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KS4J834 R093 TA3 28 min read 10 question quiz 19 exam marks

R093 TA3: Pre-production Documents

Which document goes with which product, what has to be on it, and why planning on paper is cheaper than planning in the software. The most heavily examined topic in R093.

Documents for generating ideas

These come first, while the idea is still forming.

DocumentWhat it isWhat it is for
Mood boardA collage of colours, images, fonts and textures, annotatedAgreeing a look and feel with the client before design starts
Mind mapA branching diagram from a central ideaExploring possibilities widely without committing
Spider diagramA simpler mind map with one level of branchesQuick listing of related ideas
Client brief interpretationYour written reading of what the brief actually requiresMaking assumptions visible so they can be corrected early

Why a mood board earns its place

"Modern" means something different to every person who says it. A client who pictures Scandinavian minimalism and a designer who pictures neon cyberpunk can both say "modern" and agree enthusiastically. The mood board exposes that disagreement in an afternoon, instead of after two weeks of finished artwork.

Annotate everything

An unannotated mood board is a scrapbook. Writing why each element is there is what makes it a planning document, and it is where the marks are.

A worked mind mapA mind map exploring ways to communicate 'hand made' in a sixty second film. The central idea, hand made, sits in the middle, with six themed branches each carrying specific ideas. People: the baker's hands, a named person, the 4am start, two generations. Process: dough being shaped, flour in the air, the oven door, nothing machine cut. Imperfection: no two loaves alike, a cracked crust, flour on an apron. Time: proving overnight, before the street wakes, the same recipe for forty years. Place: the shop front, the local street, regulars known by name. Sound: crust crackling, a shop bell, no music at the start. The purpose of a mind map is quantity: nothing on it has been judged yet, which is why it comes before the mood board and the concepts, and twenty weak ideas at this stage are worth more than two careful ones.Mind map: ways to say “hand made” in sixty secondsHANDMADEPeoplethe baker's handsa named personthe 4am starttwo generationsProcessdough being shapedflour in the airthe oven doornothing machine cutImperfectionno two loaves alikea cracked crustflour on an apronTimeproving overnightbefore the street wakessame recipe, 40 yearsPlacethe shop frontthe local streetregulars by nameSoundcrust cracklinga shop bellno music at the startA mind map is for quantity. Nothing here has been judged yet, and that is the point of doing it first.Central idea in the middle, branches for themes, twigs for specifics. Twenty weak ideas beat two careful ones at this stage.
Do this before you decide anything. The first idea is almost never the best one, and you cannot tell until there are twenty.
A worked, annotated mood boardAn annotated mood board for a bakery brief, headed 'established, hand made, not a chain', version 2. Six image tiles are laid out across the board, each with a note saying why it is there: a close shot of sourdough crust chosen as texture rather than as a product shot; a panel of dark green painted wood, which is the primary colour found rather than invented; a hand holding a paper bag, because hands appear in every shot to signal hand made; morning light on a counter, establishing that every shot is daylight; an unbleached paper swatch, which is the actual packaging stock; and pale leaves on white as the single accent, used sparingly. A palette strip gives four colours as hex values with their roles: 2F4A3A primary, D9CBB4 ground, 6B4A2F ink and 8C9C84 accent. Two typefaces are shown set rather than named: a high contrast serif for headings, chosen because every chain on the high street uses a geometric sans, and a humanist sans for body text set generously at a 16 pixel minimum. Underneath, what makes this a document rather than a scrapbook: images chosen for one stated quality each; colour given as values rather than as the word green; type shown set at a real size; texture and material included; one stated direction at the top that the whole board argues for; an annotation on every item saying why it is there and what it rules out; and a version and date, because the second board always differs from the first. An unannotated mood board scores almost nothing, because the annotation is the assessed part.Mood board: Northgate Bakery · v02 · “established, hand made, not a chain”Sourdough crust, closetexture, not a product shotDark green painted woodthe primary colour, foundHand holding a paper baghands in every shot: it is hand madeMorning light on a counterevery shot is daylightUnbleached paper swatchthe actual packaging stockPale leaves on whitethe one accent, used sparinglyPALETTE#2F4A3Aprimary#D9CBB4ground#6B4A2Fink#8C9C84accentTYPE, shown set rather than namedNorthgateheading: a high contrast serif, because every chain on the high street uses a geometric sansOpen from sixbody: a humanist sans, set generously, 16px minimumWHAT MAKES IT A DOCUMENT AND NOT A SCRAPBOOKImageschosen for one stated quality each, not because they are niceColouras values, never as the word “green”Typeshown set, at a real size, not named in a listTexture and materialpaper stock, paint, surfaceA stated directionone line at the top that the whole board argues forAnnotation on every itemwhy it is here, and what it rules outVersion and datebecause the second board always differs from the firstAn unannotated mood board scores almost nothing. The annotation is the entire assessed part.
Six images, four colour values, two typefaces set, and a reason beside every one of them.

