webdesign

Step One Complete

Four composites are now completed and posted on a private website for my client to peruse. One of them totally sucks, one could become something decent, and two of them are actually not bad. Truth be told, I really like one of them, but it’s the most totally boring one of the lot. Says something about my style and personality, maybe, that I prefer the muted and beige and straitlaced design over the one(s) with bold colors and rounded corners and other elements I don’t usually use.

I sent the link to my clients around 9pm this evening; my self-imposed deadline was tomorrow. I said I’d have a completed website in four to six weeks once we finalize the design, and I think that sounds completely reasonable. The only issue is going to be figuring out how to allow them to make additions to content without using a database. (From what I can tell, it would cost extra on their hosting plan.) Their usual modus operandi is Frontpage, as I’ve mentioned before, and I’m afraid it would wreak havoc on any design I would throw out there.

We’ll come up with something. I have a few tricks up my sleeve.

webdesign 2 Comments

Definitely A Learning Experience

I gave myself one week to come up with three to five composites for my website redesign client. No problem — I did similar projects with similar deadlines in college. VCT, graphic design, yeah. No problem.

I hate all of my ideas.

No, let me rephrase: I can’t seem to translate the ideas in my head to something that looks good on-screen. I feel like I’m missing lots of the finer details and the subtleties that I admire in other designers. Shadows, patterns, gradients, tiny lines and shapes and ornamentations that just aren’t popping into my head. The 4×3″ ballpoint pen drawings look like drawings of decent web page designs; my Photoshop comps look like a VCT 102 student put them together.

Maybe trying to take design cues from my favorite designers isn’t the best way to go. Maybe I’m being too hard on myself because of it. In any case, I have one evening and two weekend days to finish at least one and a half comps, if not more, and preferably improve on what I already have completed. If I have to give them crap and say they’re first drafts, I will, but I’d rather give them awesome comps and just let them choose what kind of website they want.

It’s just so frustrating. I finally have the opportunity to wow a client with my flair… and now… *pfft*

health & fitness

Quick Observations

Being creative on behalf of someone else is challenging. I’m designing for the opposite of my normal style: bold colors, fun, and purple. I have four detailed thumbnails complete, and I only think two of them are “fun”. I’ve started making the funnest one into a composite in Photoshop, and it’s started to take on a mind of its own. It’s very yellow… to go with the purple, of course.

Also: I am reminded once again that my beginning kickboxing workout is teh awesome. Even at 8pm.

If you’re interested in checking up on me, SparkPeople has made the diet and exercise logging public (per member’s discretion). If you really, REALLY want to know if I took my walk today, or how much I ate, or if I gave in and made macaroni for dinner, you’re welcome to look.

(And if you DO look, I know that today’s calories are scant. Don’t fret; I’m not making a habit of eating under 800 calories a day. I just didn’t pack a proper lunch today.)

I got James at work to join up on SparkPeople, and we’re planning to have some friendly diet/fitness competition. I’m not sure what kind of competition we’ll come up with, but I’m sure we’ll figure out something fun.

randomness

Immensely Satisfying

#1. Walking into the post office, surveying the line of suits waiting to mail stuff on their lunchbreak, then simply dropping my online-postage-bedecked package into the package slot and turning on my heel. Total time at the post office: 45 seconds.

#2. Rain. Not snow, but rain.

In other news, I can’t afford to have very many of these totally exhausted evenings. Not with two concurrent web projects going on. Hopefully I can have a productive evening tomorrow, getting some detailed thumbnails cranked out for my client. Once I get set up and trained on the use of their online time logging system, I’m going to need to shift gears to get the other contracting project done. I think I can juggle both — again, as long as I can force myself to time-manage properly and not allow myself to be unusually tired in the evening.

That said, I’m going to bed early tonight. Like, now.