Knowledge Groups

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Wrapping the semester up, I want to take the time to reflect on myself as well as on my knowledge groups. This course has promoted my growth as a person, professional, and designer immensely. I have my amazing professor and peers to thank for that.

Today in class we are meeting up in our knowledge groups to go over final touches, slight tweaks we need opinions on, and just an overall conversation on our sites together as creatives. I’m hoping to get everyone’s honest opinion and advice regardless of being afraid of hurting my feelings. I really want to progress as a designer and have that reflected on my website, and I feel critiques are essential to that progress. I’m also really excited to see everyone’s progress on their sites and share some of what I’ve learned in this journey.

What did I Do In Knowledge Groups?

We were able to go over the types of things we still needed to work on (for me that would be the identity of the site on mobile devices). Others, varied, and luckily I could help whenever they were struggling with something I dealt with before. Though, thank god my one of my peers was able to help ME with how to create a user-friendly site identity across mobile devices because, god this site was atrocious on mobile devices. So, from now on, since my desktop version of the site is completed, I will be working on making a just as effective identity across mobile devices which is super exciting!!!

 

Wrapping the semester up, I want to take the time to reflect on myself as well as on my knowledge groups. This course has promoted my growth as a person, professional, and designer immensely. I have my amazing professor and peers to thank for that.

Today in class we are meeting up in our knowledge groups to go over final touches, slight tweaks we need opinions on, and just an overall conversation on our sites together as creatives. I’m hoping to get everyone’s honest opinion and advice regardless of being afraid of hurting my feelings. I really want to progress as a designer and have that reflected on my website, and I feel critiques are essential to that progress. I’m also really excited to see everyone’s progress on their sites and share some of what I’ve learned in this journey.

What did I Do In Knowledge Groups?

We were able to go over the types of things we still needed to work on (for me that would be the identity of the site on mobile devices). Others, varied, and luckily I could help whenever they were struggling with something I dealt with before. Though, thank god my one of my peers was able to help ME with how to create a user-friendly site identity across mobile devices because, god this site was atrocious on mobile devices. So, from now on, since my desktop version of the site is completed, I will be working on making a just as effective identity across mobile devices which is super exciting!!!

 

We all needed a little break!

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The longest stretch of no breaks or days off all semester is finally over. As everyone at RWU headed home for Thanksgiving break, we were all in need of some time to do absolutely nothing. And that’s precisely what I did. I took a little bit of time to play around with my site but, I dedicated the majority of my break to spending time with my family, friends, and myself. I think this was crucial for me to get back here and be effectively productive. I’ve cleared my head and given myself a break in order for me to come back with some fresh new ideas.

One of these ideas would be a fun animation on my home page to greet each individual visiting my site (comment with your thoughts on this idea).

Another thought I was contemplating over break was how I can spice up my Instagram account in order to make it interactive, not just a space where I’m showcasing work. I want there to be linked to different sites, articles, designers, etc. So, with that being said, I have curated a schedule for posts on Instagram as well as blog posts here! Check out my Instagram @thehappyhearrold to see the calendar 😉

I also need to be a lot better about posting happy news on my Instagram and overall being more active on there!

And lastly, I created a goal so that way I can schedule every other week to go into my happy news page, get rid of old articles, and add new ones. This way all the stories continue to stay relevant and helpful!

The longest stretch of no breaks or days off all semester is finally over. As everyone at RWU headed home for Thanksgiving break, we were all in need of some time to do absolutely nothing. And that’s precisely what I did. I took a little bit of time to play around with my site but, I dedicated the majority of my break to spending time with my family, friends, and myself. I think this was crucial for me to get back here and be effectively productive. I’ve cleared my head and given myself a break in order for me to come back with some fresh new ideas.

One of these ideas would be a fun animation on my home page to greet each individual visiting my site (comment with your thoughts on this idea).

Another thought I was contemplating over break was how I can spice up my Instagram account in order to make it interactive, not just a space where I’m showcasing work. I want there to be linked to different sites, articles, designers, etc. So, with that being said, I have curated a schedule for posts on Instagram as well as blog posts here! Check out my Instagram @thehappyhearrold to see the calendar 😉

I also need to be a lot better about posting happy news on my Instagram and overall being more active on there!

And lastly, I created a goal so that way I can schedule every other week to go into my happy news page, get rid of old articles, and add new ones. This way all the stories continue to stay relevant and helpful!

Usability Testing

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Usability testing was the topic of discussion in class this week. As we ramp up toward the end of the semester we are beginning to really design our sites however before we get too far into it we did some usability testing in class.

To prepare for this we tried our best to get out visual identity, navigation, representation, and goals as completely as we could. This included implementing our color palette and typography site-wide, and including imagery, photos, engagement, and other techniques so users were able to see where we were going without a site.

Our task as users was to go onto five classmates’ sites and explore the entirety of it. After we have experimented on other people’s sites, we filled out a form expanding on each classmate’s visual identity, representation, readability, engagement, and overall standing of the site.

So in the process, this not only helps the designer but also helps the reviewer reflect on if their own site is easy to navigate, read, and displayed a strong visual identity. Along with the critique they will receive. I know I was asking myself questions about my site and if it was strong in all the areas. Obviously, no site is perfect and certainly not mine, so I took note of the things I thought I should play around with. Whether it be spacing, imagery, icons, etc.

Usability testing was the topic of discussion in class this week. As we ramp up toward the end of the semester we are beginning to really design our sites however before we get too far into it we did some usability testing in class.

To prepare for this we tried our best to get out visual identity, navigation, representation, and goals as completely as we could. This included implementing our color palette and typography site-wide, and including imagery, photos, engagement, and other techniques so users were able to see where we were going without a site.

