VC Homework Assignments - Final Project


final project timeline A checklist of things not to do on your site. Some are silly but most are important to consider. FINAL PROJECT GUIDELINES: Develop a web site for a client of your choice. Web site must contain the following: 1. home page 2. 3 secondary pages OR 2 secondary pages + 1 tertiary page. A total of four pages in the final design. Work at your own level. Consider the elements and principles of design, color and meaning and font choices. Keep a notebook for this final project - can be a sketchbook or 3-ring binder. Assignment 1 due Thursday, May 22 Decide on a client. Research client's competition locally and nationally. Find 5 competitors' sites and tell me three things designwise that you like about them and three things you don't. Be prepared to show and discuss your findings in class on Thursday. Assignment 2 due Tuesday, May 27 1. Pull 20 images that are related to your client's business. You can do a Google image search or use a site like iStock or Stock Xchange. 2. 5 thumbnail sketches for home page layout ideas. No color, just draw, brainstorm, move things around, don't settle. Size: 5 1/2 x 4 1/4 inches on unlined white paper. Assignment 3 due Thursday, May 29 In PhotoShop create five 640x480 color palettes. Show one dominant color for each. See example below. Can be anywere from 3 to 5 colors. Be prepared to discuss you color choices. You will be turning in 5 separate color palette ideas as jpg files (640 x 480). For help, check out http://www.colorcombos.com/ or http://www.colourlovers.com/ Assignment 4 due Tuesday, June 3 1. 15 adjectives (discriptive words) about your client's business. For example - if my client was an organic grocery store some adjectives might be: green, healthy, wholesome, pesticide-free, more expensive, home-grown, pure, natural, wellness, whole-grain, locally-grown, grass roots, ... 2. Refine 3 of your 5 thumbnail sketches from the previous week. This time use color, think about how the navigation will respond, use some of the images you pulled in your sketches. Work on 8 1/2 x 11 pieces of white paper. Don't go to the computer quite yet. Assignment 5 due Thursday, June 5 1. Sketch out 5 ideas for your secondary pages. Consider navigation, headers and footers. Work in color. Assignment 6 due Tuesday, June 10 HOMEPAGE MOCK-UPS Create 3 completely different home page designs ON YOUR COMPUTER. We will have a serious critique about each one. They should all be strong designs. Size: 640 x 480, full color. Application: either PhotoShop or Dreamweaver Find and/or create appropriate and useful images and text to use. Create navigation to 3 additional pages from the home page. Must be links to pages you will eventually create and not to other sites on the web. Be able to defend your choices for color, font, images and the strengths of your design. Turn in work you are proud of and excited about. Do not present work you would be embarrassed to show a client. Support your decisions with more than a "I just like the way it looks or works" - know why you think the colors, design decisions, fonts and images you chose strengthen the site's focus. JUNE 12 PROGRESS CHECK SECONDARY PAGE check JUNE 17 PROGRESS CHECK Site should be 80-90% complete at this point. JUNE 17 FINAL CRITIQUE Completed site with homepage and three secondary pages. All links work, all images load, all pages are named. Design is drop-dead gorgeous and will blow me away!	home articles links homework ::week 01 ::week 02 ::week 03 ::week 04 final project

final project timeline

A checklist of things not to do on your site. Some are silly but most are important to consider.

FINAL PROJECT GUIDELINES:

Develop a web site for a client of your choice.

Web site must contain the following:

1. home page
2. 3 secondary pages OR 2 secondary pages + 1 tertiary page. A total of four pages in the final design.

Work at your own level. Consider the elements and principles of design, color and meaning and font choices.

Keep a notebook for this final project - can be a sketchbook or 3-ring binder.

Assignment 1 due Thursday, May 22

Decide on a client. Research client's competition locally and nationally. Find 5 competitors' sites and tell me three things designwise that you like about them and three things you don't. Be prepared to show and discuss your findings in class on Thursday.

Assignment 2 due Tuesday, May 27

1. Pull 20 images that are related to your client's business. You can do a Google image search or use a site like iStock or Stock Xchange.

2. 5 thumbnail sketches for home page layout ideas. No color, just draw, brainstorm, move things around, don't settle. Size: 5 1/2 x 4 1/4 inches on unlined white paper.

Assignment 3 due Thursday, May 29

In PhotoShop create five 640x480 color palettes. Show one dominant color for each. See example below. Can be anywere from 3 to 5 colors. Be prepared to discuss you color choices.

You will be turning in 5 separate color palette ideas as jpg files (640 x 480).

For help, check out http://www.colorcombos.com/ or http://www.colourlovers.com/

Color Scheme

Assignment 4 due Tuesday, June 3

1. 15 adjectives (discriptive words) about your client's business. For example - if my client was an organic grocery store some adjectives might be: green, healthy, wholesome, pesticide-free, more expensive, home-grown, pure, natural, wellness, whole-grain, locally-grown, grass roots, ...

2. Refine 3 of your 5 thumbnail sketches from the previous week. This time use color, think about how the navigation will respond, use some of the images you pulled in your sketches. Work on 8 1/2 x 11 pieces of white paper. Don't go to the computer quite yet.

Assignment 5 due Thursday, June 5

1. Sketch out 5 ideas for your secondary pages. Consider navigation, headers and footers. Work in color.

Assignment 6 due Tuesday, June 10

HOMEPAGE MOCK-UPS

Create 3 completely different home page designs ON YOUR COMPUTER. We will have a serious critique about each one. They should all be strong designs.

Size: 640 x 480, full color.

Application: either PhotoShop or Dreamweaver

Find and/or create appropriate and useful images and text to use.

Create navigation to 3 additional pages from the home page. Must be links to pages you will eventually create and not to other sites on the web.

Be able to defend your choices for color, font, images and the strengths of your design.

Turn in work you are proud of and excited about. Do not present work you would be embarrassed to show a client. Support your decisions with more than a "I just like the way it looks or works" - know why you think the colors, design decisions, fonts and images you chose strengthen the site's focus.

JUNE 12 PROGRESS CHECK
SECONDARY PAGE check

JUNE 17 PROGRESS CHECK
Site should be 80-90% complete at this point.

JUNE 17 FINAL CRITIQUE
Completed site with homepage and three secondary pages. All links work, all images load, all pages are named. Design is drop-dead gorgeous and will blow me away!