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Objective

To develop a digital portfolio in the form a personal website for self-promotion purposes. To showcase new media and interactive design skills for the purpose of obtaining employment as a graphic designer.

 

Secondary objectives

To utilize Adobe Creative Suite as layout and production tools.

 

Description

Design a digital portfolio in the form of a website. Publish your website under your own domain name. The website must be compatible with the look-and-feel of the self-promotion materials you designed for Project 1.

The contents of your digital portfolio should contain at least the following:

• a home page (a.k.a. splash page or front page)
• 10-20 pieces from your portfolio
• link to a functional website you have designed
• résumé page
• contact information
• philosophy statement (optional)
• personal information (optional)

 

Procedure

1. RESEARCH FOR INSPIRATION: Research existing portoflio websites (tip: design firms, photographers and illustrators are excellent resources). Be sure to review books, annuals, trade publications (Print, How, Communication Arts) as well del.icio.us/parkland.gds. Scan or take a screenshot of the front page and at least one typical inside page. Publish your research on your personal process page for critique (be sure to caption each image and cite the source). Be prepared to explain why these examples are successful.

2. MARKETING RESEARCH AND DOMAIN SET-UP: Review and critique the digital portfolios of recent Parkland graduates. Your objective should be to make your portfolio website better than theirs. Purchase your domain name and sign-up for a hosting package.

3. DEVELOP THE CONCEPT: In your sketchbook begin to conceptualize ideas for this project (see sample thumbnails). Make at least 10 sketches of all possible directions you might take this project. Draw exactly how you intend to layout key pages of your site (i.e. splash page, inside page, portfolio page). Edit your concepts down to your best three ideas and redraw them inside a browser window using a felt tip pen (download blank browser window ). Rough out site maps (download examples of site maps) as needed to explain your navigation scheme. Publish your concepts/site map on your personal process page for critique. Test how successful your concepts are by presenting them in class for critique.

4. PROTOTYPE MOCK-UP: Based on the critique of the above, create a prototype "mock-up" of key sample screens in Adobe Photoshop which will show the "look and feel" of the web site. Place your art inside a blank browser window (download your favorite blank browser chrome from designerstoolbox.com). Also develop your site architecture by preparing the text for your web site and publish a text-only web site (see example). Generate web-ready JPEGs of your prototype screens and publish them on your personal process page for critique (see example). Be prepared to talk about what design principles are utilized in your layout.

5. TEMPLATE PRODUCTION: Revise your layout as needed, then slice up your pixel elements and produce working sample template pages in XHMTL. Publish your templates on your personal process page for critique.

6. WEBSITE PRODUCTION: Revise your template as needed, then produce a fully functional website. Rasterize your portfolio samples as a slide show and place them in your web site. Publish your website and make a link from your personal process page for critique.

7. FINAL CRITIQUE: Based on the critique of the above, revise your website as needed and re-publish your final web site with your own domain name and hosting service. Add a new link from your personal personal process page for final critique (do not delete older versions). Be prepared to justify your design decisions.

8. GRADING: Take screenshots of key screens of your website. Submit color lasers with your name on it for grading. File the graded proof in your Process Book for individual review along with all the preliminary work you did for the project (research, sketches, proofs, final color comp). You will not receive credit for this project if any of the above elements are missing.

9. STUDENT GALLERY ARCHIVES: Once you are 100% satisfied with your project, prepare a ZIP archive of your finished website and drop it in Angel's drop box. Your project may be published in a showcase of student work on Parkland's website.