for all you academic types — the following are some of the papers that I wrote while researching visual communication (and other media topics) as a graduate student (a few more should be posted soon)

Marketing Charity: Graphic Design Issues for Marketing a Charitable Cause (PDF)
This is a research proposal for a study designed to determine whether or not inexpensively produced direct-marketing materials yield a more positive response than expensively produced materials. The proposal draws on research which shows that the non-profit sector has increasingly adopted many of the sophisticated (and pricey) marketing techniques of the private sector when soliciting donations. The research also suggests, however, that these techniques may undermine the appealing organization's efforts by unintentionally influencing the public's perception of their financial status and subsequent needs.

Information Exchange: Person-to-Person Exchanges over the Internet (PDF)
This is an excerpt from a survey of person-to person exchanges over the internet. This portion of a larger paper (which was written with 2 other graduate students for an eCommerce and Marketing class) focuses on the implications of information exchange.

Exile Inside and the Internet: Managing an Independent Recording Artist (PDF)
This is a formal business management and marketing analysis of an english pop band named Exile Inside. At the time it was written, a handful of popular music groups (such as Exile Inside) were leaving their major labels and exploring the use of the internet as a means of gaining autonomy.

The Origins, Evolution, and Contemporary Applications of Schema Theory (PDF)
Schema theory is an important component of communication (and visual communication) studies. It suggests that media content is interpreted uniquely by each individual based on associations developed through his or her prior experiences.