Documents for designing and planning

This table is the single most useful thing in R093. Learn which document belongs to which product type.

DocumentUsed forMust show
Visualisation diagramStatic graphics: posters, covers, packaging, logosDimensions, layout, exact colours, named fonts, image positions, annotations
StoryboardMoving image: film, video, animation, advertsOne frame per shot, shot type, camera movement, duration, dialogue, sound, transitions
ScriptAnything with speechScene headings, action, character names, dialogue, and for AV a two column audio and visual layout
WireframeOne screen of an interactive productPlacement of every element, with no styling or colour
Navigation diagramThe structure of an interactive productEvery screen as a box, every link as an arrow
Asset list or tableEvery productEvery asset, its source, format, dimensions and licence
Work planEvery productTasks, durations, order, dependencies, milestones, contingency

Visualisation diagrams in detail

A visualisation diagram is not a sketch. Another designer should be able to produce the graphic from it without asking a question. That means:

  • Canvas size and orientation, in millimetres or pixels
  • Colours as values, #02848B or C100 M30 Y25 K10, never "teal"
  • Fonts by name and size, "Poppins SemiBold 42pt", never "a bold font"
  • Every element positioned, with annotations explaining the intention
  • Bleed and safe margins if it is going to print

Storyboards in detail

One frame per shot, in order, each annotated with:

  • Shot type — wide, mid, close up, extreme close up, over the shoulder
  • Camera angle — high, low, eye level, Dutch
  • Camera movement — pan, tilt, track, dolly, zoom, static
  • Duration in seconds
  • Dialogue or voiceover for that shot
  • Sound — music, effects, ambience
  • Transition into the next shot — cut, fade, dissolve, wipe
The error that costs the most marks

A storyboard for a poster, or a visualisation diagram for a video. Static product means visualisation diagram. Moving image means storyboard. Interactive means wireframe plus navigation diagram. Get this wrong and a whole question goes.

