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. Your Wix template will be highly customized to display your own design ability.
FIRST Few Steps
- Choose your desired template in Wix.
- As soon as you choose your template, copy the link (web address) and paste it into a Word file. (Reason: This allows me to compare the original with your final portfolio.)
- Click the SAVE button and provide a name to complete your web address.
Be sure NOT TO CALL IT "/mysite". You much choose a more creative and relevant name. - Copy your custom web address into the same Word file.
- Go ahead and upload your Word or PDF file to OAKS. Then you can continue to develop your portfolio until its due date. Don't worry, 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 the single page to work.
- Customize the header area of the site. If the page(s) have a background image, you must replace it with an image of your own or remove it altogether. Your customized image(s) need to blend into the site by physical dimensions and by colors.
- Use a unified color scheme and theme. You're encouraged to be creative, but keep it tasteful and cohesive.
- 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 should exist throughout the site.
- Design an attractive layout. Take the time to learn about Wix.com's websites so that you can force it to do what you want it to do.
- Principles such as CRAP, and rules of good design must be followed.
- Images must have excellent resolution and display attractively. Control your images and do not super-size them. Most should be displayed at a width of 700px or less.
- DO NOT USE ANIMATED SLIDE SHOWS TO DISPLAY YOUR DESIGNS. Specifically, do not use slideshows for the Adobe software designs that you are required to display in this portfolio. However, if you have additional images that you wish to put in a slideshow, you may do so.
- DO NOT CENTER BODY/NARRATIVE TEXT.
- DO NOT CENTER BULLETED TEXT. It's odd that some designers think this is cool. It is absolutely not cool or tasteful. If not convinced, see even more information here.
In the descriptions below, you will find specifics for each page of your website. The gray navigation bar below shows a sample of your navigation with drop-down ment. If you prefer shorter titles for your navigation buttons, you can modify them to your liking.
SAMPLE NAVAGATION BAR
Homepage
On this page, you should have about two paragraphs introducing your website. Keep it professional, and say anything that you wish to share. 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 designs 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.
About social media links
Wix's templates usually provide social media icons with generic links. However, unless you plan to include links to your own social media pages, you must get rid of them.
Where is your work?
Your Oaks Assignment boxes lists and stores your assignments. Another convenient way to see them is on this page.
InDesign
Include at least 3 of your InDesign assignments. For the ones that required write-ups, it is imperative for you to include the write-ups because it allows you to showcase your ability to use typography effectively. The write-ups must be the full text of your original write-ups. Do no truncate or summarize to fit into the space. Also, they cannot be pdfs, scans, or links. They must be real text.
Be sure to use the JPEG version of your InDesign files and have them display directly on the screen and not linked to. As for the logo from Project 7, it is okay if you want to show only the logo, or only the business card.
Photoshop and Photopea
Include at least three of your best designs from the semester. You can choose whether or not you want sub-pages in your main menu. (CLICK HERE for clarification of the three)
- Your Landmark Photos must be included among the three. It will count as only one of your three required designs. Please decide how best to display the before/after/description.
- Each of your designs in this section should include at least a descriptive caption. Alternatively, you can include write-ups if a writeup was done for that assignment.
Illustrator
The minimum requirements for the Illustrator pages are the JPEG version of the following:
- The Easter assignment
- The Logo Creation test. Include the writeup as well.
- PLEASE IGNORE. This was a mistake: At least one of the "Campground Icons" signs from Project 1, although it was not a homework assignment.
Each of your designs in this section should include a descriptive caption, at the least.
Design Principles
Include your article review from Module 1. This page is text-heavy. Feel free to incorporate an image if you'd like.
Expressions Repository (Represents 25% of your portfolio's grade)
By now you would have had about 12 of these assignments. Include eight of them here. They are to have an attractive layout and a proper caption for each of them. Please comply. This is a very important part of the project since I have not graded them yet. It will account for 25% of the Design Portfolio.
How to Submit:
- Log onto OAKS and access the "Semester Project" Dropbox
- Upload the Word document described earlier.
- Make sure that your link works. The wrong link at the end of the semester can be detrimental.
- Due by Sunday, May 1st, by Midnight