Ch 6 Site Seeing

-The fundamental elements of web pages are: Page footers, body text, links, navigation systems, images, site IDs, forms. Not every web site needs to have all of the fundamental elements. Unique combinations of these common elements make the web useful an exciting.

-Site elements reinforce and help establish site personality. Even the amount of elements says something. Sites with a lot of information often have a lot of navigation, whereas some sites meant for entertainment, such as ones for movies, have less navigation.

-Navigation should be visually organized so the audience can expect certain types of behaviors from their selections.

-The minimalist button is current look for buttons. It provides a much cleaner look on the web site. 3-dimensional looking buttons were more common through out the history of the web, but now less is more.

-Having several different ways of navigation is a good idea as well. People like having alternatives for navigation so that they can move freely through the web site.

-The role of navigation is to get the user to their destination and then be out of the way so that the user can focus on the content. The best navigation systems are the ones that are barely visible.

-Body text carries a lot of visual weight and should be taken into consideration visually. Text on a monitor is also harder to read. With that said, text should be limited, or broken into smaller blocks so it is easier to read.

-Font size is also important, as well as line length, and font choice. It is about having easily readable text.

-Images elicit interest in a web page. They create visual interest by breaking up the text. They play a quick and effective role in communicating personality.

-Footers are common not just in web pages, but also books and TV. Footers give us information about the web site. Such as the designer, Site ID, a contact link, and copyright & privacy information. The date of the last updated information is important to have as well. I hate coming across a site that I think is current and find out that it hasn't been updated in 3 or 4 years, but at least the footer tells me that.

Revised Amistad Atlantic Freedom Tour Mission Statement

The mission of the Atlantic Freedom Tour web site for The Amistad Freedom Schooner is to bring up to date information during its voyage to the international locations during the tour. The design theme of the website will embrace the colors found on the schooner. It is also the goal to entice the user to make several return visits to this site by having these updates. These updates will include, but are not limited to, entries from the ship's crew, photos of the ports and events that have occured, and the current location of the Amistad during its tour. There will also be history and information about the importance of the original Amistad voyage with its captives along with resources and links. The audience for this web site will be not only the friends and family of the members aboard the ship, but school-aged children and anyone else who desires to follow their journey online.

Site Seeing Ch. 5

-A web site needs a personality. It is the look and feel of the web site, what makes it unique from the rest. It's the tone and manner, the attitude, narrative voice, emotional impact, particular flavor, and the unique identity.

-The look and feel of the site is available immediately when going to a web site. This is when the first impression is everything.

-Being different means being distinguishable. Not only does it help separate you from the competition, but helps explain who you are.

-A web site should be inviting and engaging. "A unique and appropriate Web site can attract us with its visual presentation just as a restaurant can with its facade." It could be the color, typography, or a particular visual element that is engaging.

-Web sites should also maintain a personality through out a site. Having a common feel/attitude throughout the site. This can insure a quality of the experience while visiting the site.

-Color has the most influence in a space. Color can immediately change our moods and alter our opinions. One example of this is that color yellow we associate with energy and life. Color theory plays an important role in the design.

-Contrasting colors are colors that sit opposite each other on the color wheel. Such as orange and blue. These create a lot of energy when combined with each other. This is referred to as simultaneous contrast.

-Analogous colors are colors that are next to each other on the color wheel. Sometimes they are referred to as harmonious colors. They work well together because they are closely related. They can create pleasing or tranquil personalities.

-Monotone schemes consist of only one color and have varying tints and shades of the color. Sometimes the amount of contrast in a monochromatic scheme is not enough, but a texture in the color can create more visual interest.

-Typography is a very important role as well. This is also gives a personality to the site based on the font choice. The wrong typeface can really make the wrong first impression of a web site.

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Overhaul of My Personal Web Site

There is an overhaul of my personal web site in process. While it is not done, parts of it are.

Anderson Limited

Campus Compact Mission Statement

The Connecticut Campus Compact web site is designed to be a stepping stone for the state of Connecticut's universities and colleges that are dedicated to bringing community service, civic engagement, and service learning in higher education. This site is designed to be simple, straight forward, and easy to navigate by all varitieties of users. It will maintain a professional design by using the Campus Compact logo and color scheme, as well as in its layout. As a stepping stone for the state of Connecticut division, it will have member information, spotlight events, a calendar of events, and other relevant information needed by programs at each college.

Site Seeing Ch 3

-Make sure pages are able to load quickly and find what they need. They don't want to spend forever looking for the next link they want to click.

-Consider CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) to force an order of loading on the web page. This helps keep things small and loading quickly. If the audience see's things loading, they will wait for things to finish loading.

-Consider the way the user browses the internet. If in a "browserless" pop-up window (one without the tool buttons), make sure they have an easy way to navigate around. I know for one that the back button is one of my favorite navigating buttons other than my left mouse button. There are also drawbacks to browserless, its hardered for visitors to bookmark or copy the URL to send to friends.

-When designing with non-standards, keep in mind, that if a navigation feature doesn't resemble some similarities with other of the same types of navigation through out the web...the user might not know what it is.

-All web pages should contain a title, a link back to the home, an indication when the page was last updated, and a way to contact a person about the page.

Amistad Mission Statement

The mission of the Atlantic Freedom Tour website for The Amistad Freedom Schooner is to bring up to date information during its voyage to the international locations during the tour. The design theme of the website will embrace the colors found on the schooner. It is also the goal to entice the user to make several return visits to this site by having these updates. The history and information about the importance of the original Amistad voyage with its captives will also bring users back to this site with all its resources and links. The audience for this web site will be not only the friends and family of the members aboard the ship, but school-aged children and anyone else who desires to follow their journey online. The design theme of the website will embrace the colors found on the schooner.