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Thread: School Web Page

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  1. #1
    Junior Member
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    Jan 2001
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    Lightbulb

    I was put in charge of making my computer class's webpage for my school but I am stumped on ideas. I am pretty good in Photoshop and decent with HTML but for some reason I just cann't think of any ideas on a layout for this site. I do not want it to look like a 'teenager' site or anything like that I would rather it have the appeal of a company or design site. If possible could you give me some ideas or anything like that it would be greatfully apreciated.

  2. #2
    acQuired brAin
    Join Date
    Jun 2000
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    72
    Hi,
    Maybe you should get together with a few of your classmates and throw around some ideas, brainstorm it for a bit (Then delegate the boring work ). You need to identify what information and who will be viewing your site and work on an overall theme for the site. Give consideration to the feel and look and ask yourself is this potraying the image we want. The best place to start is on paper, this will help you solve navigational issues and such before getting to committed. Play around with all the options and suggestions and design according to your content.
    Oh and most importantly have FUN!
    Good luck

  3. #3
    Junior Member
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    Jan 2001
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    Thank you for replying to my post so quickly I appreciate that alot. I have an overall idea for the site but I am stuck on a theme for it though I know what content we need because I wrote all the info. down I am only having trouble coming up with a theme/graphic idea for it and wether flash or html for it.

  4. #4
    Eat Rice!
    Join Date
    Sep 2000
    Posts
    299
    your theme should obviously be your school and your graphics should obviously include your school logo and other things that pertain to your school, mascot, etc... Also, if your school colors are not that bad, use those as your color scheme.

  5. #5
    research, and like V said, brainstorm... if you are stumped, go to the bookstore and sit down in the art/graphic section and start flipping (bring a pad to make notes/ sketches.) there are tons of books showcasing sites, designs, design elements, resources, and many books describing ways to stir your own creativity up. don't rip another design, but dissect it to find certain elements of it that were interesting. analyze the way that things look together, of would look if it was tweaked out a different way. heck, i walk around Tower Records checking out rows of CD covers for reference...

    here are a few links we have checked out to see what direction designers are going... if anyone knows more... lay em out. you can never be too short on design references...

    http://www.howdesign.com/links/ (check some of these out)
    http://www.coolhomepages.com (we all know what that is)
    http://www.computerarts.co.uk/ (mag from UK.)
    http://www.printmag.com (buy this at store! nothing on site really)

    just like everyone else said, keep in mind your school colors, logo, etc... but hey, go wild... have fun with it.

    good luck.
    dub

  6. #6
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2000
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    265
    i once had a similar job. strangly enough, i had the same
    problem..

    for some reason, most school websites look alike. i'm sure
    you don't want to make yours look like the others, but
    offer the same functionality.

    brainstorming always is a good place to start from, even
    more when you got some people who can help you with this.

    personally i'm no great fan of david siegel
    (www.killersites.com, http://www.siegelvision.com), but in one of
    his books he describes a rather efficient way for
    brainstorming:

    sit together and make sure you have lots of paper handy.
    everybody has 1 minute to write down any idea he got.
    without taking it further, just the plain idea. the goal is
    to get at least 10 ideas down to paper. after this, you
    put them together and talk about them. important point here:
    the author of the idea currently discussed should keep
    quiet.

    let the others explore the idea. this way you'll end up
    with many different thoughts.

    after that (this can take a lot of time!) sort everything
    you got so far. make 3 stacks: one with really good ideas,
    one with alternatives and one you decide not to use.

    work with the good ones, but keep an eye on the alternatives
    they may get important later.


    i'd advise a clean look. the architecture of the school
    building should be part of your considerations. play
    with metaphors. a school website maybe a good place for
    experiments with navigation systems (as long as they really
    work).

    i won't use the schools' colors or mascots to
    excessively, even though they should be implented. (almost
    every schools' webpage hang up on their logo or mascot, and
    you want to make your webpage stand out...)

    maybe you got a schools' annual book. or a newspaper.

    hope this helpes...


  7. #7
    Junior Member
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    Jan 2001
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    Smile

    Thanks alot guys you gave me some great advice. This isn't so much a school webpage but more the computer class's webpage so I am not going to focus too much on the school colors. I will use the brainstorming idea though I will have the kids write down some ideas and try to put the good ones together and try to start a design from that. Thanks again.
    ~mike

  8. #8
    Junior Member
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    Jan 2001
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    Well I started a bit on it. I used some of the ideas my teacher gave me. Check it out and tell me what you think.
    http://server32.hypermart.net/mikedesigns

  9. #9
    The Phattest Bwoy at Flashkit
    Join Date
    Jul 2000
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    254
    dude the background looks hype!!! did y ado it?

    man ur good

  10. #10
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2000
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    265
    hiya MPirone,

    heck, you're fast...

    i'm not sure about your layout for the webpage.

    on one side, i really like the graphics. it has a certain
    technical look, this suits the topic rather fine.

    on the other hand, you'll find sites with a similar
    layout by hundrets by now on the web. even if yours is
    well done (better than many others), it's nothing new.

    well, let me correct this, it maybe is new as a webpage
    for a school (mostly those layouts are seen for agencies
    or private homepages), but nevertheless, it's been seen before (whenever in another context).

    now it's up to you:

    when you're happy with something others have done before
    in a similar way, continue. it DOES look good, to say this
    again.

    if you're not satisfied with a (good) copy (sorry, i know
    this sounds hard, but it's not to insult anyone but to
    say the simple truth) and want to create something new
    and really innovative, give it another try.

    keep us posted on what you do.

    i'm sure you'll find a good solution.


  11. #11
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2001
    Posts
    8
    Yes I know it looks like alot of the webpages currently around but this is only one of the layouts i am working on I have other ideas that i havent seen before on peoples webpages which I am going to try but they are very hard but hell I might as well give it a shot. Thanks for the comments and no i did not make the background image a friend of mine whom will be unnamed for the time being made it for me. He is a very good graphics artist which helps me because im not that great with the grapgics but im pretty good with the technical and design part. I will be testing out new layouts soon. I have allready started a new layout which I find quiet original yet extremly odd(youll see what i mean when im done). Thanks for the posts.
    ~mike

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