Wednesday, 25 April 2012

Dreamweaver induction

For next week: Sketches of final website design.

What needs to be determined before we start designing our website...
Target audience
What the audience needs to see (determines the content)
Purpose of the website

Limitations...
Web safe colours
Web safe typefaces
File size
Resolution, screen size 800x600

Working with html

html stands for.. Hyper text mark up language

<body>
body of the webpage, content
</body>
close body

<html>
indicates to the computer that we are speaking in html language
</html>
closes the html language


<title>
web browser title
</title>

close title


<head>
Something thats not visible, descriptive, eg google search words

</head>
close head

For a simple website design, the html tags would go in this order

<html>
<head>
<title>
</title>
</head>
<body>
</body>
</html>

These tags will appear on every website, but with more content and complex html coding included.

Simple html coding for basic website saying 'hello world!'... the first ever website created on the world wide web.


Other tags...

script or javascript allows you to use more advanced features of the web as html can be quite restrictive.

td hight and width, is table data or tr is table rows.

metalane, google search engine, key words .

div is directly linked to css, linked to how everything is divided into boxes.


To start we need a root folder, which we can call anything you want. The web domain name is usually best. Then we need an images sub folder. Every website in the world has these two folders. A root folder and an images sub folder.



Welcome screen.
Middle column, languages.. html, PHP (if a website, Amazon for example has a lot of similar pages, like products then a separate page isn't designed for each one. A spreadsheet is made and the product is accessed and the page redirected through this).


Create a new page

You can select between three biews, code, split and design.





Create a new site




Click on the folder and select your root folder


Save your page straight away in your root folder. It will have to be called 'index' which is the internationally recognised word for your home page.



You can preview your website in different browsers by clicking on the globe.


At the moment the page is called untitled page, you can change this between the title tags.






Anything you type between the body tags will appear on your site.






Create a new document (command and n) and select css, then save it into your root folder as a style sheet.



To edit the body type in body { and a drop down menu will appear.



Always put the attributes on a new line to make it as clear as possible.

select font family.








The final css coding for the font and colour of the text.
 Save this as 'style sheet' in your root folder.

Attach the style sheet to the html by clicking on the link icon and select the style sheet file in your root folder.






Edit the style sheet to add a background colour (hash tag is alt 3)

Save and then add to your html by adding the following inside the body section of your html. If you type <div id a drop down menu showing the wrapper title will automatically appear.




Now add to your css coding to add a navigation box to your design.




Add this to the body section of you html coding by typing <div id and selecting navigation.




Open a new Photoshop document to make a logo. Add the right size and make sure the background is transparent. Make sure that the document is set to web.
 Save as web & devices as a PNG






Adding buttons

 I need to include ;

}

om the end of the background colour for it to work.

Woo!










html colour codes...
http://www.computerhope.com/htmcolor.htm

Monday, 23 April 2012

Evaluation


BA (Hons.) GRAPHIC DESIGN
LEVEL
05
 Module Code 
OUGD205                    


 Module Title
IMAGE


END OF MODULE SELF-EVALUATION

NAME
Sadie Thompson


1.  What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?

I have explored different forms of creating image in context, including drawing both by hand and digitally, photography and different printing techniques. I feel that my illustration techniques in particular have improved. I have always had a talent for drawing by hand, but so far on this course I feel that I have neglected this skill. I feel that this module has given me a chance to improve on my illustration, and is now something that I am going to use more in my graphic design work from now on. I have also used screen printing during the book works brief, which is something that I am highly interested in and am keen to improve on along with other traditional printing techniques. 

2. What approaches to/methods of design production have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?

For the 2D to 3D to 2D brief I had the opportunity to use photography. This is something that I am not too interested in developing, as I am not a very skilled photographer. However this brief gave me the opportunity to experiment with photography more and opened my eyes to various ways of image making, and using the appropriate technique and media for the brief in hand. I think that my screen printing skills have come along particularly well and I am now able to use this printing technique at ease and a fast pace. 

3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?

As I previously expressed, I am pleased with my illustration through out this module and feel that it has progressed. This module has not only given me the opportunity to develop my drawing skills, but has informed me how to use illustration in context to my graphic design work, giving it more relevance. I intend to carry on progressing my illustration, whether it be within the course and the briefs set, or as my own personal practice.

4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these in the future?

I feel that a lot of the work I produced was rushed and not finished to the level that I originally intended. This was partly due to having to juggle a lot of other work alongside this module. Getting through this term has taught me to manage my time more effectively and to meet deadlines no matter what the work load is.

5. Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?


1.    Do more contextual research to influence my style.
2.   Make more use of the session time provided.
3.    Do more initial ideas, rather than just going with the first idea I can come up with.
4.    Blog all of my rationales as I go.
5.    Add to my sketchbook as I go, rather than having to piece it together at the end.


Saturday, 21 April 2012

Final Illustrations

Here are my final illustrations for my self directed brief. A Native American chief, a Geisha and an African tribesman. They are A6 format, digitally printed on to water colour paper. I am pleased with them, I do wish I managed to do more however. I plan to carry this project on beyond the module deadline and complete all six illustrations to sell at the next InPress event in a months time.

Original sketches...



I live traced the images on Illustrator, which managed to pick up all of the details really nicely. I then thickened the lines up a bit to give the images more depth.





Final prints...

Tuesday, 17 April 2012

Image... Progress

I have started to ink in the details of my Native American Chief illustration. I am really pleased with how it has come out and I feel that it is more like what I originally wanted to produce in comparison to my original drawing.







Saturday, 14 April 2012

Image.. Change of direction

I decided that I was not entirely happy with my initial sketches for my Native American illustration, so I started again. I kept the general composition the same, but I tried to add more detail and make it a little less geometric looking. The main difference is in the face, which I have made more realistic, I feel that this has given the drawing more personality and I am far happier with it.

Starting this illustration from scratch however has now slowed down my progress, so I am now going to aim on completing three or four finals before the module deadline. I feel that this is a more realistic goal.