The other day Ashley showed me a bbc article on how the technology will effect the everyday home and I have to say I was very surprised. The video shows us how Microsoft technology will change a normal house.
Having seen this it just makes me wonder what else the future has in store for us? is it really necessary for us to has all this technology? We have been able to live without it but it seems now that the world has to evolve around technology. It also makes me wonder how far technology will go. I feel that our society are getting too dependant on technology.
Friday 15 May 2009
Thursday 14 May 2009
Client Project - Presentation
Today we had to present our work to the other groups to show our progress in our projects. After hearing and looking at other groups projects I am quite cofident that we are making good progress.
I felt that we are at the same level with the majority of the other groups; having finalised our designs we are at the stage of starting to create our HTML design. It was agreed that I created the presentation because Jacqui was creating the CSS template which is a big job. I kept to the theme our final site design throughout the presentation (See images below)
As our group have created a vast amount of designs I thought that I would go one step further by designing a simple handout. This included information that I thought was important for the other groups to see but I did not want to create a long presentation. Within this handout I included the designs from all different stages of our project (start to final designs) evidence of emails to the client, different examples of websites that we have researched and shots of what the site initially looks like.
Having done this presentation made me see that our group have worked really well, over the next two weeks we plan to complete the site so hopefully Shaun can launch the new site.
I felt that we are at the same level with the majority of the other groups; having finalised our designs we are at the stage of starting to create our HTML design. It was agreed that I created the presentation because Jacqui was creating the CSS template which is a big job. I kept to the theme our final site design throughout the presentation (See images below)
As our group have created a vast amount of designs I thought that I would go one step further by designing a simple handout. This included information that I thought was important for the other groups to see but I did not want to create a long presentation. Within this handout I included the designs from all different stages of our project (start to final designs) evidence of emails to the client, different examples of websites that we have researched and shots of what the site initially looks like.
Having done this presentation made me see that our group have worked really well, over the next two weeks we plan to complete the site so hopefully Shaun can launch the new site.
Tuesday 12 May 2009
Client Project - final designs (hopefully)
More design updates. Our group joined together on Thursday to see what ideas we created after our previous, that we would work along the design idea of Vikesh's designs (see previous blogs) As you can see in my older blog posts I created some designs that kept to the design theme that Vikesh created but also to the criteria that Paul ask for.
Home Page
We managed to get some positive feedback from Shaun and suggested that we should pursue the design ideas that Vikesh created above, I was pleased with this outcome because I really like this design layout however Shaun wanted a 'messier' background, get a more arty effect. Luckily an artist managed to snap up some images on the old flooring in the old gallery, which was perfect.
Below is my attempt to recreate Vikesh's design but with the edits that Shaun suggested.
As you can see above I have only tweaked a few things i.e. the background, removed a few images and added a few more buttons. But I think that it really works well and fits into the art theme. Its a simple design and works well for a home page. The group prefer this as appose to the previous design. But we think that keeping the background the same would be ideal.
Artist menu page
I have created a different idea for the artists homepage, mainly sticking to the ideas that Paul suggested and this was having a poster theme. I had previously done a design like this but had to change it because it looked too full.
As you can see in the above image I have used a wall as a background but having seen the design layout from Jacqui's blog I thought that I would work with that layout. Rather then having all of the artists on one page we would section them off onto three separate pages, four artists to each page. The user would have to simply click on the chosen artist to view their personal profile page.
I like the look with the old Polaroids and paper however whether it would work to the chosen theme I am not so sure about.
Exhibition Page
Having looked at Jacqui's design I thought that I would try and work around the same theme but make it look simpler.
As you can see above all I have done is created a list of the artists who had an exhibition and when the user would click on their name it would show the exhibition advertisement. Its a simple idea and clearly shows user some info about the exhibitions however whether or not Paul will like this I am not sure about as it does not show much information.
A problem that has popped up that has got us thinking is the accessibility. We are unsure as to how to make the text tilt like our design yet still be able to be created in Dreamweaver. We don't want to change the design because we have recieved alot of positive feedback however we could maybe create it in flash but we need to think about what the users would need.