Visualisation diagram, storyboard, wireframe and navigation diagramFour pre-production documents compared. A visualisation diagram is a sketch of one static product such as a poster or magazine page, annotated with colours, fonts, sizes and image sources. A storyboard is a sequence of frames showing shots in time order, each annotated with the shot type, camera movement and duration, and is used for anything that moves. A wireframe shows the layout of a single screen with no styling at all, which is why its boxes are plain grey: the colour and typography are decided later. A navigation diagram shows every screen in the product and the routes between them, so a home screen might lead to a gallery, an about page and a contact page, with the gallery leading on to individual image pages.The four planning documents, and what each one looks likeMASTHEADimagecolour, font, sizeimage sourceONE static page, annotatedWSpan leftframe 1MScutframe 2CU2 secframe 3WSfade outframe 4A SEQUENCE of shots in time ordereach frame annotated with shot type, movement and durationnavhero imagetextfooterONE screen's layout, with NO stylinggrey boxes on purpose: colour and font come laterHomeGalleryAboutContactImage pageEVERY screen and how they connect
The three most swapped answers in the whole course. A visualisation diagram is one static page, a storyboard is a sequence over time, and a wireframe is one screen's layout with the styling deliberately left out.
What must be annotated on a visualisation diagramAn annotated visualisation diagram for an A4 portrait poster. The page itself shows a masthead band across the top, a hero image below it, five lines of body text and a rounded call to action button, with a dashed bleed area drawn outside the trim edge. Every element carries an annotation in the margin. On one side: the masthead is Poppins SemiBold at 42 point, the band is filled with the exact colour hash zero two eight four eight B, the image is the designer's own photograph released under CC zero, the body text is Inter Regular at 11 point on 15 point leading, and the button is filled with hash six F six two nine one with a 14 pixel corner radius. On the other side: the canvas is A4 portrait at 210 by 297 millimetres, the colour mode is CMYK at 300 pixels per inch, a 10 millimetre safe margin is marked, the layout sits on a two column grid with a 6 millimetre gutter, and the file will be exported as a press ready PDF. The test of the document is whether another designer could produce the poster from it without asking a question.A visualisation diagram: the annotations are the documentbleed 3mmMASTHEADhero image2480 x 1240 pxcall to actionMasthead: Poppins SemiBold 42ptFill #02848BImage: own photograph, CC0Body: Inter Regular 11pt / 15ptButton #6F6291, 14px radiusA4 portrait, 210 x 297 mmCMYK, 300 ppiSafe margin 10mmGrid: 2 columns, 6mm gutterExport: press-ready PDFIf another designer could not build it from your diagram, it is not finished
Exact colour values, named fonts with sizes, real dimensions. Writing 'blue' and 'a bold font' is where the marks go.
A worked storyboard page with every annotation fieldA worked storyboard page for a sixty second bakery promotion, version 3, page 1 of 2. Six frames, each with a full annotation block underneath. Frame 1: a wide shot of the shop front at dawn on an empty street, static camera, 6 seconds, ambience of distant traffic, voiceover 'every morning, before the street wakes up', cut. Frame 2: a mid shot of a baker shaping a round of dough, slow push in, 5 seconds, music in low, voiceover 'we start again from nothing', cut. Frame 3: a close up of hands dusting flour over the bench, static, 3 seconds, sound of flour, cloth and breath, no speech, cut. Frame 4: an extreme close up of the scored crust of one loaf filling the frame, static, 2 seconds, close crust crackling, no speech, cut. Frame 5: a mid shot of the baker handing a paper bag to a customer, slight handheld, 5 seconds, room tone and a shop bell, dialogue 'same as always' and 'always', dissolve. Frame 6: a wide shot of the shop front now with people outside, static, 4 seconds, music up then out, voiceover and caption 'Northgate, open from six', fade to black. Every frame carries the same six fields: shot, camera movement, duration, audio, speech and transition. The durations shown total 25 seconds, which is why this is page 1 of 2.Storyboard: Northgate Bakery, 60 second promo · v03 · page 1 of 2WSShop front, dawn, empty street1ShotWSCameraStaticDuration6sAudioAmbience: distant trafficSpeechVO: “Every morning, before the street wa…TransitionCutMSBaker shaping a round of dough2ShotMSCameraSlow push inDuration5sAudioMusic in, lowSpeechVO: “…we start again from nothing.”TransitionCutCUHands dusting flour over the bench3ShotCUCameraStaticDuration3sAudioFlour, cloth, breathSpeech—TransitionCutECUScored crust of one loaf, filling frame4ShotECUCameraStaticDuration2sAudioCrust crackling, closeSpeech—TransitionCutMSBaker hands a paper bag to a customer5ShotMSCameraHandheld, slightDuration5sAudioRoom tone, shop bellSpeechDialogue: “Same as always?” “Always.”TransitionDissolveWSShop front, now with people outside6ShotWSCameraStaticDuration4sAudioMusic up, then outSpeechVO + caption: “Northgate. Open from six.”TransitionFade to blackSix fields under every single frame: shot, camera, duration, audio, speech, transition.The durations add to 25 seconds, so this is page 1 of 2 and the second page has to account for the other 35.
