Week 4 Lynda.com Certification: Writing Articles

Below is a post regarding my Lynda.com certification for Writing Articles.  This class was intended to help educate me in how to write a successful article using the proper tools, communicating with potential employers and how to complete an article from start to finish.

Below is an image of my certificate for completing the course.

The portion I found most beneficial to my career and career goals was following up with the client, interviewee, and other contacts surrounding a project article.  The reason this particular item captured my attention was because he gave some great examples of not only keeping in touch with the client for future projects but how to utilize the article for potential clients.  For example when he said, " If you wrote an article about How to learn a foreign language, you may want to let the Linguistics professor from the local university that you had been speaking with about the article's release."  This is a great ti that I myself had never thought about before.  It is beneficial to utilize projects for your portfolio but it can be even more powerful to allow a possible client to view your work before they are in search of your expertise because they would already be familiar with what you can do.

Week 4 Reflection: Project Revision

The below post is to highlight my revisions to my previous project soft launch for my fictitious client The Holy Magdalena Cupcake Express Food Truck.  his revision was to help make necessary improvements to the website.  My objective was to identify a least 3 items that needed improvement and to take note of the suggestions and pieces that were identified by my instructor as well as my fellow classmate during their critiques of the site.

Below you will find the link to my revised website for The Holy Magdalena Cupcake Express.

The Holy Magdalena Cupcake Express


First let me begin with this was by far one of my favorite projects.  Initially when I began I had no idea where to start.  But as I moved through the site and elements it would take to build it I became very motivated to learn everything I could.  After my initial launch I shared it with colleagues as well as my personal friends and family.  After everyone gave me feedback and I went back to the site several times I began finding more items that I myself wanted to improve upon.  Once I read and heard the feedback from Julia and Instructor Wray it was even more confirmed for me what needed to be added, taken away, changed and edited.

The three items that immediately became apparent from all of the feedback and my own evaluation of the site were, the menu page, the header, and general layout of all the pages.  I changed the sizing of the logo, to my disappointment I could resize and slightly move the logo but because this site was built utilizing the free elements of weebly I was unable to maneuver it very much.  But in the end the general placement and sizing work very well.  After resizing the logo I took Instructor Wray's advice and rearranged the pages to have more of the proper bookends.  The next item that was most important for me was adjusting the menu page.  I immediately got feedback from friends and colleagues stating that they got to the page and were very excited but the were missing what the items were made of, so I added the ingredients and also rearranged the page.  The new layout is much more balanced also it looks more well placed on the page.  I was also unhappy with the layout for the pricing and felt it also could use a bit more information.  So I made the text for "Pricing" larger and a different color to help it standout on the page better.  The next step for me in completing the revision was to adjust all the page layout to be more pleasing to a visitor's eye.  I rearranged the text on the about us page and added a photo of a cupcake to keep with a more consistent layout throughout the site.  I renamed the locations page per Instructor Wray's critique which was a great idea because it shows that day's location on the calender widget.  I also added the disclaimer to every page because weebly did not allow me to add a footer since I was utilizing the free version to build the site.  I did change the accent color, unfortunately I was limited to that template's color pallet so I utilized a color that would compliment the items on the site but still keep with the more masculine feel that the client wanted.  The revision made a world of difference not only in the look but the overall feel of the site.





The following images are before and after screenshots of the site:

Header


Before:

After:

Home page


Before:

After:

About Us


Before:

After:

Today's Location


Before:

After:

Menu


Before:

After:

Week 4 Reflection: RISE Self-Evaluation

The below video post is my reflection and self evaluation of my time during my web design class.  In the video I address what I learned and how I can benefit from the new skill set I now have.

Week 4 Reflection: RISE Peer Feedback

The below post is my peer review for my classmate in my web design class Loren Maxwell.  This review is to help give feedback to my classmate regarding his project as well is help build critical thinking skills for myself when looking over designs.  This tool will help build a good foundation for critiquing my colleagues' work in my future career.

Hi Loren,

First and foremost let me say you did an excellent job with your project.  The general layout was very clean and aesthetically pleasing.  Also it was very easy to use. 

One of the items that I first noticed was the second row of tab buttons.  Was this intentional?  The reason I bring this up is because these buttons appear right under your pages menu.  To me this seems a bit repetitive.  Are you trying to get your client’s customers to be more attracted to those pages in particular? 

If this was an intentional attention to those pages, you may also consider changing the colors in the menu instead of utilizing a second row of tabs.  Changing the color from the other page links will definitely draw attention.  Another suggestion would be to put the extra tabs below the text and utilize some of the extra space at the lower portion of the home page.

