Shaun Bellis Online Learning Journal

Portfolio: Competitive Analysis

shaun@shaunbellis.co.uk (Shaun Bellis) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 18:23:00 +0000

creativewebfolio.co.uk [Student]
Aesthetics
I feel that the colours chosen work well together. The reflections don't work for me on this project; they give an amateurish feel. The 'flowers' also offer nothing to the design other than to act as an obstacle when then text size is increased.

Accessibility & Validation
Disappointing, the students XHTML doesn't validate; not that a doc-type has been specified.

Alarmingly, it is much of the same for the CSS. From examining the source code (both XHTML & CSS) I get the impression that it is generated by a WYSIWYG editor. These facts would concern me as a potential employer.

Increasing the size of the type creates issues with the design. This could have been solved with a little work & testing

Navigation
The internal navigation is consistent and reliable but is on the small side. The external navigation is unreliable with some links broken and others purposefully removed. Along side this is the 'blinking text' for all hyper-links in when in the hovered state. All things considered, the site does not provide a good user experience.

Conclusion
As a student project, the site serves it's purpose of holding a corner of the web with the students name on it. I feel that the delivery could & should have been much better considering that this is a final year university student. From this analysis I can see just how important the impression is that the portfolio delivers.

jeffmanske.com [Professional]

Aesthetics
Jeff's portfolio gives the impression that it is flash based, although it isn't. When compared and contrasted the student created project, there is a clear divide in the level of professionalism, experience and skill in favour of Jeff. There are still some issues as detailed below but overall a much more aesthetically pleasing build.

Accessibility & Validation
As is to be expected the site has compliant XHTML [transitional] & CSS [2.1]. All of the content is in one XHTML document which could be arduous for screen reader users. Design breaks when type size is increased.

Navigation
The navigation is consistent, reliable as well as being aesthetically pleasing with a subtle JavaScript based animation to move from one area to another. Regrettably, the site doesn't degrade well for browsers with JavaScript disabled as there is no easy alternative method of navigation.

Conclusion
The site looks great, it shows off his skills as a designer & a developer. The project doesn't consider accessibility as much as it should but otherwise is a project to be proud of.

Considerable difference between this and the student project.

Portfolio: Delivery Requirements

shaun@shaunbellis.co.uk (Shaun Bellis) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 18:11:00 +0000

XHTML 1.0 Strict
Used to define the sites structure and mark-up the content. I will be using Komodo Edit to build the code to W3C Standards.

CSS 2.1
The Cascading Style sheets will be used to control the aesthetics of the site as well as improving site load times and accessibility. I will be using Komodo Edit to build the code to W3C Standards.

CMS - Content management driven
The content management system will provide me a flexible platform for my portfolio. Allowing me to tailor the site to the requirements of each interview / situation is essential. Following on from the 'Content is King' assignment, I will be using TextPattern as my CMS. TextPattern requires PHP and MySQL on the hosting server.

Photoshop & Illustrator CS3
Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator will be used to deliver the web-optimised imagery for my portfolio.

Email
Mail technologies (including IMAP & SMTP) will be used to send & receive emails.

Portfolio: Target Audience

shaun@shaunbellis.co.uk (Shaun Bellis) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 18:10:00 +0000

Primary Target Audience [Employer]
Rachel is the co-owner of a 4 year old local design company and despite the talks of a recession, her business is growing at consistent rate. As a result she is looking for a new web designer & developer to bring join the team and introduce fresh ideas and new technologies into the business.

Rachel deals more with the running of the business rather than the delivery of the products but still has an eye for design. During her working day she spends around 4+ hours browsing the internet on her MacBook which is running the latest version of FireFox through a high speed broadband connection.

Secondary Target Audience [Client]
Andrew is a self employed building contractor working in the Barnsley area. He uses his existing web site as a medium to generate leads but he has noticed a recent sharp decline in enquires. Andrew understands the value of a strong and consistent corporate identity and as a result, he is investing time and money in a redesign of the now aged web site.

Andrew is looking for a individual to establish a long term working relationship with. Ideally, the person should have knowledge of modern design, development and usability techniques.

Andrew uses his home office Windows based PC and uses IE7 to browse the web through a 2mb broadband connection.

Portfolio: Goals

shaun@shaunbellis.co.uk (Shaun Bellis) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 14:21:00 +0000

1. Produce valid XHTML 1.0 Stict & CSS 2.1 code.

Working to professional standards.
To aid cross browser & cross platform compatibility [including screen readers].
Reduce site-wide load times [when compared to inline / internal styles].
To aid SEO.
W3C Validator for XHTML & CSS used to measure goal.

