XTRA CREDIT

Project 1 can be resubmitted for extra credit.  Based on the critique we gave you on your project, make changes/improvements and submit the revised project for up to 20 points of extra credit.  The last day to resubmit Project 1 is Thursday, March 13th.

Week 7 Reading

While reading the "Top 10 Web Design Mistakes,"  pay special attention to mistake #'s 1, 3, 4, and 10.  This will help you with the design of your homepage for project #2.  Don't worry about the information for meta tags, frames, and scrolling text.  We won't be addressing that in our class.

When you make your webpick this week, look for websites that use text in creative ways.  You may want to include poetry you've written, background information, or a description (keep it brief and see #4 from the reading) on your homepage.  This should not look like a myspace page, but give a good description of who you are, using web design tools we've read about and discussed in class.

Week 6 Reading

The good, the bad, and the ugly.  This is a quick read to give you some hints as to what you should avoid when designing your website.  Some you have read before, but there are some nice examples that you may not have seen as well.

Week 5 Reading

This week's reading shows further examples of the principles of design. It is a simpler version of what you read last week, with illustrations, from a Cornell University site. In your response to the reading, look around the web for an example of one of the design principles mentioned in the reading. You can choose a website or just an image you like. Explain why this design principle works and how it affects the function of the piece (website or image). See the last blurb on the first page of the website (where the author is addressing proportion and Michaelangelo's David) for an example. The author explains how Michaelangelo adjusts proportion of the human form to make statements about David's character. Understanding these principles will help when you are designing your website. Not only will you design more visually appealing sites, but you will have the tools you need to communicate more effectively.

Just read until you reach the last design principle (unity).  There is a nice article about Creativity and the Design Process that follows, but you don't have to read that for our class.

REMINDER

Your webpick for the week is due Wednesday, before midnight, on your personal blog. This will be the last reminder I give during our semester. Every week, you will find a website that you find interesting and post it on your blog. Just write a few sentences describing why you like the site and relate it in some way to the reading material you were assigned. Example: Our reading focuses on the principles of design this week, so look for examples of balance, symmetry, unity, repetition, scale, contrast, etc. in a website of your choice. Point out the principle of design you notice that the web designer used and why you thought it was effective.

Week 4 Reading

The Principles of Design

Webpicks

Communication Arts is a nice online magazine to check out, if you are having trouble finding interesting websites to review. They offer a "webpick of the day," as well as information about jobs, competitions, conferences, etc.

Week 3 Reading

Form vs. Function: Finding the Balance

After reading the text, navigate through the website you posted on your personal blog and see how it measures up against the suggestions made by Nick Finck. Does it strike a balance between form and function or is it dominated by one or the other? Back up your opinion with clear examples.