After I had finished most of my website I decided to look through to see if there was anything I wanted to change. Although I was as a whole happy with the site I felt that the fashion feature was quite wordy and therefore not easy enough to read.
To fix this I decided to use headings and sub headings in order to break the page up. I put headings such as 'Shoes' and 'Custominsing' to make the section even more clear to a reader.
By adding the headings I felt that the section was made very simple and flowed well from one part to the next.
Friday, 12 December 2008
Wednesday, 10 December 2008
Linking
Today I finished all of my links and made sure that they worked when on the internet. I had originally linked all the pages on dreamweaver and luckily most of them worked when I set my site up on the web.
However, when trying to set my site up it was necessary to change the name for my Home page, therefore when coming to link back to my Home page none of the links were working. I order to fix this I had to go back to dreamweaver and change each link on every page that linked to the home page so that it now linked to the new name. I then had to re load all of the pages, with the new link onto my angel fire site.
However, when trying to set my site up it was necessary to change the name for my Home page, therefore when coming to link back to my Home page none of the links were working. I order to fix this I had to go back to dreamweaver and change each link on every page that linked to the home page so that it now linked to the new name. I then had to re load all of the pages, with the new link onto my angel fire site.
Video
When planning my website I had thought that I wanted to have a video within it. I hoped that this would give it a professional look and would interest someone visiting my site that did not want to read all the content.
The video that I chose to have on my website was a 'How to' about make up. I thought this was very fitting in my feature section as I was previously giving a reader tips on what to wear on a date, I could finish the section by showing them how to do make up for a date.
I found the video I wanted on Youtube and copied the embed code, I then went back to dreamweaver and changed the settings so that the screen showed the codes rather than the design. I was then, quite simply, able to embed the code I had copied onto the page, where I wanted the video to be.
In order to view the video I had to preview my website on the interview.
The video that I chose to have on my website was a 'How to' about make up. I thought this was very fitting in my feature section as I was previously giving a reader tips on what to wear on a date, I could finish the section by showing them how to do make up for a date.
I found the video I wanted on Youtube and copied the embed code, I then went back to dreamweaver and changed the settings so that the screen showed the codes rather than the design. I was then, quite simply, able to embed the code I had copied onto the page, where I wanted the video to be.
In order to view the video I had to preview my website on the interview.
Rewriting for the web
After I had gathered all my research and decided what I wanted to involve in my website and how I had to rewrite it for the internet.
On websites it is imporatnt that things are written so that the most inportant thing catches the eye and so a reader can easily read the text, which is harder to do on a screen.
When writing my feature I decided that the best way I could do this was by writing in short paragraphs and involving what the paragraph was about right at the beginning of the first sentence. An example of how I did this was when I wrote about shoes. I told a reader in my first sentence, 'The next most inportant thing is shoes'. This would help the reader to quickly identify what was going to be said in the paragraph and therefore they could just skip the paragraph if they wanted to.
For my feature I also did instructions on how to customise your clothes. I decided to break the instructions up into numbers so it would be easy to read as well as using pictures to highlight what the instructions were. Therefore if a reader was just skim reading the page they would be able to see what to do or how the dress should look after the instructions are carried out.
I also decided to make the pages within my dating section easy for a reader to look at. To achieve this in the interview pages I decided to lay it out simply and then put the questions in itallic. The most important part of the content on my interview pages is the answer to the question I asked, if a reader can see what is the question and what is the answer they can then choose whether to skip the question and just read the answer.
Dor my diary pages I decided again to use a simple lay out. I wanted the reader to see exactly what happened each day, so I headed each section with what day of my investigation it was and what date.
The safet tips and the statistics were similar in the way that all of the bullit points had one important statement. I wanted the reader to be immediatley drawn to this point so therefore I made it bold. I also used a statement at the beginning of each section of my safety tips so that it was clear what the advice in that section would be.
On websites it is imporatnt that things are written so that the most inportant thing catches the eye and so a reader can easily read the text, which is harder to do on a screen.
When writing my feature I decided that the best way I could do this was by writing in short paragraphs and involving what the paragraph was about right at the beginning of the first sentence. An example of how I did this was when I wrote about shoes. I told a reader in my first sentence, 'The next most inportant thing is shoes'. This would help the reader to quickly identify what was going to be said in the paragraph and therefore they could just skip the paragraph if they wanted to.
