Web Session 1

Today's session we wont actually be using Dreamweaver, instead we will be discussing web design and analysing different existing websites of other designers.

There are 3 main principles to a designers website.

1. purpose of website

2. purpose target audience

3. the audience needs

Purpose:-

- showcase your work

- to get more work - employment/freelance

Target Audience:-

- corporate clients

- design studio

- events/exhibitions

- independent buyers

- collaborators

- awards

- like minded people (students/studios/designers)

Audience Needs (aim at them - high end studios needs high end approach)

- work/examples

- contact details

- ask them what they want to see

- look at similar websites that exist

- ask them whats wrong with your own work

Scams:-

- sketches of ideas and designs before digitally creating the website

- quicker than making the actually website straight away

- doesn't waste your time

- easy to show your ideas to clients

- good for site mapping

- ask clients for similar sites they like to help you with your designs

Web standards:-

- rules

-some need to be bent

- scroll vertically - horizontally isn't conventional and mostly ineffective

- some rules never should be bent

Average web user spends 3.5 seconds on a webpage before leaving it.

Analysing websites.

We looked at a few websites and wrote down the first words that came to mind and what affect that has on the website and its audience.

http://www.apple.com/

apple

boring

busy

expensive

holiday

clear

http://2009.legworkstudio.com/

scruffy

original

child like

distracting

strange navigation bar

http://www.myownbike.de/

simple

modern

bikes

boring

european

clear

minimal

crisp

http://slaveryfootprint.org/

colourful

google

minimal

different navigation to a standard site

http://ollymoss.com/

is that it?

whats it about?

http://vickiandlaura.co.uk/

confusing

image spoils the homepage.

- keep the amount of web links to about 5

- avoid animation

- think of words that come to mind when looking at websites, then analyse why they come to mind

- 99.9% of sites scroll vertically

- litebox viewing things over the screen

searching for sites

http://www.awwwards.com/

grades websites on different categories

sites that scroll horizontally

http://www.heredesign.co.uk/

http://www.madebyanalogue.co.uk/

- pinball

- full

- not much use of space

http://iamgaz.co.uk/

- good presentation

- not too busy

Navigation should never move - it should always remain present on the screen for the convenience of the user


Pages for website


- home
- work
- about
- contact
- networking


networking - twitter//blog//facebook - what do they say about you


home - something to catch peoples eye - not too much - something that shows you off really well - about + contact on the homepage possibly?

Task for next web session.

design
- technical drawings of specifications
- scamps
- site maps
- get people to grade it

bring as many ideas and designs as possible - bend the rues - be creative - see if its feasible

layout that we will make in the next session.

Websafe fonts - font families (never use just one font)

keep copy as font because it's searchable via Google or any other search engine

images are not specifically

colouring text - hex decimal codes #code

http://kuler.adobe.com/#themes/rating?time=30

colour matching sight for web

size 800 x 600 is the most universal size

bigger could be used for a projector

going live

- need a domain name - example www.cpjc.co.uk

- hosting - look for a cheap deal - unlimited bandwidth

- FTP - file transfer protocol

- try and avoid hyphens

http://www.one.com/en/

http://www.123-reg.co.uk/

- smallest package

- website should be less than 5mb

- don't get extras you wont need them.

PPD Task 2 - Group Tutorial Prep

What is Industrial experience?

1. Working for commercial production.

2. Studio Visits and meeting/ interviews.

3. Organising/ attending art/ design/ networking events.

4. Freelance work and collaboration.

5. Design competitions and live briefs.

What can you learn from industrial experience?

1. Markets and marketing strategy.

2. Technology and the advancement of online and screen based media.

3. Designers, their interests and methods of working.

4. Do's and don'ts of the design world.

5. How to be more professional in your own practice and weather or not you want to become a freelance designer or part of an established agency.

What form/format could industrial experience take?

1. Working for a design agency or studio.

2. Visiting studios.

3. Contacting/ interviewing industry professionals.

4. Design competitions.

5. Networking and showcasing events.

What areas of industry are you interested in?

1. Print, print finishes and bespoke printing.

2. Branding and identity.

3. Retail, clothing in particular and the interactive environment of retail.

4. Web design but not so much the coding and building of a website but the content.

5. Social media.

What are your concerns about industrial experience?

1. Finding it.

2. Finding the right experience (although all experience is good for you I want to be involved in the right stuff for me.

3. The standards of work they expect and whether I can meet them and exceed them.

4. Up keeping the networking side of being a professional.

5. Standing out against the rest of the creatives out there.