KIACS Online - New Design

Here is the latest design for my website.

If you compare the new design with the current design, it's clear to see how much my design ideas and quality of design as developed in just under a year.

Originally, my logo had 4 different colours and the font wasn't very modern looking. I've decided to stay with the layout of the logo (the words under each other) but I've decided to use a clear, funky font and just the green because it looks more slick, more fun and less rough.

The logo on the far right is my official logo, the arrow with a blue circle underneath, reflects the cycle of design, development and deliverance. By crossing it over with an arrow, this connotates a different "direction" in my work, and reflects my approach to design being clear, simple and effective.

I've continued to use the green and blue as the main colours for the website, dropping the red and white as these offered too much variation and detracted from the website development as I was trying to work with too many colours.

In terms of content, the website will house my graphic and website design work I've created over the last 2 or 3 years. Not only will there be a portfolio section with live previews of my work, but the blog will serve the purpose that this blog currently does. This will all be backed up by my twitter page, where users will be able to access my latest tweets, straight into the website.

I will be using HTML, CSS, PHP, MySql and probably (hopefully) jQuery where I can.

Overall, this new website design is sleek, modern, clean and effective. It will serve its purpose to a great standard and will be a design I am happy to keep for years to come hopefully.

LUCY: Website tweeks and development

I have gone through and tweeked various things throughout Lucy's website and added in a more secure login system to prevent hacking of the blog and gig updates etc.

Fixed various design flaws - including too much inconsistancy between headings and colours etc. Things are a lot more structured and userfriendly now, including headings, possitioning and other TINY little things in the code that usually wouldn't go noticed, but make a massive difference to the professional quality such as padding etc.

I've also made the add, edit and delete forms for the blog and gigs MUCH more user friendly by changing the text boxes to drop down menus.

You can now upload photos up the 3MB and the system will automatically downsize it to fit within the constraints of the website WITHOUT distortion, however the file size will remain the same.

The login procedure is now MUCH more secure. People can't edit the blog or gigs by accessing the individual pages, they MUST log in. (Which was previously a flaw in the last log in design)

I've added in a random image selecter on the home page so that it will randomly choose an image to display which is a photo of Lucy and a comment that someone has said about her. (Refresh the home page to see this working)

The alignment of the text is now justified so that it spreads evenly accross the page. (Small minor change, big difference!)

And finally, the MP3 player begins playing the first track when you load up each page.

I'm handing in my work on Thursday and doing my presentation on Friday... I think we're almost finished!!

I've talked to my brother about getting the website online at Lucy's own domain, and I hope to get that online by the end of March. Fingers crossed!

LUCY: Project application and design

Brief 2 states that we need to create a website for an artist or organisation. This is no more than the perfect opportunity for me to finish off the website I started creating for Lucy as a project.

This way I'll get marked on work I produced outside of Uni and I can get feedback and create the site as professionally as possible.

I have to include 3 interactive Flash elements and a PHP MySQL database profile page.

At the moment, I've managed to get the whole basic template of the site online and the first flash element included. However, as the flash has to be interactive, I am unsure as to whether or not this is possible to use.

I am currently going to start designing the flash MP3 music player that will set in the menu section. I'm also hoping to have the side pictures revolving and use video through Flash as well.

Markeaton Park Website: Research and Theory Work

Here are a few photographs I took today after going on site to Markeaton Park to get some of my own research done.

I thought it was necessary for me to do a site visit so that I could really remember the essence of what Markeaton Park means to me and to get a real view of how it looks in Autumn/Winter.

I took approximately 150 photos of which I will probably use some in my project to add visuals to the site.