The drawings are the part students spend longest on and the part worth fewest marks. The six fields under each frame are the document.
A storyboard runs along timeA storyboard laid out along the axis it actually uses, which is time. Four frames stand in order. Frame one is a wide shot with a pan to the left, held for four seconds, to the sound of café chatter, and it establishes where the scene is. Frame two is a mid shot, static, three seconds, where the dialogue begins. Frame three is a close up, static, two seconds, holding the reaction. Frame four returns to a wide shot, held for three seconds as the music swells, and fades out to end the sequence. Each frame carries the same set of annotations: the shot type, the camera movement, the duration, the sound and the transition into the next frame. Underneath, the same four frames are laid along a clock, twelve seconds in all, with the sound track below them. This is what separates a storyboard from a visualisation diagram: a storyboard describes a sequence over time, while a visualisation diagram describes a single static surface.Wide shotpan leftMovepan leftTime4 sSoundcafé chatterNextcutMid shotMovestaticTime3 sSounddialogueNextcutClose-upMovestaticTime2 sSoundgaspNextcutWide shotMovestaticTime3 sSoundmusic swellsNextfade outtime1 · wide · 4 scafé chatter2 · mid · 3 sdialogue3 · close-up · 2 sgasp4 · wide · 3 smusic swells0 s4 s7 s9 s12 ssound track12345
  1. Frame 1, a wide shot: it establishes where we are.
  2. Frame 2, a mid shot: we move in, and the dialogue starts.
  3. Frame 3, a close up: the reaction, held for two seconds.
  4. Frame 4, a wide shot again, fading out to end the sequence.
  5. Each frame carries its shot type, its movement, its duration and its sound.
Moving image gets a storyboard. A poster gets a visualisation diagram. The axis is the difference.
A worked two column audio visual scriptA two column audio visual script for a bakery promotion, version 3, with a running time column on the left, a visual column headed 'what is seen' and an audio column headed 'what is heard'. At 00:00 the visual is a wide shot of the shop front at dawn with an empty street and light coming up behind the roofline, while the audio is a warm, unhurried voiceover saying 'every morning, before the street wakes up', with distant traffic and one bird as effects. At 00:06 the visual is a mid shot of the baker shaping dough with a slow push in to the hands, and the audio is the voiceover 'we start again from nothing' with music entering low under the voice. At 00:11 the visual cuts to a close up of hands dusting flour and then an extreme close up of a scored crust held for two seconds, with effects of flour, cloth and breath, then crust crackling close. At 00:16 the visual is a mid shot, slightly handheld, of the baker handing a bag across the counter with both faces in frame, and the audio is the customer saying 'same as always', the baker replying 'always', and a shop bell. At 00:21 the visual is a wide shot of the shop front with people outside and a lower third caption that fades, and the audio is the voiceover 'Northgate, open from six' with the music coming up and then out. The conventions shown are: the two columns aligned so a reader can read across, speakers in capitals, delivery notes in brackets, sound effects and music marked separately, and a running time down the left.Script: Northgate Bakery · v03 · two column audio visual formatTIMEVISUAL — what is seenAUDIO — what is heard00:00WS shop front, dawn. Street empty.Light coming up behind the roofline.VO (warm, unhurried): “Every morning,before the street wakes up…”SFX: distant traffic, one bird.00:06MS baker at the bench, shaping dough.Slow push in to the hands.VO: “…we start again from nothing.”MUSIC: in, low, under the voice.00:11CU hands dusting flour.ECU scored crust, held two seconds.SFX: flour, cloth, breath.SFX: crust crackling, close.00:16MS baker hands a bag across the counter.Slight handheld. Both faces in frame.CUSTOMER: “Same as always?”BAKER: “Always.”SFX: shop bell.00:21WS shop front, people outside now.Caption lower third, then fade.VO: “Northgate. Open from six.”MUSIC: up, then out.The two columns line up, so anyone can read across and see what is heard over what is seen.Speaker in capitals, delivery in brackets, SFX and MUSIC marked separately, and a running time down the left.
Two columns, aligned. A single column script for a film cannot show that the line lands over the close up.