Home Page
We managed to get some positive feedback from Shaun and suggested that we should pursue the design ideas that Vikesh created above, I was pleased with this outcome because I really like this design layout however Shaun wanted a 'messier' background, get a more arty effect. Luckily an artist managed to snap up some images on the old flooring in the old gallery, which was perfect.
Below is my attempt to recreate Vikesh's design but with the edits that Shaun suggested.
As you can see above I have only tweaked a few things i.e. the background, removed a few images and added a few more buttons. But I think that it really works well and fits into the art theme. Its a simple design and works well for a home page. The group prefer this as appose to the previous design. But we think that keeping the background the same would be ideal.
Artist menu page
I have created a different idea for the artists homepage, mainly sticking to the ideas that Paul suggested and this was having a poster theme. I had previously done a design like this but had to change it because it looked too full.
As you can see in the above image I have used a wall as a background but having seen the design layout from Jacqui's blog I thought that I would work with that layout. Rather then having all of the artists on one page we would section them off onto three separate pages, four artists to each page. The user would have to simply click on the chosen artist to view their personal profile page.
I like the look with the old Polaroids and paper however whether it would work to the chosen theme I am not so sure about.
Exhibition Page
Having looked at Jacqui's design I thought that I would try and work around the same theme but make it look simpler.
As you can see above all I have done is created a list of the artists who had an exhibition and when the user would click on their name it would show the exhibition advertisement. Its a simple idea and clearly shows user some info about the exhibitions however whether or not Paul will like this I am not sure about as it does not show much information.
A problem that has popped up that has got us thinking is the accessibility. We are unsure as to how to make the text tilt like our design yet still be able to be created in Dreamweaver. We don't want to change the design because we have recieved alot of positive feedback however we could maybe create it in flash but we need to think about what the users would need.
Sunday 10 May 2009
Client Project - Hosting information
David Downes brought to our attention that we need to find out about our host for the Goldfactory site in case we need more memory. It turns out that we do not have to worry about. Shaun currently hosts the Goldfactory web hosting account and when I spoke to him about it after a lecture he said that he will continue to use it when we (hopefully) upload our new site.
Shaun uses 'DreamHost' as a web hosting account. I thought that I would browse through DreamHost to get an idea on what they have to offer as I need to buy a domain name for my own personal portfolio. I am unsure whether DreamHost is a good deal or not. They charge users $5.95 a month for a domain name, just over $70 for a year, however with this you get unlimited storage space + 50GB (the 50GB is backup space) MySQL 5 databases (unlimited), email accounts (unlimited) etc etc basically it gives you alot for its money.
DreamHost having being hosting clients since 1997 launched with only one server. They now own over 1500 servers and host over 800,000 sites. They continue to try and give users a good package, at a competitive price and keeping ahead of its competitors.
DreamHost I feel provides a good deal for someone who wants to create a large site or, like Shaun host a few different sites, but this is something that I don't need as I will only be hosting my own website for the time being.
I thought that I would take a look at other hosting sites to see if any interests me for my site:
123-reg.co.uk - can buy a name for £5.98 for 2 years
names.co.uk - can buy a 'starterhost' from £4.99
fasthosts.co.uk - can buy a name from £5.90
These are just a few of the main sites but I need to research into these and maybe get some advice as to which one I should go for. As for our client project? we're ok for that.
Client Project - Saso Kos site 'research'
I came across the 'Saso Kos' portfolio site when I was looking for inspiration for ideas for the client project. The reason why I like this is because of how focused they stay on the photography, the main piece of the site.
What I found different about this site was how there is very little text. The designers have specifically used just the imagery, some may think that its bit 'too in your face' but I think that it really brings out the tones, shadow/lighting and just the full effect of the photo itself.
They have put the navigation at the top of the page, but there are two separate menus. One allowing the user to select which album to view and the other to allow the user to change the navigation view. For example the user can select the 'full screen' mode and create a 'slide show' but still allowing the user move images.
