Course Overview & The Blogging Experience

This quarter, in Comm 350, I have gained a variety of different skills that will be applicable in my future career goals. I hope to become a brand marketer, and the design skills I have learned from Photoshop, Indesign, and Wix will prove invaluable during my search for a career out of college. 

Prior to this course, I barely had the skills to operate Microsoft Paint; now I feel that I have drastically improved my technological know how. I can now create business cards, publication layouts and covers, advertisements, and websites—all applicable to my desired career path. Aside from software skills, I learned how to effectively design a graphic to appeal to an audience—it is so much more than just throwing some images and texts onto a page! There is a real science to creating effective designs. Certain colors, alignments, and graphics appeal to different audiences and knowing this will help make your end product successful.

Here are some links about design and knowing your audience:

http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2011/12/designing-for-your-target-audience/

https://uxmag.com/articles/using-color-to-appeal-to-users

http://dianev.com/web-design-help/web_design_basics/target_audience.html

Early this quarter, we were asked to join a social media site, which I discuss in my third post:

“For the purpose of this assignment, I joined Pinterest because I have heard women rave about it and reference it frequently. The concept of the site is simple, create inspiration boards filled with pictures ranging in topic. I fell in love with the site almost instantly, as it was very user friendly and a mindless way to pass the time. It reminded me a lot of blogging in the sense that you can either upload your own content or re-post another user’s image—the site thrives of off reblogged or “repined” image sharing.”

I have remained active on this site throughout the quarter because it is quite addicting! While it is useful to draw inspiration for projects, it is a great way to pass the time while I’m at work waiting for check-ins (I work front desk at a hotel). It is very user-friendly, and I found myself getting lost in the images of pretty floral arrangements and delicious food for a very long time! In all honesty, I will most likely continue to engage in this social media platform and spend far to much time repining ways to decorate my room. 

Another main component of this course was maintaining this blog! However, I found this to be the least engaging element of the course. Seeing as how the online platform was incredibly simple, after the first post I didn’t gain any additional technological skills. The writing is also not very formal, so I don’t feel as if my writing technique has improved either. For the most part, this blog served as a way to rehash what we learned in class without actually going into too many specifics. Consistently posting was also a hassle because the staggered due dates were difficult to remember if not written down—plus they were on a Saturday which is not a typical homework day. Nevertheless, I have heard that the best way to learn is to teach the material to someone else, so perhaps restating how to operate the in class software did provide me with a better understanding. 

Overall, this course has taught me so much about a topic that I had absolutely no experience with! The material is very relevant in today’s society, and the skill gained are applicable to nearly every career field. I have recommended this course to several of my peers, and feel it is one of the most useful courses I have take during my time at Western Washington University. 

Image: http://wardcorner.edublogs.org/files/2012/09/blog-wm-office-clipart-crop-600x369-24bdbfy.jpg

Building a Website Rulebook

This week, our class is working to create personal websites featuring our work throughout the quarter. Therefore, this blog post will include 10 rules, listed in chronological order, to create a website. So without further ado, here is what to keep in mind:

10. Determine your goals and objectives
Before you begin the creative process of website building, ask yourself what you want the website to achieve. Once you have a goal in mind, you'll be able to make discussions that accomplish those goals. 

9. Know your target audience
Who will be viewing the site? Who do you want to view the site? Knowing who you are creating content for is critical to the success of your website. 

8. Keep the design layout simple
Simplistic design is easiest to comprehend and more approachable to an vast audience. When creating a portfolio of your work, it is important to let your work speak for itself and not have a website that design that distracts from the content. 

7. Create a narrative with your content
The audience is viewing the website from a different perspective than the creator, so will be unaware of all the features of your site unless explicitly stated. Labeling is key here!

6. Use an easy to read font type
If it is difficult to read, no one will take the time to read it--simple as that!

5. Choose a simple and pleasant color scheme
Different color schemes provoke different emotions, so color scheme is critical in conveying your message. Make sure to choose a scheme with that emotional repercussions in mind, and make sure that it is easy to look at for extended periods of time and that it doesn't distract from the content. 

4. Include images
Our society is very visual, and images are interesting and can be used to compliment content. Including clear, relevant images will increase the readability of the website and appeal to the audience. 