Wireframes, navigation diagrams and asset tables

Wireframes

A wireframe shows where things go, deliberately without colour, fonts or images. Boxes with crosses stand in for images, grey bars for text. The point of leaving the styling out is that it keeps the conversation about structure. Wireframe every distinct screen, not just the home page.

Navigation diagrams

Every screen is a box; every link is an arrow. Then check the four things that matter:

  1. Can every screen be reached from the home screen?
  2. Does every screen have a route back?
  3. Are there any dead ends?
  4. Is anything buried too deep, needing five or six clicks?

Three structures are worth knowing:

StructureShapeSuits
LinearOne screen after anotherA tutorial, a quiz, a story
HierarchicalA home screen with sections and sub-sectionsMost websites
Hub and spokeA central screen with branches that return to itApps, kiosks, menus

Asset tables

One row per asset, and these columns:

AssetTypeSourceFormatDimensionsLicence
hero-imageImageOwn photographJPG3000 x 2000Own work
logo-mainVectorClient suppliedSVGscalableClient owned
backing-trackAudioFree Music ArchiveMP32:14CC BY 4.0, credit required

The licence column is the one that matters. It is the evidence that nothing in the product infringes copyright, and an incomplete one can invalidate the whole piece of work.

Linear, hierarchical and non-linear navigationThree shapes a navigation diagram can take. A linear structure gives one route from start to finish with no way to skip ahead, which suits a guided tour, a tutorial or a quiz. A hierarchical structure has a home screen branching into sections, with further pages below each section, and is what most websites and apps use because it gives a clear top level and depth underneath. A non-linear structure lets any screen reach any other, which suits a reference product or a menu hub where the user decides the order. The navigation diagram is the single most important planning document for an interactive product, because it is what proves every screen is reachable and every route returns.How the screens of an interactive product connectStartStep 1Step 2Endone route, no way to skip aheadHomeSection ASection BSection CPage 1Page 2a clear top level, then depth below itScreen 1Screen 2Screen 3Screen 4every screen reaches every other
Name the structure and say why it suits the product. A quiz is linear, an app is hierarchical, a reference product is non-linear.
How deep is your navigationA navigation diagram drawn as columns of screens, one column for each number of clicks away from the home screen. The home screen is the entry point and everything is measured from it. One click away are the main sections, Shop, About and Contact, which is where most visitors stop. Two clicks away is the content itself, a product list, a basket and a team page, still comfortably reachable. Further right the screens fade: a product page three clicks away and a size guide four clicks away, which is buried content that almost nobody reaches however good it is, because every extra click loses visitors, shown by the bar along the bottom fading from many visitors to almost nobody. Two faults are also shown. The order done screen is a dead end: it has no home button and no way onward, so the user is stuck. The old offers screen is an orphan: nothing links to it, so it can never be reached at all. Both are immediately visible on a navigation diagram drawn before building, and both are very hard to spot in a product that is half built.HomeShopAboutContactProductsBasketTeamProductOrder doneSizesOld offers0 clicks1 click2 clicks3 clicks4 clicksmost visitors stop heredead end: no way outorphan: nothing links to itmost visitorsevery extra click loses peoplealmost nobody123455
  1. The home screen is the entry point. Everything is measured from here.
  2. One click down: the main sections. This is where most visitors stop.
  3. Two clicks down: the content itself. Still comfortable.
  4. Four clicks down: almost nobody gets here, however good it is.
  5. And watch for a screen with no way out, or no way in at all.
Three or four clicks from the entry point is the practical limit. Deeper than that and the content may as well not exist.
A completed asset tableA completed asset table, version 3, with the columns asset, type, source, format, dimensions, licence and cleared. The rows are: hero-shopfront, video, own footage, MP4, 1920 by 1080, own work, cleared on 14 March; logo-primary, vector, client supplied, SVG, scalable, client owned, cleared on 2 March; baker-portrait, image, own photograph, JPG, 4000 by 2667, own work, release signed on 9 March; bread-texture, image, from Unsplash, JPG, 3200 by 2133, Unsplash licence, cleared for commercial use; backing-track, audio, from the Free Music Archive, MP3, 2 minutes 14, Creative Commons BY 4.0, cleared with credit required; heading-font, font, from Google Fonts, WOFF2, SIL Open Font Licence, cleared. The last row is marked as a problem: street-shot-02, an image found on a blog, JPG, 1200 by 800, licence unknown, not cleared and marked do not use. That row is why the table exists: an asset with an unknown licence is not a risk to be managed but an asset that cannot be used, and it should be replaced immediately rather than in the week of the deadline. Two further points: fonts and music are both licensed and both routinely forgotten, and a recognisable person needs a release as well as a licence, which for anyone under sixteen must come from a parent or guardian.Asset table: Northgate Bakery · v03 · every asset, every licenceassettypesourceformatdimensionslicencecleared?hero-shopfrontVideoOwn footageMP41920×1080Own workYes — 14/03logo-primaryVectorClient suppliedSVGscalableClient ownedYes — 02/03baker-portraitImageOwn photographJPG4000×2667Own workRelease signed 09/03bread-textureImageUnsplashJPG3200×2133Unsplash licenceYes — commercial okbacking-trackAudioFree Music ArchiveMP32:14CC BY 4.0Yes — credit requiredheading-fontFontGoogle FontsWOFF2—SIL Open FontYesstreet-shot-02ImageFound on a blogJPG1200×800UnknownNO — do not useThe last row is why the table exists.An asset with an unknown licence is not a risk to be managed, it is an asset you cannot use. Replace it now, not in the week of the deadline.Fonts and music count. Both are licensed, both are routinely forgotten, and both are easy to check.A recognisable person needs a release as well as a licence, and for anyone under 16 that release comes from a parent.
The licence column is the one that is assessed, and the one that stops the work being unusable.