Something else I noticed was the inspiration page.  I remember in the critiques our instructor mentioned this page.  I wanted to view it myself to see if I may offer another helpful suggestion to make this page a bit more impactful and relevant for your client.  Since the title of this page is inspiration and the client is known for his ability to remove bandages with as little pain as possible, maybe consider adding links to other forms of helpful health techniques.  Or active links to becoming and living a healthier lifestyle.  Something that would inspire a better quality of life, like a link to “How to eat healthier” or “Having an active lifestyle”.

Overall I think you did very well with your site.  I believe with just a few minor tweaks your site will be very powerful for you client.  I really do think you were on to something with the inspiration page.  If you utilized it for something more closely related to your clients business it would be much more impactful for the site. 

As always you did a great job.  I enjoyed getting more in depth into your project.  I believe your client would be very happy with the final result.

The below link is to Loren’s website:

No-Owie

Thank you,

Felisha Hodges

Week 3 Lynda.com Certification: iPhone Photography

Below is a post for my MCPP class.  This post has a lynda.com Certificate for iPhone shooting techniques.  This post displays my certificate and a brief summary of what I thought was the most beneficial part of the class.

 Lynda.com Certificate:

I really enjoyed the shooting techniques.  It was very helpful in order to capture better images.  I myself love taking photos not just as documentation of my personal life but also as my love for utilizing photography as art.  Hearing the tips to help me utilize my iPhone take better photos is great.  I will take the techniques and be able to create even more art out of my photography.  Also one technique that stood out for me was utilizing headphones to help disguise being a street photographer.  I think that is a great idea.  I have always found that my pictures are much better when they are true life photos.  This is a great way to ensure that your subject does not pose.  I want to be able to utilize my own photos in my design work this course definitely equipped me with more ways to utilize the technology I have available to me to make that possible.

MCPP Portfolio Project Submission: Collins Street Tattoo Digital Flyer Revised

The following post is a portfolio submission for my MCBS Degree program MCPP Portfolio class.
The is a resubmission of my previous portfolio submission.  This resubmission has all of the suggested changes that my professor I make.

Star Rating Sought:

I am hoping to receive a 2-star rating.

Project Description:

This project was to create a digital flyer to help spread the word to the client's customers about their tenth anniversary specials.  The main objective for this project was to create a flyer that contained the special verbiage and store information requested by the client as well as help bring in business.

Link to Deliverable:

The below link will take you to an image of the revised flyer.
The revised Collins Street Tattoo Digital Flyer

Feedback Received:

Initial feedback received from client:

During the process of creating the flyer I had the client select photos and the exact text they wanted for the flyer.  There were two revisions on color and placement of the photos. The image that is linked above was the final product that the client posted to their Facebook as well as their Instagram accounts.  It was my understanding that the flyer did help to bring in more foot traffic than normal.  The initial feedback from the client was that they really liked the final layout of the flyer.

Feedback received from my instructor for first submission:

My instructor stated that the initial flyer's black text made it very hard for the intended audience to read the information and suggested I make it white or a more readable color.  This would make the information more easily read by the client's intended audience.

Resources Utilized:

PI utilized Adobe CS6 Illustrator to design and layout the flyer.  To deliver the final product to the client I emailed a JPEG copy of the artwork. For making the required adjustments I utilized Adobe Illustrator CS6.

Week 3 Project: Portfolio Skeleton

This post is to discuss and showcase my public-facing portfolio site skeleton. In this post I will provide a link to my portfolio site. As well as my answers to the prompts that were given in my web design assignment.

Please find the link to my public facing portfolio website below.

FH Design & Strategy

Below is my reflection regarding my portfolio skeleton.

• Do you feel confident in your understanding of the MCBS public-facing portfolio requirement? 

Yes, I understand why a portfolio is beneficial and crucial to my personal and professional career.  I also believe that I have started creating a very good start to my public-facing portfolio site.

• Explain how the 1-, 2-, 3-star projects you are completing in your MCPP courses contribute to the requirement. 

They provide examples of my abilities and display pieces that a client or possible employer will want to see in order to make their decision to hire me.  Also they may be assignments but they can be good foundation pieces to help with design ideas.

• What areas of this skeleton site do you feel are the strongest? Why?

 I feel that the general usability is strong.  My favorite part of the site is the portfolio page and the skills page.

• What areas do you feel need the most work? Why?

 I believe the resume page needs the most work.  I feel this way because my resume is very wordy and I would like to showcase each item better and with more of a design feel instead of just a plain resume.

• Are you proud of what you created here? Why? 

