Zoom Pretty – Design Tips in Looking Good in Online Conferencing

image source: Yahoo Finance

Zoom, Skype, Messenger Chat, you name it. As part of the WFH (work from home) normal we are waking up to, online conferencing or meetings have become a necessity. In offices that I helped design in Europe, a video-conferencing room was actually a requirement in every single location, and were designed with requirements aimed at right visibility, sound and lighting. Now, we don’t have the luxury of a dedicated conference suite, but we can, with some design know-how, make any space work for you (and make you look professionally good online!)
 
First though, some personal basics. Please wash your face, apply light make up (if necessary, enough to emphasize your eyes and lip movement), brush your teeth (no spinach teeth) and keep your hair tidy. Professional looking jewellery is good, but with enough of a personal statement. Wear an outfit that is more solid colours rather than strong, garish prints. Sit down with the right posture, with relaxed relaxed shoulders and no slouching. AND make sure you have no nose hairs or boogies peeking!
 
Now, the set-up of would be as follows:

• Always have a cover for your laptop camera (even a notepad) before and after you Zoom; and learn how to use mute button effectively, you don't want to be caught off-guard sound or sight-wise. When you are not speaking, and while your writing or typing, it is good etiquette to mute, as it also keeps extra noise in the conference to a minimum.
  
• Lock the door if possible, we have see enough videos of kids barging into a meeting (unless of course you want to be the next meme!).
  
• Lighting is key, so investing in a good, flexible desk lamp (or jazzy ring light) is key. Have the light in front of or slightly to the side of your face, not shining from behind. Make sure that you do have ample light in the room, so you do not look like you’re beaming from a cave. Also, this light setup will counter the under-lighting coming off the screen which is very scary. If you can position yourself to be in front of a window (never behind), even better as it will provide even, clean daylight. Try to experiment by turning on the camera app on your computer (while not on Zoom) and see what lighting setup suits you best.

image source: CNet/Libe Ackerman

• Lift your laptop on a platform/books/etc. so that the webcam is at the level of your eyes (a worms eye view is also NEVER flattering, they need to see you, not your chin or nasal cavity!). See the image above for a set-up idea with books
• Framing yourself in the screen is also key, that’s why the higher location of the camera is important. What the goal is that there’s just a little bit of space from the top of your head to the edge of the frame. Now for the bottom, you can either a) cut the frame to just your shoulder/chest line (that’s why jewellery matters) or b), elbow level if you tend to talk with a lot of hand movements.

An example of good and bad framing and lighting for a Zoom conference

• Background, ah yes… for most people, a neutral backdrop like a blank wall will suffice. I do recommend a bit of personality, so hang oversized art piece/s that again show your personality. Or if you have a bookshelf behind you, make sure to have book titles suiting you lined up behind, plus some gaps for a figurine/trinket.
  

BE DIPLOMATIC, take down, I repeat, take down anything that may offend anyone you will be talking to. Just Look at Bryan Dobson’s set-up below, that bookshelf says a lot about him being an erudite newscaster.

image source: The Irish Times/Bryan Dobson

"Bodhi"

€289.00 - €339.00

Limited Edition Prints* (of 250), signed and numbered by Francis Lanuza

VARIOUS PRINT SIZES AVAILABLE

Original is an acrylic painting with diamante detailing on unframed canvas, 70x50cm

Based on healing visions with Ayahuasca/Natem.

*All prints are on Epson Somerset Velvet archival fine art paper 255gsm, and printed using Epson Ultrachrome Pigments. These are the highest standard of print materials in the world of artwork reproduction. All materials are 100% acid free and will not discolour with age, they are also light resistant for up to 150 years.

All sizes quoted are the "print dimensions" - a 2.5cm/1" border is provided all around, adding 5cm/2" on each dimension (e.g. 30x30cm/12x12" print dimension = 14x14" paper dimension). This allows for matting when framed.

Dispatch & Shipping: all prints are packed and posted in durable cardboard tubes. FREE SHIPPING to Ireland and the UK. Turnaround time for prints is 5-10 working days from receipt of your order.

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"Celeste"

€249.00 - €309.00

Limited Edition Prints* (of 250), signed and numbered by Francis Lanuza

VARIOUS PRINT SIZES AVAILABLE

Original is an acrylic painting with diamante detailing on unframed canvas, 50x60cm

Based on healing visions with Ayahuasca/Natem.

*All prints are on Epson Somerset Velvet archival fine art paper 255gsm, and printed using Epson Ultrachrome Pigments. These are the highest standard of print materials in the world of artwork reproduction. All materials are 100% acid free and will not discolour with age, they are also light resistant for up to 150 years.

All sizes quoted are the "print dimensions" - a 2.5cm/1" border is provided all around, adding 5cm/2" on each dimension (e.g. 30x30cm/12x12" print dimension = 14x14" paper dimension). This allows for matting when framed.

Dispatch & Shipping: all prints are packed and posted in durable cardboard tubes. FREE SHIPPING to Ireland and the UK. Turnaround time for prints is 5-10 working days from receipt of your order.

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"Meta"

€219.00 - €309.00

Limited Edition Prints* (of 250), signed and numbered by Francis Lanuza

VARIOUS PRINT SIZES AVAILABLE

Original is an acrylic painting with diamante detailing on unframed canvas, 40x50cm

Based on healing visions with Ayahuasca/Natem.

*All prints are on Epson Somerset Velvet archival fine art paper 255gsm, and printed using Epson Ultrachrome Pigments. These are the highest standard of print materials in the world of artwork reproduction. All materials are 100% acid free and will not discolour with age, they are also light resistant for up to 150 years.

All sizes quoted are the "print dimensions" - a 2.5cm/1" border is provided all around, adding 5cm/2" on each dimension (e.g. 30x30cm/12x12" print dimension = 14x14" paper dimension). This allows for matting when framed.

Dispatch & Shipping: all prints are packed and posted in durable cardboard tubes. FREE SHIPPING to Ireland and the UK. Turnaround time for prints is 5-10 working days from receipt of your order.

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• Invest in a mic or webcam if you need to, especially if a) your laptop/PC’s mic/webcam is not powerful enough and b) if you’re looking not doing this more often. Also, an external keyboard would be good so that you can lift your laptop and still type.
  

 
That’s it, and I do wish you good luck on your next Zoom conference. The others online will appreciate seeing you, well,  in a better light.