final smitty's

This project was my final for Web Design. We were given a website that was in rough shape, and told to recreate it using modern style and just all around better designing. This was the website in the beginning when it was given to us- 

We were given first a project on researching the history and development of Mobile designing. After a few worksheets on that, we were given a packet in which we were told to take notes on the website and write down all of the important things to keep or trash, content wise. After completing this step, it was off to the sketches. This was my first set of different mobile sketches, along with the tablet and desktop- 

This is a sketch of the fully completed desktop layout (very similar to mobile)-

And now finally, this is the end result of my mobile layout-

Tablet layout- (very similar to mobile)

And the desktop layout! -

Overall, the only thing that truly shifts when layout changes is the ads and contact info. The graphics and background of everything else stays put! 

This project truly was a fun thing to work on and finish as the year ended. This we designing class not only taught me a multitude of things on the web, but the people and Molson truly made this year something worth finishing. Thank you for all that you do Mr. Olson, I'm really going to miss you next year if i can't do web. (Graduating early reasons.) 

Have an amazing summer! :)

WebFlow Earth Day site

Making my earth day website in WebFlow was an amazing experience. Everything i did was shown to me, and the entire time, they would correct my mistakes and help me along the way.

 It was very easy to insert images and divs, which i like. It was also a very smooth process of creating classes and adding value and color to your pages. It was all very modern, and showed the trending topics you could create.

The only thing i might change about this site is that it is hard to create links within pages and for pages. Making it difficult to connect different things together. But overall, Webflow was a great experience and taught me a lot about new web designing programs.

This is my home page, showing the transparent and color options 

This is the main content, showing movement and a fun design

This is my second page, giving the viewer a chance to help with the content

This shows how they can interact with the site and insert their information!

Website Redo Project

This is my updated and modern website-

http://www.toms.com/?cid=ps_usbrand&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=toms&utm_campaign=US+Brand+Head+Terms+-+Exact&utm_content=sRhWiAt62_dc%7Cpcrid%7C53602034335%7Cpkw%7Ctoms%7Cpmt%7Ce%7C

This is my old Blue Valley High School website-

http://www.bluevalleyk12.org/education/components/scrapbook/default.php?sectionid=271

My New BVHS Logo- 

New BV Highschool website-

Desktop And Mobile Stats

Over the last three years, the percentage of desktop sessions has increased.
Likewise, the mobile sessions have increased undoubtably.
Because of this, next year may be a milestone year, hitting an astonishing 50% for both Mobile and Desktop sessions.

Bounce Rate is the percentage of visitors to a particular website who navigate away from the site after viewing only one page.
Over these three years, the bounce rate has increased immensely, showing less people roam throughout the site rather than just finding what they need and leaving.
The bounce rate for Mobiles is an outstanding amount more than that of desktop, proving that if you are on your phone, you're only looking for specific things, and then you will leave.

Sources on other websites and data-

1) http://searchenginewatch.com/sew/opinion/2353616/mobile-now-exceeds-pc-the-biggest-shift-since-the-internet-began

"93 percent of executives will purchase that product via the Internet using a laptop or desktop. 86 percent use their tablet and 72 percent of executives use their smartphone to conduct research for products or services for their business."

2) http://www.smartinsights.com/mobile-marketing/mobile-marketing-analytics/mobile-marketing-statistics/

3) http://money.cnn.com/2014/02/28/technology/mobile/mobile-apps-internet/

Americans used smartphone and tablet apps more than PCs to access the Internet last month -- the first time that has ever happened.

Blog Week

CHANGES TO MY BLOG

As anyone could tell, my blog has changed immensely over this past week. Going from all default settings, to a completely original and new layout. A few of the things I did were actually quite simple. 

For example, I changed the text colors and fonts, background colors, and reformatted my layout. A few of the other things were a little more time consuming. Such as making a new background image/profile picture, inserting social media buttons, and adding labels to all of my posts over the past few years. 

Overall, the change was very successful, and now I truly love my blog. Not only does it represent who I am and my likes, but it does a very good job at showing off my skills in web design by excellently showing the posts and creating a modern and cool environment to read my stories. 