Yes, because even though it is not quite complete I believe I have a very good foundation to grow on.

Week 3 Analysis: Portfolio Inspiration

Below you will find my analysis video for my week three analysis assignment for my web design class.  In the video I am analyzing 3 portfolio websites.  My objective was to compare what was aesthetically pleasing, how they could be better, how they were similar.  I was also to explain how they inspired my own portfolio site.

Week 3 Practice: Portfolio Inventory

Below is a revised version of the Project Inventory I previously posted for my web design class.  Also in the below form I have included my answers.  My objective was to revise the document as needed and to answer the questions as a client because I am creating a public-facing portfolio site for myself.  I have included a link to a spreadsheet that has all of my responses.  I created the spreadsheet so that once I have more clients I can have all of their responses in the same location.
My Response Spreadsheet

Week 3 Exploration: Digging Deeper

The following blog post is about getting more into elements of web design.  My objective was to select three articles that sparked my interest during the creation of developing my fictitious client The Holy Magdalena Cupcakes Express's website.  I am also to analyze my chosen articles and explain why I chose them and what I learned from them and how I can utilize the information.

The three articles I chose are, Usability 101: Introduction to Usability, 11 Inspiring Minimalistic Web Designs, and Mood Boards for Designers.  My reason behind choosing these particular articles is that I want to be able to create something that is not only visually appealing but also has good functionality.  Also because I currently am a designer and I always like to learn and see what other designers have been developing.  The article Mod Board for Designers sparked my interest because even though I understand the purpose for Mood Boards I want to understand what makes a Mood Board considered successful.

I learned from each article a little something more than I began for sure.  In the 11 Inspiring Minimalistic Web Designs I saw that just because you go with a simple yet clean look it does not mean it will be plain.  Each site was very well presented.  The article showcased some great ways to keep a design less complex but still be very visually pleasing.  With the Mood Board for designers I got a clearer picture of a successful Mood Board presentation.  I feel like I have a clearer idea of how to create a more relevant Mood Board for my future clients.  The Usability 101 article is a great tool to learning the importance and how to create a user friendly site.  Also explains the steps on creating such a site for your intended audience and potential clients.

I believe I can utilize each of the articles to help develop the public-facing portfolio site.  I will be more equip to make a user friendly site, I have a clear idea of the type of design I want to go with.  I will also be able to create a mood board to showcase my ideas for the public-facing portfolio site.  This mood board will be much more effective because I will know what should and should not be on the board.

Below you will find the links to all three articles that I read.
Usability 101: Introduction to Usability
11 Inspiring Minimalistic Web Designs
Mood Boards for Designers

Week 2 Project: Soft Launch

The following post is is about my soft launch of my fictitious client The Holy Magdalena Cupcake Express's website.  This project is for my web design class.  The objective for this assignment was to build a fully functional website with all the criteria that I outlined in a proposal that can be located on an earlier post.

The following link will take you to The Holy Magdalena Cupcake Express website.

The Holy Magdalena Cupcake Express



Were you able to meet all the provisions outlined in your proposal?


Yes.  I did deviate slightly, in my proposal I stated I would use Joomla for my CMS.  But I ended up using Weebly instead.  Since I am just a beginner I utilized one of the sites from the article list.  I wanted  to ensure success of the site.

Did you propose or promise something you could not deliver?


No I do not think so, overall I am very happy with the final project.  I was able to create the Facebook page, have a site that incorporated a blog page and also covered all of the clients wants and needs for the site.  This site is very aesthetically pleasing to the eye flows with the clients branding and colors and also presents a welcoming feel for customers.

What was the most challenging part of the process for you?


The most challenging part for me was debating how I wanted to execute the site.  At first I probably over thought my ideal site and launch too much.  But once I sat down and focused I was able to create a site that I am happy with and will be very beneficial for the client.  Another part I had trouble with was the calendar I used Eventbrite but I would love to learn how to make an interactive user friendly calendar for the client.  Eventbrite is easy to use but I would rather they have a calendar right on the site.

Where would you like to go deeper?


I would like very much to try another site.  I enjoyed the process and am looking forward to trying again with the company I work for if they will allow me the opportunity.  I found that utilizing a CMS was very helpful.  Also I really would like to learn how to create an active calendar for the site instead of using a third party calendar.

MCPP Portfolio Project Submission: Vagabahn Carshow

Below is a portfolio submission for my MCBS portfolio.  I am required to obtain 9 stars towards my portfolio in order to graduate the Media Communications Bachelor's Degree Program.  This will be my fourth portfolio submission.