3. Show your personality through the content and design
Although I noted the importance of simplicity, you should show your personality through your design work--especially in the instance of a personal, portfolio website. You want to make design and content choices that will appeal to your audience, yet also convey your personal style. 

2. Remain consistent throughout all webpages
Elements such as font size, headings, footers, font type, alignment should remain consistent across all pages on your website. This creates a clean end product, and it will be easier for the audience to navigate.  

1. Pay close attention to detail
When you are finished with your website, go over every detail with a fine-toothed comb. Details are very important when if comes to designing an appealing website, and can make or break effective website design.

There you have it, 10 simple rules to keep in mind when creating a website--Have fun building your empire! You can also checkout the websites I have worked on this quarter, linked below.

Group Website: http://veryhappyemily.wix.com/wwuleagueofvikings

Individual Website: http://alex53moore.wix.com/alexandreamoore 

Sources: 
http://99u.com/articles/7127/6-steps-to-creating-a-knockout-online-portfolio
https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/02/10-steps-to-the-perfect-portfolio-website/
http://canwin.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/website-building.jpg

Design Principles

Throughout the last couple weeks, our class worked with InDesign with special attention to layout and formatting. We have completed several projects within the last few class sessions, include a newsletter, 2page book-spread, magazine cover, and brochure. All of these assignments required attention to layout and design in order to have a visually appealing end result.

The acronym taught in class to demonstrate proper layout was C.R.A.P. This stands for:

Contrast
     -"Elements that aren’t the same should be very different so they stand out, making them “slightly different” confuses the user into seeing a relation that doesn’t exist. Strong contrast between page elements allows the user’s eye to flow from one to another down the page instead of creating a sea of similarity that’s boring and not communicative."

Repetition
     -"Repeat styles down the page for a cohesive feel if you style related elements the same way in one area, continue that trend for other areas for consistency."

Alignment
     -"Everything on the page needs to be visually connected to something else, nothing should be out of place or distinct from all other design elements."

Proximity
     -"Proximity creates related meaning: elements that are related should be grouped together, whereas separate design elements should have enough space in between to communicate they are different."

This information was taken from the following site, and is explained in further detail: http://blog.teamtreehouse.com/how-crap-is-your-site-design

In my experience with the projects this week, I found that alignment was the most challenging detail to perfect--This is because it is the most difficult to exact. 

While C.R.A.P. outlines the basics of design principles, there are more specific elements to be critical of in order to produce the best project. For example color, size, texture, and value are important elements. These can be further explained by the following links and image:

http://www.johnlovett.com/test.htm
http://flyeschool.com/content/elements-artdesign-and-principles-designorganization

However, once you are aware of these principle of design, creating a visually appealing layout will become second nature. Happy designing! 

Image: http://cdn1.tnwcdn.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2014/10/laptop-color-design.jpg

Inspiration and Design

This week, our class had the opportunity to explore a social media site that we have little to no experience with. For the purpose of this assignment, I joined Pinterest because I have heard women rave about it and reference it frequently. The concept of the site is simple, create inspiration boards filled with pictures ranging in topic. I fell in love with the site almost instantly, as it was very user friendly and a mindless way to pass the time. It reminded me a lot of blogging in the sense that you can either upload your own content or re-post another user’s image—the site thrives of off reblogged or “repined” image sharing. 

The main features of the site include board creation, pinning, liking, and sending. You can also link up your account to Facebook and connect with your friends to see their boards. One of my favorite elements of the site is that you can research a pin to find the website that it originated from, which comes in handy when you repin clothing that you want to buy or food that you want the recipe for. A concern about the site is that it sparks less engagement between users when compared with other social media sites. Users are able to comment and like other users’ pins, but they rarely partake in this method of direct contact. Despite this detachment, I really enjoyed the site and found it to be a great source of inspiration. 

This type of inspiration has been instrumental this week as our class dabbled in the basics of InDesign. InDesign is Adobe software publishing software that we used to create a book cover, 2-page book spread, and magazine cover. I was very daunted by this program at first, but now am in love with it! There are so many features and design elements that you can use to create something original, and it is not extremely difficult to use. There are some aspects that are challenging, but it is easy to get the results you want with the trail-error method and practice. I am slightly biased at the moment though because I won our in-class contest and my book cover design will be featured on our class book; I never win creative contests and have minimal technological experience, so this was a big moment for me—Thank you InDesign!

