Final Blog

Reflecting on what I learned throughout the semester given the resources to learn css. I would say that the two textbooks that were required and the use of Lynda.com where very helpful. Each in there own way, Eric A. Meyer's book was helpful because of the examples that were given and it was easier and convenient to follow through and learn that way even though they were also in Lynda.com. I personally feel a web design book should always be in color and this fit that qualification, I need to be able to see images in color instead of just plain black and white pages and for that reason they get more of a thumbs up. Both textbooks this semester fit that description. The lynda movies are always helpful and very informative it is just a matter of following through constantly a few lessons at a time and staying awake, some where too long. While reading Andy Clarke's transcending CSS I found many interesting things, and incorporated them to my work flow some new techniques or steps in order to make sites more productively. This book had more of an advanced type of css in the examples that were given and more of a designer's point of view. I have always done sketches on a notepad and then a wireframe or two in Photoshop. This semester I realized that depending on the design it is most helpful to do as many prototypes as possible to obtain a better understanding of what the site will look like and to be sure something is missed while making a site in just one sitting. This semester was my fist time using CSS and although I know I have a good sense of understanding on how it works and the power it has. I know that I still need to learn more about it.

Benchmarks for Royal Prestige & Q Branches

The need for benchmarks is very important, it's what will keep me in track as we approach closer to the end of the semester. The following are deadlines that I need to reach by the following dates from necessary steps to tasks I need to accomplish.

November 15
Royal Prestige New Horizons
* Finalize the color decision for this site
* Obtain feedback from classmates & Prof. Garvey
* Have main page and one of the accessories page layouts done
for comments

Q-Branches
* Locate Fr. Jon and speak with him about the site.
* Take him an updated picture of him and staff
* Get all the info. necessary like names,titles, and pics.
* Make a new layout design using the Grids concept?

Thanksgiving break
Royal Prestige New Horizons & Q-Branches
* Continue working on both sites
* Go over CSS Tutorials in textbook
* Lynda tutorials to obtain a better knowledge of CSS
* As well as go over Joomla

November 29
Royal Prestige New Horizons
* Have site pretty much finalized
* - Flash movie done
* - Text & Pictures done
* - CSS Format
* Update any changes that may be needed

Q-Branches
* Have site very close to finalized
* - Flash movie done
* - Text & Pictures done
* - CSS
* Meet with Father John and show him the site and prepare for
any last minute changes.

Royal Prestige Master List

These wire frames allow me to see what needs to be done in regards to the location of the pictures and text. Also the size that I need each item to be. On the top right corner there will be a flash movie with random pictures of cooking ware. In doing this I was able to notice that on the Products page I need to rethink the size of the additional links to each product for example: Accessories, Cookware, Cutlery, Dinnerware. A checklist of the content that I will use consists as follows:
- Logo
- Heads
- Subheads
- Body section
- Navigation (2)
- Images with descriptions
- E-mail
- Colors: White background - Gold,Navy,Orange throughout the page


WIREFRAMES

Making A Difference in the World

The speech given today at the Alumni Hall, by Nadine Cruz was about how to make a difference; I found it interesting and learned new things from this.

1) I found the exercise that we did during her presentation to be fascinating. How do we define community service? It was interesting to see the difference on the responses of the students and how their "personal philosophy of service" was ranked and what kind of service was more important in their eyes. It did not make one type or the other wrong, it is just the way we view things as individuals. Some people feel better with a person to person type of service and while others prefer to help a group or even to give service globally.

2) She re-stated several times to make contributions NOW and not to wait until we are done with our education. Helping others will not only help them, but it will also help us grow as individuals in our everyday lives. To do so would deepen our personal experiences and takes community service to the next level.

3) The need to understand that there are people in this world that do not want service given to them. We may not just assume that people need help and that everything is self evident and we can just take over. We need to ask if they are in need of help, as well as to be prepared to give them the correct help that is needed. Even when helping someone it must be done by following certain procedures.

4) The importance of given service to others and working as a team, even with a person that you may not get along with. While giving service changes you, in some ways it helps to teache you to get along with that person because you share a common goal. We can start by helping locally but it is important to keep in mind that one can help globally as well.

"Perfect Workflow"

What I believe to be the "perferct workflow" is to first be fully aware of where the customers needs are, how they want the site to look, and how much and what kind of information the website will contain. Being aware of all of this allows the designer to create wireframes, where the ideas become organized.

In reading Transcending CSS by Andy Clarke it helped me to realize that it was a great idea to photoshop three static designs and not only to get a head start but also it allows any room to improve or to change certain colors or layouts, and it allows the client to choose one of your best ideas and see it become live. I feel the most important part of this phase however is the pre-work. By drawing out the ideas freehand in "thumbnail sketches" or pulling research or content information with any extra brainstorming ideas together with a mindmap and flowcharts it allows for a more dynamic start.

The workflow that I will use for Major Project #2 is to create a wireframe(s) for Q Branches and organize the information that will be displayed in each page based on the mindmap and flow charts. After that, the 'branding' and how important the logo is in order to give a unique life to the site and also will help in choosing the colors for the site. I have decided that the navigation for Q Branches is going have six buttons with the most important information like Home, Who's who, Events, Pictures, Contacts, and Prayers following these buttons there will be drop down menus for the additional information that falls into each particular catergory. The content will depend on each page and some pages will have more content then others, this section has already been looked over when doing the wireframes. It is extremely important to interact with the client trough out the entire process.

Proposal

The proposal that I will be working on this semester is going to be for Q-Branches. I plan on working on a new logo, as well as to incorporate a lot of pictures and videos that Father Keilish would like to see in his website in order to show all the activities and trips that take place throughout the year. I would also like to make it very easy for him to update the site as needed, from changing the events on a calendar to uploading pictures and videos. The goal will be to create a site that can capture the attention of not only the students that attend Quinnipiac but as well to inform the parents.

Major Project 1

My major project will be to design a site for my mom's company that she works for called Royal Prestige - New Horizons. The goal of this site is to keep her customers informed of the new products that are available as well as a place where they can schedule an appointment with her. The site will be bilingual because her clientel is mostly hispanic. I would like to incorporate a 3D views of the cooking ware that her company has to offer, as well as sounds to animate the site. The colors of my design will be yellow, white and blue. I want to create a web site that will be easy to navigate through.