For my creative thesis project I authored an interactive tour of the Ball State Department of Art. Many underlying factors go into this project. My desire to learn multimedia design, the departments desire to develop a new information tool and having the necessary hardware and software to do such a project were all key to its sucess.In the summer of 1994 I came to Ball State to learn multimedia authoring while getting a master's degree in art. Unknown to me at that time, the department had set a goal of increasing visibility both within and beyond the Ball State community. Faculty members Professor Phil Repp and Professor Christine Paul were collaborating on a promotional identity campaign. From these collaborations grew the idea of a departmental publication to promote the mission and programs of the Department of Art. With the rapid advancement of technology, it seemed appropriate to use computers as part of this promotional campaign.As Professors Paul and Repp researched the possible ways in which computers could be incorporated into this project, many questions remained. Exactly what form should a project like this take and who could do it? Careful discussion and planning also followed over what physical form the project should take (i.e. video tape, a computer disk, or printed material). Eventually the decision was made that an interactive tour of the Department of Art on CD-ROM was the most appropriate solution. For the amount of information that needed to be included and to engage the end user in a dynamic, interactive way, this medium was also the most logical.My decision to return to school coincides perfectly with the departments needs. Professor Paul’s and Professor Repp’s collaboration led to the conclusion that a third person would be needed. Someone who was already literate in advanced computer graphics and had the desire for such an undertaking. Therefore, my goals of advancing my understanding of Macintosh based digital imagery learning multimedia are significant on two levels; my career as a teacher and a professional artist would realize significant gains and this project is an outstanding addition to my portfolio.For the past several years, the primary area of artistic study for me has been in the area of computer graphics and I came to Ball State last summer with some very specific goals. One of them being to learn Macromedia Director (the authoring package I used to create the project). Director is nationally recognized by professionals in this field as the top program for this type of work. Therefore, this was both an opportunity to reach personal goals and to create a thesis project that could be used as an important part of the Department of Arts identity campaign. My thesis project is the result of my own goals and the Department of Arts goals to utilize cutting edge technology for designing innovative computer programs.I’m sure at the onset of this project that I did not understand the full magnitude of an undertaking such as this. However, it is very rewarding to look back and see both how far I’ve come personally and how the piece has progressed into a dynamic information tool. / Department of Art
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:handle/185226 |
| Date | January 1995 |
| Creators | Pridemore, David H. |
| Contributors | Ball State University. Dept. of Art., Spoerner, Thomas M. |
| Source Sets | Ball State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | iii, 25 leaves ; 28 cm. |
| Source | Virtual Press |
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