writer/designer: A GUIDE TO MAKING MULTIMODAL PROJECTS
Thanks to a few Twitter friends, I was introduced to the fantastic resource writer/designer: A Guide to Making Multimodal Projects by Cheryl E. Ball, Jennifer Sheppard, and Kristin L. Arola.
The authors define multimodal as “a mashup of multiple and mode” (3). A mode is how we communicate our ideas and a text is multimodal when it combines different ways of communicating. They take the approach that “a text does not have to include bright colors or interesting videos to be multimodal (although it can). Even a research paper, which is mostly words, is a multimodal text” (4).
writer/designer focuses on five modes of communication:
- Linguistic- the use of language including written and spoken words
- Visual- images and other characteristics that readers see
- Aural- sound such as sound effects, volume, and tone of voice
- Spatial- the physical arrangement of text elements
- Gestural- the way movement contributes to meaning (this can also be interpreted in static images)
Each mode in a multimodal text plays a part in the overall impact and message, but the full communication of a multimodal text relies on the way the modes work together. As a result, the term text is used in this context to “refer to a piece of communication as a whole. A text can be anything from a lolcat to a concert tee shirt to a dictionary to a performance” (3).
Every writer who sets out to create a text chooses modes of communicating. Designing, like writing, is a process with essentially the same fundamental goals:
- To think critically about the kinds of communication that are needed in any given situation
- To choose sources and assets that will help create an effective text
- To work within and fulfill your audience’s needs and goals
- To improve communication through the finished text
- To create change or encourage positive action through a text (6).
One of my favorite aspects of writer/designer is the concept that the process of writing and designing are recursive, not linear. Throughout this process of designing and redesigning (writing and revising), the author uses models and their existing knowledge of text. The use of models and the invitation to reflect through Touchpoint Activities and Case Studies makes this resource incredibly user-friendly for both a reader who is new to multimodal texts and one who is looking to enhance their current practice.