Thumbnail/Social Media Development

Part of the brief is to create a thumbnail for the podcast as well as an active social media page that can be used to communicate with the fans. 

Research:

There are a lot of podcast thumbnails when you search on Spotify, I need to make sure that mine stands out from the rest, as well as informing the audience of the genre and content. 

There are many different styles to the podcast thumbnail. Through my research I have discovered that if the podcast contains a celebrity that is well known, then the thumbnail will feature their face. This is a case of the demographic star appeal and would attract existing fans to the show. I don't think I will do this in my own thumbnail because I am not well known and I don't like drawing too much attention to myself anyway. 

I do like the style of thumbnail that features the text going across an image, although I think the rip/burn effect is a little overused. I think this is something I would like to explore in my own design. 

Development:

I like the idea of including some shots from popular movies. I want my podcast to be very nostalgic, so I will find images from older movies (possible 80s, 90s)

I used Google Draw to create my images so they are not the best. I think if I had access to better software like Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop they would have come out a lot better. I think my favourite is the pink with the slight gradient. It contrasts well with the black and white image and might just pop off the screen if surrounded by other thumbnails. 

Social Media

From my research I have learned that a podcast's social media account can contain:

- images of the hosts
- fun facts about topics the fans will enjoy
- teasers for upcoming podcasts
- ads to other podcasts
- merchandise sales

I think for my Film Theory podcast I will have shots from popular movies with trivia that the audience might find entertaining. This could work well with the upcoming release dates of my future shows. 

Here is my social media site. I have decided to choose instagram because it is a visual medium, and since my topic is movies I though this would be a great place to share. The content of my account will be: Movie Trivia, Film Theories, and promotion for my podcast (including hints about upcoming episodes). For my branding I have decided to go with a yellow/purple combination, and I have consistently used the typeface Carter One. I think it is clear to see the connection between my podcast thumbnail and social media posts. The tone of the account is very informal and conversational, which fits with the tone of my podcast.

Final Thumbnail