Week One
Prompt: What do you hope to achieve in this class by the end of the term? Are there special projects or technologies you’d like to see covered by the end of the term? Is there a site (or two) that gives you butterflies in your stomach? What is it?
Response: Back at University of Oregon (where I went to school my freshman year) I took two creative coding classes using the program Processing. It was super fun to learn how to do interative things with code as it relates to art. I'm excited to learn more about web design and I think it would be so cool to learn how to add interactive elements to HTML! (Like the Spline Group website below!
Inspiring site of the week: Spline Group
Week Two
Prompt: What are you planning to do for project 1? What content do you plan to show? How will you make each page unique while maintaining a cohesive design across the project? How will your color palette, imagery, and typography choice complement your subject matter?
Response:
For my website for project one I would like it to be my 'virtual desk' in a way. Over the years i've collected some fun desk items that all have a story. The general function of the site is that the homepage would showcase all the items at my desk. You can hover over the items and certain ones (4) will change color/reveal themselves urging you to click. Once there, the page tells a story about the object. The imagery and color will work hand in hand with the code to urge users to click, the typography will reinforce the idea of a collection of things.Inspiring site of the week: WAKA WAKA
Week Three
Prompt:This weeks journal prompt, I want you to clearly imagine one user who'll love to use your Project 1 website.
Response: My website aims to show a slice of my desk. The things are objects that have significance to me, although this can be interpreted as anyone’s desk. I think people will find joy in getting a display of something that would usually only be for the enjoyment of the desk owner. And you usually don’t get the pleasure of knowing the story/significance behind the objects unless you are in the space and the topic gets brought up. This website is for anyone that’s curious about the stories behind objects.
Inspiring site of the week: Chris Wilcock
Week Four
Prompt: Considering these articles, make a list of 5 things to keep you going when you feel resistance or discomfort.
Response: When I feel resistance or discomfort I think a lot about (1) time blocking, giving myself an end time. (2) Rewarding myself if I can get through for just a little longer, usually this is treating myself to coffee or tv. I try really hard not to give up but sometimes I just need to (3) give myself a break. (4) Ask for help, I used to be a counselor at environmental camp, it was a lot of learning on the fly and adapting, asking for help really changed my whole process of learning. (5) Remembering why I am learning what I am, and taking time to recognize the value of the uncomfort. It’s interesting to do this because I never have been out of the school framework, so I am always experiencing these things, and have learned to cope. It feels interesting to call out all the things that I do but helpful. I’m learning right now!
Inspiring site of the week: KD Capital
Week Five
Prompt: Compare the site you are redesigning to 2 similar sites. Consider their content hierarchy, attention to customer needs, ease of use. Write about your findings. You may use a SWOT analysis template(link). Response to Umoju Miller talk.
Response:I’m Redesigning the Midnight Sunlight website. The current website is similar to Starflower and Cooks. They all share the common theme of a splash image in the background, that you then click into to reach other pages. They also all have a nav bar on the upper right end screen with the logo on the opposite upper corner. All these site designs are classic and easy to navigate, this is a positive for ease of use, but is played out, making it a weakness. There is a ton of opportunity for creating a website that is just as easy to use, as well as one that is memorable that will help build upon their brand idenity.
Inspiring site of the week: Illo
Week Six
Prompt:What did you choose the business/cause that you chose? Why do you think your redesign will be better? What area/content will you focus on in your redesign? Look at two other similar websites. What stands out about those sites? what bothers you abut them? How will you improve things in your own desig
Response:I chose this furniture and goods store that I absolutely love called Midnight Sunlight . The website is okay, its just nothing special. There’s nothing about the website that demonstrates the uniqueness of the store. There’s this site with a moving grid layout that I absolutely love, called Railroad Ladies. (my site of the week) I want to emulate the same grid element, it would be rad if I could get it all to move but that’s probably a bit ambitious. I love the hover function on the squares, the background changes color and I defiantly want to bring that in. This website is perfect for the subject, but I want mine to be more colorful and feel funkier and less modern.
Inspiring site of the week: Railroad Ladies
Week Eight
Prompt: Read this article on mobile-first design and share your thoughts on mobile-first vs desktop first.
Response:With the invention of iPhones, most people today probably view websites from a mobile view. Not only is it important for your website to be designed well for mobile, but for a lot of reasons it makes sense on a coding level. I think mobile-first design makes a lot of sense. It’s easier to add to simple code, what the article called “progressive advancement” rather than to try to hide elements when the website is in a mobile format, what the article calls gracefully degradation. It makes a lot more sense to me to have your code start out more simplistic and build from there.
Inspiring site of the week: BMS United
Week Nine
Prompt: What are the most important features of a good portfolio site? How can you showcase the work without upstaging it? Did you find any sites that used color in a convincing way? What kinds of interactions did you see? What about branding? In what ways is the work you do and who you are a commodity?
Response:
Week Ten
Prompt: Before the final, please write at least a few paragraphs on your design process and reasoning for the design decisions you made on your project.
Response: