Amyj810's Blog
Just another WordPress.com weblogProject two: learning something new, but making me blue.
Ok, I will say it. I knew that there were parts of designing a website that were not going to be, well let’s just say “fun”. For project two, the major element of the project(for me, I should say) is about the coding of html and css, something I have no experience with previous to the day we began talking about it in class.
I began the project a few weeks ago as I prepared the proposal. In my proposal, I decided I would be making it a sort of personal resume and I chose to hand code html and css. Understanding that this would be a great tool for potential employers or for future projects both personally and professionally, I really was tied to the idea of utilizing Maeda’s concept of simplicity to best communicate that message to the visitors of my future site.
With my “simple” design sketch in tow and a few classes and research on coding, I have begun the process of creating the site with coding. I am finding that the concept is much less difficult than I anticipated, it is the execution that is tough. The coding is a sort of language, that like any other language, takes time and constant practice to learn and sustain. While I understand the lesson in the practice of coding and I know it will be a valued source of knowledge, there is a large part of me that hopes I will never have to practice this language again. In saying that, I recognize it is the difficult part of the process that will make the reward so much sweeter. I look forward to seeing the results.
Making design simple-it’s harder than you think.
As I navigate through this design course, I realize more and more how complicated simplicity can be. When I began reading “The Laws of Simplicity” I was captured by Maeda’s ability to truly reflect the simplicity he hopes to incite in his readers. I am finding that in most things as human beings, we struggle with complications and spend so much time and energy trying to make it simpler, that we inevitably make it more complicated.
Related to web design, Maeda and my other research and experiences remind me that there is such power in simplicity, but ironically, it does not come easy. There is so much to think about and plan in creating that perfect simplicity that makes a website great. I think that it begins with a vision that is planned and executed, it is sustained with practice and skill and it ends with product that communicates the intended message effectively and as universally as possible.
While so many websites have different purposes and set out to communicate many different messages, I am learning it is important to focus on the message only of the one you are creating and keep that constant throughout the design process. Starting with a clear goal and making smaller goals that you constantly assess throughout the process. It can be easy to get caught up on the process of designing and as it truly is a complicated process that we are looking to make simple, it is important to stay the course.
The benefits of a simple design will show themselves in the result and they will come in many forms. While things like faster load time, clearer information and easier navigation are all goals we look to attain as web designers, in the end, it is our dedication to simplicity that will give us the power to create a great design.
Sunglasses please, my future technology toolkit is looking bright.
- we all have to start somewhere…
Seeing as my first experience with computers was when my grade school contracted out a man with a school bus full of computers (true story) to teach us typing 101 and Carmen San Diego, you may tune into the fact that I was not born into the computer era, it has slowly developed throughout my lifetime. By the time I got to college, the web was becoming more visible and accessible and the new hot thing was emailing. And we are talking no perks email, just the Oregon trail like black screen complimented with the basic green text. Both technology and time have moved a little faster than I can keep up with, but my present technological took kit is much better than my past and I am always working to see it gets more and more expansive.
I am an avid user of the web for personal interests and I am currently on a team at work to update our professional technological knowledge, however, my most important contributions to my technology tool kit have come in my education in the NMS program. In the two design courses I took, I was able to work with Photoshop and Illustrator. Unfortunately, if you do not use them frequently for your work or a hobby, it is like learning a language, your memory doesn’t serve you well without that continuous practice.
...my future toolkit.
technically web saavy? …emmm not so much(yet). But we can talk about my social media footprints. Babysteps…
Ok, I admit it, my web footprint pretty much consists of my membership to social media sites. Even in saying that, I am finding out that I could be missing out on so many and some that may be amongst the best. Or, as it goes on the web, what’s in and what’s out are constantly changing as the market changes and grows.
Deciding to share information in the public domain requires a lot of foresight and thought, as I know it can be shared and scrutinized by anyone, which means thinking hard about my personal brand and the longevity of it’s existence on the web. Also, I must think about the genres I am trying to reach, and with that will come different purposes that will ultimately affect the design. Family, friendships, business or professional relationships, leisure and personal relationships are many of the different purposes for web sharing, and they all will shape my web identity.
Currently, I am a member of Facebook, Linkedin, Flixter, Plaxo, Classmates.com, Bebo and Hulu. Even in saying that, I may be signed up, but don’t frequently use all of them, for various reasons. I do, however, cross over into all of the relationships I mentioned previously within those social media sites, so I think very carefully about what I am sharing and where I am sharing it.
In hopes to keep up and make a larger footprint with the best of the sites out there, I am reading up on and researching where I would like to leave a trace. Through the class, I have now joined Delicious and WordPress.
Check out the link to the ratings and criteria to the top 10 social networking sites by Top 10 Reviews. Off to join PollDaddy so next time I can poll everyone.
NMS 520: Thoughts on my journey through learning web design…and everything I never knew, I never knew.
Welcome! In my last class in my second master’s program I have saved my most challenging for last(hopefully in line with the cliche). As my educational and professional experiences are in much different fields than technology, I began my second Master’s to start to off-set my lack of knowledge in what I consider one of the most important places to have knowledge, new media. In the midst of the program, I realized it was a little too design oriented for where I wanted to go, but as I was still interested in learning basics in new media and technology, I switched from the NMS program, to the Interdisciplinary Studies Program. This allowed me to tailor my degree to classes in different fields that I chose.
It has been 2 years since I have taken a design class and my first experience with creating websites. In just two classes I am learning about how much I don’t know! This blog is my journey through learning web design…and so much more. Not only will I explore technical aspects of design in new media, but I will also apply that knowledge to my professional and personal life in establishing my own web footprint. In the end, I hope to have the knowledge and skills that will allow me to have the control and creativity to create a web footprint that will enhance and foster relationships, open new doors and create professional opportunities.