2. Level A WCAG 1.0 conformance.

Working to professional standards.
Websites should be to accessible to as wide an audience as possible.
WCAG conformance check-list to be used to measure goal.

3. Maximum 3 page loads to get to desired content from the home-page.

To aid usability / site navigation.
As recommended by Steve Krug [Krug [2000], Don’t Make Me Think’, circle.com. Pg. 41.]
Site structure diagram & usability testing to provide evidence.

4. Portfolio to be up dated using a CMS.

To aid ease of updating & maintainability.
To further develop CMS knowledge.

Fourth quarter and the bases are loaded

shaun@shaunbellis.co.uk (Shaun Bellis) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 07:55:00 +0000

I look over to my right to see the course schedule blu-tacked to the wall, depicting the remaining four (and a bit) months until the completion of my HND, and the reality of what is just around the corner is upon me.

My focus shifts now firmly upon employment & securing the skills that I need to obtain a job in this increasingly difficult economical climate.

Self Managed Learning Project
For this project I have chosen to learn the server-side programming language of PHP; the reasons for which are discussed in a previous post.

From an employability point of view, learning this language will put me in a strong standing for the type of jobs that I have been looking at.

I feel that of all the units that we have done so far this is the one that I will enjoy most, though I am a little apprehensive about the discipline of keeping accurate records of my learning for assessment.

Content Management
I am pleased to see the inclusion of this unit in the schedule. I have ‘played’ around with CMS during the brief moments of downtime this year but certainly feel that there is much to learn about the area.

From an employability point of view, I feel that this unit will be invaluable as increasingly, from my own experience, clients are requiring control over their website beyond handover.

Skills Gaps
Naturally, I have already began looking at job advertisements to see where the gaps in my skills are. Learning PHP will prove to be an invaluable feather in my employability cap, but increasingly I see jobs advertised asking for knowledge of ASP.NET as well as Flash with ActionScript; skills that without significant self study away from college I would be lacking.

I do feel that my creative work could be the weak link in my employment skills chain. Whilst I do have a small selection of work beyond the college assignments, I worry that this will not be enough commercially viable work to sufficiently showcase my skills; much practice, I feel, is required.

Junior?
Some clarity I feel is needed surrounding the words ‘Junior Position’. When we complete this course do we apply specifically and explicitly for junior rolls or do our skills extend beyond the entry level position?

Closing
We enter now into the final quarter of the HND. Realising that our time on the course has never been more valuable, there can be no excuses, no missed opportunities, just perspirations & aspirations.

I would like to secure a job before leaving the course, however I appreciate that finding an employer that would be understanding enough to allow two days off a week to finish the course is a little optimistic at best. This will be only exacerbated by the competition not only from my classmates but also every other educational establishment's students & employment seeking professionals.

Good luck everyone.

Word Count: 488.

SMLP Resources

shaun@shaunbellis.co.uk (Shaun Bellis) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 21:25:00 +0000

1. PHP 5 in easy steps (Book)
ISBN: 1-84078-282-x
I have used elements of this book in other projects and has proven to be an invaluable as a beginner to the language.

2. The PHP Anthology (Book)
ISBN: 979-0-9758419-9-0
I purchased this book at the same time as the CSS Anthology from Sitepoint. This book could be considered as a reference book rather than a tutorial / walk through.

3. www.php.net
PHP.net is a fantastic resource containing tutorials & reference material as well as links to related sites.

4. dev.mysql.com/doc/
MySQL.com provides support spacifically tailored for MySQL use including forums & manuals.

5. www.w3schools.com/PHP/
W3 Schools is a well respected & established tutorial (and forum) web site; this section of the W3 Schools focus on PHP.

6. www.tizag.com/phpT/
PHP tutorial & reference web site. The web site also has a supporting forum.

7. www.htmlgoodies.com/beyond/php/
HTML Goodies delivers more than just advice on HTML & CSS; this area of the web site delivers tutorial based advice on working with PHP.

8. www.phpbuilder.com/manual/
This web site delivers great PHP tutorials along with examples of source code to visualise the learning.

9. www.killerphp.com/
Kill PHP contains text & video PHP tutorials aimed at beginners.

10. devzone.zend.com/node/view/id/627
PHP 101 - PHP for the absolute beginner.

Self Managed Learning Plan

shaun@shaunbellis.co.uk (Shaun Bellis) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 16:41:00 +0000

My proposal for the SMLP is PHP. I fell that learning this skill at this stage of my career would benefit me greatly.

My previous qualifications & interests have centered around programming; though this is the first time that is has been focused on the web.

I currently posses a working knowledge & understanding of PHP & its uses on the web; though that knowledge is in its infancy & could be compared to my working knowledge of CSS before the completion of the A9 unit.

