Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Dandy Suitcase (optimized)
Monday, January 16, 2012
Blogs and Templates I like
1. I found this "bootstrapping" monochromatic blog template that I like. The colors are pretty saturated, with little contrast, but it gives it a rustic feeling.
2. This science blog called "Watts Up With That?" is an analogous color scheme using reds, purples and blues and greys with a blue-ish tint.
3. The "Froggy" template is a good example of a complementary color palette, using the vibrant colors of green of the stem and red-orange of the frogs to create a dynamic contrast.
4. This is a beautifully saturated template. I love the green background and rich textile image. Link here.
5. "Pleuer 2 rire" has a refreshing splash of pastel colors to highlight the blog title and a very subdued background of off-white with a pink tint.
2. This science blog called "Watts Up With That?" is an analogous color scheme using reds, purples and blues and greys with a blue-ish tint.
3. The "Froggy" template is a good example of a complementary color palette, using the vibrant colors of green of the stem and red-orange of the frogs to create a dynamic contrast.
4. This is a beautifully saturated template. I love the green background and rich textile image. Link here.
5. "Pleuer 2 rire" has a refreshing splash of pastel colors to highlight the blog title and a very subdued background of off-white with a pink tint.
Green and Black
I have always liked the combination of green and orange together, but I usually end up choosing more of a monochromatic color palette. This customized version of the "simple" template in green, black and orange, is an effort to get out of my comfort zone and is more of a split complementary palette. The base color is a tint of forest green, which is more of a cool color and the text is orange, a warm color. I used slightly lighter tints of both the orange and green chosen. The split complementary color scheme creates contrast, but I also tried to create a sense of simplicity by using only 2 different colors as well as the addition of contrast created by using black and white for text. The orange text contrasts both the green and black background and is used along with white to create repetition and continuity.
Downloaded Template
This is a super simple template that I was able to download...finally after a couple hours of not being able to figure out why my blogger format is different than the tutorials and trying to work around it. I will have with Ms. Brown tomorrow about this.
So, as for the design principles of this blog template:
1. The template has 2 columns
2. Grid is in 3rds
3. a).This is a very subtle design template. There are very few contrasting elements overall, it is not a very dynamic template, but it is one that I was able to download.
b). The size of the titles are slightly larger, but nothing extreme. Again, the size difference is rather small.
c). With this simple of a template, there does seem to be a feeling of space and openness. It is very clean and easy to read for that reason. The right hand column with the links is busier, but because of the simplicity of overall design, it is easy to follow (even though it is in Spanish).
d). There is an adequate amount of distance between the title of the blog and the other titles and posts, though there are a lot of little inserts with buttons that I have no idea what they are for and am having a hard time deleting or customizing. This is not the easiest template to modify, or else I just don't understand how to manipulate things yet.
e). Other than a kind of monochromatic color scheme, there is also a cross hatched pattern in the background that adds an element of repetition to the template.
So, as for the design principles of this blog template:
1. The template has 2 columns
2. Grid is in 3rds
3. a).This is a very subtle design template. There are very few contrasting elements overall, it is not a very dynamic template, but it is one that I was able to download.
b). The size of the titles are slightly larger, but nothing extreme. Again, the size difference is rather small.
c). With this simple of a template, there does seem to be a feeling of space and openness. It is very clean and easy to read for that reason. The right hand column with the links is busier, but because of the simplicity of overall design, it is easy to follow (even though it is in Spanish).
d). There is an adequate amount of distance between the title of the blog and the other titles and posts, though there are a lot of little inserts with buttons that I have no idea what they are for and am having a hard time deleting or customizing. This is not the easiest template to modify, or else I just don't understand how to manipulate things yet.
e). Other than a kind of monochromatic color scheme, there is also a cross hatched pattern in the background that adds an element of repetition to the template.
Critique of Layout
1. After trying out the various layouts, I finally decided on a balanced layout with one column centered in the middle with empty space on the sides, my 3 links on the top and the RSS feed below the posts. The design principles of symmetry and balance is used in this layout minimalism. The template design of grass and sky follows the rule of 3rds, with the upper 1/3rd as the sky and the lower 2/3rds as the grass seems to look better when the content is centered rather than scattered into multiple columns along the width of the template.
2. This layout seems to be sectioned out with a 5 section grid, with 2 sections of empty space on the sides and 3 sections of the grid taking up the blog entries.
3. a). The principle of contrast in this layout is emphasized mostly through the choice of red and green text as well as the contrast of size between the titles and blog posts. There is also a sense of contrast created by the template design itself, between the green grass and blue sky and red link text and the large white title.
b). The difference between the size of blog title and the 3 links below it help to separate and clarify the design of the blog. Similarly, the size difference between the title of the blog entries compared with the contents of the entries helps to highlight the titles.
c). This layout utilizes the principle of space by leaving room on both sides of the blog for empty green space. I tried a few different layouts which cluttered sides with columns of links and RSS info but decided that it didn't work well with this already busy template design of dandelions and dragonflies.
d). The proximity between the different elements in this layout is consistent and on the spacious side.
e). There is a repetition of 3's in this layout: 3 words in the title, 3 links below the title, 3 dandelions, 3 entries visible per screen and 3 colors: red, green and blue. The repetition of the sprigs of grass helps connect the contrasting color of the sky and also lead the eye to the link titles.
2. This layout seems to be sectioned out with a 5 section grid, with 2 sections of empty space on the sides and 3 sections of the grid taking up the blog entries.
3. a). The principle of contrast in this layout is emphasized mostly through the choice of red and green text as well as the contrast of size between the titles and blog posts. There is also a sense of contrast created by the template design itself, between the green grass and blue sky and red link text and the large white title.
b). The difference between the size of blog title and the 3 links below it help to separate and clarify the design of the blog. Similarly, the size difference between the title of the blog entries compared with the contents of the entries helps to highlight the titles.
c). This layout utilizes the principle of space by leaving room on both sides of the blog for empty green space. I tried a few different layouts which cluttered sides with columns of links and RSS info but decided that it didn't work well with this already busy template design of dandelions and dragonflies.
d). The proximity between the different elements in this layout is consistent and on the spacious side.
e). There is a repetition of 3's in this layout: 3 words in the title, 3 links below the title, 3 dandelions, 3 entries visible per screen and 3 colors: red, green and blue. The repetition of the sprigs of grass helps connect the contrasting color of the sky and also lead the eye to the link titles.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
The Best Day Ever!
I go to David Wolfe's "Best Day Ever" site to view videos and listen to podcasts on the latest on raw foods, superfoods, wild food and longevity research at least once a week. The interviews and overall content on this site is extremely high quality and presented in an entertaining way.
Hello!
My name is Jill Naisuler and I am a 'cellist, teacher with a passion for learning and living life to its fullest potential. I love music, art, filmmaking, traveling, nature and food. I enjoy experimenting with a variety of media and am interested in learning how to create artful and functional websites for a few different topics. I just started a website for my business: www.thecellosuite.com and am hoping to learn the design principles as well as technical skills necessary to create and maintain this and other future websites.
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