They have gone for a black background but rather then going for the white text they have used purple.I feel that it works because having a black background can be very over powering however looking at this site I feel that it works well because of having the small tint of colour (purple) and having the main imagery at a larger size clearly overpowers the black.
A problem that could occur is that it is a flash based site and some users do not have the flash application. I feel that if they have a html version as well as a flash version then they would be reaching the needs to all users.
This site is a perfect example of how to present work, especially for designers. This is something that we should take into consideration for not only our group designs but for also my design work ideas for my personal portfolio as I am finding it hard to create one design that I am happy with.
Saturday 9 May 2009
Client Project - background ideas
Shaun said to our group to think about more background imagery for our final site and because the wood and brick theme was successful so I thought that I would play around with some different ideas to see what I effect I could achieve.
For the range of images above I was trying to create a messy art scene, I thought that having different textures, colours and shapes would make quite a good background. I tried experimenting with the settings on my camera to get warmer and cooler colour filters to see if it made any different impact. Out of the image I like how the green and the orange really stands out. I also added some ripped red card in to add colour; what I like about the red is that I did not use a large amount and so it does not draw the users attention away from the whole image.
I do wonder whether I could make the images messier i.e. paint sploges to really give out that 'arty' theme but I feel that I have a good idea with this so am going to experiment a bit more with the paper theme, however I feel that it looks a bit too packed and with the content added will it be draw the users attention away from the main art work? So when I work with this again I will add messy pieces but take some of the textures out (not so much paper)
When I created some previous designs I was already working with everyday surfaces like brick walls so whilst I had my camera out I thought that I would continue with this idea and snap some more surfaces. Above are a few examples of some surfaces, taking two separate images one close up and one further away. I took more images of bricks, mainly because they have some different colours and textures depending on how new or old they are. I would use this idea for the artist profile pages (a poster effect)
The next images are images of a garden fence and wood, again taking a close up image and a standard shot. I like the textures that show from each surface but like my previous images I think that I need to create a more arty effect. However I wanted to see what the design would look like so I added some images, and I think that it looks good. I added a slight shadow to give a 3D effect and I feel that this really brings out the images.
The final ideas shown here were some of my initial ideas that I thought of before our client meeting but, as we chose our ideas whilst in the client meeting I thought that they wouldn't be of any use. When Shaun said to come up with another theme for the site I immediately came up with the thought of using things that we see everyday i.e. plants, sky sunlight etc I feel that I should show these ideas because even though they will not be used they are still apart of the group work ideas.
I actually like the effect that has been created, I tried to merge the logo within the photo to make it look more interesting and think that it really works well however, this is not the root that client or our group has chosen so I just wanted to show some of my ideas.
I am going to try and create some design ideas with some of the images that I have here because I don't think that I can really get an impression from just the photo's alone.
For the range of images above I was trying to create a messy art scene, I thought that having different textures, colours and shapes would make quite a good background. I tried experimenting with the settings on my camera to get warmer and cooler colour filters to see if it made any different impact. Out of the image I like how the green and the orange really stands out. I also added some ripped red card in to add colour; what I like about the red is that I did not use a large amount and so it does not draw the users attention away from the whole image.
I do wonder whether I could make the images messier i.e. paint sploges to really give out that 'arty' theme but I feel that I have a good idea with this so am going to experiment a bit more with the paper theme, however I feel that it looks a bit too packed and with the content added will it be draw the users attention away from the main art work? So when I work with this again I will add messy pieces but take some of the textures out (not so much paper)
When I created some previous designs I was already working with everyday surfaces like brick walls so whilst I had my camera out I thought that I would continue with this idea and snap some more surfaces. Above are a few examples of some surfaces, taking two separate images one close up and one further away. I took more images of bricks, mainly because they have some different colours and textures depending on how new or old they are. I would use this idea for the artist profile pages (a poster effect)
The next images are images of a garden fence and wood, again taking a close up image and a standard shot. I like the textures that show from each surface but like my previous images I think that I need to create a more arty effect. However I wanted to see what the design would look like so I added some images, and I think that it looks good. I added a slight shadow to give a 3D effect and I feel that this really brings out the images.
