// design report
rhetorical context
The audience of this website is very broad. It can include a great number of groups. Since it is about me and holds some of my work, it is for my friends and peers. They have a chance to know me better by looking at the website, and they also can see the work that I’ve done over the past few years. The audience that I hope this site will influence the most is potential employers. Having a portfolio online seems to be a great way to get the attention of someone looking to give me a job. A personal website would be a positive addition to any resume.
content
The website is a “personal website,” so it does include information about me. It is not very extensive in the area of personal details, but it covers the basic information, and the main focus should be on the work that I have done.
The website also contains photographs that I have taken because it is a good way to display them. As stated on those pages, more photos will appear at a later date. I intend to continue using this website and keep it updated. I would also like to add a writing section because I have so much writing from my college years. The reason no writing appears now is that my hard drive crashed last year, so most of my written work is on my home computer.
design
This website is a reflection of its creator. It is simple, but bold. The design is a perfect frame for the content and purpose of the site. It integrates style with usability. It is appealing and obviously well thought out. It is unique, but not so unique that it confuses viewers. The following elements add to the success of the design.
contrast
This site’s contrast is one of the things that makes the design successful. Contrast can be seen in many areas: the photo on the left with the white on the right, the black text on white background, the intense colors with the black and white header and main body, and the large images with the small text. The navigational bar on each page also corresponds with the image on that page. All of these things add to the interest and appeal of the website.
The font for the headers is Times. A Roman typeface was chosen because it is more decorative. The headers appear slightly more ornamental instead of just being informative. The main text is Verdana—a sans serif font—because there is not a lot of main body text. Therefore, it is not difficult to read. It also looks very clean, simple, and professional.
repetition
Repetition is a very important factor of this site because it ties everything together. The way that repetition can be seen most clearly is in the layout of each page. The layout stays the same throughout the site, which makes it feel stable and organized. Even though the color scheme and photo changes, it still has the same shape and structure. Also, the header is the same on each page. This assures the viewers that they are still in the same website and gives them a point of reference. The repetition of the two slashes also connects the various pages.
alignment
The main image on each page is on the left because that is somewhat different than most websites. It makes the main content stand out. Even though things are not so obviously aligned, the positioning does create structure, however subtly. The header and footer are the same length, which makes a frame for the content. The words in the header and footer also begin at the same point. All other text is either right aligned, or aligned as part of a list. The structure is simple, yet bold.
proximity
The main body text is quite a small portion of each actual page, but the viewer’s eye is guided directly there. The header, background image, and footer are all positioned in such a way that the text is framed. There is also plenty of white space, so the site does not feel cluttered. The proximity of the objects is balanced and creates a good design compositionally.
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navigation
The navigation of this website is very simple. It is easy to understand and use. There is one menu, and it always stays the same. If the viewers are ever directed away from a page (like in this design report), they are given an obvious way to get back. There is nothing confusing or complex about the structure of the site. It is simple, and it works.
coding credit
All HTML and CSS coding was done by Laura Eckert. The only code that is not completely original is the navigational bar, for which credit is given in the footer. All images are property of Laura Eckert.