What every pre-production document must carry

A drawing is not a document. What turns one into the other is a header block saying what this is and who it is for, and annotations saying why each decision was taken. Both are assessed, and both are what gets left off.

The nine things every document carries, whatever kind it is

ElementWhy it is there
Document type and page numberSo a loose sheet can be put back in the right place
ProjectSo it is filed against the right job
Client and contactSo a question reaches the person who can answer it
AuthorSo it reaches you, too
Version and dateSo nobody builds from the superseded copy
PurposeOne line. Every decision is checked against it
AudienceOne line. Every decision is checked against this as well
SpecificationThe measurable constraints, as numbers: size, format, duration, colour mode
Assets and licencesThe evidence that the work can lawfully be published
Sign-offA name and a date, after which a change costs money

Then the elements specific to that document

DocumentWhat it must contain beyond the header
Mood boardImages each chosen for one stated quality, colour as values, type shown set rather than named, texture and material, one stated direction, an annotation on every item
Mind mapA central idea, themed branches, specific twigs, and nothing judged yet
Visualisation diagramCanvas size and orientation, exact colour values, named fonts with weights and sizes, the position of every element, bleed and safe margins for print
StoryboardPer frame: shot type, camera angle, camera movement, duration, dialogue or voiceover, sound, and the transition out
ScriptScene headings, and for moving image a two column layout with visual beside audio, speakers in capitals, delivery in brackets, a running time
WireframePlacement only, no styling, every control annotated with what it does and where it leads, and the error, empty and confirmation screens as well as the happy one
Navigation diagramEvery screen as a box, every link as an arrow, no dead ends, no orphans, and nothing buried more than three or four steps deep
Asset tableOne row per asset with its type, source, format, dimensions, licence, and whether it is cleared
Work planTasks, durations, the order, dependencies, milestones, resources and contingency
The test to apply to your own document

Hand it to somebody who was not in the room. Can they tell what it is for, who it is for, and what to build, without asking you a single question? If yes it is a document. If no it is a drawing with your handwriting on it.