The final ideas shown here were some of my initial ideas that I thought of before our client meeting but, as we chose our ideas whilst in the client meeting I thought that they wouldn't be of any use. When Shaun said to come up with another theme for the site I immediately came up with the thought of using things that we see everyday i.e. plants, sky sunlight etc I feel that I should show these ideas because even though they will not be used they are still apart of the group work ideas.
I actually like the effect that has been created, I tried to merge the logo within the photo to make it look more interesting and think that it really works well however, this is not the root that client or our group has chosen so I just wanted to show some of my ideas.
I am going to try and create some design ideas with some of the images that I have here because I don't think that I can really get an impression from just the photo's alone.
Wednesday 6 May 2009
Client Project - IS050 - web research
Now that our group have decided the design/theme to our site I thought that I should look into sites with the same type of design, and that is how I came across IS050. A portfolio for designer 'Scott Hansen'.
The background immediately caught my eye mainly because of the wood effect however what I liked about this design was that it had some form of structure, our current designs (see previous posts) we have created messy but arty structures which I feel works for our client project but I also like the simple layout that has been designed on this site.
They have kept the navigation to a minimum making it easier for the user to know where they are being directed to. They have kept the navigation to the left but another point that I like is that the designers have separated the portfolio navigation buttons from the standard button i.e. about, contact etc.
Something that I am beginning to question with our project and wondering is whether we should input some flash content. When going through this site I noticed the simple yet quirky flash objects that are appealing to the eye. They have included music but have given the user the option to either change the music or stop the music all together; having the music player has given the designers a chance to sell the music being played and have added an 'buy me' button, this makes it more convenient for the user.
I feel that the background colour could be a bit lighter because I did not see the detail in the background because of the dark colours used. On the other hand I do like the neutral/earthy colours that have been used and I feel that it compliments the designers work.
If they could change anything to the site then I would move the links at the bottom of the site to place that is a bit more visible. What I did not realise for a while was that the site had links to a blog and a shop. When I clicked onto the blog I found it very interesting and in my opinion I think that this should be highlighted more.
I am going to take the idea of experimenting with some flash components and using more neutral colours and see what this does to my designs.
Sunday 3 May 2009
Client Project - Dipnahorra
I'm not quite sure what to call this whether it is a website or a piece of art work but it looks like the design that we are creating. Vikesh found it on the fwa site and none of us understood what it was about but from the fwa description it is :
"Dipna Horra's practice is based in mixed media explorations and interdisciplinary collaborations. This is an installation disguised as a website."
From looking at this site it is not a site but a piece of art as you can see in the screen shot below...
I can only guess that this artist has created a piece of mix media art work that has inlcuded all types of media. Textiles, photography, painting, sketching, music etc all types of media have been used to make the piece of art work, and as some people think this is a website (as we did) they get very confused as there is no particular order just random videos and work but the site is the piece that brings it all together.
Like our designs 'Analogue' (the designers) have used imagery for the background. I personally like this look, some may feel that it is too compact but it works for this 'installation' and it could work for our site. They have incorporated alot of flash into the site but I like the effect, every time you click on one piece of paper you get moved to another section but you get to choose whether you want to go to 'painting' or 'design' however there is some order in this site; you do get directed to where you ask to go, for example I clicked on 'paintings' so I was directed to the pages with examples of paintings.
I found some of the writing hard to read but as its part of the art I can't really complain. This site has given me some ideas and inspirations as to what our site could look like, not so much flash but we could add flash components to make the site a little more interesting.
"Dipna Horra's practice is based in mixed media explorations and interdisciplinary collaborations. This is an installation disguised as a website."
From looking at this site it is not a site but a piece of art as you can see in the screen shot below...
I can only guess that this artist has created a piece of mix media art work that has inlcuded all types of media. Textiles, photography, painting, sketching, music etc all types of media have been used to make the piece of art work, and as some people think this is a website (as we did) they get very confused as there is no particular order just random videos and work but the site is the piece that brings it all together.
