Word Press Blog uniquness ?!?

   Sooo this is my word press blog theme I created for Chris. I utilized his website header and 404 page background to make it appear cohesive with the rest of his site. I went through and changed fonts, colors, and hover options but the question is does this look to template like? I was happy with the appearance until Phil's  scary email. Let me know what you guys think.
- Jenessa

Process Book and Checklist

   I spent the afternoon completing a process book for our groups fantastical journey through Evil Don's site creation. Compiling all of our original sketches shows how far we have come as well as point out how clear our vision was from the beginning. I feel satisfied that the final look of the site is reminiscent of Don's studio space. A tattoo studio may be the first judgment a potential client has on whether or not they will use the services and our site offers a strong portrayal or the studio's hip environment. 

   Also after going through the checklist on Phil's original handout, I realized alot of minute details not covered thus far. Primarily naming our files and script correctly. Everyone should double check his checklist just to make sure everything is covered. Good luck to everyone on their final leg of the race.

- Jenessa

On The Home Stretch

   As if anything else couldn't go wrong, I was sick and absent for our beta testing class yesterday. Thankfully my awesome group picked up on my slack and apparently our site passed-ish. Other than a few java script issues (when it is turned off), our site did pretty well. On a positive note our group was able to manage the size of the site across different browser resolutions, where as my previous site design was very large in most browsers. At this point my group is just waiting for our clients bio to replace our lorem ipsum place holder text on the about page, and then we are ready to hand over our site. It has been known since the beginning that our client is interested in using the completed site so as a group we would like to research domain name purchase so that we may plan a meeting with him to discuss the pricing. If anyone has any knowledge on domain purchase let us know. Good luck everyone! - Jenessa Nahon

Final Critiques

   So as of my last post our group was pretty much finished with our site design and coding. We are all very happy with the final design that Chris so kindly put up on the web (and a link on his blog).  At this point I am wondering if the awesome class has any last minute critiques for us, before the site is turned over for grading and to our client? I hope everyone had a good turkey day and successful coding. - Jenessa

No Errors, No More Warnings, Sweet Success! Oh and awesome fake tattoo.

   Today = validation testing which = no errors but more warnings than the eyes could see. Turns out our about page slider gallery code contained ALOT of junk and bad coding. Luckily our awesome coder Chris was able to decipher the jargon and clean it up. Yay! So after the days work we were able to: show our external CSS style sheet, confirm we had function links, validate our site and check resolutions across browsers. After our check we worked on rescaling our site for optimized viewing across browsers. This successful test was followed by a successful embedding of google maps (thanks to Josh). 
   After class our group stopped by Don's to show him the almost finished site, which he was extremely pleased with. During our visit he was kind enough to stencil the 404 error tattoo on Chris for a photo shoot.  Awesome! 
 For this next week our to do list includes:
- adding captions to the fine art gallery
- refining client request for the home page (no word bubble)
- creating the 404 page
- adding the clients written bio to the about page
- creating a fav icon
- creating meta tags


   I am excited with how far the site has come, in general and since our first websites. 
- Jenessa

Not so many Errors

   Thursday's work day was awesome for our group. We had some pretty major success (for 3 kids with 2 computers). Chris was able to get our external CSS up and working, which included our header and rollover navigation. From this point Chris will have to battle the centering issues. While Chris coded, Chelsey and I color corrected, organized, and bundled the images for our clients multiple gallery pages.  This afternoons work day should take care of the jquery plug ins and then we are on the home stretch. Our group is hoping to have a functioning site by Tuesday that contains all of our relevant material, while leaving placeholder text.  
   Since Chris will probably share an image of our main page, I am posting an image we had Don draw for our 404 error page. We discussed the idea of doing a custom 404 page with our client after all the fun we had creating our own. Our suggestion was to have our client draw out the words 404 error and "tattoo" it on one of us. The image would fade into the background and be treated similarly to our home page. We plan to meet with our client again on Tuesday, after class testing to show him to "finale" results and take the image for the 404 page. - Jenessa

 