Our task as users was to go onto five classmates’ sites and explore the entirety of it. After we have experimented on other people’s sites, we filled out a form expanding on each classmate’s visual identity, representation, readability, engagement, and overall standing of the site.

So in the process, this not only helps the designer but also helps the reviewer reflect on if their own site is easy to navigate, read, and displayed a strong visual identity. Along with the critique they will receive. I know I was asking myself questions about my site and if it was strong in all the areas. Obviously, no site is perfect and certainly not mine, so I took note of the things I thought I should play around with. Whether it be spacing, imagery, icons, etc.

My progress

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Welcome back, my friends!! It’s been a wonderfully productive Wednesday for me and I want to share why. As I’m sure all my RWU design friends are aware, Citizen Designer is a course, and it’s definitely a stress-inducing course. Our current task is to design whatever we want or see fit for a non-profit organization or a business that has limited funding, like a local small business of choice. My chosen business is Grasmere which is an eclectic living local business in downtown Bristol. I was incredibly excited to design for this business seeing as it’s a store I visit regularly and one I support and whose ideals align with mine. They represent local independent designers, artists, and sellers in order to create uniquely curated treasures.

When I say Citizen Designer is a stress-inducing course, I think I can speak for everyone that I’m telling the truth. The reason this particular task is taxing is that I chose to design a completely new website for them. Now if you’ve been following me on my journey, you know that I have completely no idea how to design a website. And I know what you’re thinking, Kristen you did that to yourself. And you’re completely right, I did do that to myself.

So, going into class knowing I have to build a website from scratch when I sit down at 2:00 until 6:00, I will be blindly figuring out how to design a website for a portfolio piece, I was quite stressed. However, I watched an hour-long youtube tutorial for beginners on how to operate WordPress. At first, I didn’t think it was going to be very effective though, when I sat down in class and started designing, everything just clicked. I found myself enjoying the process, the trial, and error, and seeing what worked and what didn’t. And after four hours of class today, I was left with a fully functioning website. It’s not done by any means though, I did completely impress myself with what I learned visually and philosophically.

Before I go into what I learned in class today I want the opportunity to showcase my beautiful work and for you to get a glimpse at my homepage.

 

Here, I proudly present the homepage I built from scratch for Grasmere.

Okay, so what did I learn? Well, three things:

  1. Trial and error is your friend; If you don’t know how to do something that doesn’t mean you can’t do it.
  2. High contrast and thin typefaces work, by providing great contrast but keeping it simple and crisp.
  3. You can get a lot more than you think you can in four hours.

Welcome back, my friends!! It’s been a wonderfully productive Wednesday for me and I want to share why. As I’m sure all my RWU design friends are aware, Citizen Designer is a course, and it’s definitely a stress-inducing course. Our current task is to design whatever we want or see fit for a non-profit organization or a business that has limited funding, like a local small business of choice. My chosen business is Grasmere which is an eclectic living local business in downtown Bristol. I was incredibly excited to design for this business seeing as it’s a store I visit regularly and one I support and whose ideals align with mine. They represent local independent designers, artists, and sellers in order to create uniquely curated treasures.

When I say Citizen Designer is a stress-inducing course, I think I can speak for everyone that I’m telling the truth. The reason this particular task is taxing is that I chose to design a completely new website for them. Now if you’ve been following me on my journey, you know that I have completely no idea how to design a website. And I know what you’re thinking, Kristen you did that to yourself. And you’re completely right, I did do that to myself.

So, going into class knowing I have to build a website from scratch when I sit down at 2:00 until 6:00, I will be blindly figuring out how to design a website for a portfolio piece, I was quite stressed. However, I watched an hour-long youtube tutorial for beginners on how to operate WordPress. At first, I didn’t think it was going to be very effective though, when I sat down in class and started designing, everything just clicked. I found myself enjoying the process, the trial, and error, and seeing what worked and what didn’t. And after four hours of class today, I was left with a fully functioning website. It’s not done by any means though, I did completely impress myself with what I learned visually and philosophically.

Before I go into what I learned in class today I want the opportunity to showcase my beautiful work and for you to get a glimpse at my homepage.

 

Here, I proudly present the homepage I built from scratch for Grasmere.

Okay, so what did I learn? Well, three things:

  1. Trial and error is your friend; If you don’t know how to do something that doesn’t mean you can’t do it.
  2. High contrast and thin typefaces work, by providing great contrast but keeping it simple and crisp.
  3. You can get a lot more than you think you can in four hours.

Going through the process…

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As I begin to move forward in this process of branding and creating a portfolio for myself, I find myself asking the same questions; What message do I want to put out? What do I want everyone to take away from this? What do I want to showcase here? These three questions are what is currently getting me to design what I truly want and the vibe I want to set for this space.

This is a place I want to show not only my designs and work but who I am and what I represent. So as I build my style guide and curate the environment that will eventually be presented here I am attempting to bring in elements that I either value or I see as a representation of my personality, characteristics, and ideals.

I intend to curate a happy, playful, and inspiring environment where designers and friends can discover my work as well as myself, as a person!

 

 

 

As I begin to move forward in this process of branding and creating a portfolio for myself, I find myself asking the same questions; What message do I want to put out? What do I want everyone to take away from this? What do I want to showcase here? These three questions are what is currently getting me to design what I truly want and the vibe I want to set for this space.

This is a place I want to show not only my designs and work but who I am and what I represent. So as I build my style guide and curate the environment that will eventually be presented here I am attempting to bring in elements that I either value or I see as a representation of my personality, characteristics, and ideals.

I intend to curate a happy, playful, and inspiring environment where designers and friends can discover my work as well as myself, as a person!