Though I have previously written & worked with databases, I am as yet to work with any web based server-side database.

Looking back on one of my previous post ‘Personal Development’, I identified the kind of roll that I would ideally find myself falling into. Additionally noted in the post is the identification of a skills gap; namely PHP.

Because I have a genuine interest in the subject & a programming background, I feel that I would have a high level of motivation & drive to develop my knowledge further.

My second choice for the project would be Flash with action script. Whilst I feel that this skill would be valuable to me & my development, it is not an area that I wish to specialize in so I feel that my knowledge would be likely to fade and / or become rusty after the assignment simply through a lack of call to use it.

In anticipation for this assignment I have already purchased books relating to PHP, though I have had little time to work trough.

I am looking forward to the unit & hope that I am permitted my first choice.

Third quarter and the bases are loaded…

shaun@shaunbellis.co.uk (Shaun Bellis) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 17:01:00 +0000

It feels like only weeks ago that I was sat in my office talking with my colleagues about starting a web design & development degree; but in actuality, it was more like a little under two years!

So much has changed since then.

CSS & XHTML
I felt that the CSS unit was fantastic! My only regret was that we had other units running at the same time which detracted from some of the more advanced learning. Though this was a shame, I still really enjoyed the way that the unit turned out.

Once again, this unit has shown me how little I actually knew & know about CSS. When John gave the lecture on the box model, everything fell into place. It reminded me almost of when I was learning clutch control in a car.

I am under no illusion that there is still much more to learn & that experience is perhaps the best way to develop my skills further; much like learning to drive, its not until you pass your test that you fully understand what you are doing.

On the Job
This project has been a real eye opener for me so far. Not so much at working with clients as I have had experience with this before (both web & non-web related) but how difficult it can be working with a team where everyone (myself included) is equally inexperienced.

The projects largest revelation for me is how difficult it can be to start up a new company; though I am sure that if this was a ‘real life’ job (what ever that means) then procedures would be in place with longevity of service in mind. The key I feel would be experience.

I do feel that the other team are at a definite advantage to us because up until the point of winning the pitches for the Games Development & the Photography sites we had done equal amounts of work & now we have to carry on with the work we were doing for the two clients that had been secured since almost the beginning of the project.

Culture Vulture
I have enjoyed this unit also so far. I enjoyed the research into the mini, both new and old, as it is a subject close to my heart.

The creative days that we are having has been a completely new experience for me; it feels almost what I imagine the first week of an ‘upstairs’ kind of class.
I have really enjoyed today’s day of exploring line, texture, colour, etc using photography of my local area.

Conclusion
With the end of the year within sight it is important, now more than ever, to stay focused & not loose direction.

Though I am listening to podcasts (Boagworld, Rissington, .net & TWiT to name a few) there is still a whole world of web out there yet to be explored.

I am looking into events where I can network with people in the industry & hopefully find employment; though further my education is still an option.

Soft Skills

shaun@shaunbellis.co.uk (Shaun Bellis) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 17:54:00 +0000

Skill based commonalities occur across the majority of rolls within the world of work and in many aspects, life.

A large proportion of these skills are accumulated and improved during the completion of other tasks. Consequently, many of the skills are obtained and developed with experience.

Planning & Time Management
This is one area that I feel that I stand to gain the most benefit from developing further. Establishing a list of priorities along side working with any time constraints is required of almost any job roll.

Though I have shown significant improvement since starting this course, I do feel that there is still a great opportunity for personal and professional growth there.

Leadership & Management
I consider myself fortunate that I have had experience in this area before and those skills & experience has been transferred and developed within my roll on the course.

Working with a verity of people with different backgrounds & experiences in a successful manor will act as the accelerant for development of this particular skill.

The experiences of the course has proven invaluable this year.

Presentation
Presentational skills are obtained through practice practice and more practice. The confidence to present comes from ample preparation alongside actually knowing about the subject you are presenting.

I feel that I currently possess adequate presentational skills but this isn’t enough for the industry that I soon will find myself in.

Communication
Communication is essential to the success of any roll within any organisation & comes in many forms & more often than is often indented (non verbal communication in particular).

I feel that with the exception of isolated incidents my communication skills have substantiality & consistency.

However, as with all of the aforementioned skills base, there is much room for improvement before it is to a level that I would call acceptable.

Word Count: 300

Personal Development...

shaun@shaunbellis.co.uk (Shaun Bellis) — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 16:00:00 +0000

The job I choose was a Junior Developer based in Sheffield.

Why that job?
The reason the above job appealed to me was primarily because of the salary assigned to the entry level position. The benefits of which would mean that I would have the opportunity to further my website development skills in a guided environment whilst earning a comfortable salary.

