This class gave me a solid grounding in the concepts of design as they apply to the web and modern media. I got a good understanding of Photoshop and built some new skills which will be very helpful with photo manipulation either for personal projects or web design. I liked how the class built up to the final project where you were able to exploit your new skills and get a feel for modern web building tools, both direct and online (web1.0 and web2.0).
The two websites I built (Expressions 4.0 vs. weebly.com) came out looking quite different. Using the templates available is the biggest reason for the differences, since they differed and were the basis for the sites. Expressions allows a lot more leeway in terms of design and development, and Weebly allows a very streamlined method of drag n dropping all of your content right into place. It doesn't have as much flexibility (though there is an area to add custom HTML), but that's not really the point here...it's set up for the easiest experience to a passable site, and it does that very well.
My initial storyboard actually ended up to be pretty much on target...my content and sitemap stayed the same, the only real differences being slight in relation to the template i chose. The Weebly site was a little further off, stylistically, but it still matched up w/ content and navigation.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
week 6 posts - my review of the "w" sites, and a mention of accesibility vs. usability again, even though i did that last week (the sucking up continues...)
I took a look at the web sites recommends, Webnode, Weebly, Wix, and Webs. I decided if one of them did not start with a W, i would have picked that one... apart from that, I think they're all useful and usable (and accessible, i imagine), but i will probably use weebly because it seems to allow a little more creativity in a personal site than the others...each seems to have it's specialties, though, and i think you'd be OK with any of them. I would have to really get in and try building something to know for sure...for now i just browsed around because i's been a long day and i'm tired and cranky and need a cigar.
accessibility and usability remain that same thing in terms of the words... but, as is common in the web-world, they have arbitrarily chosen to give them different meanings in thsi context. Usability has to do with the design and function of the site...is it understandable and useful to it's purpose without irritating people with bad content and links that send you to oblivion? Accessibility refers to the ability to use a site if you're accessing it via tools that aid with disabilities.
accessibility and usability remain that same thing in terms of the words... but, as is common in the web-world, they have arbitrarily chosen to give them different meanings in thsi context. Usability has to do with the design and function of the site...is it understandable and useful to it's purpose without irritating people with bad content and links that send you to oblivion? Accessibility refers to the ability to use a site if you're accessing it via tools that aid with disabilities.
week 6 posts - summary of what I have read, continued...and something about storyboarding, because i'm trying to suck up to my teacher.
Apart from the book, i also read the Diigo postings about storyboarding. i thought the articles were useful to breakdown the creative process of concieving and laying out a site, which is a good way to get things organized before you just start throwing up pages. Plus, it gave me a good idea of what the teacher wants to see on paper tomorrow night in order to get my first chunk of that big 90 point jackpot that is the website project.
storyboarding is definitely a good way to lay out your site once you've decided what you're building it for. It allows you to visually work through the presentation of your content so that it's logical and orderly. It's easy to lose sight of your reader's path through your site and to be irritating.
storyboarding is definitely a good way to lay out your site once you've decided what you're building it for. It allows you to visually work through the presentation of your content so that it's logical and orderly. It's easy to lose sight of your reader's path through your site and to be irritating.
week 6 posts - summary of what I have read
the chapters (13 through 15) in the Non-Designer's Web book were very useful for setting up and maintaining my website. Chapter 13 supplied some quick tips regarding soem creative uses of tables to help align text and integrate in into graphics. There were also some photoshop tips for enhancing pictures and managing text to make it more readable (especially small fonts). There were also some tips for managing how pictures load on pages more efficiently as well as slicing graphics which allows you to do funky things with parts of a picture seemlessly. Funky is generally good, as long as it doesn't include anything flashing or tossing out disco music (that wasn't from the chapter). some additional photoshop tips were thrown in and some cool stuff about rollovers and image-swaps (which are also funky. No Disco). They also gave a little intro about Flash.
chapter 14 talked about testing your website and fixing the crap you did (like including disco music). it gives a good primer about different ways to test your site both on and offline, as well as in different browsers (because they will look different).
chapter 15 talks about actually publishing your site via upload. it kind of beats the topic to death, in my opinion. it's not that complicated after all. it does giev some helpful warnings about how refreshes work...that could be a source of frustration if you don't know what's going on.
chapter 14 talked about testing your website and fixing the crap you did (like including disco music). it gives a good primer about different ways to test your site both on and offline, as well as in different browsers (because they will look different).
chapter 15 talks about actually publishing your site via upload. it kind of beats the topic to death, in my opinion. it's not that complicated after all. it does giev some helpful warnings about how refreshes work...that could be a source of frustration if you don't know what's going on.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
week 5 posts
The reading gave a lot of "baseline" detail about what a website is, and the components that go into creating one. it discusses the general pieces needed and how they work together, the differences between tables and frames, for example, and an overview and explanation of the use of frames. Additionally, it talks about how to go about setting up the website so that it's easier to develop and manage...organizing your files and folders, right down to suggestions on naming conventions, etc. we also got a little update on key terms like how browsers work, how to go about getting server space for your site, and the rudiments of working with domain names.
as to whether it's a good thing that anyone can create a website, that'd be a no. it's like anything else, really. some people are better at it than others, and teh results vary pretty widely depending on the material you're trying to incorporate in your site, and your goals, along with your skills and experience (or lack thereof).
