Student Websites

Designing for the Web

When teaching the intro class one of my goals is to help students understand how the elements and principles of design apply to creating a website. It is also crucial for students to understand that usually  graphic designers collaborate with web designers and programmers. Dreamweaver CS5.5 has so many templates that some people may think that you do not need to be an artist to design a great website.  I think aesthetics and artistry are relevant when creating a website or blog. In this class students take on roles of graphic designer, computer programmer, and website designer, but there is emphasis on the "designer" part.   Students learn the basics of Flash, Photoshop, and Dreamweaver to allow them to create a well-designed site. Below are a few examples of student work. One student created a website about his band, another about his college search, and then there are the sites about coffee and tea. These were done in a very short period of time, but are wonderful first attempts.  Click on the image to navigate to the site's home page.



International Tea by Zhanneta

     


All about Coffee by Shoshanna




Suppressed Rage by Tim




By Luke

Let's begin with the "home" page.

Designing for the Web

As we begin designing our home page for our website we need to understand what makes the home or index page successful?  The home page is the first page a viewer sees so it needs to function properly and be appealing. We will view several websites in class and discuss what elements are making it work or not.  You will then find two websites that you will critique.  One should be an example of a poorly designed site and the other a successful one.  Use the, "Elements of a Successful Website" document as you critique the websites.  View the "Website Critique" document for your complete assignment.

Who is Shepard Fairey??

Fairey "Andre, the Giant" 1989

Designing for the Web

When designing our digital images we need to be aware of copyright laws and what  "fair use" or "public domain" means.  Shepard Fairey reached millions of people when he designed the "Hope" poster using an image of President Obama.  There was a lot of controversy 
amongst artists when it came to how Fairey acquired the image he used for the poster.  Your assignment is to discover more about the controversy, Shepard Fairey, and copyrighting.   Complete the following assignment and be prepared to talk about your findings in class.

Shepard Fairey and Copyrighting Journal Entry

Fairey "Hope" 2008

Perspective and Perception

Intro to Drawing and Painting

Your next artistic challenge will be to create an acrylic painting that shows your knowledge of perspective. Create the illusion of space by portraying objects and architecture the correct size and proportion.  Choose an architectural or atmospheric space that is intriguing to you and then make a painting that represents that space in your personal way.  You may simplify the details to create an abstract painting or you can try for a realistic rendering. 

View the following Document for more information on this lesson:

Perspective Lesson

The paintings below make an impact by including perspective as a key component to design. 

Creating a White Still-Life

Advanced Drawing and Painting

Link to Eileen Eder's Paintings

Our next challenge will be to paint a still-life that is predominately made up of white objects.  You will be focusing on value changes and how value creates the form of an object.  View  "Painting an Almost White Still-Life" document. 

The Elements of Shading

Intro to Drawing and Painting

Complete a pencil drawing in your sketchbook of a sphere or egg that clearly shows the 5 elements of shading.  Take a look at the "shading document" to better understand these elements. 

Watercolor

Intro to Drawing and Painting

Students in the Intro to Drawing and Painting class took their time getting to know watercolor by painting the facial features. It is very difficult to control the watercolors and create a likeness of someone.  Students did an outstanding job!  

To view all of the paintings completed by the students go to Watercolor Portraits.

Action Script!

Designing for the Web

The movie below is a final flash project created by a student from a previous semester.  In a few weeks you have been introduced to the very basics of what Flash can do.  We have only scratched the service of what Flash is capable of.  ActionScript was added to the file below.  Action Script is a type of code added into keyframes to add action to the movie.  For instance the action makes the movie start when you press the word "play".  Go ahead and press play and see what happens.In your final flash project you will use the same script to start your own movies.