Here is some data that I've gathered that may be useful in producing the site:
Buses to the park:

• Park & Ride
• Notts + Derby
• Unibus 4
• Unibus 5

Amenities close to the park:

• Derby University
• McDonalds
• Esso Petrol Station
• Easy access to the town centre

Park's amenities:

• 24/7 Pay & Display Parking
• Pitch and Putt
• Craft Village
• The Orangery Cafe

Selling:

1. Hot Food
2. Baguettes
3. Panini
4. Homemade Cakes

• Lilac Joinery
• Paint a Pot
• Matthew Morris Furniture
• Basket Ball Courts
• Tennis Courts
• Rowing Boats
• Child's play areas
• Half Pipe
• Crazy Golf
• Bouncy Castle
• Steam Train
• Donkeys
• Paddling Pool
• Road Train
• Ice Cream Stall

Selling:

1. Magnums
2. 5-Ice
3. Cornetto (Mint and Strawberry)
4. Festival (Original and Mint)
5. Screwball
6. ZAP
7. 99
8. Sunny Ice (Blackcurrant, Orange and Cola)
9. Rainbow Lolly
10. Strawberry Lolly
11. Ices Lollies (Cherry, Lemonade, Banana, Choc-o-Lic, Lager & Lime

I've also completed the forms we were given in our first lecture about our chosen space, building or environment. Here's my responses:

Physical Environment
Who is the environment for?
Everyone. Couples, families, friends, singles, students, children, adults, pets.
What is the environment for?
A space to come enjoy the outdoors and get involved with the park. Very interactive without being over powering.
How is the environment organised?
There's no strong structure to it and that gives the park a more natural feel. Doesn't conform to any specific rules. Mundy Place centre keeps all the children together which enables to parents to keep an eye on their kids.
How is the space signposted/negotiated?
Fairly well sign posted where necessary, use Derby City Council style boards and their own Victorian style sign posts too.
How do you feel about the space?
Relaxing, friendly and a place to think. Good for families to come to relax or enjoy some time together doing activities.
What problems can you see/predict?
As it's so open and varied, creating a website with a strong structure may be challenging as there's many different feelings and emotions that may come across to different people when walking through the park, the park benches for example often have plaques on them saying "In loving memory". It'll be important to include a picture gallery that captures the park in its autumn/winter state.

The Online Environment Equivalent
Who will the online environment be aimed at?
Families and those who are looking for things to do over the winter months.
What is the online environment for?
Promotion of Markeaton Park. A place to find out about the park and what it has to offer.
How is the online environment organised?
Split into 5 main areas. Home, What's On, Map, Kids and Gallery. Some pages will have more to it than just these 5 things. I'll have to come up with a site map.
How will the online environment be updated/managed?
The pictures in the gallery will be changed easily by uploading different pictures with the same file name, in effect, over writing the original source files. The text will simply be changed through a normal website editor.
How do you feeling about the online environment?
I think if I focus the site around families and what's on offer, it'll be a good product. I am very excited to get started on the site and create a space accessible to those who want to find out more.
What problems can you see/predict for an online representation of this environment?
Creating an online environment will be challenging as the park is so diverse and varied and means all sorts for different people. Creating a single site with one focus could prove quite a task. I'll have to keep it focused on what's available to do there.

Network: Network Map

Here's my network to gain work experience in my pathway, Interactive Media.

As I am currently unsure as to the area I want to focus my career, I've split up the network into various subsections.
For example, as I come from Derby and that's very close to Nottingham, I'm using both cities as my network as it's easy to commute between the two. Within each city, I've split it down further into two sections "Web Design Companies" and "Promotions and Branding Companies". By doing this, it gives me a clear view of different companies that are available within the two areas of the media I'm most interested in.

I've also included the names and a screenshot of the website for each individual company to show a mini preview and to create it more visually apealing.

On the other side, I've included various environmental factors that contribute to my network. These include my Employers, various Organisations, Peers, Friends & Family and Academics. Each catagory is split down further into more specific atributes. Various nodes on the map link together and create a more circular link as there as many over lapping factors to consider.

By creating this Network Map, I can now see where I feel I can progress to find out more about getting work experience placements. Each node at its most extreme (last in the chain) is a starting point for me to research a place for work experience.