Show It Better, Forums of knowledge have now extended their boundaries beyond classrooms and libraries. The time, especially, during the lockdown has taken a complete reversal, giving birth to a revolution. A pioneer of this revolution has been YouTube. YouTube, an American platform, has created a web of network quite uniformly, for everything under the sun. The one practice that has taken a huge leap is undoubted, architecture.
Architecture, initially limited within a definite school of thought and studio, has evolved and become more open to a wider audience both academically and professionally, starting from short films, documentaries, regular vlogs by practicing architects, display of interesting concepts, and tutorial videos.
The architectural representation has been gaining popularity for quite some time both, amongst the professionals and students. There has been a constant effort to portray one’s work as par excellence.
One channel, which has been quite demonstrative in this sphere is Show It Better. It is a channel that helps people learn various tips and tricks to achieve their visualization. It posts videos once every week and currently has 178K subscribers.
This review is from a viewer’s and an architectural student’s perspective, who looks up to these videos for constant guidance almost every day, amidst the stiff competition. Following is a list of five videos that have been chosen as per the time of upload to analyze the underwhelming and the good aspects.
Video 1: EASY Exploded Axonometric Image and Animation
This video caters to the current need of presenting the details of design as a three-dimensional depiction through axonometric views.
The most crucial and noteworthy point is its introduction. It is just enough to hold the attention of simple and legible graphics and texts.
It focuses on the basic steps and places the mention of the sponsors which can interest the present audience, at a junction of two steps of the ongoing clip. Moreover, the links for related videos are uploaded within a clean slate which allows the viewers to watch the clip uninterrupted till the last minute.
One underwhelming aspect that may vary with the audience, is time devoted to the steps as it might be difficult for people with nascent knowledge of the software to follow them.
But, the most important aspect is that the video lives up to the expectation of the thumbnail which displays the final result attracting the viewers.
Video 2: Perspective and Plan combined!!!! More urban illustrations to explore
As interesting as the title may sound, the video is equally so. It is a tutorial video where the creator guides to achieving a graphical representation that is a collaboration of a perspective and top view.
The introduction has clips that are in sync with the voice over to keep the attention of the viewer and has been deliberated to maintain the pace of the video.
The interesting part of this video is the application of some simple and common steps, but differently, to achieve the result. The creator also provides full-length videos and PSD files that are available on their website https://www.patreon.com/showitbetter, which can be very helpful.
One aspect that might be bothersome for the audience is skipping some of the steps that may be mentioned in their other videos and not providing their links in the description box.
Other than this minor issue, the video promises an engaging and wholesome experience to take a leap towards perfection in the art of representation.
Video 3: My ArchitecturePresentation Board Workflow
This may prove to be a very helpful video for people who struggle with group works and time management.
For a change, this video is not about the tips for representation but addresses a persistent problem faced on a day to day basis as architecture is a collaborative profession and demands the skill to work as a team.
Apart from the precise introduction, an important point to be noted is the occasional stalling of videos where the audio needs more attention. It allows the creator to drive the audience to focus on one sense at a time. The video mentions some time-saving techniques which can be a game-changer in terms of workflow and coordination.
The background noise might occasionally be bothersome when it sounds louder than the voice-over.
But, overall, it is a must-watch video.
Video 4: Creating an Architectural color palette
If you have ever wondered about the relevance of color theories taught during architectural classes, this video will give you an answer.
This is an eye-opener for all the students who have been confused while fixing upon a particular color palette.
One of the most crucial aspects of the video is the creator’s constant acknowledgment of sources of any information through written text on screen or links in the description box. Through this video, one will surely get to know about The Future Academy which has inspired the creator to make the video. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5AnzLg1HxY)
It is a demonstration of a simple way to achieve desirable color schemes, which can help refine the basics of representation through simply explained steps.
This is by far one of the most helpful videos that I, as a student have watched, and would like everyone to watch it at least once.
Video 5: Draw like an architect / Essential tips to improve drawings
This video is a unique and interesting way of making people understand the basics of representation and motivate them to discover their style.
Though one can presume that the video is about the sketching skills through the thumbnail, the result is quite different.
It is a very informative video about how various artists and architects through their sketches and works have chalked out the true foundation of any means of representation.
It is visually, a simple video with perfect coordination between the voice over and the snippets of images managing to grip the attention until the very end of the video.
It lays out certain tips that are simple but might not have occurred to the person otherwise and may help some of us find their true aesthetic sense rather than just following a trend or be “one of a bunch”.
Show It Better was one of the first pages that I followed on Instagram (Instagram handle- letsshowitbetter) to understand how my work can be presented and it has truly allowed me to show it in a better way.
One of the most important things to be noted about this channel is its effort to interact with the audience, whether through the comments in their videos or another medium.
They cover tips and steps to achieve a particular type of view along with an overall perspective about this art, which is way beyond just the current trend.
Apart from the minor problems mentioned above, this channel has maintained clarity, flow, appeal, presentation, and care for the cognitive load.
(Source:https://www.techsmith.com/blog/tutorial-video-essentials/)
I would recommend every keen member of architecture to follow and subscribe to this channel.