Like our designs 'Analogue' (the designers) have used imagery for the background. I personally like this look, some may feel that it is too compact but it works for this 'installation' and it could work for our site. They have incorporated alot of flash into the site but I like the effect, every time you click on one piece of paper you get moved to another section but you get to choose whether you want to go to 'painting' or 'design' however there is some order in this site; you do get directed to where you ask to go, for example I clicked on 'paintings' so I was directed to the pages with examples of paintings.
I found some of the writing hard to read but as its part of the art I can't really complain. This site has given me some ideas and inspirations as to what our site could look like, not so much flash but we could add flash components to make the site a little more interesting.
Client Project - design ideas continued
Okay so now that Paul took a liking to a design I felt that this gave me the opportunity to really work on some designs because the brief was stronger and he had given some ideas that I could really work with. From the meeting Paul clearly pointed out that he liked the logo Vikesh designed and he was keen on Vikesh's design and so wanted to mix them together, at first me and Jacqui thought that this would not look right, well we were wrong and it actually works really well.
Below are the designs that I have created over the weekend that relate to Vikesh's designs but also relate to the ideas that I think Paul was trying to bring across.
If you look at the design above it is almost identical to Vikesh's design however I have taken Paul's ideas into consideration and added the logo. I changed the paper in the background because I felt that this worked well with the logo; I tilted the logo a bit to the left to flow with the direction of the paper. I added a rip in the corner of the paper because this was a part which Paul pointed out in the previous design. For the logo I also added a slight shadow, mainly because that picture looked flat. This design could work really well for either a main home page or just an 'enter' page. We had a look at some other art sites and we noticed that quite a few of them had included an 'enter' page.
For the design to the right I tried to create a simple main menu page that kept to the previous designs but also kept to the design theme that Vikesh created. The background image was the original exhibition room, I created four buttons out of the art work. As you can see in the corner I have kept the logo with the ripped paper, this is something that I have included though out all of my designs as it keeps a continuous pattern throughout the designs, it could also potentially be another button that would send the user directly back to the home page (easier navigation) this design may not work purely because they do not have the exhibition room anymore and this design could give the false impression that there is a room.
Me and Jacqui came up with the idea of using a notice board as a background and as this is an art website then why can't we input our arty ideas into the design. The font that I used may have to be changed because it is not easy to read but I like the look, I used ripped pieces of card for the buttons mainly because when looking at the different examples of work from the artists they include materials like these in their pieces of art. A problem with this design is people might wonder what relevance does a pin board have with art? personally I don't know but I like the design.
This is my favourite design. When speaking to Paul on Friday he explained an idea that involved having the artists as posters on a wall, well, this is the idea that I got in my head when he explained what he was looking for. I added a sepia effect to all of the posters because the effect that I have given out is the posters being replaced but not removed from the wall so they begin to age, hence the sepia effect. I may need to change the size of the posters because I was unable to include the logo or any other navigation buttons but other then that I am really happy with this design idea.
I am unsure of this design because personally I think that it is too packed with objects. The main idea I was trying to get across with this idea was exhibitions, I used a image that had an example of some exhibition work and because the work was made of metal I made the buttons look like scraps of rusty metal. I like the colour's that buttons have but I feel that the user will not be able to see the background image even if I made the font background more transparent.
I;m not sure if these designs will work but this is my view on the site could look like but who knows we may come up with stronger and better ideas that will push us in another direction.
Below are the designs that I have created over the weekend that relate to Vikesh's designs but also relate to the ideas that I think Paul was trying to bring across.
If you look at the design above it is almost identical to Vikesh's design however I have taken Paul's ideas into consideration and added the logo. I changed the paper in the background because I felt that this worked well with the logo; I tilted the logo a bit to the left to flow with the direction of the paper. I added a rip in the corner of the paper because this was a part which Paul pointed out in the previous design. For the logo I also added a slight shadow, mainly because that picture looked flat. This design could work really well for either a main home page or just an 'enter' page. We had a look at some other art sites and we noticed that quite a few of them had included an 'enter' page.
