Share Your Barbenheimer Examples and Course Starters #426

David Anderson
By David Anderson

Using Barbenheimer Design Styles in E-Learning #426

Combining Different Design Styles #426: Challenge | Recap

Barbenheimer is the latest design trend that combines the Barbie and Oppenheimer movie designs. Both movies have such drastically different design themes that it's undoubtedly a challenge to imagine blending them into a new design.

Barbie's aesthetics use soft pastels, whimsical fonts, and fashion elements, while Oppenheimer's is dark, gritty, and ominous. Merging two vastly distinct designs isn't an everyday task for e-learning designers, but it's what this week's challenge is all about. Thanks, Elizabeth, Tom, and Phillip, for the fun idea.

Why are we doing this challenge?

This week’s challenge is designed to challenge you to think outside the corporate e-learning box and explore new ideas and techniques.

By blending two distinct design styles, you’re forced to identify the characteristics of each design and find the harmony and balance between those contrasting elements.

And if for no other reason, it’s a fun idea. 

Is This a New Idea?

Combining different design styles to create something new has been a widespread practice throughout art and design history. Some classic examples include:

  • Art Nouveau combined elements of the decorative arts with organic forms found in nature.
  • Cubism combined abstract geometric shapes with multiple perspectives to challenge traditional representation.
  • Steampunk combined elements from the Victorian era with science fiction and futuristic technology.
  • Peanut butter cups united chocolate and peanut butter flavors to make the perfect sweet treat.

E-Learning Example

Phillip shared a fun example in #ELC424 that explores the complicated stories behind the two historical figures.

Barbenheimer E-Learning Example 

Example | Philip Cranston | Website

Challenge of the Week

This week, your challenge is to share an example inspired by the movies Barbie and Oppenheimer. Your demo can be static or interactive, and you can make it as simple or complex as you like.

Share Your E-Learning Work

  • Comments: Use the comments section below to link your published example and blog post.
  • Forums: Start a new thread and share a link to your published example.
  • Personal blog: If you have a blog, please consider writing about your challenges. We'll link to your posts so your great work gets even more exposure.
  • Social media: If you share your demos on Twitter or LinkedIn, try using #ELHChallenge so your tweeps can follow your e-learning coolness.

Last Week’s Challenge:

Check out the creative ideas for using learning journals in online courses:

20+ Ways to Use Learning Journals in E-Learning #425

Digital Learning Journal Examples RECAP #425: Challenge | Recap

New to the E-Learning Challenges?

The weekly e-learning challenges are ongoing opportunities to learn, share, and build your e-learning portfolios. You can jump into any or all of the previous challenges anytime you want. I’ll update the recap posts to include your demos.

Learn more about the challenges in this Q&A post and why and how to participate in this helpful article.

Got an idea for a challenge? Are you interested in doing a webinar showcasing how you made one or more challenge demos? Or do you have some comments for your humble challenge host? Use this anonymous form to share your feedback:  https://bit.ly/ElearningChallengeForm.

