CASA Superhero 5k Run: First Endorsement Website

     About 8 weeks ago, my friend Erin and I were approached by CASA of Kansas City. CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) is a wonderful organization that assists in legal cases involving abused children, giving them a voice in court. We were asked to create a website for their first ever Superhero 5k Run. A meeting was set for the date December 5th. It was a little nerve racking, this being our first endorsement project, but the women we met with could not have been more kind. We met with Di Topjon, the Events & Communications Manager for CASA of Johnson & Wyandotte Counties and Kris Mattern, their Marketing Chair. They informed us that the Event Planner for Jackson County, Lara Klover, could not make it to the meeting, but we would surely be in contact with her. Our first matter of discussion was when they would like the site to be up and how we would go about doing a WordPress site. Erin and I had never used WordPress, but liked the idea of experimenting with it. Also using WordPress allowed Erin and I to work on the website outside of the classroom. After the meeting our teacher Mr. Olson explained the bare bones of WordPress and let us go from there! 

     After messing around with WordPress, we became a bit more comfortable with it and started to add content. We received many emails regarding graphics, content, website layout and were encouraged to ask questions if in need of clarification (We asked many questions). This project was presented to us about 2 weeks before our winter break. We vowed to work on the site at least a couple hours while we were off. This would've gone as planned, but the domain name the server we had the site on expired over break. This prevented us from working on the site outside of the classroom. When we got back from break, Mr. Olson let us know what was going on. While we weren't able to work on the site outside of school, we were still able to work on it in school. This now meant that we would have to stay after school if we wanted to get hours in for the site. Staying after school actually helped us though. It gave us more time to marinate in a creative environment and we eventually changed the theme of the site. The theme we had changed the site to looked great and motivated us to work on the site even more. Erin had conflict with staying after school so I messed around with the design aspect of the theme, while she focused her attention on entering content. 

  Mr. Olson and Kris Mattern pushed through the complications of transferring the site to a new host and the site went live on February 11th. Working on this Project was a great experience and boosted our confidence as designers immensely. Getting "real-world-experience" is helpful in that it required us to step up to the plate and take charge. All together we ended up spending 56 hours on the site. Erin worked for 26 hours and I worked 30. Working on the CASA Superhero 5k Run website was an incredible and much enjoyed experience. 

The Website: CASA Superhero 5k Run

Screenshots:

Alan Turing Receives Royal Pardon After 59 Years

   Alan Turing is a name often associated with the British man who was a mathematical genius, a key in the defeat of the Nazis in World War II. This same man was later chemically castrated for having homosexual relations and poisoned himself 2 years after. 59 years have passed, but in late December 2013 Turing received royal pardon from Queen Elizabeth II. Normally when a royal pardon is given the person at hand is innocent or the family requests it. Turing's conviction was not met with regards to any of these conditions. In July 2012, a bill was proposed to the House of Lords and passed three readings. Before the bill could reach the House of Commons the British Government decided to agree to the petition. Turning was granted pardon for his conviction of gross indecency. This took immediate effect.

   Alan Mathison Turing was born in London at the early start of the 20^th century. His intelligence was quite notable and was recognized early on by his instructors. Turing’s focus was solely dedicated to math and science. This created controversy at the school he attended as it focused heavily on the classical studies. Despite this he continued to advance independently with his studies outside of school. Alan Turing relished in the idea that he could solve and grasp complex problems. Since his youth it was obvious Turing thought like a scientist.

   After being educated as a undergraduate at King’s College Turing went on to earn his PhD from Princeton. After Princeton, he returned to Cambridge and began his work with the Government Code and Cypher School. The GC&CS created an extensive cryptanalytic facility that became essential in World War II. Turing was a key code breaker in the cryptanalysis of the Enigma, created by the Axis powers, specifically Germany. He deduced the indicator procedure used by the German navy and created a portable and secure voice scrambler codenamed Delilah. These are a few of many advanced aided by Turing which resulted in the defeat of the German Nazis.

   In 1946 Turing worked with the design of the Automatic Computing Engine (ACE) and even came up with his own revised design. In 1948 Turing was appointed a principal lecturer in the department of mathematics at the University of Manchester. In 1949 he started to work on software for the Manchester Mark 1. This was one of the earliest stored-program computers. During this time Turing began to work in the field of abstract mathematics. He developed his own experiment, which became known as the Turing Test. This experiment tested the issue of artificial intelligence. The Turing test was the idea that if a computer could fool a human into thinking it too was a human, the machine could “think”. A reversed form of this test is used widely online.

