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:
I really want to be able to build a decent portfolio website eventually. So far, I really like this class because it reminds me of algebra, which I also enjoyed. I hope to be able to build a good looking website, and be able to explore the possibilities coding has.
Inspiring site of the week: OMFGCO studio website
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 Project One I’m planning on doing a website about the Jonas Brothers. I want to focus on the before and after of the Jonas Brothers breakup, and what they did while they were working separately. I also want to include some fun information about their favorite colors, songs, what instruments they play, etc. Each page will be unique because of the photos of the members, which I’m hoping I can do a cool transition hover effect where it changes from a photo of them before to a photo of them now. I’ll also use color to differentiate between the four brothers (fun fact: there is actually a fourth, youngest brother who isn’t a part of the band).
I’ll have to look closer at Jonas Brothers album art and over aesthetic, but when I think of my design, I imagine a black background contrasted with these really bright, youthful colors. I want the type to be fun as well, with some cool halftone effects on images that might help unify the images of the Jonas’s I find on the internet.
Inspiring site of the week: Soft Murmur
Week Three
Prompt:
This weeks journal prompt, I want you to clearly imagine one user who'll love to use your Project 1 website. This user could be you, it could be someone similar to you, it could be someone completely opposite from you, it could even be a non-human animal or an alien or an amoeba. You get to choose. Really imagine what they are like in their mind. What do they spend their time on? what are their hobbies, clothes, music, favorite foods, books, tv. what's their personality like. Once you've imagined this person. write about them. just a paragraph, three to five sentences. try to have fun with it.Response:
I imagine the person using this site is from the blissful times of 2019. There is the possibility of snow still in early March, but the news that the Jonas Brothers are reuniting has quelled climate change anxiety for the time being. But what have the brothers been up to, the OG Jonas fangirl might be wondering? And where can I get photos of all the recently released reunion photoshoots? That's what this site provides, a safe haven for the renewed but never not Jonas Brother fangirl.Inspiring site of the week: Instrument Website
Week Four
Prompt: Read this short article Learning is Supposed to Feel Uncomfortable and this one on resistance The Neuroscience of Resistance. Considering these articles, make a list of 5 things to keep you going when you feel resistance or discomfort.
Response:
When I experience resistance or dicomfort I:- Feel depressed
- Procrastinate because I'm afraid of starting something I know isn't going to be perfect
- Feel anxious about how others think about me
- Often compare myself to others who seem to be doing better
- Think negatively about myself
Inspiring site of the week: Street Dog Hero
I really like the main page of this site, where it shows the number of dogs saved, and then you click to enter the site.
Week Six
Prompt: Why 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 about them? How will you improve things in your own design?
Response:
I chose to redesign a local Italian food cart turned brick and mortar called LoveVerona. I used to go there all the time during normal times, and I actually talked to the owner a few times. I remember when it was just the food cart, he talked to me about wanting to open up a restaurant. So when I checked on their website and saw that he had done it (they have a location in St. John’s now), and also saw their website wasn’t that great, I knew I wanted to do a redesign for this eatery I love so much.
I’m going to make the design better by consolidating information. Right now, it’s almost like there’s a different website for each location. I’m also going to simplify the color palette, right now there is A LOT of pink. I’m also going to improve their menu by putting it into a single PDF vs the scrolling menu it is now that has poor quality images. Instead, I’m going to use found images of similar if not the same menu items and create a carousel for the home page.
I’m basing my design on the GRASSA website. It’s very clean and simple, which makes finding information about the menu, locations, and online delivery easier. This is also the content I want to focus on since LoveVerona only has two locations and is very delivery/pickup based.
I also took a look at the Grilled Cheese Grill. This is a direction I want to avoid as the pathways seem broken to me. Clicking on the logo doesn’t take you to the landing page, so I want to make sure that is a part of my design.
Inspiring site of the week: Grassa PDX
Week Eight
Prompt: Read this article on mobile-first design and share your thoughts on mobile-first vs desktop first. Medium Article: What is mobile first design?
Response:
This article definitely helped me understand why it’s important to start designing mobile first. Any design that is an afterthought is always bad, and it’s not something you want people to think of when they look at your design. I’ve had a professor tell me that a part of my design seems like an afterthought, and it did not feel good.
I guess what I’m struggling with currently is how to transition to desktop design once you finish mobile. I need to watch more tutorials on this, but so far, that is my biggest hurdle when it comes to mobile first design.
Inspiring site of the week: Dennis Krawec Portfolio Site
Week Nine
Prompt: Why do I want to pursue a career in design?
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:
I want a well-paying job, so I can make more money, so I can eventually live by myself and have a yard for my dog Stella, so I can get her a sibling, and look like I have my life together and like an adult, so maybe I’ll feel more put together and more adult.
In many ways, I still feel like a high-schooler despite being 24. I’m still young, but the insecurities of a 16 year old haunt me. I wonder if having money to afford a nice home, nice makeup and skincare, nice clothes, would make me feel and look more adult and therefore more confident in who I am.
My only hurdle is that I’m not confident in my abilities as a designer. Even when I’m told my designs are good, I still compare myself to others and know they’re not. This brings me into a pit of hopelessness that makes it hard to improve and succeed. Maybe I need a stronger why? I really hate worrying about paying my bills every month, and not having a yard for my dog, so I feel like that’s already a pretty strong why.
I’m not sure. I’m in a really miserable and insecure place right now, so this exercise was difficult for me. I would look at other people for inspiration, but I feel like that would just make me feel worse about myself. I think I need to work more on myself to make me believe I can make my “why” really happen.
Inspiring site of the week: Grove Lust Portfolio Site