue to promote the major,

minor, and certificate, as well as relay information to students.

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Appendix- Graphics, Documents, and Alternatives

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