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Today’s Class

Assessment – Website
- Four Web Pages
- Step 1 Brainstorm Ideas
- Step 2 Research Content
- Step 3 Storyboard
- Step 4 – Create the Website
Design and Layout
- Guide to Good Web Design
Dreamweaver
Feedback

Assessment Website

Today we will commence on your assessment for this class. You will need to design a website for a client to promote his work or services. See examples below as a result of an in-class brain storm:

Portfolio of a designer, web-designer, graphic designer, fashion designer, …
Portfolio of an artist or illustrator
Portfolio of a photographer
Website for a horse trainer
Website for a singer
Website for a humanitarian organisation, eg Doctors Without Borders
Website for a restaurant

Four Web Pages

You will need to create 4 web pages using Dreamweaver or a WYSIWYG (What you see is what you get) code editor. These are the pages for you to create:

Home Page
About us and Contact
Gallery or Portfolio of Work
Bookings or Purchase Requests

Step 1 – Brainstorm Ideas

Brainstorm ideas for a website (if portfolio for a photographer, what type of photographer, wedding, portrait, famous photographer, …)

Step 2 – Research Content

Go online and research what content you can find for your website. Use Creative Commons sites whenever possible:

Otherwise use Google and add Creative Commons to your search criteria.

Step 3 – Storyboard

Create a storyboard for the website. Before you can create the storyboard you will need to organise all the different elements. Please refer to the Storyboard Workshop from Tuesday:

Storyboarding for Web Designers

Webdesigners benefit from storyboarding. It helps organising content and ensures that every element is included in a logical place according to topic and site.

Read the post on Storyboarding Your Website (Source: nmasse.com).

Storyboard Template

You can use the template below (a modified version of one found on Google Docs Public Templates) :

Storyboard Template

Step 4 – Create the Website

Create the website in Dreamweaver (or any other Code editor) using HTML, CSS and if necessary JavaScript or JQuery.

Your website needs to have a well-designed layout

Attend class to learn about how to set up your website in Dreamweaver. You will learn how to create divs, place images, create an interactive menu and more.

Design and Layout

Here are some important standards to consider for a convincing, well-communicated web page:

Clarity is vital (Link to post on IWantClarity.com)
Less items on page – make sure to use white space excessively
Design should guide the user to information

Please view the PowerPoint show by Sara Ryan on Vic Costello’s ‘Multimedia Foundations –
Core Concepts for Digital Design’: Multimedia Foundations

White Space in Web Design - Courtesy of: unmatchedstyle.com — White Space in Web Design – Courtesy of: unmatchedstyle.com

White Space in Web Design - Courtesy of: OXP - onextrapixel.com — White Space in Web Design – Courtesy of: OXP – onextrapixel.com

Guide to Good Web Design

Use Design to guide user’s eye to the information.
Keep the layout simple and uncluttered.
Use consistent navigation bar throughout the site.
Organize text material in clearly defined groups.
Be consistent, clear and concise.
Stick to standards used on web (Accessibility)
Do not include essential information on roll-over images.
Include a contact option for the user, this could be:
- A Help Desk Number to a live person.
- A context sensitive ‘HELP’ button.
- An e-mail ‘Ask a Photographer’ or ‘Ask an Accountant’ or ‘Ask an Expert’ option.