 

Star Rating Sought:

I am seeking a 2-star rating for this project

 

Project Description:

I am submitting the two online flyers that I designed for the Dubdevelopment Car Club.  These online flyers were designed in order to help them promote their car show Vagabahn.  The president of the car club approached me and requested a unique design that would incorporate the 2014 show's theme which was they were rebuilding and needed a flyer to showcase that element. 

 

Link to Deliverable:

Below are the links to both flyers that were created for the Dubdevelopment Car Club for their show Vagabahn 2014.

Vagabahn 2014 Info Flyer
Vagabahn 2014 Teaser

 

Feedback Received:

The club was very happy with the results they received from the flyer.  They initially only expected to have about 10 people show cars and participate in the show.  The turnout was about 20 to 25 cars and the online response was very good.  They were happy with the overall design elements and thought that it portrayed exactly what they hoped it would have.

 

Resources Utilized:

I designed both flyers in Adobe Illustrator CS6. I emailed copies of the flyers to the president.  The images were shared on the car show's Facebook page and Instagram.

Week 2 Practice: Mock-Up

The following post is a link to my mock-up website for my web design class.  This was an excercise to help actually build a site with asthetics and components to resemble the actual ste that I will later launch for my ficticious client The Holy Magdalena.

Please use the following link to view my mock-site.
The Holy Magdalena Express

Week 2 Analysis: User Behavior

The following post is an analysis for my web design class.  This analysis is intended to help make sure I have all necessary information for my fictitious client the Holy Magdalena food truck's website.  I am to think like a visitor of the site.  My objective is to make sure that I have all the information needed to accommodate the visitors that I believe will frequent the site.  I also want to make sure that all information a customer of the Holy Magdalena will feel like they can get all their questions answered while visiting the website.

Business Name:

Holy Magdalena Food Truck Website

List of Potential Questions/Tasks of the Ideal Site Visitor:

1.     Where can I find the food truck?

2.     What times are they operating?

3.     How much are their menu items?

4.     What kind of menu do they have?

5.     Do they do special events?

6.     Can I pre-order?

7.     Is it actually as good as I have been told?

8.     Are they only a cupcake food truck?

9.     What type of people are they?

10. Why did they choose a food truck and not a storefront?

When I cross-referenced the information provided I answered most of the questions a visitor to the site would have.  The menu items and pricing are provided.  From what I can tell the owner for now only makes cookies and cupcakes.  I do not think at the moment that will be a problem.  I will need to develop the blog and the posts that will start the initial blog process.  The images provided allow for the menu page to be properly set-up.  I will have to shorten the story behind the creation of the Holy Magdalena because it is a bit wordy.  I believe that proper execution of the elements that I described in my proposal will allow for a very user-friendly site.  I will have to create a Facebook page for the Holy Magdalena and make sure it will also reach the intended demographic of customers.  There is one item that concerns me and will have to be addressed and that is that for Saturdays being a special events day simply stating check the local listings is not the way to go.  I believe for that day to be truly effective there will need to be a true calendar and schedule of events. This way it will feel more like the Holy Magdalena is community friendly.  Showing that they took the time and coordinated with local event planners to attend certain events.  For example lets say Petaluma city officials are opening a new park that would be a great event to attend and place on the calendar.  Also establishing a clear connection with customers will be very important utilizing the passion Ray has for food and his family will need to shine through.  Even though his menu items are fun, for a customer to go through the trouble of locating the food truck and actually deciding to go and try out the cupcakes and other treats will take them feeling connected so it will be very important that the personal touch is not missing from the site.  When I go back and reference the pages that I analyzed last week I remember feeling like I wanted something more.  Then I also remember the site that was very inspiring.  I want to be able to utilize the items that were positive but make sure that the customer is not overwhelmed with too much information.  I believe the site that I have proposed with all the intended pages will allow for easy navigation.  The information that customers want and or need to know will be readily available.  There will always be a link to the our blog page, home page, and I have decided there should also always appear a link to the calendar page.  This way if a customer only wants to get the simple how when and where they can easily.

Week 2 Practice: Content Organization

Below is my practice content organization for my web design class.  This practice activity was to help learn to organize and list content that I have and still needed in order to create a website for my fictitious client the Holy Magdalena Food Truck.  My goal in this activity was to assemble a list of items that were needed and that I have already so that I can insure that I will be able to "launch" the site in the time I allotted in a previous post with the proposal agreement.