Looking at the companies portfolio, it would appear that they have produced an array of work from basic sites to custom content managed systems which would provide me with excellent experience and enhance my confidence.

Skills Required
The advert is predictably asking for an assortment of programing skills, including standards compliant XHTML and CSS, ASP, .NET 2.0, XML and JavaScript. The composition of databases, their management and manipulation is an area that appeals to me; it would appear that this job has plenty of opportunities in that area. The working knowledge of Adobe Photoshop quite accurately describes my skill level.

Skills Gap
Though I feel confident working with standards compliant XHTML and CSS, I am as yet to touch upon some of the other languages. This could be an area of improvement during the self managed learning project later this year; however, it has been said that PHP would currently be a more valuable language to learn initially.

The extent of my experience with databases reaches as far as coding basic databases in Turbo Pascal and countless builds in Microsoft Access; regrettably, I have not had the opportunity to work using web based / server side databases so far.

Conclusion
I feel that there is still areas of knowledge that I need to improve upon, however, I would feel confident applying for the above job with the skills that I already posses; even though they differ slightly from those requested.

Word Count: 300

Best Foot Forward ...

shaun@shaunbellis.co.uk (Shaun Bellis) — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 20:26:00 +0000

Hopes and Aspirations

Following my progression onto the second year of the course, I feel a sense of pride and achievement looking back on how far I have come and hope that his feeling is amplified following the successful completion of the second year.

From reading the assignment list of what is to come, I feel that this is going to be a fantastic year; and certainly a busy one.

I am pleased to see the inclusion of the CMS unit as from reading journals and listening to Podcasts from industry professionals out there, this appears to be the way that clients are leading the market; following on from the XHTML & CSS unit that we are currently studying should put us in great standing for employment.

Employability

The second year for me is the last haul before I (re)enter the world of employment. Since starting the course it has always been my intention carry on my eduction beyond the HND into the degree; or maybe even further. To a point, this is still the case but before the (academic) year is out I would like to be working part time in the industry that we are training so hard to get into.

I am under no illusion about how quickly this year will pass by and so I want to hit the ground running with regards employment whilst still furthering my formal education.

I feel that the area that I most need to improve upon has to be my design skills. The best way to achieve this, I feel is read, practice, repeat!

Summary

In closing I am sure that this year is going to be fantastic and aside from the late nights the only downside is that the degree won’t be ready for when we complete this year.

< Year1 / >

shaun@shaunbellis.co.uk (Shaun Bellis) — Tue, 13 May 2008 13:21:00 +0000

It doesn’t seem long ago at all that I was sat in a circle trying desperately to remember everyone’s name in fear that I was the one to drop the ball (so to speak) and now here I am evaluating the past year.

Many of us have been talking about how much we far we have progressed over this last year, but in reality, it has only actually been a little over 8 months; it typically takes longer for a child to be born! I have a real sense of achievement and feel quite humble.

The transition from full time employment in the big bad world to returning to formalities of education has certainly not been a frictionless process; and to be very honest there are still parts of me that find it difficult to adjust at times.

The level of support that I have personally received so far has been outstanding. Ranging from my tutors to class mates to my friends, family and most of all my fiancée Elizabeth, every step of the way for each time I have stumbled, there has always been someone there to get me back on my feet; Thank you to you all.

Throughout the course of the year, we have had a barrage of visitors to the class all from very different backgrounds and with very different futures. The first of which was from the Design Mechanics. The added benefit with this was that fact that two of the designers working for the company originated from this very course. Jemma and Oliver were model example of what can be achieved with a little hard work. Whilst the Design Mechanics generally regarded as being a ‘stepping stone’ for new designers; it can be perceived as a great first step. The visits were fuelled by the return of previous students; I cannot think of a better compliment to the course and its staff than its produce coming back to help those following in their footsteps.

I have already mentioned that the transition back into education wasn’t as smooth as I would have liked but to add insult to injury a little over 4 weeks into the first semester I was faced with a very serious personal problem resulting in me leaving my home and family to seek new accommodation. This had a serious affect on my concentration, motivation and emotions and undoubtedly my performance; this is much easier to see now looking back.

The recovery was not a quick process and to be honest, I see it as one of those life-changing events from which things are never the same; however, submission dates wait for no man so I had to try and get back to a sense of normality as soon as possible.

A2 – That’s the Plan!

The submission of our first formal assignment (A2) quickly came around; I was full of pride based confidence and bursting with enthusiasm that I had completed my first ever web plan. However, the joyous occasion was short lived as the project that I had given life to had not made the pass grade; needless to say I did not take the news well.

