As I have mentioned in class, you will need to become comfortable with the css box model, as that forms the conceptual and technical underpinning of all layout, navigation, and design elements using Cascading Style Sheets (CSS).
Note this figure from Andy Budd. You can see from this set of "boxes" how the container metaphor works and how white space can be introduced into page design. In class, we will continually put this box model into action, as we work throughout the semester with margins, borders, and padding. Of course, all of this guides the shape of the ultimate container: our "wrapper" div. I think you will enjoy the design power that css and its box model give you.
Next class, we will continue to work on our layout exercises, and as we do, you will see again and again the large number of ways that the CSS box model plays a major role, in layout, design, and ultimately navigation.
If you have questions, just e-mail me at wbuchholz@bentley.edu. Feel free to comment on this announcement, or if you want to e-mail it, click on the little mail icon directly below. Note also that each announcement has a permanent link, available through the announcement title and posting date.
Check this out: My gift to you in an ongoing effort to make your lives simpler. To quote from the product Web site:
"Easy Thumbnails is a popular free Windows utility for creating accurate thumbnail images and scaled-down/up copies from a wide range of popular picture formats. An elegant interface makes it a snap to find your images and select them for processing individually, in groups, or in whole folders, using a simple file selector and built-in image viewer. You can use slider controls to rotate images and adjust their contrast, brightness, sharpness and quality, and check out the results with the built-in viewer."
If you have questions, just e-mail me at wbuchholz@bentley.edu. Feel free to comment on this announcement, or if you want to e-mail it, click on the little mail icon directly below.
Check this out: For those of you without your own graphics content, feel free to use my public photographs on Picasa Web Albums: Buchholz Photography on Picasa Web. You may alter, crop, and resize these photographs using the graphics program of your choice. No source attribution is necessary if you use these photos.
Additionally, here is the file you will need to supply your greeked text and the validation URLs for your Web site footer: 380 Site Greeked Text and Validation.
If you have questions, just e-mail me at wbuchholz@bentley.edu. Feel free to comment on this announcement, or if you want to e-mail it, click on the little mail icon directly below. Note also that each announcement has a permanent link, available through the announcement title and posting date.
Our layout exercises will deal with flow, layers (divs) and absolute pixel placement. The PowerPoint tutorial on Divs and Floats will prepare you for some of the basic layout and design principles that are predominant on the Web today. The tutorial is also available in PDF format for printing (Divs and Floats PDF). The print version also supplies notes on the discussion.
In preparation for building the five templates of exercises one through five, we will discuss the design terms "ice," "jello," (aka "elastic") and "liquid" (aka, "fluid") page layouts. Over the next few days, you will be creating pages that participate in each of these design schools. Read John Potter's article Ice, Liquid and Jello Design for a quick thumbnail overview of these three design principles. Pay special attention to his animated layouts. Also take a look at Kayla Knight's Fixed vs. Fluid vs. Elastic Layout: What's The Right One For You?
Following are a few selected Web sites that illustrate the three layout concepts of exercises one through five.
On your layouts.htm gateway page, you will provide floated thumbnail screenshots (no larger than 200px x 200px) hyperlinked to an actual Web site illustrating each of these three layout types. I will provide explicit instructions in class on all aspects of this complete layout assignment.
If you have questions, just e-mail me at wbuchholz@bentley.edu. Feel free to comment on this announcement, or if you want to e-mail it, click on the little mail icon directly below.
I know that a good number of you are interested in purchasing Dreamweaver CS4. Here are the instructions for the licensed student purchase through Bentley U. Note the student price is $99, plus shipping and handling. This price cannot be beat. I highly recommend that you take advantage of this if you can.
It's very important that you purchase the correct platform (Windows or Mac), as this software is not returnable and not refundable for any reason.
If you have questions, just e-mail me at wbuchholz@bentley.edu. Feel free to comment on this announcement, or if you want to e-mail it, click on the little mail icon directly below.
If you want to get an interesting dose of perspective, view this video on the "Social Media Revolution":
If you have questions, just e-mail me at wbuchholz@bentley.edu. Feel free to comment on this announcement, or if you want to e-mail it, click on the little mail icon directly below. Note also that each announcement has a permanent link, available through the announcement title and posting date.
Thursday's introductory presentation on Information Architecture and the World Wide Web is available for you to view on your own computer. Just click on the icon to your right, and you will be taken to the tutorial.
Here are some of the key terms we will be covering, terms that will keep cropping up throughout the course:
primary, secondary, and tertiary navigation
top-tier and second-tier navigation
drop-down/fly-out menu
banner, footer, contents area of a page template
findability
browse
search
content, context, user
xhtml, css, dhtml, JavaScript, Ajax (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML), Spry components, and programmable widgets
RSS feeds and subscriptions
If you have questions, just e-mail me at wbuchholz@bentley.edu. Feel free to comment on this announcement, or if you want to e-mail it, click on the little mail icon directly below.
Building upon the knowledge and experience gained in IDCC 370 Web Design I, this course develops further the generally accepted concepts and applications of information architecture, human factors, and usability in creating and managing Web sites. Topics include page layout and design, navigation systems, interface design, Web graphics information architecture, interactivity, writing for the Web, site architecture, management, and maintenance. You will work with high-end Web authoring tools to create various site elements.
If you have questions, just e-mail me at wbuchholz@bentley.edu. Feel free to comment on this announcement, or if you want to e-mail it, click on the little mail icon directly below.