For my feature I also did instructions on how to customise your clothes. I decided to break the instructions up into numbers so it would be easy to read as well as using pictures to highlight what the instructions were. Therefore if a reader was just skim reading the page they would be able to see what to do or how the dress should look after the instructions are carried out.
I also decided to make the pages within my dating section easy for a reader to look at. To achieve this in the interview pages I decided to lay it out simply and then put the questions in itallic. The most important part of the content on my interview pages is the answer to the question I asked, if a reader can see what is the question and what is the answer they can then choose whether to skip the question and just read the answer.
Dor my diary pages I decided again to use a simple lay out. I wanted the reader to see exactly what happened each day, so I headed each section with what day of my investigation it was and what date.
The safet tips and the statistics were similar in the way that all of the bullit points had one important statement. I wanted the reader to be immediatley drawn to this point so therefore I made it bold. I also used a statement at the beginning of each section of my safety tips so that it was clear what the advice in that section would be.
Friday, 5 December 2008
Website Design 2
When I was originally designing my website I had decided to write in white text boxes on a black background, I thought that this would work with the theme of a bold, striking website. However, after I had wrote a few pages and previewed how it looked on the internet I decided that I did not like the appearance. My main problem was that I felt that the site looked far too boxy and would not appeal to someone that clicked on it.
To cange this problem I decided to make the background of my text box black and the text white. I felt that this improved my website greatly and made it much more aesthetically pleasing. It also gave the site a slick look, which wanted to achieve.
To cange this problem I decided to make the background of my text box black and the text white. I felt that this improved my website greatly and made it much more aesthetically pleasing. It also gave the site a slick look, which wanted to achieve.
Tuesday, 2 December 2008
Content 2
I had previously decided that all of the work I did on my website would go under two sub headings, the first one would be Dating, which would involve all of my repurposed work and the second one would be Fashion which would be my original feature.
Under the Dating pages I had a brief introduction and then buttons to navigate a reader around the dating pages and to anywhere else on the website. My four areas within my dating section are Interviews, Diary, Statistics and Safety Tips.
Under the Dating pages I had a brief introduction and then buttons to navigate a reader around the dating pages and to anywhere else on the website. My four areas within my dating section are Interviews, Diary, Statistics and Safety Tips.
Content
I had previously decided that the content of my website would revolve around dating, this would include repurposed work from my Print class. I decided to use my research from my print class such as interviews and a diary which I knew would not be used in the actual body of my print work but would still be interesting to a reader. I also thought that the safety tips page would be useful for someone on the site, and the statistics would be an interesting element to the site.
As we were required to do an original feature I decided to bring fashion into the website. I felt that someone who was in my target audience would be interested in fashion as well as dating, and I decided to use the credit crunch to make the feature more topical.
As we were required to do an original feature I decided to bring fashion into the website. I felt that someone who was in my target audience would be interested in fashion as well as dating, and I decided to use the credit crunch to make the feature more topical.
Monday, 1 December 2008
Button Navigation
After I designed the buttons I then had to make sure that all of the pages connected to each other. I had previously made a navigation plan and felt this was a great help to me, whilst trying to connect all the buttons to the pages it was slightly confusing to remember which pages had to connect to each other and which pages I had already connected. However, I was able to follow my plan in order to make sure that all the buttons were properly connected.
To make my pages on my site connect to each other I first had to make the other pages for my website using my Home page as a template. I saved all the pages and gave them their titles and then I was able to link from one page to another quite easily.
To make my pages on my site connect to each other I first had to make the other pages for my website using my Home page as a template. I saved all the pages and gave them their titles and then I was able to link from one page to another quite easily.
Button Design
Initially I had planned that my buttons would be quite detailed and colourful. I planned to have the buttons red and a font that was quite elaborate, such as French Script or Tempus Sans. When developing the buttons, however, I realised that the colour and font that I was planning on using did not have the effect that I hoped it would. I felt that in comparison to the simplicity of the rest of the site and the banner the elaborate design was too over the top.
For these reasons I decided to make the buttons similar to the banner by being white and having the same font for the writing. I felt that on the black background this was the most effective button design.
For these reasons I decided to make the buttons similar to the banner by being white and having the same font for the writing. I felt that on the black background this was the most effective button design.
