Web in 2011 (response)

You've Come A Long Way Baby-
I very much agree with and love the statement made in this section. Seeing that new technology has made it possible to truly "web design". By integrating those new technologies into our design thinking we can see how the web becomes something far more than the physical page. While still carrying the same  information it can be structurally different.

It's All About The Users-
In this statement it talks about the importance for graceful transitions for the user within the ever changing web landscape. Having a site that adapts to the user instead of forcing the user to adapt to the site.

Respecting Complexity-
Just from starting the analysis of the website I'm working with, I can see that no matter how simple I would want to make it there is an underlying complexity within how a site functions that must be respected. Otherwise it becomes something that either doesn't allow for the complexity of the information needing to be displayed and it becomes uninteresting because of it.

Greater Than The Sum Of Its Parts-
It is good to note that web design, as well as any design, is by no means about any one thing but a whole system of framing and planning.

Talkin' Bout My Inspiration-
I like this statement here because I don't think anyone should design alone. Its never good to get your design too wrapped up in your own head since it will ultimately not be for yourself.

The 95%

What I got out of the readings on Web Design is 95% Typography

Optimizing the overall structure of typography increases the usability and the ability to hold interest long enough to transfer the inquired information.

Enacting professional typographical standards allows the text to act as a user interface more than as ornaments. The goal is to make it easy and painless to read. Designing with all possible platforms in mind insures overall usability and adaptivity.

The Problems/Solutions:
The text lines (measure) are too long

100% scalable is not a reader friendly solution: Don’t make me think, ok, but don’t make me resize my window either

Lack of whitespace

Lack of active whitespace

Linespacing is too narrow

The text blocks are not well aligned

Too many font sizes

Pictures are badly placed and disrupt the reading ease

Text-background color contrast

Lazy handling of titles and subtitles

Text sizes

Text blocks that are not split up into enough small, scannable, digestible parts

Indiscernible links. Visited and non visited links are not discerned

Text is not treated as an interface but as decoration

It’s not clear if the text is a navigational element, a link or plain text

Fancy navigations marking the center of attention (content is the center of attention, content deserves the most love from the designer)

Francophiles (collaborative: w/Keaton Reeder)

Francophile:

A Francophile is any person with a fondness of all things French

One type of Francophile are those who admire only the widely known, romantic, stereotypical aspects of the French culture. These people may have a limited knowledge of France and are only familiar with obvious geographical landmarks, art, and diet. They may not even be able to speak a word of French themselves regardless of their intentions to do so. They may not personally be interested in integrating into the French culture or do not fully comprehend all of its aspects. They may still however admire it from afar. If they do go to France they may only stay for a short period of time without fully weaving themselves into the french flag.

The other type of Francophile are those who have a more extreme love for absolutely everything French. They may visit France often and know many different places to see that only a local would know of. They may even move to France or own property there. They want to completely integrate with French culture and its people, they may even aspire to marry a French person. They are learning to speak French or already speak it fluently. They want to become part of Frances in its entirety, not just the romanticized France (you know those moody out of focus light-orb nightlife Paris photos?) that most non-Francophiles are familiar with.

Below are the list of possible prompts (created based on secondary research alone) to send out to potential Francophiles in the area. We hope they produce interesting results.

1. You know you’re a francophile if-
2. Name as many locations in France that you would visit-
3. Name 10 things that come to mind when you think of France-
4. What aspects do you find most intriguing about French society-
5. Do you travel to France, if so how often-
6. Do you feel the desire to integrate with French society and culture, if so then in what way-
7. What is your favorite French cuisine-
8. If you had a home in France what region would you live in-
9. What are some major differences between your culture and French culture-
10. Do you celebrate French holidays-
11. Do you seek out other Francophiles-
12. Do you know any French recipes-
13. Do you actively speak French-
14. Do you think in French-
15. Have you been told you sound authentically French-
16. Do you have French ancestry-
17. Do you keep up with French news-
18. What would you describe Frances atmosphere to be-
19. Would you marry a French person-
20. Do you watch French films-
21. What do you think of when you hear red white and blue-
22. Name ten thing you immediately associate with France-
23. Do you have a favorite French expression or word-
24. Are there any aspects of French culture that you find difficult to adapt to-
25. Do you read any French books-
26. When visiting France do you require a guide-
27. In your opinion, are people from France welcoming to foreigners-