   About 3 years later, Turing formed a romantic relationship with a man named Arnold Murray. Through the result of a burglary the police acknowledged that Turing and Murray were romantically together and both men were arrested. At this time homosexuality was against the law. Turing felt no guilt for having a relationship with Murray and pleaded guilty. He agreed to undergo chemical castration as punishment. He was not allowed to continue his job with GC&CS, but was granted his job as an educator. 2 years after Turing was convicted his cleaner found him dead. It has been confirmed that the cause of death was cyanide poisoning. It is suspected he purposefully consumed an apple laced with cyanide in order to end his life.

   Turing has received much recognition for his work breaking the German enigma code and creating new programs. He was a remarkable man whose brilliant mind saved countless lives. The mathematical genius created the basis of modern computing. Not only was he in standing for a well deserved pardon, but he deserves to be remembered and recognized for his immense contribution to science.

Texture In Web Design

Smashing Magazine recently released an article discussing the use of texture in web design here. In class we were asked to answer a series of questions regarding the article. 

Why have the benefits of texture sometimes been overlooked?

Texture, in the past, was often over used and used in inappropriate ways. This has “tainted” the use of texture in design today. Many designers feel that texture is not a necessary asset. While it is not always necessary, it can tie a website together and highlight the main focus points in a tasteful way.

What is the usual difference between a texture and a pattern?

A pattern is often a small repeatable element that will tile. A texture is usually much bigger and don’t typically repeat.

What are 2 ways to focus people’s attention using texture?

Texture have the power to highlight certain elements of a site. If a grunge texture is placed against a clean background, the grunge texture will stand out and draw people’s eye. In retrospect, if a clean element is placed on top of a texture, the clean element will draw focus.

How can texture enhance the structure of your information?

Texture enables designers to offset a crucial aspect of a site, or enhance the way information is presented. Specifically, texture can enhance the structure of information. Texture can guide the eye through contrast and imagining lines. This can make content easier to read, find and remember.

How does texture enhance the identity or atmosphere of a site?

Texture can become a trademark to a brand and “...put a face to the service…”. This creates a recognizable brand that has personality and taste.

Describe in your own words what is meant by the following tips:

1. Maintain Legibility - make sure content is still prevalent
2. Don’t Beat a Dead Horse - Don’t overuse texture so that it’s distracting
3. Practice Means Improvement - Experiment with different textures and take risks
4. If It Serves No Purpose, Take it Out - Make sure the texture serves a justifiable purpose. It should not just “be there”.
5. Consider the Effect You Are Trying to Achieve - Think about what vibe the texture brings to the table
6. Collect Resources so you Don’t Have to Search Later - Keep an array of resources for future reference
7. Learn Masks - Experiment and learn the software
8. Don’t Sacrifice Quality for Loading Time - A quality texture dominates slow loading time
9. Choose Textures Logically - Use textures that are relevant to the kind of site being built

What are 3 different ways you can come up with your own texture images?

To come up with texture images from scratch you can use your own photos, scan different materials or experiment in photoshop.

Sites that use texture effectively:

- KEZ

- Creative Arts Initiative

- Amazee Labs

- Peter Granfors

Social Media Can Effect Your Future

     The New York Times recently released an article written by Natasha Singer. This article discusses the involvement of a students online image in the college admissions process. The article provides an anecdote of  a young girl who applied to a college in Maine was rejected because she posted derogatory comments about her fellow students on Twitter. This girl is surely not the first to do this, but her story caught the public eye and created much controversy. Now students are left to recall anything they have posted online that could threaten their future.

     My online presence could be somewhat notable through my number of accounts, but not enough to effect me in a significant way. I have a Facebook, Youtube, Tumblr, 8tracks, Twitter, Instagram, and Blogger account, but not much else. None of what I post on any of these sites promotes a negative image for myself. I don't post much on Facebook or Instagram and my Twitter account remains dormant. If anything the most questionable aspect of any of my accounts would be my music taste on 8tracks.    

     I think it is incredibly fair for future employers and schools to research an applicants online presence.  If the student posts something questionable online, it is entirely their own fault. Because of people's poor judgement regarding what is appropriate to post and what is not, schools have resorted to teaching these basic concepts to high school students. It is embarrassing that the disregard for inappropriate status updates, pictures, and @mentions has led to this. 

