21
st
nd
rd
th
February 2017
At Node we are always coming up with new ways to communicate our ideas and designs to different demographics. Recently we have been thinking about how we can use video to bring our projects to life. A source of inspiration came from ORB, our brand consultants, who made a wonderful video for our launch. This got us thinking: if we can promote our business through video, then we could do the same with our projects.
On a recent site visit to Bicester, Katie and I were exploring the potential for new green infrastructure links across the town in a bid to create healthy transport options for its residents. We took our GoPros and recorded our experience of cycling along these routes. The footage has been incredibly useful, especially as a means of reflecting accurately on the various routes we covered that day.
In one of my modules at university this year, ‘Design and Real Estate’, we were tasked with making a video to promote Victoria, London as a place to invest, live and work. We then had to present our video in a Dragons’ Den style pitch to leading practitioners in London. I learnt a few things from the module and the ‘dragons’:
1. Don’t try and do too much: there’s nothing worse than an overcomplicated video. Stick to the main points you are trying to make and make them clear.
2. Keep it upbeat, visually stimulating and if possible, amusing. Our videos had to be 10 minutes long so it was important to keep the audience’s attention over this time.
3. Choose your music wisely: one comment we received from one of the judges was that he didn’t ever want to hear our music again. Sorry Crystal Fighters; they obviously felt ‘I love London’ wasn’t as appropriate as I felt it was.
Following our recent shortlisting for Practice of the Year at the Urban Design Awards, we have been asked to make a two minute video summarising work on the Knowledge Hub. Taking on board lessons I’ve learnt at university and from ORB, we’ve created an energetic video with a mixture of pictures, text and video which should keep everyone’s attention at the awards night next month.
We are also looking forward to continuing to use videography as a means of communicating our message to diverse audiences through our project work.
The public vote for the National Urban Design Awards 2017 closes on Friday 24th February at Midnight GMT. You can vote here.
