Creative Expression: Reflection May 13, 2008

TECHNIQUE
My site shows substantial craftsmanship in that:
• I thought about the site visitor and how my site would be navigated. The home page and all connecting pages are concise. There is little scrolling (down) that needs to be done because all/most of the information is at “eye level” when the page is reached. That was important to me because quickly finding what I need when visiting a website is my main priority.
• I found a balance between aesthetics and functionality. There were certain colors I wanted to use, a technology blue-tinted grey to convey that the golden ratio was numerical and bright orange to contrast that, making it easy to see. Even though the main color was a modern “techy” grey, the pictures themselves were of nature and beautiful things. It was supposed to represent a contrast between modern and classic. The original font had no curves, similar to a digital clock, adding to the technology theme. It was a font that served its purpose while fulfilling my creative expression.
Some specific methods I used to get certain effects were:
• Gradient tool – I wanted my website to have an overall cool, modern feel. A solid background would have made it seem more one-dimensional.
• Curved edges – This was a design tip in one of the sites Ted made available to us in his Digital Design Notebook. It said that a straight-angled square is boring and that simply curving the edge makes a world of difference. I tested that out and, in hoped of making my site as aesthetically pleasing as possible, took the advice.
• Image colors – All the images were originally in color. To achieve the technology look I wanted, I adjusted the color balance in each image.
PROCESS
I began by following Ted’s benchmarks and by fulfilling those assignments; I naturally arrived at my current design. However, I did have a vision of what the site would potentially look like. I wanted the basic layout to be simple, which reflected my personal style and the modern theme, and serve its purpose, which would be to convey my topic through images and text. (Please refer to image)
On the day our websites were to be published, mine seemed far from being ready. All the previous classes we were given to work, I spent them looking for pictures on Creative Commons (for the fair use requirement) and editing them to my liking on Photoshop. Other than the bibliography, which I used to keep track of images, any actual building of the site was put on hold. I finally began building my website on that day and published it on time.
I didn’t face as many challenges as anticipated using Creative Commons. At times, it was even advantageous. After searching for pictures, I found that CC images were of high quality and had artistic appeal. People who made their images available to us had similar taste as me. However, now that I look back, my topic highly influenced my CC image-finding success. I searched for common objects like flowers and the Parthenon, where my classmates had to find representations of nuclear fission and planetary motion. I was lucky with the way things worked out.
The layout of my website would be different if I hadn’t asked Ted for feedback. The original design (image above) was missing one thing; it didn’t fully convey the images’ connection to the golden ratio. Ted suggested embedding them into the golden rectangle/spiral. It would keep the square shape of each image, which I preferred, because with each golden rectangle there is a square, while creating the visual connection. I took his feedback and, along with my own interpretation, designed the main page.
POINT OF VIEW
The website has a part of me in it in that there is craftsmanship. My designs are usually organized and clean. I try to keep symmetry in mind. Colors usually match or compliment each other and some special font is used. I believe that text is an opportunity to support one’s design and that it should be taken advantage of.
Because I wanted to keep my design simple, choices I made pertaining various design elements were of utmost importance. I had to utilize the small amount of symbols to represent my topic and thesis to their fullest potential. In TECHNIQUE, I talk about the color and font choices but each image also had significance.
• The flower and nautilus shell represents phi’s presence in nature
• The Pyramid of Giza represents its mythical presence in major architecture
• The mannequin represents the belief that the golden ratio can be found in facial feature proportions. It was also supposed to convey the potential impact it would have on society if the golden ratio were the formula for beauty.
• Lastly, the staircase represents the golden ratio’s mysteriousness and ambiguity. When I first saw that image, I was wondering whether the person who made those stairs or that building knew about the golden ratio, if having it look similar to the golden spiral was intended. That image represents the unknown golden ratio facts waiting to be discovered. Also, I used a variety of images to show the ubiquitous presence of the golden ratio.
CONTEXT & CONNECTIONS
Beauty is an underlying theme and idea I tried to keep in mind throughout designing this piece. The first idea I think about the golden ratio is beauty. It was what drew me to this topic because it is such an abstract idea. There are no specific guidelines for it so possibly having a formula is revolutionizing, in philosophy, art, religion and architecture among others. I wanted everything on my Keynote and website to be aesthetically pleasing to correspond with phi.
My website is definitely not in the Worst website category. I did the best I could at the time but it lacks the complexity and thorough craftsmanship “Best sites” have. For example, “Best sites” are user-friendly and cater to every function you want or may want. My pages have “home” buttons on them but users cannot visit another page from the current one. To fix that, I can probably have a frame, where a link menu is always available to users. Now that I look back, the links on my home page may have been unclear. It was not obvious that the pictures were links. “Best sites” are simple and visually perfect (at least close to perfect). Colors and elements flow, directing the viewer as they browse. To master this, I will need more experience and skill.
REFLECTION
I would give myself a 3 for my performance over the course of this project. I was as focused as I could be in a digital design class. I admit that there were times where I was experimenting with Google Sketchup or Adobe Illustrator when I was supposed to be listening but I knew Ted generally said. It all worked out in the end because I have a website that shows my skill and effort along with conveying a complex concept I just learned. The resulting piece is something I personally like and will defend. A knowledgeable critic would probably identify all the flaws within my piece in addition to some others I didn’t notice while writing my CONTEXT & CONNECTIONS piece.