Course Project

Partners

Everyone is required to work with a partner on this assignment. Ideally, if you are a technically-inclined person, choose a design-inclined person to be your partner and vice-versa. By working a partner, you will better experience what it is like to be a web designer in the real world. (Web designers do not work in isolation.) Anyone who does this assignment without a partner will be penalized 10% of the assignment's value.

Assignment Overview

Choose one of the clients below and create a website for them using the information that they provide to you.

The website should use principles learned in this course so that it is both aesthetically pleasing and technically sound.

Clients

Select one of the following clients with whom to work.

1. Lee's Buttons - creative brief
   • images
   • client information
2. LogicBoard - creative brief
   • images
   • client information
3. Grow Local - creative brief
   • images
   • client information

Due Dates

• April 1 - bring a draft of your homepage on a memory stick to the start of your lab period. This is ungraded, but will give you a chance to receive feedback.
• April 15 - bring a draft of your entire site on a memory stick to the start of your lab period. This is ungraded, but will give you a chance to receive feedback. Note: if you are short on time, complete at least one of the three required pages as fully as possible before coming to lab.
• April 29 - bring your entire project on a memory stick to the start of your lab period. We will make a copy of it so that it can be graded.
• May 8 - you can pick up your graded project in Reid 104 from 2 p.m. - 3:50 p.m.

Design Requirements and Grading - 50 points

Part 1: Visual Design

• 5 points - Required number of rough pencil layouts for all pages (4 sets of 3 pages, each in a different visual style) at half size. Due at start of lecture on April 7.
• 5 points - Tight pencil layout for entire site at full size showing design structure. Due at start of lecture on April 7.
• 5 points - Typography has hierarchy and appropriate variety
• 5 points - Layout has hierarchy and appropriate variety
• 10 points - Layout has clear or implied grid with consistent margins, padding, borders and spacing throughout
• 5 points - All pages work together in a consistent visual style despite content variations
• 5 points - Overall design and details look like a custom solution, not a template

Part 2: Information Design

• 5 points - Unique content for your site
• 5 points - Persona(s) developed for client. Due in lab 10 with supplemental information due at start of lecture on April 7.

Technical Requirements and Grading - 50 points

• 10 points - the site files are organized and named logically.
• 10 points - all three of the html site pages validate as HTML 4.01 Strict.
• 5 points - the html source files are easy to read when viewed.
• 5 points - one or more external style sheets are used appropriately.
• 5 points - the css files validate.
• 5 points - the contents of the css files are sophisticated.
• 5 points - layout is done with css, not with tables.
• 5 points - each web page loads quickly. Unless you have good reason not to, use JPEG for both photos and images.