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:
In this class I hope to advance my web design expertise and learn how to integrate interactive elements. I would also like to learn how to code hamburger menus, dropdown menus, and parallax scrolling.
Inspiring site of the week: Brooks England
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 project, I am planning on focusing on a hardcore band I enjoy called Knocked Loose. For content, I plan to give a brief overview of the band, their singles and demos, their first EP Pop Culture and their two studio albums Laugh Tracks and A Different Shade of Blue. Each page will be unique in content and photography, while staying cohesive in layout in the album-related pages. I plan to use a black, white, and blue color palette, bold typography, and gritty black and white concert photos to give the feeling of the band and recall thhe palette of their newest album, A Different Shade of Blue.
Inspiring site of the week: AniChart
Week Three
Prompt:Who would love to use my Project 1 site?
Response:
Myself and other fans of Knocked Loose. Perhaps fans of other hardcore bands and fans of adjacent genres who are curious about hardcore (ex. Knocked Loose has become popular with fans of modern pop punk).
Inspiring site of the week: AloneWithMe.Ai
Week Four
Prompt: Considering the articles you read, make a list of 5 things to keep you going when you feel resistance or discomfort.
Response:
When I feel resistances in general, I remember that I need to get past them to complete my tasks. When it comes to stress, I
constantly remember my public speaking instructor explaining the importance of stress in our lives and how it is what keeps us productive. However, too
much stress is unhealthy and hinders productivity, so I force myself to take short breaks when I need them. If I feel like one task is taking up too much
of my brainpower, I create checklists to ensure that I don't forget my other tasks. If I find myself stumped on something, I will try to talk my way through
the issue myself, and then discuss the issue with others if I can not get around it alone.
Inspiring site of the week: Tiger Tells
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:
See Basecamp
Inspiring site of the week: n/a
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 design.
Response:
I chose to focus my rebrand on Pietro's Pizza, as I feel many aspects of the website feel dated
and many of the images are extremely low res. There are also issues with photos linked to nonexistent pages and photos that "open up" when clicked on for no reason.
The existing branding is also not great, and I had rebranded them in my Studio 5 class. Utilizing this branding, I will create a more minimal and easy-to-navigate website and
customer experience.
Inspiring site of the week: ǍCROŇYMř
Week Seven
Prompt: none
Response: n/a
Week Eight
Prompt: What are my thoughts on mobile first vs desktop first?
Response: While prevously I tended to enjoy desktop first, then mobile last, this article has changed my mind. The concept of progressive advancement in particular was the most compelling, as instead of deciding what funtions to remove, you are instead adding function as you move up in size. While I hhave no problem with my former "graceful degradation" viewpoint, I'd rather move in a progressive direction than regress as I work.
Inspiring site of the week: enfin leve
Week Nine
Prompt: Spend some time thinking about why you are pursuing a career in design. Really dig down, do the 7 "whys" tool in the article. OR If that's too challenging right now, consider people in your life or people who've inspired you. Think about what drives them, what their "why" is.
Response: I'd say that my why is because of my passion for design. And the reason I am passionate for design is because I've always been fascinated in creativity since I was a child and love the organization and communication aspects of design. Additionally, I love the variety of outlets and mediums and clients that the design field can encapsulate, as variety has always kept me engaged in my life.
Inspiring site of the week: Jojo Portal
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: