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