LIFE IS MOVING FORWARD! :)

So two days from now I will be moving into my pool home and we have made sure that there is an extra room for the OFFICE! I am excited about having a nice home to live in with someone I love and also excited that now;being as I am done with my graphic design schooling, and have more time at night, I am hoping to start working on learning more about web design in my downtime. I had a rough time with it in school but truly want to learn more about it. Zack and I own a design company and that is a big step if we can get it up and going like we want to. I have people that are behind me cheering me on and pushing me to do better and it feels good. I know I can do this and the fact that they think I can to means a lot to me. I plan to start doing some competition stuff on deviant art and freakingnews.com just so I can get back in touch with my "DESIGNER side". :) I feel like things are starting to really be more "REAL WORLD" all the sudden. Even though that should have hit me when I graduated high school (which it did but not this hard), I feel like now I really need to push myself and work hard to get my name out there and start designing like I should be so I can do what I love and get paid for it! :) Looking forward to my future in business and in life!

Blog for Delivery Systems 2 Final Exam...

Three sites that I found interesting:

~www.dots.com:

This is a girly site but the colors are not solely pink. The light soft color scheme on this website is very comfortable to look at, nothing is overwhelming or drastic. I like the way things move when you roll over them so that not everything has to be clicked on. The layout has a good use of white space so that it is not too cluttered but they are still getting all the information across.

When you click on the looks link, it takes you to a page where you can scroll left and right through the different looks and each item has the accessory and shoes that go with it. All the information for the look is shown on the left and things once again, are not cluttered but well laid out so that the information is easy to read and the viewers eyes flow smoothly across the page.

~www.loworks-store.org:

I like that the design of the site is 2D. I am more of an illustration person so these things tend to catch my eye more so than the flashy pretty pictures. I like the earth tones being the color scheme. The layout has things moving around and is interactive which is interesting in itself. Then you move to the navigation bar and the rollover state makes it move.

This site is very easy on the eyes and there are not a lot of contrasting colors. Everything blends well together and its easy to navigate through. There also is a link where you can go back to the actual Loworks page and see the portfolio and other things that have been made.

~www.meomi.com:

I freaking love this site. The design of it is all interactive, everything you roll over does something. I like the colors and the treehouse design. The characters all play there own part of the sites home page. This page has so much going on that you never want to leave the home page. I think i ran the mouse over almost every inch of the page just to make sure I didn't miss anything that may possibly move.

I would love to learn more about using animation on a webpage so that I could incorporate it into my personal website once I work on it some more. I think that when a website has parts that are interactive it helps keep the viewer interested and also keep them from getting bored. It is easy to get lost in some pages but in this one they use the inside of the tree as a container for everything. I think that it was a very creative way to design the page all based on a treehouse.

What I would do to improve the LOOK and FEEL of my own site:

I would love to put more interactive animation in my site so that viewers will want to move around the page a little bit before moving on to the next link. Too many times I see people just glance over a page then click on a link and move on. I want to use a repeated color scheme or distinct characters that tell a story so that people actually stop to think about the "design" of the page.

My portfolio page right now does reflect my personal and professional sides, but I would love to work on it a little more so that I can incorporate my designs into the borders and background images or characters so that everything included in the page is mine. I want every piece to be created by me. I don't want to have to borrow images or just use simple layout steps for borders. I plan to keep working on my personal portfolio page even when this class is over and make different pieces so that I can one by one incorporate them into the page and make a larger portfolio than what I have now and more updated pieces as well.

good vs bad web design...

