My Idea: As both a Graphic Design and Interactive Multimedia major, I want my senior thesis project to reflect the skillset that I have gained from the different classes I have taken. I have taken a long time to think about how I would like to go about doing this, mainly focusing on how my senior thesis will translate into my “real-world job.” While I have a great appreciation for the work that I have done in my multimedia classes, I decided that I also wanted to showcase my graphic design skills. Originally I had wanted to create a magazine/news website that would utilize modern techniques to display the information, not just a simple flip animation. My idea however, has changed. Though the idea was good, I felt that it did not quite match with what my expectations for my career will be. So I shifted my focus back to what I like about my graphic design projects. I felt that I had some strong concepts from some of the projects that I had already created that were print or packaging based. No project in my graphic design portfolio was really web-oriented, which is what I’d like to do. So I thought about how I could go about channeling the ideas behind existing work onto a mobile, tablet, or computer screen. What I hope to do is select a few different works from my portfolio and really polish the ideas behind the works to perfection and treat them as if they were real companies. From there I will create unique web experiences for each, trying to showcase both my work, and my ideas behind them.
My Inspiration: B-Reel, Black Negative, Hyperakt, Legwork Studio, and the hundreds of other web/interactive design firms that are changing the way that we approach web-based design inspired me to change my approach to this project. I had been getting hung up on creating something that no one had ever seen when I realized that my goals were too lofty. What I should have been thinking of is, how can I make my user’s experience fun – as well as informative? After all, information is why people choose to look at a site. The entertaining elements keep them there. So while my project does not really “break new ground” it is a new outlook for me and will help me to standout as a designer. By proving that I can think in multiple ways – designing/layout, interactive developing, and marketing/advertising, I will be more marketable in my field. Therefore, my work should appeal to that project’s specific audience, as well as fellow designers. For my Midterm Prototype I will have fleshed out each project with the company’s biography, demographic, and my plan for addressing the company’s project.
My Strategy: Since each 'sub-site' will vary in style, language, and overall design, my creative strategy is to look at the companies for what they are, what their goals are, whether its to share information or draw in new clients. Next, I will look at how the layout of the print could correspond to the screen. Does it make sense to emphasize one element versus another? I will then create the site, working hard to ensure that it is uniform with the existing brand, from the user experience to the overall layout of the site. Finally I will unite all of my projects under one “roof” or main site that visitors can visit to see my design versatility.
Technically, I will need to acquire a few things before I get start. One of the most important things I will need is a domain name for my project where I can host my main site, with the others branching off of it. I think I will probably buy a domain through A Small Orange, so that I can use the site and keep it updated after I graduate. Outside of the domain name and server space, I can’t think of what else I might need at this time. I will try my best to make the site responsive on any screen so I believe I will be using HTML5/CSS3 to code out my site. I may also give Bootstrap or Pure a try for my initial prototyping though. I think, as I get further along on the project, I will have a better idea what else I will need.
I think I already have a lot of the skills that I need for this project, though I hope to use HTML5 and CSS3; so I might need a little refresher. I am also going to use JavaScript and perhaps a little bit of PHP, so I will definitely be reaching out to my old textbooks. I will also be looking at Web Designer Depot for aids as I work to code as they have great code examples and some tutorials, like this one or this one, that I would like to use. I will also refer to CSS-Tricks for help with specific CSS questions, as I do want to primarily use code that will make my sites cross-browser compatible. I know that I will need additional resources for this project, which I will probably have to research as I go along.
My Expectations: I hope to have a fully fleshed out site with at least four interactive websites by April. I will try to divide my time evenly between each project and strive to create it to the best of my ability. One of the things that I know that I struggle with when it comes to long projects, are deadlines. I have become accustomed to having more frequent deadlines that I have a tendency to focus on the immediate, rather than the long-term. I think it will be prudent to set deadlines that I have to stick to throughout the year, for instance, I want to have at least two projects done by the end of the semester. I also hope to work through my winter break, using that time to create another site.
