It is in the works.

So, in all honesty I have felt a little behind schedule in the making of my website. I say this only because I have been spending nearly an hour a day fooling around with layout, template, design, and colors only to walk away from the computer with nothing solid or complete. However, it (it being the skeleton of this project) finally dawned on me this morning...and it's been progressing ever since! Breakthrough! Most importantly, I have been trying to find a way to incorporate a particular set of frame brushes (since I am creating a photography portfolio), a wallpaper pattern and my images. After doing a few tutorials and reading up on 'how to create a website in Photoshop' I was also able to better understand a few small details that didn't make sense. Each page is being created at 1000x800 at 72 dpi to stay within range of the average size of viewing.

http://www.entheosweb.com/photoshop/layout.asp
http://www.adobetutorialz.com/articles/2967/9/Making-your-own-portfolio-web-page
http://www.freephotoshoptemplates.com/templatesbox/templates/tb017.htm

Here are a few of my alternate attempts:



However, nothing seemed to make sense. As I was going through some of the photographs I plan on using in my portfolio section, I realized that the few I had against black backgrounds may work well AS the layout of my site. Going with this theme, I've decided to create my content on a black background - which additionally is a very successful way of presenting photographs, on black - using the frames as buttons and the wallpaper pattern as filler!


By creating multiple layers I have been able to include my own photograph (for example, at the bottom) and create buttons out of a brush by embossing the layer then adding a fill. While I still am not 100% sure about exact layout of each page, I feel relieved to have a direction and theme to work with.

It is balanced by negatives and positives.

Woof! Each week when I am looking through illustrations, advertisements, package and product designs to review, I consistently am drawn to the minimalist pieces of work. Those that use wit and not an overabundance of colors, flashy effects or text to send a message or appeal to an audience. I appreciate the outstanding impact that simple design has a tendency to create. I chose this advertisement for a variety of reasons, including the fact that it is fairly successful as a simple design yet how it also is limited by it's vehicle of presentation. This print ad specifically works better in it's medium as opposed to on the web. The identification found in the upper right hand corner is almost lost against the sky. We can probably identify a Febreeze bottle (which is subconsciously branded by it's shape and colors) but the white text is nearly impossible to read unless enlarged dramatically. As a print ad, the scale of the text would be highly recognizable and ease the hurdle of it being small, white text on a light colored background. Granted, this advertisement may not be intended for use on the web, however, I feel like it has the potential to be interchangeable and should be designed with at least the option of being able to read and understand it in alternate forms.
Aside from it's disadvantages (and if we were looking at this in print) I believe it is a humorous, uncomplicated ad that is assisted by the accompanying text. Under the Febreeze bottle the text reads, "Get Your Home Back" which is in response to the suggested dog smell one's home may possess. I think this ad is very comprehensive and explanatory of it's product, trying to get a dog smell out of furniture can be a tough task as I've recently learned. The aesthetics of this ad are not ground breaking but pleasing, a soft color scheme provides attention to the subject and I believe the overall advertisement can be read from left to right. At left - the dog is noticed inside of the house, you may stop for a second to figure out what it means and then as your eye moves to the right side of the page where the product/text sums it all up. All in all it is well done in terms of simplicity with minor design flaws, specifically the color and scale of text. Also, I want that dog.

It is Shepard Fairey.

An identifying force during this past presidential election was Shepard Fairey's depiction of Obama on a selection of posters. The most recognizable was that of "HOPE" in the exact same style as the poster in discussion. This simple design quickly became iconic and has since taken off for other campaigns such as adoptapet.com. The redesigned poster featuring a dog and the word "ADOPT" along the bottom is clean, familiar and highly informative without the use of much text. While this design could probably be characterized by any color scheme, using the same theme of red and blue on white/cream reinforces the artist's performance and hopefully creates the same impact upon the audience. This design is so powerful because of it's simple and precise message delivered flawlessly in a 2-d manner. The text along the bottom is almost authoritative and provides a stark message coupled with the softness of the image of the dog. The colors are used in a way that keeps your eye moving and even breaks up the background to allow some depth between the subject and the rest of the space. This evenly spaced, centered image reinforces the sensation that the text provides: strong impact, clear-cut and precise. I fully support this ad and it's message and although I may be biased towards it's cause, the overall impact is essentially achieved as a reworked design.

