Pitch 

This is my pitch presentation for my iBook about The Arctic. . . 

Bookry

I looked in to using the website Bookry (www.bookry.com) which is an online source for creating widgets that can be inserted in interactive book. Bookry lets you creat loads of different free widgets such as, video players, image viewers, social networking links and some small games and puzzles.  

This shows some of the many different widgets that are available to create using Bookry I am planning that in my book I can add some of these widgets to make my iBook interactive. 

I am going to add videos to my book using ether the Vimeo or Youtube widget as these will allow me to imbed videos without the reader having to download each video when downloading the book. this is an advantage as it makes the book quicker to download and will take up less storage. By using a video widget this also has its disadvantages as the reader would have to use an internet connection which might not always be available or as reliable as actually adding the video to the book.

I am also planning on using a web link widget in my book as this will open links within the book rather than opening them in a separate browser app. This stops the reader from leaving the book and would make it easy for them to return to the text they are reading. 

I also think the google map widget and the social networking apps work well as they link to more outside information or resources compared to a word search or drag and match widget that would just add content to the book. 

Mood Board

This is the mood board I created with the kind of imagery and style I am planning to use in my iBook. I am planing to stick to mostly real photos which as my book will be a reference book this will help to put the information in context and will help make it realistic to the reader. I am also planning on using the occasional diagram that would help explain some things in clearer detail as they are often simple and have a basic block colour style with text like the image of the globe in the top right.

Learning iBooks Author 

This it the trial book I created when learning how to use the software iBooks Author. It is not about my subject the arctic but is using filler information I was given about photographers. I started by choosing the contemporary layout and then changed the content to add text, images, image galleries and other interactive content.

Here I have added a image gallery with thumbnails at the bottom of the main image allowing you to select which image you see from one of the images below. It also has room for a image tital and a caption telling the reader about the image, these can be set to be diffrent for each image in the gallery.

This shows where I have started to add an interactive image which I can add label to and move them around the image to focus the view of the reader on a specific part of the image. This could be useful for my book as I could add images and elaborate on something shown, helping the audience understand the image more. 

Contemporary Template 

This is the second template I looked at, the Contemporary template. The first image shows chapter page, which has one main background image that covers all of the complete page. It also includes a  box over the left side of the page, this has a change in opacity so that you can still see the background image underneath it. The page has a title just like the Basic template did wit a chapter name in the top left, it also has space for an opening paragraph that would tell the reader a brief bit about the chapter.

This image shows the main section page in this template. This section is again similar to the section page in the basic template in the fact that it has a space for a list or built points on the left of the page. In this template there is no coloured box behind the list/ built points and there is no background to the page but all the content is set on plain white. This page is balanced with 2 thirds of the page being filled with the content text on the right, the page also has a banner at the top that includes a section heading and room for a banner image going across the whole of the page. By using a banner across the top this helps indicate that it is the start of the section and allows an image to set the subject giving the reader an instant idea to what the section will be about even before reading the title.

This image is of the content page which is almost identical to the content page for the Basic template but with one main difference being the lack of a central dividing line between the first and second column. This layout works better as there is now line restarting content such as images or videos from being placed across the page. It also has the benefit of having columns that are 51characters wide being easy for the reader to take in rather than being longer or shorter which would make the text overwhelming or unreadable.

The Basic Template 

This is the basic template that you can find in the template page when opening iBooks Author. The image shows a basic layout of a chapter page. in the top left of the page it has the chapter title and under it has the a large title of the chapter. the title is used as the heading for that chapter and then it has space for an opening paragraph. on the right of the page is one large image that would be relevant to the chapter subject. This helps add visual content to the book making it visually appealing to the target audience whilst also helping divide the book in to several chapters. 

This second image shows a section page, it includes the same heading and section title in the top left of the page and the same line deciding the page down the middle as the chapter page. 

The main differences between this section page and the main chapter page is firstly the space under the heading where they have space for a list in a coloured box rather than the opening paragraph that they have on the chapter page. By placing the list or bulet points in a coloured box it makes them stand out from the rest of the content, the reader would find this helpful as they are short to read and excluded from the main text.

The second main change change they have made is to the whole of the right side of the page where they have space for text content rather than the large image found on the chapter page. This is where the main content of the chapter starts.

This third image shows another content page, this is quite simple and still has the central line dividing the paging in two. This is one of the most simple pages and as it just includes two columns of text where the content would sit. Although these pages are quite simple they are still very effective as they can be used for four paragraphs of text or could allow images, videos or other content to be included.

iBook Author Templates 

This is the template page in ibooks author it shows a selection of the main templates that can be changed and adapted to fit the book that is being made. Other templates can be made or aded to this page and used to create ibooks. 

I am going to start off by using a template as you get a clear layout of a book before editing the layout or adding and book content. I am going to keep the book to a simple layout which means I can adapt a layout to include all the interactive information and have its own style. This makes it easy for students to use the book without having to read from the front cover to the back, but allowing them to chose a chapter or section of the book that is relevant.

The 4 main sections I have chosen 

The 4 main sections I have chosen to research and include are :

Intro 

- What is the arctic and where it is 
- The arctic tree line 
- The arctic circle 
- The arctic tundra
- The north pole 

Life 

- Animals 
- Plants 
- People 

Weather 

- Weather 
- Climate 
- Ice 
- Aurora borealis

Nature as a resource 

- Fishing, oil and gas
- Human impact 
- How you can help 

I have chosen these 4 sections and their sub sections as they cover a strong overview of most things about the Arctic. they would give a good range of subjects to research but also not include to much detail in to one aspect.  This allows the audience to access information on an aspect of the arctic but not feel they have to read the full book.

My Idea 

My idea for the ibook i am creating is to create a simple ibook that dose not have to be read from front cover to back cover, but can be read bit by bit. the benefit of this would be that the reader can skip to the relevant section without having to read lots of irrelevant information. 

I have been given the topic of "The Arctic" which my book could include an overview of the different aspects of the arctic, for example: ice, animals and people. I am aiming to create a simple layout that will attract the audience of students because they will find it easy to change between what they read about and not be stuck in a section that they don't need to read.  I am also planning to include lots of images and interactive elements that provide interest to the subject and making it easy to learn about the Arctic without having to read long pages of text.

Wonders of Nature 

The brief of this assignment is to create an interactive ibook for use on an ipad. It is to be used as an educational resource for L3 learners in schools and colleges within the UK. Although all of these products will be part of a ‘Series’ there will be no overarching ‘theme’. You will all develop your own visual approach that will be consistent across your own products.

The aim is to bring one category of the Wonders of Nature series, to life using mixed media. Your allocated category should be interpreted in a wide range of ways; It could be a general overview of the given subject or a detailed focus on one particular example.