• Mock-ups depict how the site will look when it goes live
• Design uses few images, and is almost entirely CSS-based

See how this site was created: Design Process

Building a website has multiple steps. The first step is information gathering, which will be discussed in another article. Here, I’m going to display the many revisions the design itself can go through.

The Recession Project is an internet start-up that will be based off a user community. They knew what they wanted to appear. They just weren’t sure how to display it.

I began by creating a mock-up, based on knowledge of the client’s preferences. The front page needed to immediately inform users what the site did. This lead to placing snippets of content on the front page.

On the left is a visual display, using clip-art, screenshots, and dummy text to simulate the look of a finished page. On the right is a “wireframe,” where the page is broken into defined areas and labeled.

After re-evaluating their timeline, the client asked to see a simpler layout that could be employed more quickly.This design was based on a paper mounted inside a black presentation folder. Again, the wireframe breaks down the elements shown in the mock-up.

Unsatisfied with this hastily put together design, I put some more thought into an idea that had been brewing in the back of my mind and produced this:

The client loved it, and this became the working model. The front page became a compilation of links designed to help users ‘dive in’ to the content, rather than trying to display all the content at once.

I then worked with the client to alter the color scheme. The grays and silvers above felt flat, so we tried adding color. Unfortunately, most colors clashed with the bright red of the new logo, or made it difficult to read. After much trial and error, we agreed that darker was better, and settled on a rich ink blue.

This final color scheme and layout was readable, pleasing to the eye, and unique. It requires few images to run, and is based almost solely on CSS coding, making it extremely flexible. The design is being adapted for the Drupal environment.

• Designed to facilitate group networking
• Integrated with Google Groups and Google Calendar
• Graphics derived from Creative Commons images listed on Flickr

Designed for use on DeviantART.com’s user journals. Users often post ’stamp’ graphics to represent their views, favorites, etc. These stamps were made to promote the V-DAY organization’s V To the 10th celebrations.

V-DAY (http://www.vday.org/) is the group behind The Vagina Monologues. The organization works to end violence against women and girls.

E-Newsletter for distribution to members of TheNewCampus.org

• HTML, CSS, and images render across multiple email platforms
• Directs users to take action
• Users enter the site through direct links, increasing participation

Programs handed out at the Showcase.

Signs posted throughout the Bite Your Tongue event.

• 4-hour event structured into blocks
• “Safe” foods marked for attendees with dietary restrictions