Thursday, October 25, 2007

Master List - Personal Site

Site Development for the North Haven Historic Society:

North Haven Historical Society Building

  • Home Page
    • Current Topics
    • Headline News
    • Logo Design (Continuous throughout site)
    • Graphic of home office/building

  • Rollover Links:
    • Introduction
    • Mission
    • Calendar of events

  • A Typical Historical Society Calendar
    • WINTER
      • Valentine Party
      • Mayflower Report
      • Music Program
      • Quilt Exhibit

    • FALL
      • Girlhood Recollections
      • Book Signing
      • Drama Program
      • Christmas Tea

    • SPRING
      • Annual Meeting
      • Genealogy
      • School Tour of Green (LINK)
      • Historic House Program

    • SUMMER
      • Weaving Instruction
      • Martha Culver Open House
      • Tool Demonstration
      • Society Picnic

    • Publications
      • Amidst cultivated and pleasant fields by Lucy McTeer Brusic
      • On The Green, The Old Center Cemetery in North Haven, Connecticut 1723-1882 by Gloria H. Furnival
      • Two to Eight, A Country Childhood When The Century Was New by Lucille C. Wiedmann
      • North Haven in the Revolution by Thomas I. Pearsall
      • The Quinnipiac, The Story of a River by Winifred Kotchi

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Minor Project 8

Workflow Posting Due 9/27



Based on the reading from Part 2 Process (especially pp. 141-179) in transcending CSS: the fine art of web design by Andy Clarke post on your blog what you consider is the best practice for the "Perfect Workflow" that you will use for your Major Project 2.


Visual Design Brief:
  • Thumbnail sketches

  • Content Keywords (Mind-Map)

  • Customer Content Request (Requests from Client)

  • Implementation Ideas from Customer Content




  • Wireframes
  • 3 Example Simple Layout Sketches (Wire-frames)

  • NovaMind Brain-Storming Layouts

  • Rough Photoshop created ideas




  • Pre-release
  • Finalized Ideas

  • Secondary Revisions

  • Secondary Approvals (Client)




  • Finish site/client presentation

    Revisions/final testing



  • Reworking Finalizations if Needed

  • Client Updates>
  • Thursday, September 20, 2007

    Jewish Community Website

    Major Project 7 - Jewish Community Web Site.

    This project is of particular interest to me especially since I am not Jewish. By taking on this endeavor, we pose the opportunity to learn from each other. I will be able to take on this project by listening to the needs of the client.

    Information posted to this site will include religious obligations, and holidays. Additionally, Quinnipiac related events can be posted here for the community.

    Using CSS, information will be readily available to students. Careful site plan and preperation will be used to endure easy changes without "reworking" the entire site.

    Homework 3 "Designing from the Content Out"


    Homework 3

    Readings and Tutorials

    transcending CSS: the fine art of web design by Andy Clarke. New Riders: Voices That Matter/Imprint of Peachpit 2007. Re-read Part 1 Discovery pp. 55 - 97. Based on this reading post on your blog your understanding of "Designing from the content out" Using your own content create designs using the markup based on Number 1: Horses p. 68 and Number 2: A Race p. 70

    Essay Response to Reading by Krystopher Romanczak:

    Quinnipiac University

    Professor Garvey: IDD 410

    NOTICE... Blog Created using CSS style tags.


    Designing from the Content Out” (Transcending CSS p 55) refers to the idea that content (the reason why we visit websites) should be in functional form.Visual elements support systems of communication that invites the end user to a site and recommends and overall look and feel. Visual elements however, should not intrude on the content that is intended. Misuse of visual elements may lead to a site that is of effortless professionalism however, frustration and misdirection may elude the user from their initial goal – finding out more information on a particular subject.

    Let’s use GOOGLE as an example. GOOGLE obtains over 3 billion requests pr year in terms of searches. The user is given a visual interface that is pleasing to the eye yet maintains it’s simplicity when granting information on a particular subject.

    MySpace.Com, a popular networking site, gets users lost in a medley of visual artifacts aimed at advertising using their search engine.  MySpace.Com is a great example of how a powerful search site can get lost in an overwhelming potpourri of visual elements.

    The texts talk about static instruments such as tables (p. 56) and the limiting effects of such setups in former HTML practices. Tables only allow a limited amount of intended information; limited to the data set for that cell at that time. If any information is needed to be updated, the increase or decrease of information is likely leaving such a cell off-balance in terms of other cells and their containing information.

    A “Content Out Approach” allows the designer room for expansion leaving the content at the forefront of the design itself. Other elements are secondary in this approach allowing for new opportunities to produce easy navigation and display.

    The text goes on to demonstrate how a particular method (using div, li, and ul tags) can help “Optimize the content order with or without style”. (p. 60)

    In addition, using rendering methods that both support CSS and Non CSS layouts will assist browsers in displaying information the way the author intends in such a way that both methods shall produce the same order. For example, using styling methods and care for order will ensure that information is displayed in relative locations to either method.

    In conclusion, CSS and HTML capabilities built in today’s browsers are moving forward the design ability and availability for new designs to make logical and methodical sense in site navigation, content relevancy, and visual layout. It is up to the designer to carefully consider these methods and use appropriate execution of such methods to make content change and availability more sensible than yesterday’s standards.

    Thursday, September 6, 2007

    Minor Project 1




    CSS was used in this blog! :-)


    Assignment:


    Major Project 1:

    Student Choice Web Page/site. You will design a web site that serves as a testbed and showcase of your design skills. It will be updated throughout the course. It will be uploaded to mywebspace. Post on your blog a Major Project 1 "brief" where you describe the goal of your proposed web design, the intended audience, content, approach to the information architecture,  strategies of usability,  color  choices and a description of the overall look and feel.


    GOAL:


    Using Technology to assist in the preservation of history: Specifically increasing fund revenue for the North Haven Historical Society in an effort to preserve local history dating back to the revolutionary war.


    Proposed Web Design / Overall Look and Feel


    Modern Design proves to show success in providing a solution to displaying information when design elements such as clean lines, clear navigation and easy site manageability are at the forefront of the design itself. This is the format at witch I will approach the overall site design. Additional elements such as historical colors, pallets, and tones of the era used in this New England town will be incorporated. The site should also have a colonial look and feel as well as use of block-type newsprint font in areas where legibility isn’t paramount.


    Areas where legibility is important, such as mission statements, or area’s of high volume text will use a clean font like Arial or Helvetica and adjusted as needed.


    Intended Audience:


    The local residents of North Haven, historians (especially those whom concentrate in the New England contribution to the revolutionary war), and contributors nation-wide as North Haven is a historical town. In addition, Professors, town committees, and mayoral officials as they provide other funding for this organization.


    Content Approach


    CCS will play an important role in the architecture and overall design of the site. CCS will be used to keep ongoing information organized and easy to navigate.