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66 Comments
Thierry EMMANUEL
2 months ago08/07/23 at 5:51 pm (UTC)
Bonjour Heroes. I'm not sure I've fully responded to David's suggestion, but.... I've been working just on different graphics and fonts to see what happens, trying to match/confront distinct design styles, starting from the original "Barbenheimer" pun (which, for someone who speaks pretty bad English, is a real challenge!). And yes, it was fun. https://360.articulate.com/review/content/8cb9aa38-2268-4ebd-801d-9e3d577c4712/review
Philip Cranston
2 months ago08/08/23 at 12:41 am (UTC)
First of all, sorry for inadvertently creating a tough challenge this week. But it was very flattering to see my recent challenge featured. Thanks David. Juxtapositions could be good for creating things that surprise learners, and break away from what they're expecting. Especially bringing a fun approach to a normally very serious topic. This entry is about Barbie's relentless optimism vs Oppenheimer's relentless pessimism. If it seems a little surreal, disjointed and creepy, it's probably the AI tools I used to help write some text and tweak the graphics! Hope you enjoy the different story paths. https://360.articulate.com/review/content/2693038c-c041-49b2-86b3-20fa60242fbf/review
Shannon Page
10 days ago09/20/23 at 3:26 pm (UTC)
I love this and especially how floors appear to move up and down. I have downloaded the file, but I am puzzled about how you made the graphics appear on the slide to give that movement. Do you happen to have a tutorial video that you could point me to create this effect? I see the motion paths and the triggers, but it doesn't seem to be clicking in my head :D
Laura Popovich
2 months ago08/08/23 at 8:44 pm (UTC)
Hi. I recently received a license to Articulate and this is my first attempt with Storyline. I wanted to create a fun quiz game that used content from both Oppenheimer and Barbie. The color palette is inspired by Barbie but the design elements are pulled from the late 1940's-50's. I would appreciate any feedback on functionality and design. Thank you.--Turn on sound too :) https://360.articulate.com/review/content/47e1c1ff-0e24-41bf-869d-fc30fed0e5ba/review
Thierry EMMANUEL
2 months ago08/09/23 at 3:06 pm (UTC)
Good idea to salute your first participation in the challenge with a cocktail, Laura! If I may... 1/ I still don't know how to make this cocktail, nor an atomic bomb. Is it possible to have a choice at the end: the recipe instead of the score (which isn't very informative) OR to start from the beginning of the recipe. 2/ Only the very last step allows you to change your answer until you get it right. Not the previous ones? Or none at all?
Phezulu Dhlodhlo
2 months ago08/10/23 at 12:22 pm (UTC)
Good day e-Learning heroes. I have not yet got the opportunity to watch Barbie or Oppenheimer movie. However, I sought 2 movies such as the aforementioned ones. I got the movie Pitch Perfect 2 and Mad Max: Fury Road. Both of these movies were released on the same day. I watched Pitch Perfect 2 yesterday and was entertained by the Commando situation hence l built my submission around that. The scene had the former President Barack Obama, Beca and Fat Amy. Three different leadership styles were portrayed in that scene. Here is my submission based on the above. https://360.articulate.com/review/content/cb78dab5-2e26-4f8b-8db0-8fbeeb8b9e97/review
Ting Z (Tandem Diabetes Care)
2 months ago08/11/23 at 6:20 am (UTC)
Hi, my name is Ting Zhou, I work for the Learning and Development Team at Tandem Diabetes Care. Thank you for this amazing weekly event, and we have been watching and learning from all of you and now also hope to participate. Inspired by this week's topic, we created a simple mini game for our Recognition program. The viewers pick either the Barbie or Oppenheimer color, then they will randomly receive 1 of the 5 ideas to give recognition to their colleagues. To avoid any copyright issue, we didn't use any pictures from the movies, we just used generic icons. Here is the link: https://360.articulate.com/review/content/c4e99fb7-28e3-4c55-900a-d004fc427929/review
Rick Wochoski
2 months ago08/11/23 at 5:49 pm (UTC)
I'm new to this whole Articulate thing but a veteran training writer and advertising copywriter. Wondering why this example doesn't include prescriptive feedback that lets the learner see what the correct answers should be? Is that not possible with these programs? I hate not knowing what I got wrong. And also believe that some people retain more by first being incorrect and later learning the correct answer. Any input would be most welcome.
Jodi M. Sansone
29 days ago09/01/23 at 6:26 pm (UTC)
Barbie Dream Date Cinemagraph Demo: https://jodisdemos.s3.amazonaws.com/426+Barbenheimer+Cinemagraph/story.html Making my way through some of the challenges I missed this summer. When I think of Barbie I always remember my Barbie's sunglasses and high heels. My 2-year-old brother swallowed them when I was a little girl. My mother was not happy! I used the new "soundtrack" feature in this one too. Enjoy!
Gokcenur Inan
12 days ago09/19/23 at 11:16 am (UTC)
Hello everyone, I decided to take a slightly different approach to the Barbenheimer challenge by aiming to create a micro-lesson. My goal was to deliver something incredibly compact yet impactful. I wanted to leverage the principles from both movies, combining them with innovative design concepts to craft: "Barbenheimer in Project Management: Where Precision Meets Aesthetics." I want to make the design look better. In the first part, I'm thinking of using a light grey background, and in the second part, a gentle pink background pictures but I'm not sure if that's possible altough I searched for it. I'm genuinely excited to hear your thoughts and receive your comments on this project. https://rise.articulate.com/share/IDxwneU6il0zkw2xBExwqRNRDSN9-17h#/ Thank you! Gokcenur
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