Epic Computer Fail

   I am blogging from a foreign computer after a liquid incident with my laptop. Because of my clumsiness, I will be out my computer for 5-7 days. On a better note, I was able to retrieve my documents from my hard drive, and my group is ready to code this week. While our site is moving along, we will need one more meeting with don to finalize the tattoo image gallery. For this section of the site, our image files are coming from multiple sources. Photos are being taken from his camera, as well as printed photos that he taken of clients. Our initial presentation of the coded site that will be tested next week will probably house some placeholders, but we are at a good place in our progress on the site.  Hopefully Saturdays blog will show a glimpse of our coded progress. - Jenessa

Size matters

   I think our group has decided on a final format size of 999px x 1000/1200px for the page slices. This was one aspect that was questionable or unclear during our groups presentation. With strong imagery along the left hand side, containing our logo header and navigation, was making the site seem unbalanced. Our contant area was a suitable size but the navigation still appeared overpowering. I think this mockup looks about right. This is how it would appear in a window and if it was open to full screen, the stars at the top and red glow at the bottom would tile across. 

   The image at the top is an example of the fine art page, which would be similar to the tattoo gallery. We are using a lightbox plug in that transitions when hovered over, so that the images appear at 60% opacity and when hovered over appear at 100% and then transition back to 60%. We are trying to utilize large thumb nails and here it shown with a long shot of his wall at the top (?). The second image is how we would like the about page to look. Here we are using a slider gallery with thumb nails at the bottom that transition in the same fashion as the other galleries. We are hoping to showcase 6 or 7 images of his shop, so that perspective clients can envision the environment. 

   While our group has decided on the navigation look and size, we are still investigating using an image slice or real web text for the links. In the previous website I did, I used image slices because I was using my clients hand done type. With this site we want to keep the 50s appearance so we were planning on using a font called Fontdiner Loungy, with Futura being be a secondary choice. If anyone has any suggestions on a web safe font that would be suiting, please let me know. :)

- Jenessa

Proposal Corrections

   Wednesday 1:13 am post (my time stamp is wrong)

   After a successful site proposal, our group is now convening and reworking some of our assets according to class critiques. Comments from both Phil and the rest of the class, gave us alot of ideas on how to make our site more cohesive and overall successful. One of the biggest errors during our proposal was not having a slide that showed how our website would be sliced and appear on a browser. Also, there was a need for more variations in the page that was shown. Our group could have placed some of our files into the presentation that demonstrated how the other pages would function. By next Tuesdays class, we will have set page dimensions, a refined navigation bar, and demonstrations on how other pages will appear. 

   On an awesome note, our group met with Don on Wednesday afternoon to photograph the shop and his fine art work. After the photoshoot, it was decided, that we would showcase a total of 15 fine art pieces in our lightbox gallery, as well as 11 photos on the about page slider. We have alot to do this weekend and I look forward to more feedback from the class. -Jen

Flashing lights and Expectations

    I wanted to show an example of the digital sketches our group has been working on. In my previous post, I discussed our theme of using the Evil Don logo as inspiration for the site design and navigation layout. We had presented our client and Phil with two approaches to this idea. In these intial sketches, we focused on creating one with a vectored polished look and the second with a more realistic feel, utilizing neon signage. As of our last weekly meeting with the client, it was decided that while aspects of both were liked, the more realistic approach was chosen. Chris and myself have been working on vectoring his logo and applying both looks to the final navigation bar (this should be revealed during our Tuesday site proposal).

   Along with a polished logo, our proposal on Tuesday, will include the following:

1. An introduction to our design team

2. An overview of the assignment and how we chose a client

3. A look at competition in the area

4. Our goal and message for the site creation

5. A look at the Evil Don branding process

6.  A page overview

7. An asset list for the site (including pages and java scripts)

8.  Discussion on site structure

9.  Open time for questions and comments.

   I am looking forward to presenting our client to the class. I feel our group was extremely lucky in finding such a great. His style and inspirations are inspiring us in creating  a unique website. Until Tuesday... _Jen

