The "Antarctica Channel" Brand Kit

Points:

125

Due By:

February 13, 2026 at 5:45:00 AM

Role: Creative Director & Technical Lead

Estimated Time: 3–4 Hours (broken into phases)

Why This Assignment Matters

Most designers can make one beautiful image. But in the real world of social media, marketing communication and broadcasting, you rarely need just one—you need twenty due by 5:00 PM.

In this assignment, you will unlock a professional superpower: Data Automation.

While other designers are manually copying and pasting text for hours, you will build a "machine" in Photoshop that generates 20 graphics in seconds. This is a massive competitive advantage in the job market.

The Workflow at a Glance

Don't get overwhelmed. You are essentially building a sandwich (The Template) and letting a robot (The Script) make 20 copies with different ingredients (The Data).

Deliverable

Goal: Package your work professionally.

Zip everything into one file containing:

1. Folder: "Fact_Cards_JPEGs"

This will contain your 20 exported Photoshop images from Phase 2. ).

2. File: Fact_Template.psd

This is your master file that you are using to generate the files (i.e., Export Data Sets).

3. File: Lost_Exhibition.psd (Visible layers and masks)

This is a single Photoshop file related to Phase 3: Part A where you are designing a thumbnail (think YouTube thumbnail) to achieve a High Click-Thru Rate.
Your goal is to entice viewers to click on the thumbnail to watch the video (simulating YouTube or IG)

4. File: Motion_Assets.psd (Visible clipping masks).

This is single Photoshop file related to Phase 3: Part B. This is a creative design that you can use across a variety of mediums and use cases.

👀

The phases described below are not separate projects, but rather a way for you to break the project down into smaller segments. Phase 1 and 2 will produce 2 deliverables, your template and exported files. This mimics what we did with the Top 10 exercise.

Phase 3 will produce 2 delivarables, each a Photoshop file where you are responsible for demonstrating your compositing skills. This reinforces concepts from this module.

Phase 1: The Setup (Gather & Organize)

Goal: Get your assets ready before you open Photoshop. This prevents "blank canvas syndrome."

1. Download Your Assets:

◦ Go to UTA's Antarctica Map Collection.

◦ Find 1 Historical Map of Antarctica (or a generic vintage map).

◦ Find 1 Texture (Ice, Old Paper, or Grunge).

◦ Find 1 Subject (A ship, an explorer, or a penguin).

2. Prepare Your Data:

◦ Copy the "Antarctic Facts" table below into Excel or Google Sheets.

◦ Save as a CSV file (Comma Separated Values). Note: Photoshop cannot read standard Excel (.xlsx) files; it must be CSV.

Data (Copy into your Spreadsheet Editor)

Explorer_Name	Expedition_Year	Fun_Fact	Icon_Visibility
Roald Amundsen	1911	First person to reach the South Pole.	FALSE
Robert Falcon Scott	1912	Led the Terra Nova Expedition.	FALSE
Ernest Shackleton	1914	Stranded on ice for 497 days.	TRUE
Douglas Mawson	1911	Sole survivor of the Far Eastern Party.	FALSE
James Cook	1773	First to cross the Antarctic Circle.	TRUE
Richard Byrd	1929	First to fly over the South Pole.	TRUE
Fabian von Bellingshausen	1820	Sighted the Antarctic continent first.	TRUE
Carsten Borchgrevink	1895	First confirmed landing on the mainland.	TRUE
Edmund Hillary	1958	Led the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition.	FALSE
Felicity Aston	2012	First woman to cross Antarctica alone.	FALSE
Adrien de Gerlache	1897	First expedition to winter in the Antarctic.	TRUE
Nobu Shirase	1910	Led the Japanese Antarctic Expedition.	TRUE
Otto Nordenskjöld	1901	His ship was crushed by ice in the Weddell Sea.	TRUE
Lincoln Ellsworth	1935	Completed the first trans-Antarctic flight.	TRUE
Ann Bancroft	1993	Led first all-female expedition to the pole.	FALSE
Boerge Ousland	1997	First solo crossing without support.	FALSE
Jules Dumont d'Urville	1840	Claimed Adélie Land for France.	TRUE
Charles Wilkes	1840	Proved Antarctica was a continent, not islands.	TRUE
Colin O'Brady	2018	Completed a solo trek across the continent.	FALSE
Henry Worsley	2016	Attempted solo crossing, died 30 miles from end.	FALSE

Phase 2: The "Fact Factory" (Automation)

Goal: Create the template that connects to your CSV file.

1. Build the Template: Open Photoshop (1080x1920). Create a design with a background map, a Title Text Layer, a Body Text Layer, and a "Ship Icon" shape layer.

2. Define Variables:

◦ Go to Image > Variables > Define .

◦ Text Replacement: Click your Title layer and type "Explorer_Name" (must match your CSV header exactly). Do the same for the other text layers.

◦ Visibility: Select your "Ship Icon" layer. Check the "Visibility" box and type "Icon_Visibility". This layer will now turn ON or OFF based on the TRUE/FALSE data in your CSV.

3. Import & Export:

◦ Go to Image > Variables > Data Sets and hit Import. Select your CSV.

◦ Go to File > Export > Data Sets as Files . This will spit out 20 PSDs.

4. Final Processing:

◦ Use the Image Processor script ( File > Scripts > Image Processor ).

◦ Point it to your folder of 20 PSDs and convert them all to JPEGs (Quality 7) in one click.

Phase 3: The Creative (Thumbnail & Assets)

Goal: Show off your artistic skills using "Non-Destructive" techniques.

A. The High-CTR Thumbnail

Create a 1920x1080 file titled "The Lost Expedition." You must use these three techniques to get full points:

1. Blend Modes: Don't just place the paper texture on top. Change the Blend Mode to Multiply (to darken) or Overlay (for contrast) so it feels like the map is printed on the paper.

2. Layer Masks: Add your "Explorer" or "Ship" subject. Do not use the Eraser tool. Add a Layer Mask and paint with Black to hide the background non-destructively.

3. Layer Styles: Make your text pop. Add a Drop Shadow or Outer Glow so the title is readable against the busy map.

B. Motion Assets

Create a file named Motion_Assets.psd.

1. Clipping Mask: Create a shape (circle or square) for a logo. Place a map image above the shape layer and Clip it (Right-click > Create Clipping Mask) so the map sits inside the logo shape.

2. Global Color Grade: Add a Curves or Color Lookup Adjustment Layer at the very top of your layer stack to give everything a "Vintage Cold" look.

Grading Rubric (125 Points)

Automation (50 pts): Did you successfully generate 20 unique cards? Did the True/False logic work for the icon?
Compositing (30 pts): Did you use Blend Modes and Masks instead of the Eraser tool?
Motion Prep (25 pts): Are layers organized? Is the color grade applied as an Adjustment Layer?
Design Quality (20 pts): Is the text readable? Does the style feel "Historical"?

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