It is the beginnings of a website.

When sitting down to create something that is essentially a blank canvas, I find it best to scour the web for ideas and inspiration to help me focus my thoughts and ideas in a certain direction. My final project has been narrowed down to creating a portfolio website for my photography, however this still has left me with many open ended details. I have been researching design ideas, tutorials, web resources and the like for the past couple of days and compiled a list which I will share for those stuck in the same position. Luckily it seems as though any one website provides 5 links to similar sites and so on, thus my bookmark folder has been filled up with helpful ideas.

• http://thinkdesignblog.com/inspiration-beautiful-website-design.htm
• http://thinkdesignblog.com/category/inspiration
• http://www.patternhead.com/
• http://www.sharesomecandy.com
• http://www.freelanceswitch.com/designer/33-new-places-to-get-design-inspiration/
  
• http://www.creativefluff.com/category/design-resources/
  

My color scheme is going to be muted (with accenting colors) to provide the photographs a dimension of their own.

Sometimes my thoughts run together and I end up with a concept similar to this

in my head. So by using minimalist colors and keeping things simple I will be able to create a better portfolio, with design in mind.

It is HTML 2.0

Greetings fellow HTMLers!
I'm trekking along the webdesign highway, showering my blog with knowledge gained from this tutorial. Please excuse the scattering of thoughts, there is a purpose I assure you.
Similarly, what is my purpose in life?

• Raise a million beagle puppies.
• Own a house with an enormous chandelier above the bathtub.
• Wear black and brown together at every chance possible.
• Grow a garden.

(Accomplished so far: raised ONE beagle puppy. Well on my way.)

Meet Bubba, he's a very hungry dog.

The following table provides you with information about all of my current animals: Their name, Kind and Favorite thing ever.

Bubba	Beagle	Peeling run over french fries off of the road. Near death experiences.
Hattie	Golden Retriever	Hitting you with her tail.
Maximum Volume	Lion	Caturday

See Also:



Hattie.



Maximum.

Most days I like them better than people.
Love, Jaime

It is 1969.

The year is 1969, The Rolling Stones are going on tour and David Byrd has designed a concert poster that is adaptable to each city they're playing in. The year is 2009, The Rolling Stones are still going on tour (unbelievable) and we now hang their old advertisements on the wall as a work of art. Why? Aside from collecting rock memorabilia, this particular poster could (and in my opinion, does) stand alone as a beautiful piece of art. It was during this time period that a revival of art nouveau occurred, influencing many of the artists that were designing concert posters of the 60's. For the first time since it's origination by Alfonse Mucha, art nouveau spoke loudly and graphically for rock and roll. As seen here, the most prominent figure is the nude woman surrounded by a design that is a very distinct fashion. Everything is encompassed in some kind of framework and positioned symmetrically throughout the entire piece. The distinction between classical and 60's art nouveau is seen in the use of colors. These concert posters boasted psychedelic, almost acidic and often contrasting colors as opposed to the former shades of earth tones and muted colors. The cool palette of colors dominates the scene with a hint of warm tones to set off the figure. In this instance I think the use of both tones work hand in hand to accentuate and define the piece without being the slightest bit distracting. The influence of nature that is present (for instance, the moon reigning over the poster) provides a dream like quality that would probably take even more precedence without the text that is present. The text is a very appropriate font, it mirrors the style of the poster and reinforces the message by using a contrasting color of orange against the purple. There was a lot of thought put into the design of this artwork given what it's purpose was, the bottom of the poster was left blank to provide space to write in the concert information but is done so in an aesthetically pleasing manner with a gradual fade out to the bottom. I wish concert posters today still had the same grabbing effect and artistic influence as seen here but I guess rock and roll will never be the same as it once was.

It is HTML.

Dear Blogbugs,

Today's episode of C'est Jolie! is brought to you by my limited knowledge of HTML. Do you have a favorite color? Currently hot pink is pulling at my heart, however it changes with the weather. Check out my blog of things I like and love to see a few pink images that visualize this affinity.

Forever and always,
Jaime

It is an introduction to William Wegman via Corey and Jaime.