Title Banner Design
After deciding on the name for my Website the first thing I had to do was design the title banner.
I did this using Adobe Fireworks. Firstly I counted the pixels that I needed the banner to be in Adobe Dreamweaver. It was important for the design of my website that the banner was the correct size.
After counting the length and width of the pixels I was able to enter them into Fireworks in order to get the basic size that my title banner would be. I then added a text box and entered the title. I decided that I would use a font that was quite feminine as that is my target audience. In order to achieve the simple but bold look I decided to have black writing on a white background.
I also knew I wanted to add pictures to my banner so that the site is immediately interesting to a reader when they click on to it. I decided firstly to add a picture of myself, I made this decision because I wanted to keep the site personal and felt that a picture of myself would work well considering the fact that my name is involved in the title. I used a picture of myself from Facebook and put it into Photoshop in order to crop the picture so it would fit properly into the banner.
After putting the picture of myself onto the banner I felt that the banner would look better with another picture to balance the other side out. The picture that I chose to use was a heart which I found on Google. This was an appropriate picture as it fitted perfectly with the theme of the site and would be one of the first things that a reader would see when they enter the site.
After I designed the banner I then had to import it into Dreamweaver. Whilst doing this I had a problem as my banner did not fit properly into the banner space at the top of my Dreamweaver page. I thought I had count the pixels correctly and re counted them however it still did not fit properly. However, whilst trying to make my banner fit I realised that if I made the banner small I could have the white banner on a black background which looked very effective on my page. Therefore I made the banner smaller and was very happy with the way it looked.
I did this using Adobe Fireworks. Firstly I counted the pixels that I needed the banner to be in Adobe Dreamweaver. It was important for the design of my website that the banner was the correct size.
After counting the length and width of the pixels I was able to enter them into Fireworks in order to get the basic size that my title banner would be. I then added a text box and entered the title. I decided that I would use a font that was quite feminine as that is my target audience. In order to achieve the simple but bold look I decided to have black writing on a white background.
I also knew I wanted to add pictures to my banner so that the site is immediately interesting to a reader when they click on to it. I decided firstly to add a picture of myself, I made this decision because I wanted to keep the site personal and felt that a picture of myself would work well considering the fact that my name is involved in the title. I used a picture of myself from Facebook and put it into Photoshop in order to crop the picture so it would fit properly into the banner.
After putting the picture of myself onto the banner I felt that the banner would look better with another picture to balance the other side out. The picture that I chose to use was a heart which I found on Google. This was an appropriate picture as it fitted perfectly with the theme of the site and would be one of the first things that a reader would see when they enter the site.
After I designed the banner I then had to import it into Dreamweaver. Whilst doing this I had a problem as my banner did not fit properly into the banner space at the top of my Dreamweaver page. I thought I had count the pixels correctly and re counted them however it still did not fit properly. However, whilst trying to make my banner fit I realised that if I made the banner small I could have the white banner on a black background which looked very effective on my page. Therefore I made the banner smaller and was very happy with the way it looked.
Wednesday, 19 November 2008
Website Title
The title of my Website is Lauren's Dating Tips. I had alot of difficulty deciding on the name of my website, as it consists mostly of my work and research that I am doing for my print assessment. I wanted the title to involve my name, I also however wanted it to tell a reader exactly what the website involved.
I felt that Lauren's Dating Tips was appropriate as it not only personalised the site but also involved both the dating aspect as well as the fashion aspect of the site.
I felt that Lauren's Dating Tips was appropriate as it not only personalised the site but also involved both the dating aspect as well as the fashion aspect of the site.
Website Design
The first step in creating my website was to decide how I wanted the basic layout. As I have said I wanted my design to be very simple and easy to navigate around, so I decided the best layout for my page would be quite a basic one with a banner and a column on the right hand side of the page with the main content of the page on the left hand side. I liked this simple layout and felt it was clear and easy to read. I decided that I would have the same basic layout for every page on my site.
The colours I decided to use were basic black and white. I thought this would make my site bold as well as being easy to read. From my own experience I felt that websites with too much colour can be difficult to concentrate on, such as heatworld. I wanted to avoid this when designing my site.
The colours I decided to use were basic black and white. I thought this would make my site bold as well as being easy to read. From my own experience I felt that websites with too much colour can be difficult to concentrate on, such as heatworld. I wanted to avoid this when designing my site.