For the design to the right I tried to create a simple main menu page that kept to the previous designs but also kept to the design theme that Vikesh created. The background image was the original exhibition room, I created four buttons out of the art work. As you can see in the corner I have kept the logo with the ripped paper, this is something that I have included though out all of my designs as it keeps a continuous pattern throughout the designs, it could also potentially be another button that would send the user directly back to the home page (easier navigation) this design may not work purely because they do not have the exhibition room anymore and this design could give the false impression that there is a room.
Me and Jacqui came up with the idea of using a notice board as a background and as this is an art website then why can't we input our arty ideas into the design. The font that I used may have to be changed because it is not easy to read but I like the look, I used ripped pieces of card for the buttons mainly because when looking at the different examples of work from the artists they include materials like these in their pieces of art. A problem with this design is people might wonder what relevance does a pin board have with art? personally I don't know but I like the design.
This is my favourite design. When speaking to Paul on Friday he explained an idea that involved having the artists as posters on a wall, well, this is the idea that I got in my head when he explained what he was looking for. I added a sepia effect to all of the posters because the effect that I have given out is the posters being replaced but not removed from the wall so they begin to age, hence the sepia effect. I may need to change the size of the posters because I was unable to include the logo or any other navigation buttons but other then that I am really happy with this design idea.
I am unsure of this design because personally I think that it is too packed with objects. The main idea I was trying to get across with this idea was exhibitions, I used a image that had an example of some exhibition work and because the work was made of metal I made the buttons look like scraps of rusty metal. I like the colour's that buttons have but I feel that the user will not be able to see the background image even if I made the font background more transparent.
I;m not sure if these designs will work but this is my view on the site could look like but who knows we may come up with stronger and better ideas that will push us in another direction.
Client Project - Meeting 2
Ok on Friday we had our second client project meeting with Paul. Vikesh was unable to make it so it was just myself and Jacqui however Vikesh emailed Jacqui yet some more good ideas.
On Wednesday we had a talk with Shaun that gave us a push in a different direction, in other words completely change the image of gold factory, give the site a whole different look. This is something that I struggled with but on Thursday me Jacqui thought of some ideas that we could work with over the weekend. Ideas that we came up with were:
- Patterns through lighting
- Natural objects (colours of a corn field)
- Travel (as the exhibitions are continually moving at this current moment in time)
- Blank canvas (fresh start to the site)
- Glitter
All these ideas we thought would work but as it turns out we didn't have to worry. Vikesh had done some designs earlier on in the week that we showed Paul, and he liked. This to be honest was quite a relief because we had so much ideas I felt that Paul choosing one has pushed all of us in one direction, hence getting stronger designs that we may use for the final design.
Vikesh's Design
The design above is the design that Paul found interesting and this is the design that we shall be working on over the next week maybe even start to create the site or at least start getting the design on dreamweaver, but who knows I'll guess we shall find out on Tuesday when we all come together with more design ideas.
On Wednesday we had a talk with Shaun that gave us a push in a different direction, in other words completely change the image of gold factory, give the site a whole different look. This is something that I struggled with but on Thursday me Jacqui thought of some ideas that we could work with over the weekend. Ideas that we came up with were:
- Patterns through lighting
- Natural objects (colours of a corn field)
- Travel (as the exhibitions are continually moving at this current moment in time)
- Blank canvas (fresh start to the site)
- Glitter
All these ideas we thought would work but as it turns out we didn't have to worry. Vikesh had done some designs earlier on in the week that we showed Paul, and he liked. This to be honest was quite a relief because we had so much ideas I felt that Paul choosing one has pushed all of us in one direction, hence getting stronger designs that we may use for the final design.
Vikesh's Design
The design above is the design that Paul found interesting and this is the design that we shall be working on over the next week maybe even start to create the site or at least start getting the design on dreamweaver, but who knows I'll guess we shall find out on Tuesday when we all come together with more design ideas.
