1. My name is Dee Cea. I am a Junior Communication Design Major.
2. To be perfectly honest, I took this class because it is one of my required studios, and when I saw it was available to take over the summer and could be paid for with the refund WashU provided from food/housing, I decided it would be a good use of my time to go ahead and fulfill that requirement. Although, I am looking forward to learning how to do some basic coding, so that's not to say I am dragging my feet signing up for this class, but rather it would not immediately have been on my radar had it not been something required.
3. I have little to no experience handling html or CSS. The extent to my experience is knowing how to indent lines in html from organizing bios on social media site, and copy/pasting html code to include links inside said bios without really knowing how to format it from scratch.
4. I would love to be able to learn even the basics on how code works, and how it builds the framework for how websites function. I would like to be able to use this class to further build digital design skills.
5. Paper is static, and what you put on paper is permanent and does not change. When designing for screen, however, digital formats are always changing and it is always possible to go back and change what you have already done instead of making from scratch on another sheet of paper. To effectively design for screen, you have to know how the technology that supports the screen differs, and how people interact with it in a more direct way than simply looking at paper.
6. I enjoy the way Diana Whitney's portfolio website is designed. As a portfolio website for an artist, you want to present your work in an elegant way to reflect the artistic nature of the content you are presenting, as well as pushing your brand. You have her illustrated name right at the top, along with tabs to learn more about her and how to contact her. Below, there are organized folders in the shape of boxes surrounded by white space which gives a very clean feel, that not only organize her work into easily navigatable sections, but places an image front and center so the viewer already is sampling work without yet doing a deep-dive. Overall it feels very clean and works well to entice further exploration of her artwork.
7. While I love the clean and organized design of Diana Whitney's portfolio site, I feel as if Claire Hummel's portfolio website succeeds more within the scope of communication. Claire Hummel is an artist who specializes in historical-based design, and while her opening page is much more busy than Whitney's, you immediately get that sense beyond the taglines she puts above and below her name at the top. Cropped illustrations of hers cycle in the background of the screen, giving brief examples of work that obviously have roots in historical fashion research applied in different fashions. From there, there are options to see more specific examples of her past work, but the difference from Whitney's is that Whitney's site invites the viewer to come see what she is about, while Hummel's site immediately screams who she is and what she is about.
8. I think YouTube is a good example of a website that works well. As it should, considering how many people use it and rely on it everyday. As a concept, it is pretty simple: it is a website where you can watch videos. And it does that! Splendidly! It loads videos incredibly quickly, can host videos with baffling quality, and is incredibly intuitive to use. Sure the ads are annoying, but at least they are short or able to be skipped after a few seconds. It works in fantastic ways to keep people hooked and addicted to it as well, with crazy smart (and insidious) algorithms that suggest more and more videos and content to watch, which serves its purpose of generating more and more ad revenue.