CARP or CRAP? Either Way, It’s Important To Graphic Design

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After three semesters into the Information and Learning Technologies graduate program at UC-Denver, I’ve come to realize that a field such as this requires a person to think like a project manager, an instructional designer, and a graphic artist.  Of these different occupations, I always presumed I knew most on how to be a graphic designer due to my creative background in television production.  Alas, I didn’t know crap.  Or more specifically, I did not know CARP!

Regardless of the order of the words, I’ve come to realize the importance of the principles of contrast, alignment, repetition and proximity.  In my previous Creative Design for Instructional Materials class (INTE6710), we discussed many key design principles, including CARP.  Now, in my Webinars and Synchronous Learning class (INTE5670), I’m starting to get a better picture (pun intended!) on the importance of CARP in a live online presentation.  It’s important for an audience to get a clear idea on learning objectives and relevant examples to use skills in the real world.  If the learner becomes distracted by elements such as too many colors, inconsistent text alignment or sporadic content placement, that educational opportunity will be lost.  This is something I may have overlooked when I developed an eLearning module in Adobe Captivate last semester.  Hopefully, I can learn from my mistakes and build a better webinar that engages my learning audience.

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