The Greatest Reflection Writing of All Time – Evan Marks

This project was a very large test of patience for me, due to having to design layouts in Photoshop. After spending nearly all of last semester learning and designing in Illustrator, it was somewhat jarring to have to suddenly learn all those basic skills in a new program. Despite the learning curve however, now that I know what can be accomplished with the program, Photoshop is much less daunting than it had been previously. Because I was now working in pixels instead of vectors, it was much easier to perfectly align objects pixel to pixel. It was also a relief to know that the dimensions I was working in were exact, and at any moment I could view my website exactly as it would be viewed online. Apart from Photoshop, just designing for the web instead of print was a lot more liberating. Effects such as drop-shadow and embossing, which were hard to pull off on a printed piece, were simple in a purely digital spread. It was much easier to make links and icons more dynamic and visually interesting.

When it came to the design of the website itself, I was immediately drawn to a simple, basic layout that was very easy to understand. Now that I look at my design, I see it as perhaps being too sparse, and lacking in information. But I still agree with my initial idea of simplicity. I supplemented my muted background colors (grey and white) with small red icons and blue links. I didn’t want to overuse color or effects, and I think in that aspect I was successful. Looking back at this project, a part of me wishes I had gone with a more visual approach to the site. In my own experience of surfing the ‘net, I know that rarely is it the text of a page that keeps me hooked, but almost always the visuals. In future projects, I might want to veer towards a more visual language, though I would be sure to not over-emphasize a visual aspect, when the text (especially for an article based website) remains the essential piece.

Sincerely,

Evan Marks