In class today we discussed a variety of tools found online that we can use for styling and creating an overall look and appeal for our websites.
Another couple sites that we didn't discuss but that I am sure many of you know about are colorlovers.com, which has a wide range of handpicked colour schemes, as you may have guessed, and font-squirrel, which has a ton of fonts that are absolutely awesome. I highly recommend it!
We also talked a lot today about social media. I know a lot of my friends who have already graduated from artsy programs often use Facebook pages and twitter accounts in order to brand themselves on a broader level. I think this seems like a really great thing to do especially because it targets people who are already friends and acquaintances that may not know exactly what you are capable of. What is also nifty about this is that friends of friends are able to see your work also, which could lead to a job. Another point is that it's a lot easier to take a quick look at something on Facebook when you are already there than to actually go out of your way to check out a portfolio.
Right now I just have a portfolio but I am definitely planning on at least creating a Facebook page in order to make a more rounded blog.
What do you guys think? Do you use multiple sites to promote yourself? Maybe a few of you have multiple accounts, one for personal use and one to portray a more business centred version of yourself. How many are you using?
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Playin' Catch Up
Not too sure if this will count or not but I noticed that I missed a blog post and I had more to say for this week so I figured I would leave one!
Ive been working on the right layout for my website this week and as everyone knows, layout is a pretty big deal in determining the overall look and feel of the site. Whether it be two columns, one column, full of widgets of plain and crisp, it definitely has an affect.
Since I am doing a responsive site, I have the opportunity to play around with different column widths in every stage. I think one column is more than enough when using a smartphone, even with the crazy oversized phablets(phone + tablets) that we have today. But is three or more ever a good decision? I am thinking of going up to three on the widest settings, which would be more for a tv, and leaving it to less on the computer. I actually very much like the look of one on all sizes as well. It just looks cleaner, and that may be what I need to keep my antique website from looking too cluttered or junky.
What about you folks? What is your preferred layout, and how do you feel about multiple columns?
Ive been working on the right layout for my website this week and as everyone knows, layout is a pretty big deal in determining the overall look and feel of the site. Whether it be two columns, one column, full of widgets of plain and crisp, it definitely has an affect.
Since I am doing a responsive site, I have the opportunity to play around with different column widths in every stage. I think one column is more than enough when using a smartphone, even with the crazy oversized phablets(phone + tablets) that we have today. But is three or more ever a good decision? I am thinking of going up to three on the widest settings, which would be more for a tv, and leaving it to less on the computer. I actually very much like the look of one on all sizes as well. It just looks cleaner, and that may be what I need to keep my antique website from looking too cluttered or junky.
What about you folks? What is your preferred layout, and how do you feel about multiple columns?
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
CSS! CSS! CSS!
Well you can probably guess that CSS is my absolute favourite part of web design. I think that it is because I not only feel in control, able to change every little detail with only a few basic codes, but I also actually know what I am doing and I can try out new tricks from the W3schools. Fun, fun, fun. It's pretty neat how you think that you forgot something and then as soon as you get at it again it all comes flooding back.
On another note, I will be gathering and adding content over the course of the week to start bringing everything together and to start creating an overall feel for my site. I know that it's frowned upon to add cheesy music, and I am determined to find a way to create a nostalgic mood without adding too much clutter and styling that isn't user friendly.
I am wishing everyone a surprising ease and a job well done! I know it will work out to everyones benefit!
On another note, I will be gathering and adding content over the course of the week to start bringing everything together and to start creating an overall feel for my site. I know that it's frowned upon to add cheesy music, and I am determined to find a way to create a nostalgic mood without adding too much clutter and styling that isn't user friendly.
I am wishing everyone a surprising ease and a job well done! I know it will work out to everyones benefit!
"Effort only fully releases its reward after a person refuses to quit."
Napoleon Hill
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Themes, themes, themes.
I found todays' class to be really cool! I didn't actually know that there was so many amazing themes out there (free no less!) that I could easily add to my wordpress and make my own. I mean sure, I knew that making child themes was a viable option, but I didn't know how easy it would be to actually start with a theme that is much closer to the end goal of my website.
Last year when we made the sites, we just had to use the 2012 theme, which was definitely beneficial as it actually helped us learn how to change the style of the website completely through a child theme. It was a challenge at times, as coding always seems to be but I can say that I did really learn a lot from that project. Considering that the 2012 theme was nothing like the theme that I actually wanted, it helped me to really learn a lot more about how a style page can be used to completely transform the look and feel of a site.
With this new way of doing things, I feel like I am leaps and bounds ahead of the game in that I don't need to make the site responsive on my own, or create multiple layers, as it has already been done for me.
I am wondering however if we will be doing a child theme as there are still some elements of the design that I do wish to change. For example, I would like to see my logo on the right side instead of the left, overlapping my navigation bar, and I would also like to see some different texts inputted and my chosen colour scheme. At this point the only way that I know how to do this would be a child theme that adds the styling that I want to overwrite some of the styling that they have put in place. Is this the only way? Either way I am excited to relearn that so that I can really get going on this project.
Choosing a theme definitely got me excited and pushed me in the right direction.
Last year when we made the sites, we just had to use the 2012 theme, which was definitely beneficial as it actually helped us learn how to change the style of the website completely through a child theme. It was a challenge at times, as coding always seems to be but I can say that I did really learn a lot from that project. Considering that the 2012 theme was nothing like the theme that I actually wanted, it helped me to really learn a lot more about how a style page can be used to completely transform the look and feel of a site.
With this new way of doing things, I feel like I am leaps and bounds ahead of the game in that I don't need to make the site responsive on my own, or create multiple layers, as it has already been done for me.
I am wondering however if we will be doing a child theme as there are still some elements of the design that I do wish to change. For example, I would like to see my logo on the right side instead of the left, overlapping my navigation bar, and I would also like to see some different texts inputted and my chosen colour scheme. At this point the only way that I know how to do this would be a child theme that adds the styling that I want to overwrite some of the styling that they have put in place. Is this the only way? Either way I am excited to relearn that so that I can really get going on this project.
Choosing a theme definitely got me excited and pushed me in the right direction.
Monday, October 14, 2013
Mockups
I've been considering the layout style that I should do for this project and I am coming to the conclusion that for the most part, layouts are nearly exactly the same, and it seems they have to be if you want there to be a strong amount of usability for the viewer. Even the navigation bar seems to be the same, positioned neatly at the top below the main image or logo, reading left to right. At this point I'm sticking with this easy to use design, allowing the creativity to come through in the colours and genre of the site.
I am curious though.. Has anyone ever come across an unusual layout on a website that they think works particularly well? What about the navigation bar along the side or just any differences at all. What worked and what didn't?
I am curious though.. Has anyone ever come across an unusual layout on a website that they think works particularly well? What about the navigation bar along the side or just any differences at all. What worked and what didn't?
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