My final exam is due tonight and part of it was to research 3 websites we found interesting/appealing. In doing so I realized that layout, color, animation, easy navigation, and many other aspects of a website...all have their own unique purpose. Some people use color to help guide you through the page, some just use it for making their site match their company colors and that is all. Some make their layout very simple and others make each button or link or part of the picture have its own individual animation. I noticed that some of the websites I looked at took too long to load and I got tired of waiting. Others the colors hurt my eyes, or there was too much going on so I didn't even want to read the information on the page because everything else on the page was moving or zipping on and off the screen. I truly realize the importance of considering all these elements now. Just looking at other sites for the sole purpose of critiquing them helps me realize what I need to spend time focusing on when I am designing my own sites, currently and in the future.

one week/three classes left in graphic design

I get more and more excited as my time at Keiser is ending. I am excited that I will finally be done and have my degree. On the other hand though, with graphic design you have to make sure to stay up to date with all the new improvements and tools and such because things change everyday in the computer world. You can always learn new things in graphic design. I have to remember to constantly be playing in the programs and doing new tutorials online so I can always be improving my skills and the time it takes me to do the skills I already know. I do have the ability to audit any class I have already taken which is nice because it will help me with staying up to date and learning new things. I am excited to learn more and use my knowledge that I already have in the programs to do bigger and better things in my future. I am really looking forward to having more time for my design business. It will be nice if we can get our name out there and start bringing in some decent amounts of work. Looking forward to putting my knowledge to work! :)

Nearing the end.... of my associates degree at Keiser that is.

So I have four classes left until I am done with my graphic design classes. I have one more mandatory general education course which ends May 28th and then I have no more schooling here at Keiser. I am going to miss all the great times with classmates and all the fun and interesting projects we did in each class to teach us the ins and outs of every program. I do plan to continue my education in the near future at the Art Institute of Tampa (they have a bachelors program there). I want to take a break though for a few months to get my life in order and enjoy my new home that I will be moving into May 1st and hopefully do some work under LEON GRAPHIX since we havent really had the time to do anything as of yet. Being out of school and having my nights free will give me time to work as a designer with our business. Once all the dust settles and everything is in order I will go back to school. I am super excited that I have reached this accomplishment in my life and I am happy about the things I have learned that I will get to walk away from this with. I must admit these last few months I struggled to stay motivated because I was starting to feel burnt out, but every bit of frustration and every minute of those late nights doing projects was worth it. Thanks to Ms. Gilpin and Mr. Williams, along with Mr. Gonzales and Ms. Stanton. Cant wait to move forward with my graphic design and look back at all my "FIRSTS" that I did while I was in school at Keiser, when I was just being introduced to the programs.

The best thing about going to school for graphic design and co-owning a design company...

So...my dear friend Zack and I own LEON GRAPHIX together. We have had a little bit of business but being as we both work full time jobs and go to school we havent been able to do a lot. We have been discussing the fact that one of the best things about going to design school is that you know which one of your classmates is the best at which program and who you can ask to help you when in crunch time and need more help. We have been in all the classes now and both finish up after this class. The good thing about asking for help from someone in our class is that A they understand that we are just starting out...as are they... so we aren't going to have to pay a million dollars for outsourcing they will just tell us how much they want to get for the job and we will adjust the pricing accordingly on the invoice. It also will help our classmates expand their portfolios if they want to go elsewhere. We are hoping that once we graduate the business will get busier and we will have time to go out and get our name on the streets and in the businesses local and in surrounding areas. I cant wait to be done in May. I hope we can truly get this going the way we want it to.

Decisions-Decisions

So when you work full-time (mon -fri 8-5) then go to school Mon Tues and Thurs night (6p-10p) and play in a softball league wednesday nights and soccer league Fri and sat night... when do you find time to do work for your personal business. My classmate/coworker/business partner Zack and I have started getting work offers lately and it sucks because we cant find time to do them in the time frame people need them done in. I dont know if I should give up my sports and do this work and have absolutely no "FUN TIME" for myself.... or just wait till I graduate in May to accept any offers on work. At least then i will have time when i get out of my daytime job to work on it at night because i will no longer have school at night. I feel like if I give up my sports (which are my only relief during the week) right now I may just lose my mind working all the time. Its crunch time though and I need to make a decision, I really dont wanna let these customers go by but then again I dont think it is healthy to be all work no play either.