What every pre-production document must carryA filled-in pre-production document header beside the reason for each field. The header reads: STORYBOARD, page 1 of 2; project, Northgate Bakery 60 second promo; client, Northgate Bakery Limited, contact A. Rahimi; author, S. Mihai; version 3 dated 14 March 2026, superseding version 2; purpose, drive online orders from local residents; audience, adults 25 to 55 within three miles, viewing on a phone; specification, 1920 by 1080 and 1080 by 1920, 25 frames per second, 60 seconds, MP4 H.264; assets, see asset table version 3, all licences cleared; and a sign-off line for the client's name and date. The reasons given alongside are: the document type and page so a loose sheet can be put back; the project so it is filed against the right job; the client and contact so a question reaches the right person; the author for the same reason; the version and date so nobody works from a superseded copy; the purpose and the audience because every decision is checked against those two lines; the specification because it states the measurable constraints as numbers; the assets and licences because they are the evidence the work is legal; and the sign-off because after it a change costs money. The tenth requirement, and the one that is actually assessed, is annotation that says why: naming a typeface is a label, while saying it was chosen because it still reads at arm's length on a phone is an annotation.Nine things every pre-production document carries, whatever kind it isSTORYBOARDpage 1 of 2ProjectNorthgate Bakery — 60 second promoClientNorthgate Bakery Ltd (A. Rahimi)AuthorS. MihaiVersion / datev03 · 14 March 2026 · supersedes v02PurposeDrive online orders from local residentsAudienceAdults 25–55 within 3 miles, on a phoneSpecification1920×1080 and 1080×1920 · 25 fps · 60 s · MP4 H.264Assetssee asset table v03 — all licences clearedSign-offClient: ______________ Date: __________AND WHY EACH ONE IS THEREDocument type and pageso a loose sheet can be put backProjectso it is filed against the right jobClient and contactso the question goes to the right personAuthorso it does, tooVersion and dateso nobody works from the superseded onePurposeevery decision is checked against this lineAudienceand against this oneSpecificationthe measurable constraints, as numbersAssets and licencesthe evidence the work is legalSign-offafter which a change costs moneyAnd the tenth thing, which is the one that is actually assessed: annotations that say WHY.“Poppins SemiBold 42pt” is a label. “Poppins SemiBold 42pt, because it still reads at arm's length on a phone” is an annotation.
A drawing becomes a document when somebody else could pick it up, know what it is for, and build from it.

Key terms you must be able to define

Mood board
An annotated collage of colours, images and type that establishes the intended look and feel.
Visualisation diagram
An annotated plan of a static graphic, detailed enough to work from.
Storyboard
A frame by frame plan of a moving image product with shot, movement, duration and sound.
Wireframe
A layout plan of one screen showing placement without any styling.
Navigation diagram
A diagram of every screen in an interactive product and the links between them.
Asset table
A record of every asset with its source, format, dimensions and licence.
Dead end
A screen from which the user cannot continue or return.
Hierarchical structure
A navigation structure with a home screen, sections and sub-sections.

Flashcards

Say the definition out loud before you flip the card. Retrieving it from memory is what builds recall, reading it again is not.

DefineMood board
AnswerAn annotated collage of colours, images and type that establishes the intended look and feel.
DefineVisualisation diagram
AnswerAn annotated plan of a static graphic, detailed enough to work from.
DefineStoryboard
AnswerA frame by frame plan of a moving image product with shot, movement, duration and sound.
DefineWireframe
AnswerA layout plan of one screen showing placement without any styling.
DefineNavigation diagram
AnswerA diagram of every screen in an interactive product and the links between them.
DefineAsset table
AnswerA record of every asset with its source, format, dimensions and licence.
DefineDead end
AnswerA screen from which the user cannot continue or return.
DefineHierarchical structure
AnswerA navigation structure with a home screen, sections and sub-sections.

Reach the top grade on this topic

Two things separate the top band. First, matching the document to the product without hesitation. Second, explaining a document's purpose in terms of what it prevents: a storyboard prevents arriving on a shoot without knowing the shot list; an asset table prevents discovering at the end that an image cannot be used. Purpose expressed as risk avoided always outscores purpose expressed as "to plan it".

Mistakes that cost marks here

Avoid these
  • Using a storyboard for a static product or a visualisation diagram for a video.
  • Writing 'blue' and 'a bold font' on a visualisation diagram instead of exact values and font names.
  • Wireframing only the home screen.
  • Drawing a navigation diagram with dead ends or unreachable screens.
  • Leaving the licence column of the asset table blank.
  • Producing a mood board with no annotations, which makes it decoration rather than planning.
Fun fact

Pixar storyboards an entire film and cuts it together as a rough reel with temporary voices before a single frame is animated. Fixing a story problem on a drawing costs an afternoon; fixing it in finished animation costs months.