Web Site: Holy Magdalena Page Content Description Have it/Need it Notes Home Welcome Message Need it Custom graphic Logo Have it Client supplied via asset package Embedded Video - Web slider Need it Utilize images provided in asset package and create video. About Us Company Bio, Head-shot, and logo Have it Client provided in asset package Our Menu Images, prices, and company logo Have it Client supplied via asset package Our Blog Content for blog, images, and event list Need it Take inventory of photos that could be utilized for blog, set-up blogging on site.  Collect more information from client. Where we will be Calendar with dates and times of operation and location. Have it Customer provided in asset package.

Week 2 Exploration: Mood Board

Below is the mood board I created for my web design class.  This was an exploration in creating a mood board for my ideas on what and how I wanted to create the website for my fictitious client The Holy Magdalena food Truck.

Week 1 Project: Proposal & Wireframe

The following is a a website proposal and wire-frame for The Holy Magdalena Food truck.  This is a project for my Web Design class and is an exercise to help develop my proposal writing skills as well as a general knowledge of layout and execution for building a website.  The proposal is a detailed outline of the direction, costs and general idea that I believe will be the most effective for the Holy Magdalena's website.  The wire-frame is a general layout of the way the website would look and is meant to represent placement as well as page layout.




Holy Magdalena Food Truck

Web Site Goals & Objective

Create a web site utilizing Joomla web-based content management system (CMS) platform. Structuring the site through a CMS will give Holy Magdalena the ability to update the site from any computer with an Internet connection and will offer autonomy for future development. Another feature that will be beneficial to the Holy Magdalena is the ability to link a Facebook page and develop a blog page for their site. The reasoning behind a blog and Facebook is to allow the current and potential customer base to have a better understanding of the Holy Magdalena. Even though the Holy Magdalena is a food truck having a strong web presence will allow customers to feel more at home becoming frequenters to the truck. In order to establish a strong following and customer base the company needs a website that will allow its customers a place to congregate and learn new locations, menu items, and special events that the Holy Magdalena will be participating in. Utilizing a CMS site like Joomla will provide an easy to update site for the Holy Magdalena.

Specific Strategy Recommendations

•  Using the company’s current branding and logos the site’s colors and aesthetics will complement the current branding already in place.

•  Along with the website a Facebook, and blog page will be created to help insure exposure to current and potential customers. Also having these pages constantly updated will help with SEO (Search Engine Optimization) that will allow customers that are word-of-mouth type customers be able to locate your site and then intern locate the Holy Magdalena at any given date.

•  Incorporation of imagery, graphics and content material that have been provided in the project package.

•  Development of core pages and functionality:

•  Home - Set up a web slider to showcase menu items events that have been attended and happy customers.

•  About Us - Detailing the beginnings and passion of the Holy Magdalena.

•  Blog Page- To help with SEO and keep customers updated and give them a feeling of closeness to the Holy Magdalena. Also allows for a place to make special announcements as well as debut new menu ideas.

•  Location – Calendar detailing where and when the Holy Magdalena will be located for each day.

•  Menu Page – Will contain images and pricing for the items offered by the Holy Magdalena

Work Estimate

Estimated Design and Administrative Time: 80-85 hours
Estimated Cost: $4000-$4500

Delivery Time

I estimate 12 weeks development time to design a custom site, Facebook Page and set-up a blog. The site will launch precisely 60 after final approval from the customer. The estimated launch date will be subject to change if the customer fails to approve the final project or does not submit payment in a timely manner.

Site Administration/Maintenance

Hosting and site administration will be run through Joomla.com (CMS platform) at a cost of approximately $50/mo


6-8 hours of training will be provided to Holy Magdalena staff on how to update the site from within the new CMS structure


Updates/features requested outside the scope of this proposal will be subject to an hourly rate of $80/hr with a ½ hour minimum

Next Steps

In order to get started, I’d need:


· Acceptance of the proposal no later than 2 business days after date of submission of this proposal


· Credit card # on file with Joomla


· What you would like your domain name to be, and how many people need emails.


· A list of all technology, such as computers, tablets, and mobile devices- this will help to insure all devices are compatible for your site and that you will be able to make necessary adjustments to the site at all times.


A deposit equal to ½ the estimated cost of the web site project - $2000

Policies

Deposits


A deposit, equal to one half the project estimate, is due upon acceptance of the proposal.


Postponed, Delayed or Abandoned Projects


All projects postponed, delayed or abandoned by the client for 30 days or more will be invoiced for work completed to date.


Cancellation Fee


All projects, contracts and service agreements are subject to a cancellation fee equal to the deposit amount, plus any additional expenses incurred. This fee is to insure compensation for mine and my teams' time and expenses.

Payment

Payment is kindly appreciated within 7 business days of final invoice date.

The last image is what appears at the bottom of every page except the home page.