As I sat down to think about what kind of content I wanted to include in my site, I was thinking about how I wanted it laid out. I decided to go with the classic white with a black and white gradient. I wanted to you a very simple graphic for my logo, and navigation bar. I choose Yellow, blue, and purple to be the colors I used throughout the site. I also wanted to include a contact form, which I incorporated my PHP knowledge to make it a working form. I wanted to include a little animation so I did a little flash project for my Photos to be shown. I like to design simple, yet classy. I don’t like to over do it with up in your face graphics or animations. I also wanted to keep the navigation links as minimal as possible to help keep the end users from getting to confused or overwhelmed with choices.

Competition is always a good thing no matter what market you are in. I think that people who choose to use Flash should get the same respect as someone who uses HTML5. I don’t know that it really matters to the people who use the website in the long run as long as it works and does not take a long time to load. In the grand scheme of things does it really matter if it is Flash or HTML5? I really don’t think so because five to ten years from now they will both be extinct and long forgotten. Technology has ways of forgetting about the past technology. But, really is there any reason to remember it when there is better technology out there that is quicker, and easier to use? The reality of a web designer much like other professions, we need to continually be increasing our knowledge and skills. The key to success in this field is our ability to learn new techniques and not be afraid to let go of what we know. I have a hard sometime with being able to try something new but I always find myself liking the new stuff once I get go it and get it done.

Some web standards are set to make the web accessable to people with disabilities. The use of ALT tags helps the visually impaired to view the site through hearing.  Web standards also refer to the quality of the code. For example the Doctype, Character set, Valid (X)HTML, or Valid CSS.  characteristics of Web pages with web standards are ones in which use alt tags, sufficient color brightness/ contrasts. Site also need to include a site map. Site maps can help in navigation of the site or to help someone understand the layout of the site and be able to find things a lot easier. Another way some one can use web standards is to have a site that is easily view from any size of screen, or any media source without losing its integrity. Another web standard is a user-friendly URL. Have you ever tried to go  to a company’s website and not be able to type it correctly because it is to long or has  a crazy spelling. I have and it is frustrating to say the least maybe that could be why it is a web standard? Another standard that is good to follow is the use of a favicon with the invention of tabs for browsers this one is important. I know when I am busy and have so many tabs open in my browser it is easier to look for a picture rather than look for a word.

When I started the process I looked at the name and also what they did. As I was thinking about different themes, looks, and feels I started to imagine it in my head. I need to come up with a logo that would fit this company, and serve well in different types of media. I looked at how it would print, display in a web page, and also could I use it to base a scheme of a website off of it.

Then when I started to process the ideas for the web design in my head. I need navigation links, content, a form, and some general information about the company. I need to design a site that could accommodate a beginning user all the way through an advanced user. Something that would be easy to navigate, and would not take too long to get to where you are going. I also wanted it to be appealing to the eyes and easy to read and follow.

I then need to create a CSS to attach to it. I need to decide how many sections I was going to need,  how many I want those sections to look, and layout on the page. At this point is where I start to come up with the colors I want to use, the font I would like to use, and the format. I create a template so I can use it for all of the pages in my site so they all look the same except with different content.

I found the article How we really use the Web, very interesting. As I was reading this article I put myself as both the user and the designer.  reflection on how I personally use the internet I find myself  “muddling” through websites hoping to find what I am looking for the first time. While at times I get lucky most of the time I have to hit the back arrow and try again many times over and over again. After a few tries I will just leave the site and try another one. The comment about we use the web like a shark is somewhat true. If I don’t find what I am looking for I will just move on.

On the other hand as a designer I tend to think my  design is perfect and no need to improve or change it. While at the same time I am shocked when in the testing stage when a user does not get it or is too confusing. I do however enjoy the testing stage of the process, the user feedback you can get from the testing is very important and can be used beyond the current project you are working on.

One of the common elements of web design I found while reading some blogs is to sit down and plan out your site on paper first. By doing this I can get all of my ideas that are flowing through my head written down. Once they are on paper I can organize them more easily, and waste much less time creating and then recreating. Another important process is to keep the client informed, and a up-to-date as you can. By doing this they can see the progress and suggest changes, challenges, or problems they might see with the end result before you get to far into the project. This is important as well so you know what the client is looking for and what kind of audience they are going to have.

My current design process has been to just sit down in front of the computer and start designing and coding. This approach has often times lead me to be frustrated, confuse, and want to quit. After reading the articles I will change that approach in design web sites. I will utilize pen and paper to sketch out my designs on paper first. I will also start sketching out site maps before I just set down and design. This will help me to streamline my process and help me to be more efficient.

As I was reading the articles some things stuck out in my mind. I never thought of nature having the perfect blend of colors but it is true. If you need color inspiration just spend some time out in nature and there you go a perfect color scheme. I often find web pages that are distracting, I think it is due to their color scheme. As a designer it is difficult to curb your creativity but you must! Colors that are not contrasting enough or are very close to one another are not easy to read or can be distracting. When I design I try to remember that a large number of men are red green color blind and the use of green and red is hard for them to contrast.

Some import features of all website are a consistent layout and theme. These are important so the user can predict how your site is going to work and not confuse them. I don’t like using sites I get lost in because of the inconsistent use of design or style. I get bored, frustrated and annoyed. So why would I want to continue to use the site.  This is why it is really important to design with all of your pages in mind, so it will work no matter what you are going to put on any given page.

Photo tampering can be used in a good way or a bad way. I think it is very unethical to alter a picture enough that you totally have a different body, or a different head and sell it as the actual person, or for commercial use. Although there is a fine line their, the use of altered pictures do have a place in the printed media. I think it needs to be clearly stated that the image has been altered. Alteration to photo can be a good thing, say take a blemish out, or improve the quality of the picture.  Say you want a family picture but one of you are missing and their is no way that person can get together at the same time as the rest of the family it is nice that you can photo shop the person in. I personally use photo shop to add effects, and enhance my personal photos. I like to change the background and apply different shadows and have cropped people in and out of photos for my personal use.

The assignment was to look at some site and try to identify what might have inspired the site design.

www.mcclanahanstudio.com – It has a Gothic type of feel to the page, with the choice of background image and the overall look to the page.

www.wakestock.ae – Has the Lo-Fi Grunge look. It was some in your face graphics while at the same time it has a grunge laid-back feel to the site.

www.myfavoritething.it/about – Has the Mondrian Poster inspiration all though not completely, the format of the page has the very uncluttered and very easy to navigate. However, it does lack the color to be truly considered a Mondrian Poster style.

www.teamfannypack.com/sillypoems – The name kind of all most tells you what you are going to find style wise on this site. It definitely has the SuperTiny SimCity look and feel to it. It has the pixellated graphics, and cute charming little graphics.

http://www.culibrk.cz/ – This site has the Paper Bag style denoted by the hand sketch look I like the nice effect it has.

Creating a fake HDR image was pretty fun. I enjoyed playing with my image in the lab color. The curves tool was pretty intersting too. I choose to try it on a landscape picture with out a person and it improve the quailty of my photo a ton. I also tried it out on a portiat I shot of my nephew and it really does make them look like that are right there the colors are great and the picture looks really good. I also played with the hue tools on different picture all together and I inverted the colors and it gave it a really cool effect.