Fortunately, the support from the teaching staff, class mates and family was outstanding and quickly I found myself on my feet again. The referral work comprised mainly of many small alterations; finishing off if you like but cumulatively were quite a drain on my already strained timetable. The amount of time estimated to do this work was, in my opinion, seriously underestimated on my part.

As a recommendation from both the tutor and a class mate, I read a book by Steve Krug called “Don’t make me think!” is a fantastic book surrounding web usability that I would recommend to anyone. Accessibility and usability is becoming ever more important as the number of people now being diagnosed with dyslexia and other such learning difficulties is on the increase and as students with professional aspirations, we have to know how to accommodate and work with these conditions.

I think that one of the issues surrounding the adaptation from ‘real life’ to ‘student life’ was building new working relationships and establishing boundaries. During which stage there was a miss wire somewhere between what was being asked of us, as a class, and what we were doing, as a class. It became apparent that we were treated as a collective and that if the majority did not do what was required then the class had to endure the related punishments to which I did not feel was fair. Somewhat intentionally, I invoked a discussion regarding the subject to try to get a resolve; I am pleased to report that we do not appear to have any / many problems like this anymore.

A3 - Back to Basics

This assignment saw a great opportunity to show off what we had learned in A2. I have always been told that ‘the first is the worst’ and that certainly was the case here. The improvements and levels of confidence were certainly noticeable.

I felt much more comfortable with elements such as the competitive analysis and assets list. I could feel things clicking into place… the right place.

This web plan encompassed an element of writing and collation of imagery, which was extra to the requirements of A2 but it also gave it a feeling of reality. A5 – Builder was coming; I could feel it and couldn’t wait.

Having the referral work to do for A2 at the same time as creating the first submission for A3. I do feel however that this gave A3 a bit of a step up with regards its standards.

A4 – Image Rights

This unit was at the time the first practical based assignment of the year and it was a welcomed change from the theoretical based A3 & A4. The image restoration task proved to be the most enjoyable for me. I was able to pull on my previous experiences of image manipulation from my previous job.

The timed tasks, namely the creation of the web banners, gave me a clear insight into the amount of work that can be achieved in a short period of time when specifically encouraged; something that I have tried to replicate during self-study with limited success.

The image compression aspect of the assignment was particularly interesting to me. I previously had and understanding of the existence of the different file types but not about the instances in which they intended to be used; this certainly is one lecture that will always stay in the forefront of my mind.

A5 – Builder

The A5 was the build of the A3 assignment. The largest frustration that I endured during this unit was adhering to the quite basic screen design(s) that I had generated previously. I miss understood the fact that alterations were in fact permitted to the design so long as they were in keeping with the original flavour and development work was shown.

There had always been an air of haze surround web based form for me before doing this unit. Sites that I had created previously would have benefited dramatically from the facilities offered by formail for example.

Having been bitten by the CGI bug (no pun intended) I decided to test out my new found talent by creating and online feedback come usability questionnaire form. I feel that the form was a complete success and gave a very professional feel to the project.

A6 – Revert to Type

This typographic unit opened my eyes to a world which I had always taken for granted before. I had previously never bore any consideration as to where the typefaces originated from nor the complexities involved in their creation.

The famous typographer presentation didn’t go as well as I would have wanted it to. Almost predictably running long on my first presentation by about a minute and a half resulted in having to do the presentation again but this time in front of the whole class.

The resubmission of this presentation coincided with the discovery that I had referred the A5 – Builder unit. The grade (or lack of it) was on the wall, which was fine but there wasn’t an opportunity to ask for any feedback to put my mind at ease before the resubmission of the presentation.

Needless to say the resubmission, in spite of the preparation, went appallingly. I was embarrassed and ashamed at my performance and at the same time angry with myself for referring the A5 unit. It was not a pleasant time for me.

After a bit of a talk with the tutor and a third attempt at the presentation calm was restored to an otherwise uncomfortable period of time.

A7 – Whaling Whales

Finishing this assignment gave me a grate sense of pride. We were able to draw on all of the experiences and education of the college year and produce something that in my opinion looks really professional. The best piece of advice that I received for this project was to print the CD artwork on gloss paper - and what a difference it made!

I still feel as though there is scope for improvements as with any piece of work and given the opportunity again I feel that I would still come up with the same solution. I am over the moon with the result.

I did create a range of solutions almost to the point of completion which were also aesthetically pleasing however, they were unsuitable for the CMYK print process.

The unit has given me the confidence boost that I so desperately needed.

What would I do differently?

First on the list has to be to seriously reduce the amount of hours that I worked during the first year. There is no doubt in my mind that it had a drastically negative impact on my performance.

Second on the list has to be to seriously reduce the amount of hours that I worked during the first year – it really is that important!

Follow up lectures above and beyond; the lectures are only supposed to be an introduction to the subject.