Thursday, 13 November 2008
Design and Navigation
My initial thought when designing my website and the navigation around was to keep my website simple. My target audience would be women aged between 15 and 35 who would be interested to read about dating and fashion. I would target women on breaks from work who don't have a long time to navigate around a difficult site.
I thought, because of my own experience and that of my friends, that menu buttons that were clear and concise would be the best way to navigate around my website. These menu buttons would link directly to other pages as well as back to the home page so that the reader would not have to go back through all the other pages if they wanted to get somewhere else. All of the pages on my site lead directly back to the home page.
It was also very imortant that my navigation was thoroughly thought out and simple. Below is a rough idea of how I planned my website navigation. I wanted all of my pages to naturally follow on from the one before, and thought that my plan acheived this successfully.
I thought, because of my own experience and that of my friends, that menu buttons that were clear and concise would be the best way to navigate around my website. These menu buttons would link directly to other pages as well as back to the home page so that the reader would not have to go back through all the other pages if they wanted to get somewhere else. All of the pages on my site lead directly back to the home page.
It was also very imortant that my navigation was thoroughly thought out and simple. Below is a rough idea of how I planned my website navigation. I wanted all of my pages to naturally follow on from the one before, and thought that my plan acheived this successfully.
Wednesday, 12 November 2008
Initial Website Idea
In today's class we started to develop the ideas that we have had in order to turn them into something that can be a successful website.
I decided to use the idea from my Print feature so that my website would showcase other work that I have done on the course. I decided to use my print feature as I have developed an idea which I am enjoying working on and I have a lot of research which will not be involved in the end feature; however I felt that this research would still be interesting for a reader.
My feature is all about internet dating. I intend to use an internet dating site to investigate how safe they are and whether they are a good way to meet someone. I have interviewed a woman who was married shortly after meeting someone on the internet and someone who would never consider using the internet in order to meet a partner.
I thought that my research into my own experience on a dating website would make an interesting diary for my website, and could show people in more detail, and on a day to day basis, how the site worked.
I also wanted to involve the interviews that I have done as in my feature they are going to be cut down significantly to be sidebars rather than full length profiles.
I am also involving a sidebar of statistics in my print feature and I felt that more details on my website would also be interesting.
Another part of our assessment criteria is to do a feature that is totally separate from any work that we have previously done. However, when considering what I would do as a feature I decided that I wanted to incorporate it in someway with the content of my website, rather than having a completely random piece of work. Therefore I thought that I could incorporate the dating theme and involve a feature about fashion, and what a woman can wear when she goes out on a date.
I decided to use the idea from my Print feature so that my website would showcase other work that I have done on the course. I decided to use my print feature as I have developed an idea which I am enjoying working on and I have a lot of research which will not be involved in the end feature; however I felt that this research would still be interesting for a reader.
My feature is all about internet dating. I intend to use an internet dating site to investigate how safe they are and whether they are a good way to meet someone. I have interviewed a woman who was married shortly after meeting someone on the internet and someone who would never consider using the internet in order to meet a partner.
I thought that my research into my own experience on a dating website would make an interesting diary for my website, and could show people in more detail, and on a day to day basis, how the site worked.
I also wanted to involve the interviews that I have done as in my feature they are going to be cut down significantly to be sidebars rather than full length profiles.
I am also involving a sidebar of statistics in my print feature and I felt that more details on my website would also be interesting.
Another part of our assessment criteria is to do a feature that is totally separate from any work that we have previously done. However, when considering what I would do as a feature I decided that I wanted to incorporate it in someway with the content of my website, rather than having a completely random piece of work. Therefore I thought that I could incorporate the dating theme and involve a feature about fashion, and what a woman can wear when she goes out on a date.
Welcome!
Welcome to Lauren's Website Blog.
This blog is to show how I have developed my online assessment blog, why I made the decisions i did, and what I did in order to achieve this.
The blog will involve information on design and content as well as the steps i took whilst developing my work.
Hopefully this blog will help people to understand a little better all of the workings on my website and why they make sense within the website as a whole.
This blog is to show how I have developed my online assessment blog, why I made the decisions i did, and what I did in order to achieve this.
The blog will involve information on design and content as well as the steps i took whilst developing my work.
Hopefully this blog will help people to understand a little better all of the workings on my website and why they make sense within the website as a whole.
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