Blog Assignment #3

My major is environmental biology. In order for my brochure to be effective, I need to think about my audience. My audience is undecided majors. This encompasses a large diverse culture. So in knowing this, I want my brochure to be enticing to diverse individuals. Most people may not realize all the different kinds of job opportunities for biology majors. Biology covers a very wide range of studies. My brochure needs to highlight the fact that biology is not a narrow job field. I want to create a fun brochure, not dull and boring. Even though biology is a science, I do not think that writing scientifically in a brochure to persuade undecided majors would be very effective. This is because the audience plays such a huge role in how we write. If I were to use scientific language in my brochure, I automatically alienate those readers who do not understand what I am writing. Thus the possibility of persuading those readers decrease.

             One example of a university biology department that seems to want to recruit students is the biology department at Missouri State University. Here is a link to their website: http://biology.missouristate.edu/. The one thing I like that they do here is use a light color. I like this because it creates a light atmosphere. It also uses pictures and images that stand out. This attracts readers more effectively. Another thing I like about this website is the fact that they have a question, “Why study biology at Missouri State?” This is followed by links that individuals can click on to learn more about the program. It appears that Missouri State is concerned about persuading students to their biology program. Now an example of a university that does not seem to effectively try to persuade students is Texas State University. Here is a link to their website: http://www.bio.txstate.edu/. I feel this website is just plain boring to look at. The text is not very enticing at all. The colors seem to not really flow well with one another. Nothing stands out. I do not want my brochure to have this affect.

            In writing my brochure, I want to attract first and foremost. This is going to be done by a couple of things. I want to use font that is a bold, large, and fun for a cover statement. This will grab attention. I also want to use pictures and images. I want my text to be simple and to the point. Since I only have about 10 seconds to grab a reader’s attention, I do not need to incorporate lengthy paragraphs or sentences. I want my audience to be engaged with me. I just want to briefly highlight what all biology students can do as a job in their major and what kinds of skills these jobs require one to have. Time is definitely a limiting factor. I can’t go into much detail of biology simply because of time. This affects what approach I take in writing this brochure. Because of the shortness of time and space, I have to decide the most important things I want readers to know about my major. By looking at the two different web pages I have learned that appearance is so important. I want my content to flow together. I do not want a dull brochure. I want one that is vibrant, fun, and exciting because these are the types of brochures that will persuade individuals more effectively.