Having a web site built and maintained by a pro is always going to be the best choice, whether or not you happen to be to pro in question. if you're going to raise the site yourself as a learning experience or as a cost cutting measure, you may be a digital picasso...but more than likely you get what you pay for.
Usability and accessibility are again terms that people like to differentiate to no real purpose (remember readability and legibility?). but in this context, usability apparently refers to the "look at feel" of the site, and whether or not the buttons and links all work and are relatively intuitiver to get around with. Accessibility in this case has more to do with people who have to use alternate methods for accessing the site (the blind or disabled, for example), and whether your site is equipped to accomodate them.
as to whether it's a good thing that anyone can create a website, that'd be a no. it's like anything else, really. some people are better at it than others, and teh results vary pretty widely depending on the material you're trying to incorporate in your site, and your goals, along with your skills and experience (or lack thereof).
Having a web site built and maintained by a pro is always going to be the best choice, whether or not you happen to be to pro in question. if you're going to raise the site yourself as a learning experience or as a cost cutting measure, you may be a digital picasso...but more than likely you get what you pay for.
Usability and accessibility are again terms that people like to differentiate to no real purpose (remember readability and legibility?). but in this context, usability apparently refers to the "look at feel" of the site, and whether or not the buttons and links all work and are relatively intuitiver to get around with. Accessibility in this case has more to do with people who have to use alternate methods for accessing the site (the blind or disabled, for example), and whether your site is equipped to accomodate them.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
week 4 posts - will i be more critical
I believe i will be more conscious of the design of websites, aesthically, but more importantly in terms of function. I will be more or less likely to shop at sites that are easy to navigate and present me with the information i need in a logical way. You don't have to knock me out w/ artistic grandeur, but i want the site to look professional and thought-out.
in terms of my own designs, i will first present the information and plan the navigation, THEN i will apply clean, unobtrusive artwork.
in terms of my own designs, i will first present the information and plan the navigation, THEN i will apply clean, unobtrusive artwork.
week 4 posts - two websites
website1 - http://www.slate.com/
Slate.com is an online news magazine. It manages a lot of data in a very efficient and functional format. They use switchable banners that you can toggle through, or change change on a timer, so you're presented with a banner for a different article every few seconds, or you can control it yourself. The links are laid out in a logical columnar fashion, categorizing the article across the top, and headlining various recent articles down the center. there's also a toggle to view various ongoing blogs related to the content.
contrast on text is good (use of fonts as well), with a repetitive theme including the placement of banner and box ads along the right column, color scheme and logo.
Using the CRAP method, contrast makes for comfortable reading of text, repitition is evident in the logo, color scheme, and repeated use of selection bars w/ links, and proximity is well used, in that the ads are in a column and centered, the text of the headers and the articles are also well laid out.
website2 - http://morebeer.com/
Morebeer.com is a commerce site for beermaking equipment and supplies. they also sell wine and coffee equipment as well. The site is very well laid out, since they sell quite a lot of different types of items. the links are well laid on on a lefthand column, with the center holding banner ads for specific products (sales, clearances, etc). there are informational articles toward the bottom, and an index if you scroll down.
the use of space is good, in that before you scroll down you're presented with a tangible amount of information that brings up most of what the site is trying to convey. the use of color and contrast makes a bust page less annoying and more useful.
Using the CRAP method, contrast of blue background/white text for the links works well, while the sandy color of th grain the the banner looks good with the dark red logo, repitition is evident in the use of fonts, repeating of the logo, and the uniformity of the links that display items for sale. Proximity works, in that the links are logically grouped and the splash pics are together in the middle of the page, drawing your eye
Slate.com is an online news magazine. It manages a lot of data in a very efficient and functional format. They use switchable banners that you can toggle through, or change change on a timer, so you're presented with a banner for a different article every few seconds, or you can control it yourself. The links are laid out in a logical columnar fashion, categorizing the article across the top, and headlining various recent articles down the center. there's also a toggle to view various ongoing blogs related to the content.
contrast on text is good (use of fonts as well), with a repetitive theme including the placement of banner and box ads along the right column, color scheme and logo.
Using the CRAP method, contrast makes for comfortable reading of text, repitition is evident in the logo, color scheme, and repeated use of selection bars w/ links, and proximity is well used, in that the ads are in a column and centered, the text of the headers and the articles are also well laid out.
website2 - http://morebeer.com/
Morebeer.com is a commerce site for beermaking equipment and supplies. they also sell wine and coffee equipment as well. The site is very well laid out, since they sell quite a lot of different types of items. the links are well laid on on a lefthand column, with the center holding banner ads for specific products (sales, clearances, etc). there are informational articles toward the bottom, and an index if you scroll down.
the use of space is good, in that before you scroll down you're presented with a tangible amount of information that brings up most of what the site is trying to convey. the use of color and contrast makes a bust page less annoying and more useful.
Using the CRAP method, contrast of blue background/white text for the links works well, while the sandy color of th grain the the banner looks good with the dark red logo, repitition is evident in the use of fonts, repeating of the logo, and the uniformity of the links that display items for sale. Proximity works, in that the links are logically grouped and the splash pics are together in the middle of the page, drawing your eye
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