Leadership Strengths

In this activity, i figured out that my 5 leadership strengths were Adaptability, Input, Harmony, belief, and Intellection. Two of them were in the domain "Relationship", two others were in the domain "Strategic Thinking", and one was under "Executing."

strength 1-
Adaptability really represented me because it talked about living in the moment, and being okay when things change. I am very aware that some things are inevitable and not everything lasts forever. This theme described me very well and showed how calm i am in times of stress.

strength 2-
Input was spot on when talking about the want for travel and finding new things. But it was slightly off when it described the need to collect information and objects. i am a very care free person and i don't usually keep many things, unless they are important.

strength 3-
Harmony represented my ability to relate to others, but it was the farthest from who i am. if an argument can be made, i will be there and make it. i am a very stubborn person, and i believe in standing up for what i believe in and taking control in situations that i feel are unnecessary or absurd.

strength 4-
Belief was spot on about the majority of my life. I am a firm believer, and it controls my entire life. It drives my motives and standards, and gives me secure morals. i believe in God and know that he is in control. I have a strong conscious and almost always know what is wrong and when not to do things.

strength 5-
Intellection was very spot on. It described me as an introverted person, and wanting my time alone. which is very true. i love to be alone and think on my own. any time i can, i will let my thoughts consume me and let them be my only companion.

After learning or reviewing all of these things about myself in the workshop, i found talking about our themes was the most valuable thing we did on friday. it really brought out peoples thoughts and gave everyone a chance to understand how unique yet similar we all are.

A few "aha!" moments i had were when we figured out that what you were involved in (web, or video) really did impact who you were and how you worked with others.

I will probably approach teams and groups roughly the same as i did before, because although i learned a lot of new things, i also already knew a majority of them about myself. i will always approach a group and based on the people, i will either be my introverted self, or i will take control and be a leader.

textured in web design

0. http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2011/10/03/whys-hows-textures-web-design/
   
   
   
   

   A- Why have the benefits of texture sometimes been overlooked?
   This happens mainly because textures have been misused frequently in websites, making aspects seem "dirty" or "messy". 
   B- What is the usual difference between a texture and a pattern? 
   Patterns differ from textures because patterns are usually one element repeated seamlessly where textures usually aren't repetitive and can be found in everyday life. 
   C- What are 2 ways to focus peoples’ attention using texture? 
   First, you can focus a user's attention using texture by creating a contrast between clean and textured. This can be used in both ways where the highlighted element is textured or the exact opposite. Secondly, they can be used to create sections in a webpage that are obviously grouped together due to the similarity in texture.
   D- How can texture enhance the structure of your information? 
   

   Texture can enhance the structure of your information by giving a certain feel or adding to the theme of the webpage. For instance, using a wooden texture can instill a "homey" feel throughout your webpage allowing your user to read your information in a more comfortable mindset. 

   E- How does texture enhance the identity or atmosphere of a site? 
   Similarly to the question above, certain aspects with texture in your design can instill a certain mood in your user when visiting your webpage. This can be used with a drawn-like texture to tone down the seriousness of a webpage or to give your website a rustic, nature vibe if it is relative to your information. 
   F- Describe in your own words what is meant by the following tips:
   
   
   

   1. Maintain Legibility- Sometimes an over amount of texture can cause your information to become difficult to read, which completely nixes the purpose of whatever you are trying to say. Pick readability over texture, no matter how cool you think it looks.
   2. Don’t Beat a Dead Horse- Again, the overuse of texture can defeat the entire purpose. Too much texture can also cause your website to look overly busy, which gives the opposite effect of allowing the reader to focus on what is important, losing that positive quality of texture.
   3. Practice Means Improvement- Not everyone is going to master the use of texture on their first go. Play around with different textures and moods for your website and evaluate what works best to give the effect you desire.
   4. If It Serves No Purpose, Take it Out-If you are placing texture just because you think it looks extra stellar, there is a high chance that it's best to take it out. Each texture element serves a purpose in enhancing the design of your web page.
   5. Consider the Effect You Are Trying to Achieve- Brainstorm and figure out the mood your are trying to make your user feel. Then you can start looking for textures that correspond with that vibe.
   6. Collect Resources so you Don’t Have to Search Later- Don't just search for textures when you need them, if you see a cool texture somewhere take a picture of it to use later or recreate. Learn Masks 
   7. Don’t Sacrifice Quality for Loading Time- No matter how awesome the texture looks on your webpage, your user is not going to sit around looking at a partially loaded screen while waiting for your massive file to load. It defeats the purpose.
   8. Choose Textures Logically- Make sure that the textures that you chose to place in your webpage, correspond with the theme as well as how you want your information to be represented.

   G- What are 3 different ways you can come up with your own original texture images? 
   You can come up with your own original texture images by taking pictures of a interesting texture that you find or scanning one in, or using Photoshop brushes to create whatever texture you please, or you can also combine textures you find as well as using the tools that Photoshop provides to create quick textures.
   FOUR WEBSITES THAT USE THESE TIPS SUCCESSFULLY- 
   

   
   

   

   http://www.archer-group.com

   
   

   

   http://thisiseyeweb.co.uk

   
   

   

   http://www.paolocavanna.it

   
   

   

   http://blackhouse.uk.com