How an injury can affect your job? :)

So...To make a long story short I had to get a spot on my arm cut open last night at the hospital. As I was laying there waiting for the woman to come in with the tools and start carving into my arm I had time to think. What if I would've waited even longer to get this done? What if it got so bad that they had to amputate? How would I work as a graphic designer, after going to school for this long, with only one arm to use while manoeuvring around the computer. I stopped to think about the project I did last class on accessibility and realised how truly lucky I am. I give them props for being able to (despite their disabilities) still find a way of using computers, and getting around other difficult challenges in life that they have to face. I sat and thought about how much I would have to adjust if I did have to lose one arm one day. I just wanted to get this out there that sometimes those of us without disabilities take A LOT for granted.

So I am blogging about professionalism today

Sometimes younger graphic designers have the mind set that they can wear whatever they want because they are behind a computer screen. Truth is it all depends on what kind of clientele you are looking to do work for. The more professional you look the better chance you have of working with "BUSINESS" people. Someone that owns a lawfirm is a lot more likely to hire a designer that comes in a suit and tie that has a so so portfolio then a person in street clothes that has a good portfolio. Most people unfortunately do go by first impressions. Sometimes the chance to make a second impression doesn't come along. If you want to stick to working with family and freinds and tattoo shops etc. then sure where whatever you want, but if you look forward to making good money in the feild one day, you might want to think about your wardrobe when going into an interview.

Another thing that goes along with professionalism is language and attitude. People in the business world do not want someone with a bad attitude that swears like a sailor. They want someone who gets along with others in the workplace, doesnt bring or start drama, and knows what it means to speak to people in a "professional" manner.

Web Design PART 2

Today was the second day of our new class, for the projects we are to write up a Proposal, Contract, and Creative Brief. I have always known that I needed to do these things but never actually had to do them. I looked up the samples online and adjusted it to meet my project. As I read through them and made the changes that needed to be made, I realized how many things are involved in the creation of a website that need to be accounted for when charging someone for the work. Also the contract made me realize all the different angles that needed to be covered when dealing with someone on something regarding money for work. We discussed third parties being brought in and how it has to be agreed on between both parties before it is allowed. There are a lot of things that I have already learned in the two days of class that we have had already. I look forward to the upcoming projects and am excited/nervous because this is my last class before I graduate. Hope I can learn all this in 8 weeks. :)

Web Design half way point....

So my finals for the first part of my Web Design class are this Thursday night and I am finishing up my last projects. I have to admit that when I came into this class I was excited for all of maybe two weeks. Unfortunately I started to lack motivation in the middle because I started feeling like "This isn't graphic design, this is just typing a bunch of words into a code that makes it show up on the web. I want to do 'Design'." Now that it is the end I am wishing I would not have given up on web design and tried to incorporate both of them together rather than not giving web a chance. Now that I am nearing the final days of the first web class I am starting to get my motivation back and I am hoping that I develop a love for it before the second portion is over.

Web truly is where the money is with developing sites for all aspects of life. People want personal sites, business sites, and some just want to be part of a organized social networking site and want there page on that site to be pretty and you add a "cool" css style sheet to it. I had a project on accessibility this class and until I looked into the research of it I didn't even think about how many people have to find some other method to use for browsing the web. It was amazing to me that there are things we "as web designers" can do to better assist people with disabilities in web browsing. I am glad that I am getting my motivation back and I am looking forward to learning more about web in the second portion of this class.

What you need to know about behavioral CSS

This web page (listed below) talks about different CSS behaviors that people should know the use of. It explains about transformations, transitions, and animation. Some of the topics include CSS transformations such as transform() - Rotate, scale, and translate and how to chain the transformations together. It proceeds into the Transition and Animation, all being very informative and educational for people who have some experience in HTML and CSS and want to follow along and try it out themselves. If you are someone who would like to view the site and learn more about the ways to use these behavioral CSS steps just put the following link in your browser.

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/12/19/what-you-need-to-know-about-behavioral-css/

How to create a cool anaglyphic text effect with css...