Portrait work

   As a group we are preparing for our next meeting with Don tomorrow as well as our site proposal for Phil next week. During our initial meeting with Phil today, we showed him our progress thus far. We presented both a photographic and vectored version of our design to Phil and this is what we will be showing Don tomorrow.  We had discussed using his logo as the basis for a 50's retro signage concept. We have completed two mock-ups for this idea utilizing both a realistic and digital approach. Along with our two site mock-ups, we will be showing Don a finalized asset list, and a group of secondary font choices. After our meeting our next step with the client will be to schedule a day to photograph Don and his shop. From this point we will have most of our needed content to complete the site. Don has volunteered to complete a write up for his about me section and will be giving us this before the site is completed. Our weekend work will include refining our site layouts post client critique and preparing for our class site proposal next Tuesday. Specificly:

Project Manager: Will gather creative brief, asset lists, diagrams, and resource photographs to create a power point presentation.

Information Architect: Will refine site design, focusing on size, splicing, and hierarchy.

Asset Manager: Will begin editing photos, and refining content area for pages.

This listing of jobs, should put us in a good place to present a cohesive site proposal for class on Tuesday as well as move forward with a design the client is happy with. Until Saturdays post... - JEN

Color work and Cover ups

   Since Tuesdays blog, the week has been very eventful. We had our second meeting with Evil Don on Wednesday. During the meeting we decided on a schedule of meetings to come (essentially because the client is serious about using the site once we are done. Score!). The group decided a pop in meeting once a week or so would push us along the process and keep our client up to date. I realize working so closely with a client may result in a client heavy design but our group was extremely lucky to one find another artist and two one that trusts us so much. During the meeting we also presented our creative brief explaining our goal for the site design, as well as a list of asset pages that could be possibly utilized as the pages. Our meeting certainly got the ball rolling, it was decided that we would focus on the following pages: home, about (shop/artist), fine art gallery, skin gallery, and a contact page (including shop hours locations, and appointment scheduling). 

   Beyond the logistics of the site, we discussed the treatment of the Evil Don brand. His business card and logo are reminiscent or a retro 50's marquee sign but the card is done in inked outlines. We discussed with him a color scheme to place within the site design. Black, silver, and red will be the defining colors in an attempt to capture the environment of his shop. We discussed briefly a possible theme proposal for the site in which the Evil Don logo would retain its marquee appearance and the navigation bar would be added to the signage system, running along the left side of the page. The client seemed enthusiastic about the proposal and spend time showing us around his shop giving us a chance to get to know his style. 

   After our meeting it was required to submit a list of group jobs and the job specifications. Upon sending this email as the project manager, it was decided that we would switch the positions of Chelsey and Chris. Chris will now be Information architect, and in control of managing the site diagram, while Chelsey, will be Asset manager managing the multiple file types we will be working with. This decision came after re-reading the job specifications and receiving some initial files from our client. Don has provided us with some of his tattoo work and expressed the need to have more photos taken. Chelsey will play an important role in managing and gathering the image files needed for the site.

   This week a focus will be put on gathering what we have done thus far and presenting it to Phil on Tuesday for critiques as well as submitting a more polished site layout for our client to see. Specific jobs will be:

Project Manager: Gathering the creative brief, site diagram, and asset list. Scheduling a Wednesday meeting with Don.

Information Architect: Mock up of home page and initial site diagram. Mock up of logo treatments.

Asset Manager: Finalizing asset list. Gathering color swatches and secondary type proposals. Researching alternative light box galleries.

Fresh Outlines

As of the last post my group and I had scheduled an appointment with Lou's Tattoo's, Monday October 25. Our interest in creating a redesign for their site came from a google search of local tattoo studios. Lou's being one of the top hits, their site appeared as though it had not been updated since 2002. While an initial phone call to the studio seemed promising, upon further description of our project outlines to the client, it was apparent the shop was "uninterested" or "unimpressed" by our proposal. While this was discouraging (mainly because we had already written a brief, site diagram, and assets), it led us to our actual client. Through research and and a call to my first tattoo artist, my group met with Don of Evil Don's Tattoos on Central ave. Although the client has no current site, he has been tattooing in the area for over 20 years and has established a name for himself in the area. In the end I am excited that our leg work for Lou's Tattoos assisted us in finding such a fun project to work on. I am equally excited that as a group we made the client feel comfortable and motivated to work with us. Our client has scheduled a follow up meeting later in the week, during which we will propose a site layout and asset list (general idea of pages to be included). Before the meeting my group will be completing the following:

