#udeng413content

Courtney Prate, Angela Salerno, Russell Washabaugh, and Josh Kreisher

Our group decided that we were interested in doing the infographic option based on the topic that we chose.  We felt that the Saint Patrick’s Day topic fit exceptionally well in an infographic format, and had the ability to go viral for multiple reasons.  Saint Patrick’s Day is one of the biggest holidays that are celebrated at the University of Delaware, with hundreds of students parading the streets dressed in all green attire and ready for an entire day, and possibly night, of celebrating with friends.

This infographic idea not only appeals to the student body of the University of Delaware, but other college students elsewhere that have big Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations.  This topic is extremely timely and relevant; as Saint Patrick’s Day falls on the day the assignment is due.  Anyone who wishes to participate in Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations can.  There are no restrictions due to religious beliefs or affiliations.  All of the three types of people we included in the infographic can be reflective of students on the college campus.  We were sure to include many different types of people in order to ensure that we were not singling out anyone or picking only one demographic to depict.

The infographic is set up in an organized manner, which includes flowing easily from top to bottom.  The transitions are systematic between the three groups, and no group has more steps than the others.  The layout is simple and direct, not taking too much time out of the average college student’s day to view and understand.  This option of an infographic can also be showcased on many types of social media, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, and Pinterest.  Since it is able to be shared on all of these different platforms, it has the possibility of going viral.  Many students at the University of Delaware use multiple forms of media each and every day, and could pick and choose where they would like to share it, creating a wide range of probable channels. The infographic is not only a great depiction of the Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations, but is also fun to look at for anyone.  It is extremely relatable to college students, alumni, and even staff.  By avoiding offensive content all audiences can enjoy and appreciate the infographic.  As stated before, the infographic and its topic are extremely relevant and timely, especially due to Saint Patrick’s Day falling on the week of the assignment.  Also, Saint Patrick’s Day is not a single event, but a week-long celebration, and happens annually. 

This gives the infographic the possibility to go viral not only this year, but in years to come, as the students continue with this type of behavior. In order to do this assignment effectively, we had to work together to create an infographic that would relate to a variety of people.  We considered many options for the media we would use, such as a funny GIF depicting the day or a “Buzzfeed” post, but though that the infographic would have more context and be shareable on other platforms of social media.  We brainstormed several different ideas, including the topic of choice, and the platform that we would choose, but eventually worked together to decide the definite outcome.  After this, we had to brainstorm the different steps within the infographic, and spent time asking people their thoughts and opinions about the day’s events.  We all contacted friends, asking their opinions on what would be likely to go viral.  We also tried to put ourselves in the shoes of others to make sure we were reaching as many people as possible.  Not only did we discuss within our group, but we also asked the input of our peers on how they planned on spending their Saint Patrick’s Day.  After getting input from others, and brainstorming on our own, we came up with the same amount of steps for each type of person, and then made sure they all ended their day in similar ways.

 We knew that if people could relate to the infographic and to each other through sending the infographic, that it would have the potential to go viral.  We also predicted that the infographic would be successful if it was filled with humorous phrases that college students were likely to understand, such as “kegs and eggs”.

Some challenges that we had during the process included agreeing on aspects of the infographic and deciding on the steps.  We had to brainstorm more at times because of disagreement or lack of consensus.  Finding “Piktochart.com” was also a difficult process because there were many possible websites to pick from, and some of them were better yet costly or very time consuming.  Some were also less professional or aesthetically pleasing.  Deciding on what was appropriate was difficult as well, but asking friends and the teacher eliminated the possibility of the infographic becoming racy or offensive.  We also had to agree on the layout and colors, as well as fonts and design.  In order to make sure that everyone was on the same page we met with the group twice and viewed the infographic together, going over changes and creative ideas.  As a group we ran into some problems with deciding how long the infographic would be, because we wanted it to be interesting and funny yet keep the attention of viewers.

We think that this is a fantastic infographic for many of the reasons stated above, and that it is funny and readable.  We know as college students that things on social media that are extremely relatable are often the types of media that are most shared.  Not a day goes by that our newsfeeds lack funny memes, pictures, and Buzzfeed articles that specifically target the type of behaviors that we possess and exhibit.  This infographic has the potential to be shared by everyone who engaged in festivities on Saint Patrick’s Day, and as students we know that this is a good percentage of the student body.  Students who celebrate will be able to share this infographic on the day of Saint Patrick’s Day, the weekend before, and the days following the events.  This infographic is unique in that it is exclusive to University of Delaware students yet can be applicable to students of other college campuses.  Alumni will enjoy this infographic just as much as current students because they will have the ability to reminisce due to the lack of change from previous celebrations before our time.  Even for the working public, this infographic is quick and easy to view.