Knowledge check

0 of 10 answered
1Which document would you produce to plan a magazine cover?
2Which document plans the shots of a 30 second advert?
3What should a wireframe deliberately leave out?
4What is a dead end in a navigation diagram?
5Which column of an asset table is the evidence that the work is legal?
6How should a colour be recorded on a visualisation diagram?
7Which navigation structure suits an online tutorial that must be done in order?
8Why is a mood board produced before any design work?
9What must a storyboard frame include besides the drawing?
10Which documents together plan an interactive product's structure and screens?
Score 0 / 10

Exam-style questions

Five written questions in the style of the real paper. Write a full answer, then let the marker check it against the mark scheme.

19 marks
1State the pre-production document used to plan each of the following:(a) a cinema poster (b) a two minute animation (c) the structure of a website3 marks
State

Mark scheme0 / 3
  • L(a) visualisation diagram
  • L(b) storyboard
  • L(c) navigation diagram, or site map
Model answer

(a) A visualisation diagram. (b) A storyboard. (c) A navigation diagram.

The marker looks for key phrases. If you said it another way and it is still right, give yourself the mark.
2Identify four pieces of information that must appear on a visualisation diagram.4 marks
Identify

Mark scheme0 / 4
  • LDimensions or canvas size
  • LExact colours
  • LNamed fonts, with sizes
  • LPosition of each element, or annotations explaining choices
Model answer

The dimensions and orientation of the canvas; the exact colour values in hex or CMYK; the names and sizes of the fonts used; and the position of every image and text element, with annotations explaining the intention.

The marker looks for key phrases. If you said it another way and it is still right, give yourself the mark.
3A production company is planning a one minute promotional video.Explain two reasons why a storyboard is produced before filming begins.4 marks
Explain

Mark scheme0 / 4
  • LIt communicates the intended shots to the whole crew
  • LDevelopment of that reason
  • LIt identifies problems while they are still cheap to fix
  • LDevelopment of that reason
Model answer

One reason is communication: the storyboard shows the camera operator, director, sound recordist and editor exactly which shots are needed, in what order and for how long, so everyone arrives with the same understanding and the shoot works to a list rather than improvising. The second is cost: a problem spotted on a storyboard, such as a sequence that will not cut together because there is no establishing shot, takes minutes to fix with a pencil, whereas the same problem discovered in the edit means hiring the crew and location again for a reshoot.

The marker looks for key phrases. If you said it another way and it is still right, give yourself the mark.
4A college has commissioned an interactive website where students can browse courses, watch a short video about each one and apply online.Discuss the pre-production documents the developers should produce, and justify why each is needed for this product.8 marks
Discuss

Mark scheme0 / 8
  • LA navigation diagram is identified
  • LJustified for this product
  • LWireframes are identified
  • LJustified for this product
  • LA storyboard is identified for the videos
  • LJustified for this product
  • LAn asset table is identified
  • LA work plan, or a judgement about which document matters most
Model answer

The structural document comes first: a navigation diagram showing the home screen, the course listing, each individual course page, the video on it and the application form, with arrows for every link. For this product that is essential because there are many near identical course pages and an application flow, so the risks are a course that cannot be reached from the listing, an application form with no route back if the student changes their mind, and courses buried three or four levels deep. All three are visible on a diagram and invisible in a half built site. Wireframes come next, one for every distinct screen rather than only the home page, because the course page, the listing and the application form are completely different layouts; wireframing them without colour or type keeps the discussion on what goes where and lets the college approve the structure before any styling exists to argue about. A storyboard is needed for the course videos, since each one is a moving image product in its own right: shot type, duration, voiceover and the order of shots have to be planned so that one crew visit can capture every course rather than returning for missing footage. An asset table records every photograph, logo, video clip and piece of music with its source and licence, which matters particularly here because a college site will use student photographs, and that means consent as well as copyright. A work plan ties the lot together, ordering tasks so that filming, which depends on people and locations, is scheduled before the editing that depends on it. Of these, the navigation diagram is the one that cannot be skipped: a styling mistake is a day's work to correct, whereas a structural mistake discovered after the content is in means rebuilding the site.

The marker looks for key phrases. If you said it another way and it is still right, give yourself the mark.
Machine mark 0 / 19