Project: Design Portfolio Website

Objective: For this final website project, you are to create and publish a Design Portfolio to showcase selected graphic designs that you have created during the semester. Use Wix.com to create a free website. It will be highly customized to display your own design ability.

FIRST Few Steps

1. Choose an appropriate template.
2. As soon as you choose your template, copy the link (web address) and paste it into a Word file. (Reason: So that I can compare the original with your final portfolio.)
3. Click the SAVE button and provide a name that is more creative than "/mysite"
4. Copy your custom web address into the same Word file.
5. Go ahead and upload your Word File to OAKS. Then you can continue to develop your portfolio until its due date of Wednesday, April 26th. I will not grade it until that time.

Overall Requirements

• Do not choose a vertical page layout (i.e. single page) because you will have too many pages for that to work.
• You must have a custom banner that perfectly replaces and embellishes the one in the Wix template. It has to blend into the site by physical dimensions and and by colors. Plus, your banner must be more elaborate than the ones that Wix uses.
• Use a unified color scheme and theme. You're encouraged to be creative, but keep it tasteful.
• Must have an attractive layout. Take the time to learn about Wix.com sites so that you can force it to do what you want it to do.
• The general layout and design must be consistent from page to page. They don't have to be identical, but the same look and feel must exist throughout the site.
• Principles and rules of good design must be followed.
• Images must have excellent resolution and display attractively. All images should be displayed at a width of 600px or less.
• DO NOT USE ANIMATED SLIDE SHOWS TO DISPLAY YOUR DESIGNS. If you have additional images that you wish to put in a slide show, you may do so; but not for any of the particular designs required for this project.
• DO NOT CENTER BODY/NARRATIVE TEXT.
• DO NOT CENTER BULLETED TEXT. I still don't know why some designers think this is cool. It is absolutely not cool or tasteful. See more information here.

Below you will find specifics for each page of your website. The sidebar below shows a possible sitemap. However, you are free to make your navigation vertical or horizontal. Also, if you prefer shorter titles for your navigation buttons, you can modify them to your liking.

Home page

On this page, you should have about two paragraphs introducing your website. Keep it professional, and say anything that you wish to. Some possibilities include, but are not limited to: who you are, what's the purpose of this portfolio, your hopes and aspirations, one or more moderately sized additional images that you created, link to your social media account(s) so that others can follow you, etc.

Don't forget to include your email address in a prominent place on this page. (If desired, you can delete it after it's graded.)

InDesign

On this page or pages you will attractively lay out your images and written justifications that you created earlier in the semester. The image widths should be 600 pixels or less so that they fit nicely onto the page. The write-up is also important because it allows you to showcase your ability to use typography effectively. Only Projects 7 and 8 had write-ups.

Be sure to use the JPEG version of your InDesign files. It's okay if you want to only show one page of the newsletter. As for the logo from Project 7, it is okay if you want to show only the logo, or only the business card.

Photoshop

Include at least four (4) of your best designs. You can choose whether or not you want sub-pages in your main menu.

• Each of your designs in this section should include at least a descriptive caption. Alternatively, you can include write-ups or list of features covered if you wish.
• Your Charleston Landmarks must be included. It will count as only one of your four required designs. Please decide how best to display the before/after/description.

Illustrator

The minimum requirements for the illustrator pages are the JPEG version of the following:

• Include at least two (2) of the Group designs. You can add yours singly or the entire group design. (If it's the group's design, simply mention that it was designed by the group.)
• The Illustrator homework. Include the write-up too.
• Include at least two (2) of the manufacturing signs that you did in Project 1 as you were studying.

Design Principles

Include your group's write-up on principles of design. (You can list names of your group members for this.)

How to Submit:

1. Log onto OAKS and access the "Semester Project" Dropbox
2. Upload the Word document described earlier.
3. Make sure that your link works. The wrong link at the end of the semester can be detrimental.
4. Due by your Final Exam date.