This site shows how you can use offsetting of the red, green, and blue channels, you can create a 3D image known as a anaglyph. The site has a demo to show you an example of how to do this effect when writing your css and html. This is a neat effect and can add something little yet creative to your site. (if it is some kind of a topic that allows the use of it of course) If this is a business related site for lawyers this site probably would be a waste of your time but if you are designing a retro style site or maybe something cute or cartoonish then this is something quick you could look over as a touch of extra style. : )

http://line25.com/tutorials/how-to-create-a-cool-anaglyphic-text-effect-with-css

Soma FontFriend

"FontFriend is a bookmarklet for typographically obsessed web designers." (see website)

This website has a video to help you see how it is used and what it does. It also has a paragraph about how to use it and has a note about compatibility. If you would like to be able to see what a font is in a site right in the browser without editing codes... check out this site and watch the video attached. It is pretty interesting and is another cool way of making a designers life a little easier.

http://somadesign.ca/projects/fontfriend/

Font face browser and tutorial...

"Increasing support of the CSS3 @font-face allows us to load a font onto our servers, link to and name that font in our CSS, and then use that font we’ve imported as if it were a native font in the client’s environment."(see website)

This makes it possible for us to install a font and not be limited to what fonts a user has installed on their computer. Now if you have the legal right to post the font, you can post whatever unique font you would like into your website and not worry about the users defaults. You can check out the website below to see the browser support for @font-face and see comments people have left on the post. This is actually a really great article because this is something that makes designers lives just another little step easier. Even if it is just using a different font choice in a website.

http://www.evotech.net/blog/2010/01/font-face-browser-support-tutorial/

CSS Beauty

Now that I am in web design I have been trying to look up sites that have more information about html, css, or web design in general. CSS Beauty is a site that I came across and there are daily updates of the newest articles on everything to do with web. The tabs at the top have the "gallery" which shows pictures of the latest entries, "skill/share" which shows all the discussions and such that people have given their opinion and input on. The "shuffle" tab has possible themes you could use for your layouts. There is a place to submit a site as well if you have designed some of your own. It says new, jobs, community under the title so i looked a little further into it and there is even a CSSmonster link for job stuff as well. This is a pretty neat site and I am glad I came across it. Just wanted to share with fellow classmates/followers of my blog so they can look into it if they would like to learn more about web design.

Another Day Another Thought...the importance of a thorough portfolio

Sometimes I wonder if Graphic Design is really the field I want to be in because I see so many "freelance graphic designers" out there that are not making any money. Right when I feel like second guessing myself I turn around and see how much people are making to design logos for companies, or tee shirts for professional sports teams and their advertisements. I realize that it truly depends on how serious you are and how hard you push yourself. The more you do do better your knowledge in this field the more you can put in your portfolio. You can put every piece that you feel is "neat", or "has emotion in it", or you just "like the colors in", in your portfolio. Then you can use it to show your future employer your skills and thought processes involved in your work.

I see some of the portfolios that fellow classmates have had and I see how important it is to maintain an up to date portfolio and show a little bit of everything so they know what all you are capable of. When I first started my associates degree I kept everything and was so excited about the stuff I had done. I have let that excitement factor slip away though throughout my degree, and now as I near my graduation date I am realizing that I really need to get more heart in my portfolio instead of just class assignments. That way a future employer can see "my style".

What makes a good website in my eyes?...

*When there is a good contrast in color, or size of text, it makes the site a lot easier for my eyes to move around the web page.

*Banner ads that have an option to turn sound on if I would like as opposed to the ones that blurt something out at you as soon as you open the page.

*A site that has a good balance of pictures and text as opposed to a site that has too much of one or the other.

*Informative sites that have good content and are not just rambling about random information or lose course and go off topic.

As I learn HTML and am being taught to create websites, I am learning how to arrange things to make all of the above listed things utilized in my site. Learning code is hard but with every new day of learning it, it becomes easier and comes more easily. Dreamweaver makes things a lot easier when you have more than one page at a time that you are trying to put together. I am excited about learning new things in the program and hopefully this will be something I can utilize in the future if I do go out on my own as a Freelance Graphic Designer. Web Design is a good field to be in if you know what you are doing because everyone thinks they need a website. :)