Adhere to time planning and production schedule and always complete a week early for checking / improvements.

Thoughts about the next year?

I am really looking forward to next year, having read some of the journal and talking to now second years the units sound fantastic. I am particularly looking forward to the client work.

Targets

Ensure that time planning is follow regimentally from the outset.

Work through tutorials and practice, practice, practice with the software applications until their use become second nature.

Improve time planning.

Surround myself with inspiration and good design.

Word Count: 1,789

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Thanks for reading

Shaun Bellis

Quote of the year Awarded to…

“The way to learn to do things is to do things. The way to learn a trade is to work at it. Success teaches how to succeed. Begin with the determination to succeed, and the work is half done already.” – Source Unknown.

Diggin' that Pack

shaun@shaunbellis.co.uk (Shaun Bellis) — Fri, 09 May 2008 13:51:00 +0000

Hi Everyone,

This is my DigiPak Outter. Feedback would be very much appreciated. Any questions please feel free to ask!

Thank you!

The Good, The Bad and The Summary...

shaun@shaunbellis.co.uk (Shaun Bellis) — Tue, 06 May 2008 14:45:00 +0000

The Good...

Looking back on last weeks entry, I am pleased to say that I have completed the alterations to the 'Corporate Identity' work and have made great headway with the CD artwork.

The at times fantastic weather we have experienced this week has provided me with the perfect opportunity to spend many hours practicing the sophisticated skill that is photography. Whilst I have never claimed to be a 'photographer', the results (admittedly in my opinion) were impressive and gave me plenty of manipulation opportunities.

This along with the intensive sketchbook work has put me right back where I needed to be. My motivation and determination is at an all time high and I have never been happier with my position on the course.

The idea's and ideals are bouncing around in the ink well that is my mind. I fell that the only thing holding me back is my ability to convey those feelings and idea's to paper / screen; skills and techniques that will improve vastly with practice.

The Bad...

The largest area for concern that I have is that my two days of creative freedom is soon to pass and I will have to go back to the drudgery that is retail employment. I feel that my largest hindrance on the course is the time consuming beast that is commonly known as work. In light of this I have put any measures in place to reduce the amount of hours I have to work each week so that I can concentrate my efforts on what matters, this course.

The Summary...

Finalise the CD artwork
Post the CD artwork on my Journal and on Das Forum for feedback
Complete The Wire advertisement

Thanks for reading

Shaun Bellis

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Quote of the week

"It's not the will to win, but the will to prepare to win that makes the difference." - Paul Bryant

Busy Busy Bee...

shaun@shaunbellis.co.uk (Shaun Bellis) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 15:17:00 +0000

Monday

With a little bit of work, Monday saw the completion of the 'A5 Builder' project. The amendments made were nothing too drastic but has made a world of difference; it just goes to show the value of listening to experienced industry professionals.

As with assignments of past, we have generated a very useful checklist for A7. The checklist comprises of everything from fundamental errors such as checking spellings to hierarchy of submitted CD for print. Checklists like this can prove invaluable during the often busy days before submission.

In addition to the checklist, we revisited our last formal lecture of the first year regarding print and pre-print processes. Reiteration of the lecture in this manor proved to be successful as I personally felt that my understanding of the process was only strengthened.

Monday evening saw many hours of what I can only call fussing over the details; to the point in which my amendments were actually detrimental to my work.

Tuesday

The open discussion about the second year proved to be a great insight into what we can expect (if only a taster). It is quite apparent that the second year is going to be much more intensive than the first; my only apprehensions about the workload is that I will be unable to work the amount of hours that I have been and successfully complete the units.

Following the open group discussion, some of us were invited to a one on one discussion regarding the second year. This was an opportunity to speak openly and honestly about our progression so far and where I feel I want to be; I was pleased with the overall outcome of the talk.

Following a brief fight with the college colour printer and the scurried collation for my 'completed' work so far I was then ready for the seminar class.

Seminar Class

Although not the first time that we had reviewed our work in a critique, on the wall manor I felt a sense of pride of the work that I had done; knowing the work that has gone into it so far to get it to that level. However, and perhaps more importantly, at the same time it gave me a deep insight into how much work I have to catch up on.

From very early on in the class we were told, by several people, not to get too caught up in comparing our work to other peoples in the class. Not as easy as it sounds! Looking around my seminar class in particular there has been some fantastic work produced; Michelle's and Tom's in particular. A Big well done to all of you.

Summary

There is still a lot of work to be done; however it is important to realize how far we have all come as it is all too easy to get bogged down with what is still left to do.

Weeks Tasks

Finishing touches for CO-ID work following seminar feedback.
CD artwork completed.
Preflight checklist.
Weekly commitments; journal reading / commenting etc.

