Using a theme created by Erwin Aligam as the basis for my design I was able to create a site dedicated to all of the things that influence my life. Aligam's theme, Keep it Simple, represented what I wanted my site to be--clean and simple. With Aligam's template design as a starting point I created a site that is uniquely my own.
My website Life and Writing was created with myself in mind as an audience. One question that provided the basis for a large part of my design was what kind of things would I like to look at on a website. As a result my website covers all of the important things that are such large parts of my life: polymyositis, writing, books, music, and art. On my website I share a lot about myself and invite visitors to do the same.
Another influence that affected my design was the possibility of the site being used as a resource for future employers. With that aim in mind the site showcases several pieces of writing that demonstrate the kind of writing I'd like to do in the future. These pieces of writing along with the tone of the site strive to give potential employers insight into my writing and my personality. The result of these personal and professional preferences is a site that showcases who I am and what I do.
There are millions of personal websites on the web. Because of this a website has to separate itself from the enormous pack. One way to initially do this is to create a site that has a unique design. The design of a site, the way it looks, is what visitors see first. As a result a site's design plays an important part in whether a visitor to a site is interested enough to look around. When searching for a template that would meet my design needs I had an idea in mind of what the template should look like. I wanted the template to have a professional feel while still having a creative and interesting aspect. Out of all of the templates I evaluated the Keep it Simple template best fit my design needs. Aligam's Keep it Simple template gave me the professionalism I needed along with the fun and creative feel I wanted.
Yet, a site's visual design is not what will keep visitors coming back. Once the initial visual impression becomes less effective a site must have something concrete that will make visitors return. This is where site content plays the key role. It is only when a site has unique content of a high standard that visitors return repeatedly. Not only will those visitors return but they will encourage others to visit the site as well. With this in mind I strove to create content that would interest myself and potential visitors initially as well as repeatedly.
The first step in creating a website is to have an idea of what kind of site it will be. Having a concrete idea of what kind of site it will be helps you as a designer to know what kind of content you will include on your site. I began this process by planning out what general sections--homepage, polymyositis, blog, writing, art and music and books--I would include on my site. While this content gives insight into my life on a personal level it also gives an idea of what I want to do professionally. As a result both the template design and the content it housed had to work in the context of a personal and professional setting. The Keep it Simple template met both of these needs.
The green, blue, and white colors used in the Keep it Simple template provided the visual interest my site needed. I wanted a template that utilized bright colors that would capture the reader's eye. The colors used in the template did this successfully all the while maintaining the professionalism I wanted.
The next step was to add my content to the template. The Keep it Simple template download had three different pages--index, style, and blog. Using these three pages as a template I was able to modify them somewhat to fit my different content.
I used the index page template as my Homepage. The numerous sections of the page allowed me to add bits of all the content my site would contain. This allows a visitor to the site a glimpse of what kind of content they can expect to find on the site. Using either the menu at the top of the page or the links throughout the page the visitor can click on the content that interests them. For the Polymyositis section of the site I used the style page template. This page had several sections that were useful for adding all of the news articles that could be found on the page. I used the blog page template for my site Blog. This less structured page enhanced the relaxed feel of the page and its content. The Writing page combined the three template pages. I used elements from each template page to create a page that would feature all of the pieces of writing I wanted to include on the site. I utilized this same methodology of combining template pages for the Art, Music, and Books page and the About page.
The Art, Music, and Books page in particular combined a few different elements on the page. I included a multiple track flash mp3 player from Premium Beat.com. Following the instructions the site provided I downloaded and embedded the player in my page and then created a .xml playlist from music on my computer. Unfortunately, the player hasn't worked for me yet.
I also added numerous images on the Art, Music, and Books page as well as throughout the rest of my site. Using the image manipulation program GIMP I resized the images I downloaded to fit the page. I created a gallery and added images throughout the site to add more color and enhance visual interest.
All of these design elements serve to enhance what I hope is content that will keep visitors returning. I tried to create written content that would inform, interest, and engage readers. I included medical news articles, personal blogs, and pieces of my writing. The written content combines a personal, yet, professional tone that is meant to appeal to all visitors of the site.
My siteLife and Writing seeks to combine the personal with the professional. Using both design and content I strove to create a site that would inform and entertain and impress. Whether a person visits the site for personal or professional reasons my hope is that the site keeps them coming back. Return to Homepage
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