     What I find particularly perplexing is that all through middle school we were told that whatever we put online is permanent. We were lectured on the use of the "delete button" and how in a few seconds hundreds of people have already seen what we so desperately wanted to delete. Six some years ago it was vital that kids understand a picture or status could be pulled from cyberspace even if they thought it was long gone. Now administrators are teaching kids to "cleanse" their online presence and "sanitize" their digital image. If everything is permanent, how is one supposed to make their digital presence immaculate? 

KC Redesigns Logo

   Graphic designer Emily Elmore has created much talk, regarding her new logo design for KC. Elmore provided this re-amped logo to the Kansas City government free of charge. Opinions about the logo came pouring in, and most of them were not pleasant. Many people have called the logo a "boring...monogram...". Despite the high criticism that surrounds her logo, Elmore has defended it stating "Any press is good press". 

    Redesigning has recently become a trend and many are leaning towards simplistic, contemporary designs. Elmore pulled from many sources of inspiration to create this new logo. The interlocking K and C reminisce of old sport team logos and the C and H found on the doors at city hall. The seriffed font keeps it somewhat traditional. Although the seriffed font ties the logo with some of Kansas City's past, the bright mint green is what some might call "contemporary". Kansas City is a city that has much depth, and it's logo should do it justice. Officials of Kansas City only see the redesign as an opportunity to bring the city and it's past into the 20th century. 

    I do not like the new logo at all. I don't feel that it embodies the vibe of Kansas City and it is an idea everyone has seen hundreds of times before. The interlocking K and C is an old design that has been around forever. The mint green and grey contrast very nicely, but I don't like them in a logo for Kansas City. The logo is very clean, but clean can also be a synonym for boring. Clean and simplistic design should still be eye catching and original. 

Designer of New KC Logo Rises Above the Tempest

Dont Make Me Think: Krug Ch.3

Krug Ch.3 Project

This website has lots of background noise. Even though the background is black and white it is still very distracting; the flashing graphics in the corner of the page do not help.Versace 

Google is one of the most well know sites and it is very easy to use. The main page really has only one clear purpose and that is to search something. The basic primary colors and white background eliminate distraction. Google

This website does not clearly indicate what is clickable. It appears that the underlined phrase "WIIFM" is clickable because's its underlined and bolded, it's not. Also because all of the content text is white it becomes hard to decipher what text is information and what are links. Natalie M. Fashion Show

MoMa has a nice site where you know immediately if something is clickable or not. Most of the links have a small red arrow or are in a different type in order to indicate if it is a link or not. MoMA

Pintrest is a site that has awful organization.  Nothing is split up into defined areas so the user must scroll through the site with their eyes "bouncing". This can be very inconvenient if the user is looking for something very specific. Pintrest

Lookbook is a fashion site that is very well organized. The navigation is incredibly easy and it is very easy to find a desired search. Lookbook allows users to search by clothing item, designer, date, color and country. Lookbook clearly defines where everything is and clearly shows what is offered in its layout.
Lookbook

8tracks is a site that uses conventions very well. They indicate a "+" sign to expand something, house to represent the link home, A triangle to indicate play and numerous others. Conventions with music sites can be especially recognizable. 8tracks

Apple takes a "less is more" approach to their website. This helps clarify a strong visual hierarchy. Apple uses bolded and enlarged text to draw the users eye to it and then gradually move down to the small text. Doing this allows the user to find what they need quickly. Apple

Don't Make Me Think!

Don't Make Me Think!

A web page should not require the user to put effort into thinking about something that should be effortless. A web designers job is to eliminate a users "question marks" and make the navigation as easy as possible. The page should not only be self-evident, but self-explanatory.

This website has numerous problems with it. A lot of questions pop into my head when I look at only the homepage. First of all I have no clue where to look first. The four column layout is very distracting as well as the bold type in the boxes, not to mention the crazy amount of color. Another question this site provokes is "What is a link?" The scattered boxes in the four column layout could be links, but there is nothing to indicate they are clickable.  Pinesol

Another site that has many problems with it is the U.S. Versace site. From a design aspect, the background is incredibly busy; even though it is black and white it does not as as a background to the brightly colored boxes in the three column layout. Also many of the links are at the bottom of the page. This is not an issue when browsing, but if someone was looking specifically for something on this site, it would be ideal to have the links at the top of the page to ensure that the user finds what they are looking for quickly. Versace

RVCA's site has awful navigation. It is unclear what any of the linked boxes link to. You much hover over each one to see what the subject matter is. While the design is very clean and organized, it makes it hard to know what is clickable and what is not. RVCA's drop down menu for "shop" is a slightly transparent , textured background. This makes the text very hard to read and the grey font color does not help their case. RVCA