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Thanks for reading

Shaun Bellis

Quote of the week...

“Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be” - George Sheehan

Amended Business Card Designs

shaun@shaunbellis.co.uk (Shaun Bellis) — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 18:09:00 +0000

First of all, thank you everyone who commented on my previous design; it helped me a lot. If you could please do the same for this one I would be really appreciative.

Emit | Business Card Feedback Please

shaun@shaunbellis.co.uk (Shaun Bellis) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:56:00 +0000

Hey Everyone,

Its feedback time again please, the letterhead follows a very similar feel as the business card so please think about both when giving your thoughts.

Thank you!

Confusions Galore... or are they?

shaun@shaunbellis.co.uk (Shaun Bellis) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:18:00 +0000

Monday morning was not off to a good start. Minutes after walking in the door I had found out that I had referred yet another unit; A5. It would appear that I am not very good at taking bad news; something that was apparent after receiving our very first grades way back when. Inevitably, the poor result had a negative baring on my motivation and certainly my concentration from that point in. This combined with the already anxious and frustrated feeling bubbling deep within originating days before did not make the best tasting cocktail.

Needless to say, the presentation was appalling! I forgot the majority of what I wanted to say, my stutter came back in force and the more these problems happened, the worse they got; I was drastically under my time limit and seriously disappointed. I was embarrassed and extremely annoyed at myself; after all, I spend the majority of the week teaching small classes (typically 5 - 8 people) at work - the nerves certainly should not have had the affect that they did.

Fortunately, the 'question and answer' session immediately after the presentation, in my opinion, went well. Getting the majority of the questions right give me the boost of moral that I so desperately needed.

The rest of the day was to be utilized developing the A7 project; however, following the less than fantastic start to the day I do not feel as though I was even nearly as productive as I could / should have been. All that was going through my mind was "What am I doing wrong!".

Tuesday morning arrived and with a good nights sleep(ish) under my belt and I was in a much better mindset and felt ready to tackle the day. Shortly after the morning pleasantries we were called in one by one next door for what turned out to be the re-re-submission of our presentations which, although not fantastic, went much better. The presentation was pretty much on target time wise and a few of the questions later and it was all over and I was once again feeling a little bit more like myself.

With regards the seminar group, I think that because were are all focused with the task in hand (and perhaps a little afraid of opening our own sketchbooks) the seminar class today, although directed at A1, wasn't as strong as previous

Overall, I do not feel that I have had the most productive week and that my performance(s) have given me much opportunity to improve and push myself further. A stronger focus on my time planning this week will bring this opportunity to life.

Thanks for reading.

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Quote of the week

"To be able to look back upon ones life in satisfaction, is to live twice” - Kahlil Gibran

Amended Design

shaun@shaunbellis.co.uk (Shaun Bellis) — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 20:13:00 +0000

Thank you all for the great creative feedback! I have made the amendments and I think that it looks much better; what do you all think?

Feedback Please!

shaun@shaunbellis.co.uk (Shaun Bellis) — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 19:02:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

I know its a little bit late on in the week but I would still be really greatful if I could get some feedback regarding the development of my logo. Please look at the previous logo to get a feel for where the idea has come from.

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Thanks

Shaun Bellis

Design Design Desgin !

shaun@shaunbellis.co.uk (Shaun Bellis) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 15:48:00 +0000

Monday

The early parts of this week has seen many fine alterations to the design of my logo; and its still not quite there. However, I believe that it is very easy to fuss over things too much and perhaps compromise the integrity of the design and undo all the hard work.

Quite uncharacteristically I found myself deflated and with my mind on other things; knowing this to be the case I decided it best that I left the creative and developmental work (knowing that I would only have to do it again anyway). As a result, I concentrated my efforts on creating the page structure of the CO-ID and the basic structure of the CD (front, back, inside, etc) so that my efforts were not wasted.

The ramifications of my overly long presentation for A6 has now become apparent; the presentation has to be redone in front of the whole class. This was a concept that originally I wasn't too phased by but now that we have a date for them, the pre-presentation anxieties are creeping in.

Tuesday

Further development of the Corporate Identity was the focal point of today for me. I was surprised how much of the information in there regarding the logo use was (in my opinion) common sense but yet I just couldn't help taking pleasure in knowing that I had written it! Whilst perhaps not totally independent just yet, the self directed seminar classes (go team Alpha!) are working really well. I do feel as though we are all growing and developing not only as designers but as people as well; the seminar classes only emphasis the fact.

Since the beginning of this semester there has been a significant improvement in time planning and evaluation of performance; still room to improve but that can only be a good thing.

Targets

- Finalise final stages of the logo.
- Finalise corporate Identity work.
- Develop ideas for the CD artwork.

