By definition and in practice, multimedia projects involve a lot of disparate pieces: imagery, audio, video, text, and different interactive effects (short games and short simulations). A range of technologies are used to capture the raw files, and then others are used to edit and process the images, sounds, text, and video.
A stylebook, style guide, statement of work, or project statement
A common tool used to support project quality is the stylebook. (This may also be called a “style guide,” a “statement of work,” a “project statement,” or other terms depending on the specific workplace.)
Stylebooks are the reference tools used throughout the lifespan of a development team’s work on a particular project. For the team members, stylebooks establish shared understandings and standards of quality for every phase of the development work: research, project planning, design, raw files capture, digital content development, content editing and rendering, and finalized output.
Setting work expectations and standards
Prior to the development work, collaboratively created stylebooks help set expectations for the work. The stylebook information will come from the documents and organizations authorizing the work (the awarded grant applications, the learning standards of a credentialing agency, and the requests of the client) combined with the expertise of the cross-functional team (photographers, videographers, instructional designers, writers, researchers, etc.)
During the project, the stylebook is referred to in order to guide the on-ground work. As the work evolves, changes will be made to the stylebook based on collective (usually) decision-making and/or technological constraints.
A stylebook is usually kept on a shared intranet, virtual work site, or centralized work location for easy access by all the team members.
After a project, the stylebook is the file that is passed on to inheriting teams. The stylebook offers a sense of institutional awareness of the thought and work that went into the initial build. This also offers insights so that revisions to the digital contents / online course / website align with the standards of the original build.
Most project stylebooks include the following elements:
Project coordination information
- Roles and task definitions
- Individual contact information
- Workflows (and decision-junctures and decision processes)
- Deadlines
Design guidelines
- Color templates
- Defined standards for multimedia outputs (videos, modules, simulation, slideshow, photo album, audio lecture, electronic books, and others)
- Multimedia file types
Legality standards
- Intellectual property guidelines (and methods)
- Accessibility guidelines (and methods)
Documentation of work
- Processes for tracking the provenance of digital information and contents
Unique project stylebooks
While there are shared features in stylebooks, each project will have its own unique stylebook because each project has unique requirements for project outcomes. Unique aspects of a project stylebook may include the definition of tangibles (CDs, DVDs, manuals, or other peripheral contents). An online course build may involve the importance of having the curriculum fit particular quality standards, such as the Quality Matters Rubric (www.qualitymatters.org/Rubric.htm) and qminstitute.org/home/Public%20Library/About%20QM/RubricStandards2008-2010.pdf). A website project may involve complex functionalities and content creation.
Sample work and templating
Some additional elements that enhance the use of a stylebook may be the uses of sample multimedia artifacts that help a team understand what quality contents look like and how it behaves online. Also, many use templates in order to capture consistency for a project.
More information
Some more information may be found at the Developing a Course Design Stylebook on the ELATEwiki.org site, as shown below.