Regardless of my recent triumph, I still think the site is a great tool for creating any sort of publication and will be using it in the adult world.  Here are a couple links to get you started so that you can win design competitions too!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b27Q4YUGO8Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4F0E0NQ92eY

Image: http://theodysseyonline.com/lafayette/just-love-pinterest/312838

Websites Building and Record Editing

This week, our class experimented with the online website builders Wix and Weebley. I have worked with both of these programs in previous courses and personally I favor Wix. My team that will be building a website for an on campus club has chosen to use Wix for our project.

While both are very user friendly, Wix seems to have more features and is easier for me to navigate. I have experimented with other sites, like Wordpress, and feel like Wix is more conducive to my needs as a beginner website builder. Wix provides users with hundreds of templates to match their style of website, and allows every element to be altered to meet the user’s preferences.

Working with different website builders has taught me that it is incredibly easy and accessible for individuals with minimal technological know-how to build a website. This day and age, the ability to code is no longer the only requirement when building a website. Essentially, if you want/need to build an online presence you can, and it’s simple to do.

Here are some helpful videos that will explain how to use Wix!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRU83c06luM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clzBjs4SPTU

Additionally, this week we learned about podcasts and audio recording/editing equipment. The main program we experimented with was the editing software Audacity. This is an easy program to operate with minimal training, however there are a few pesky quirks! For example, you have to press the stop button whenever you want to edit the recording, which isn’t difficult but it’s annoying. Other than that it is very user friendly and useful in developing a podcast or other recording.

Audacity offers basic features like fading sounds and adding underlying tracks, and there are really fun features like sound effects. We used http://www.pacdv.com/sounds/index.html to add sound effects legally, and this site offers a ton of fun noises to enhance your recording. Royalty-fee music is also available online, and a good resource for cheap college students! In class we used: http://www.freemusicbeds.com/. Creating a podcast, or really any edited recording is a exciting process and easy with minimal training—here is a video to check out Audacity and get started creating!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uqCNjbQn54

Image: http://startupbloggers.com/wix-vs-weebly-better-startups/

Welcome to my blog!

My name is Alexandrea Moore, but everyone calls me Alex. I am a Junior at Western Washington University in Bellingham, and am studying Communication Studies and Public Relations. As part of my academic pursuits, I am currently partaking in a course called Emerging Communication Technologies and this blog is an element of the course. I will be writing six different blog posts about various topics to establish my online presence throughout the quarter. Aside from introducing my self, this first post will discuss blogging, personal branding, and photoshop. Now, without further ado, I will begin the educational part of this post. 

Blogging has been a part of several collegiate courses I have taken because it is an excellent way to develop a web presence and experiment with communicating a personal message digitally. A blog is essentially a personal website in which the blogger can produce and/or share digital content about anything. There are many websites that offer user-friendly templates, free of charge, making blogging accessible to a vast audience.  

Personal Branding is essential because it is not only who you are, it is who you want to be. When creating your brand it is important to highlight what makes you unique and what will set you apart in the industry you are appealing to. It is important to be aware of content you promote, language you use, and media that you produce because the internet is permanent. In my case, I want to work in brand marketing so it is crucial that my online interactions are politically correct, content that I create is original, and I must appear creative and innovative. No matter what brand you are perpetuating, you must remain aware of all digital medias associated with your name. 

Photoshop was a completely foreign topic to me until three weeks ago, when I entered this course. I knew it only as the computer program responsible for the appearance of women in fashion magazines. However, I have since learned that photoshop has a variety of uses and real-life applications. It is fairly easy to use if you have a basic knowledge of the program, and it can be used to create amazing media content. Everything from designing a logo to creating a masterpiece is possible through photoshop. 

Here are some helpful links to guide you in exploring the above communication technologies:

Blogging

http://amylynnandrews.com/how-to-blog/

http://www.bloggingbasics101.com/how-do-i-start-a-blog/

Personal Branding:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/shamahyder/2014/08/18/7-things-you-can-do-to-build-an-awesome-personal-brand/#2715e4857a0bd2109b912743

http://www.fastcompany.com/28905/brand-called-you

Photoshop:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqD851MIWVo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0s455x3qLwA

http://lifehacker.com/5753459/learn-the-basics-of-photoshop-in-under-25-minutes

Image: http://emojidictionary.emojifoundation.com/home.php?emoji=emoji772.jpg