web design homework, summer 2008

About Homework Assignments

The assignments that are listed on this page are to be completed before class starts the day they are due.

For Monday, June 2

Please read in Krug, Chapters 1 – 7 and 11, as well as What are Web Standards and Why Should I Use Them? Continue working on your CSS Zen Garden design and start thinking about the layout of your re-designed professional page.

For Thursday, May 28

Please make a list of the 5 or so Zen Garden designs you especially like and the 5 you don’t care for. From that list of 10, make a list of 3-5 features that you’d like to try to incorporate into your design and 3-5 that you’re certain you don’t want to. Remember that the features found in the special effects section are to be avoided.

Come up with two pencil sketches of your design based on your chosen theme. Bring them to class with you, along with your lists of likes and dislikes.

Please also bring to class (either online or print) images that are thinking about using in your site. All images will need to be scanned into the computer by Monday, June 2 (as well your final pencil sketch), so if you have time this weekend, get a head start and scan in any image that is not already online. I recommend scanning at 300dpi (and if the image is a photo, saving it as *.jpg, and if its something other than a photo, saving it as *.gif); you can always lower the resolution later.

For Wednesday, May 28

Bobby van der Sluis: “One hard lesson I have learned is that you should never ever start any design without a good and clear concept.”

Please complete the following that you did not get to complete in class:

  • read the information on the CSS Zen Garden home page
  • read the CSS Zen Garden FAQ
  • browse through the past designs so you get an idea of what themes have been covered (please do look at the special effects section, but please note that the effects displayed in this section are off-limits for our designs; in the past students have attempted to replicate them and have struggled and spent many long hours only to end up frustrated)
  • come up with a list of five themes you’d be interested in pursuing and bring them to class to discuss
  • from the five themes, sketch out 5 basic layouts – one for each theme

Please read carefully the following short blog-entry discussions of these designers’ design experiences with CSS Zen Garden, paying particular attention to each designer’s process:

For Tuesday, May 27

Please read in Goto and Colter, please read the Introduction, Chapters 1, 2, and 3, as well as the first two case studies. Bring the book to class as we will be starting to use it as we begin the re-design project (now project II).

For Wednesday, May 21

Please read in Griffiths’ HTML-Dog Chapters 4 – 6 and begin working on the draft of your site that you sketched out in class on Tuesday. Also begin bookmarking CSS tips and tricks to the Web Design CSS Bookmarking List—remember that each student (and Don) is to bookmark 4 per week. Bring Adobe Photoshop CS3 Classroom in a Book to class.

For Tuesday, May 20

Please read in Griffiths’ HTML-Dog the Introduction and Chapters 1 – 3, and take a look at Appendix A & B. Please also see the HTML-Dog web site. Starting thinking about the kind of information you would like to include on a professional web site of your own design, and have available an electronic version of a professionally-acceptable photograph of yourself.

Please connect to the your Home Directory (also known as HDrive) by following the instructions at https://williamwolff.orgcourses/connect-to-hdrive/.

Download and install the Firefox browser (if you already have it, make sure it is the most recent version) and the install the Web Developer Toolbar. Download and install HTML-kit (for PC users) or Taco (for Mac users). These software packages are all free.

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