Linking Assignment #2
Task 6: An Emoji Story
Classmate: Evan Daigle
Link: https://blogs.ubc.ca/writingacrossthecenter/task-6-an-emoji-story/

After choosing a linking assignment with a different webspace structure and task approach, I selected Evan’s for this linking assignment because a) I felt like I could figure out which movie he was referring to and b) we made similar choices regarding our approach to this task. It was interesting to hear his justification for the choices that were made.

Website Design and Content Display
The layout of our web spaces is very similar, with the title appearing at the top of the page and the top navigation bar. Evan’s site contains more personalization than my own. He’s included an image of himself and provided a title that could extend past the use of this course, “Writing Across the Center.” These features, whether intended to or not, seem to cast a wider audience net than my webspace, with the sole function being to house content for this course and to appeal or make sense to those in my course section. Interesting how minute differences, such as adding a bio or a personal picture can change the feel of a web space, similar to decorating an office or adding a plant.

Task 6 Content
I am reasonably confident that Evan’s emoji story summarizes Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I didn’t get the title initially, but it became clear after I had figured out the movie based on the remainder of the icons.

Evan did an excellent job selecting icons and distilling the plot. This was a case where less was more. Many design decisions were based on traditional English print, which helped create meaning (left to right, top to bottom, columns). The repetition of symbols was also used effectively to show the characters’ journey. Reflecting on my own story and Evan’s, it is even more apparent how the textual structure was relied on in order to communicate the story. It is interesting that, in many ways, we are using images that extend beyond the boundaries of print text. Yet, in this instance, we relied heavily on those boundaries to communicate the stories.

I appreciated Evan’s acknowledgement that the plot of the emoji story was not in the same order as that of the original movie. When summarizing a story in printed text or icons, it is easiest to default to the chronological arrangement for the retelling. Also noted were the details that were missed. Does the yellow man in the blue shirt portray Jim Carey’s character in the movie? No. However, the gendered icon, along with its repeated use, gave enough information to the viewer to make the connection to the character. In this situation, the events identified the character and the icon served a purpose similar to that of a printed name instead of an accurate portrait.

I found Evan’s choices regarding how the emojis were used very similar to my choices, and I wonder if that made it easy for me to identify which movie he was referring to.