Project Manager- Revised creative brief

Information Architect- site diagram

Assets Manager- page/asset list

Inked Ideas

 For our Internet Design final project, we are to find and redesign a local business website. As a group we decided to concentrate our search on finding local artist or talent to create a site design for. We decided on Lou's Tattoos, with four locations and a reputation of being one of the first shops in Florida, we are excited to see what we can offer the business. Our group members were assigned jobs titles within the group and they are as follows, I will act as Project manager, Chelsea will act as Information architect, and Chris will be the Assets manager. I have scheduled an appointment with the owner, at the companies main location on Monday afternoon. At the meeting we plan to comprehensively explain the assignment, gather any needed knowledge from the client and present our proposition. I am very excited to be working with both my group and the perspective client.

On the home stretch

 I am pleased to be posting with an end in site. Our clients site will be uploaded and at full awesome capacity as of Thursday of next week. I am equally pleased that past habits of procrastination have not been an issue. Whether it be a responsibility to pleasing my client or a new found interest in web creation, I am happy with the almost end result of my clients site. The final two steps at this point, will be coding the lightbox gallery for the portfolio page and finally including a 404 error page. I have worked on two designs 1. a page mimicking the home page but devoid of color 2. a page that appears as though the color on the top of the pages has fallen an crashed. My client and myself like both options, so any feedback over prefference would be great. Until next time... Jen

Yay web design !!!

It is now almost 2 am and I am taking a break on my clients website to post a quick progress report, so to speak. I have spent the last couple of days gathering content for Chris' portfolio, and finishing up the navigation elements. My clients website officially has roll over hover tabs that change from a 25% opacity to a 50% opacity, and finally show at 100% when the link is chosen. I have found the the best thing about web design/coding for me, thus far, is the  comical aspect. In finding that something as minute as a hyphen or a misspelled word can make or break your move. I feel in web design it's the little things that matter. Until tomorrow... Jen

sweet SUCCESS!!!

revised ideas and CONTENT!!!

   Since my last post I have been working with my client Chris and making revisions to the layout presented before. After a discussion on user optimization, it was decided that his website should show a similar navigation bar on the left side rather than including a back button to return to the navigation links. Last weeks class discussion with Phil on proper image saving techniques was extremely useful because my clients site will be utilizing custom type (designed by Chris in Matts' awesome summer class) on the links, that will need to be placed as an image. Our next step is to categorize content. After a day of sweet success, I managed to code the pages and link them together, and further place the navigation system, header, and body. I have a feeling adding the content will be more difficult than this last challenge but I'm enthusiastic now that I see it is possible. 

-Jenessa

A more relevant post...

   Hello, I am Jenessa, and we will call the last post useless. In this post, I would like to set forth the purpose of creating this blog, by explaining a class project and its objectives.  As a current Senior, in the Graphic Design program at USF, we were assigned the objective of creating a website that would act as a portfolio site for another student in our Design for the Internet course. This blog will serve as a resource as well as provide a funny look back (once this class is done and we are all awesome web designers!).

   For my first purposeful post, I would like to share the homepage I have been working on for my "client" Chris. My goal is to create a site that is both in the style of the designer and one that showcases his work. I am utilizing a black background with contrasting white text while using a rainbow pattern of dots to act as a header and navigation device. While the home page will feature the full color spectrum, a focus on an individual color will highlight where the user is within the site. 

   I look forward to the feedback. Until next time... Jenessa

First blog. ever...

This is my first official blog as well as blog posting. Currently I am bedazzling denim with Chris (who's playing Halo)(awesomeness) and pondering our websites to come (also Matt's assignment)(assignments). Hopefully the blog will become a great resource for swapping resources on our awesome soon to be websites.
Until next time... Jenessa...