Adapting Media: YouTube Channel
Introduction
This project is the last in a series of four adaptive experiences. I chose a particular topic, which was local music and a band called The Niños. I created content about this topic, and began adapting it and optimizing it for various platforms. The breakdown of the project phases is shown below.
Phase 1: Podcast
Phase 2: Social Media (Instagram)
Phase 3: Mobile App
Phase 4: Another Platform of Choice (YouTube)
For this last phase, and with the chosen topic, I thought YouTube would be most beneficial. I really wanted to be able to showcase the band’s musical ability in more than 10-second snippets. I know Instagram does have the IGTV feature now, but Instagram’s main focus is not on videos. YouTube would be a great place for those longer videos to live, and could be one of the go-to places for prospective clients to check them out if they wan to book them for an event.
Process
I already had several videos that I’d taken of The Niños and its members at various gigs. I wanted to be sure to include videos of each of the three main vocalists singing to give viewers the best idea of what the band has to offer.
I used the same profile picture as I have on my other platforms to maintain the branding and consistency. On the ABOUT page, I included a blurb about what the band is about, what sort of videos the viewers can expect to see, and ended with a call to action.
I uploaded five videos, including three covers and two original songs. For the banner image, I chose an image from one of the events The Niños played at that displays a bass and drums and fits the band’s overall aesthetic.
Above shows the mobile view of the YouTube videos. For the video titles, I began them with who was performing, followed by the title of the song. I included (cover) on the songs that were covers. I kept the descriptions brief, but included links to the artists’ social media and Spotify.
Conclusion
This was a four-phase, semester-long project. The podcast gives listeners the opportunity to get to know The Niños and their personalities more, while learning about song processes and other local artists too. Instagram is great for the daily updates: video snippets from jam sessions, pictures from events, fun stories. The mobile app gives the users more of that opportunity to discover local artists and grow their love for music. Lastly, YouTube gives all those longer videos that naturally go along with music a place to live. All these platforms on their own are fine, but seeing the diverse yet cohesive experience they create together is really neat — promoting the party band while highlighting other incredible artists too. That sums up the local music scene in Utah County; it is full of support from fans and fellow musicians.
Adapting media across four different platforms was not something I’d done before and didn’t have a strong importance in my mind. I ended up loving it; content creation is favorite aspect of design, so determining how to best adapt it for my various platforms was such a fun challenge. It helped me realize that this is a vital skill in today’s world! There are countless platforms out there, and the average person uses many different platforms daily. A business cannot thrive and reach new audiences if its content is only on one platform. It must have a wider range. I think I did a good job on making the content different to fit each platform properly, but maintaining the same branding and goals. Constantly adding new skills and tools onto my utility belt of design is an empowering feeling.
You can view The Niños YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYwj-lBeKOpVV4agPhoui9w/