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Thanks for reading

Shaun Bellis

Quote of the week

“Obstacles are things a person sees when he takes his eyes off his goal.” - E. Joseph Cossman

Tip of the iceburg!

shaun@shaunbellis.co.uk (Shaun Bellis) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 15:38:00 +0000

This week has proven to be very productive. Monday saw the introduction to Adobe Freehand and although Adobe have chosen not to support it any further does not diminish its value in the industry as I dare say that many companies are reluctant to come up with the cash to upgrade; this means that it is a real possibility that we may end up using Freehand for some time to come.

I was surprised to see many of the same tools and facilities in Freehand as I was used to seeing in AutoCAD. Frustratingly however, they are not in the same place, nor are they as powerful as the CAD package.

We have been once again fortunate enough to have had a visitor this week. This time the appearance was from Mark Feather, an ex-student from the HND in Web Design at Wakefield College (Steve, is that what you were after? Alpha seminar class will get that one).

The work that Mark undertakes at Empire Direct is very much different from Jonny's from Technophobia. Marks work concentrated almost entirely upon the company site and one site alone. The print work was very limited if at all and the opportunity to do a diverse range of designs / builds is restricted at best.

I think that of the two visits, I would prefer to take the position of Jonny's; however neither roll is specifically what I am looking for but beggars cannot be choosers particularly in the early stages of the career.

The A7 project is proving to be the most involved and enjoyable yet! Following semi-self directed seminar class today we have found that our logo's still have a long way to go. It is understandable that we are to be making errors / less than perfect designs as this is for a lot of us the first time that we have undertaken work like this. Even though the work that I have done so far is less than fantastic, I feel confident that it will all come together as I learn more of what is expected and to what level each day.

This time around I feel that I am much more organised and prepared. My time planning has shown much signs of improvement and it shows in the work that I have produced so far. This is a skill that certainly is transferable into the 'real world' and will continue to develop.

Useful links

FireBug - This is another great Firefox plugin for developers!
Logo Pond - Great source of inspiration!

Feedback

Please be as honest as possible; excuse the quality of the image and my less than perfect illustrations.

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Thanks for reading / feedback.

Shaun Bellis

Quote of the week

"Experience: that most brutal of teachers. But you learn, my God do you learn." - C.S. Lewis

Welcome Back!

shaun@shaunbellis.co.uk (Shaun Bellis) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 14:09:00 +0000

Good Points

The introduction to this terms assignment I felt went very smoothly. Visit by Jonny Haynes from the Sheffield based company Technophobia was fantastic. Although I enjoyed Jonny's presentation, I feel that being the inquisitive individual that I am (understatement I hear you cry) I personally got more from the seemingly informal question and answer session. It was great to see yet another success story originating from the course.

The new assignments are now well underway and the sketchbook evidence is mounting up nicley. Whilst this period, including over the holidays, has seen a significant improvement in the amount of sketchbook work, I am under no doubt that there will have to be much more to come before A1 will be satisfied; its going to have to be a busy few weeks.

The new seminar groups have been selected in accordance with which assignment we opted for during the holidays. We are as yet to receive our grades for the previous assignment; however I wouldn't necessarily say that this is a bad thing as it has kept moral high and allowing all of us to concentrate on the new assignments.

Things that could have been better.

I can honestly say that I am satisfied with how thing have gone and wouldn't have changed a thing.

Targets

Carry on the progression of my logo.
Hit the time sheets hard.
Ensure that the 'big picture' is in the forefront of my mind as well as working on the details.

I have also found some information regarding Royal Mail's envelope branding guidelines which may be of use for this and future assignments.

Thanks for reading.

Shaun Bellis

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Quote of the week

"Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep" - Scott Adams

Listening Week...

shaun@shaunbellis.co.uk (Shaun Bellis) — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 16:28:00 +0000

This inaccurately labeled "reading" week has proven to be very different; and I don't just mean from other reading weeks, I mean from anything I have experienced before!

I have always used music to set the tone to suit the circumstance; for example working environment, driving, etc. but never before has it been the focus of my activities.

From talking to some of the other students I am fortunate in that whilst it is not exactly my taste, the music I had was very similar to the 'Chilled Euphoria' albums that I have have in my collection.

My sketchbook is now filling up nicely boasting around ninety annotated logo's and three mood boards. I think that everyone's reactions were very similar this morning ... "Mood Board?!" but after a quick group discussion and some advice from the ever artistic Gary Benn, we were all on track.

From the work I have undertaken with logo's so far, I have found that as a general rule of thumb, the simple logos are much more affective and often more attractive. Logos like the ones belonging to 'Intel', 'McDonalds', 'Coca-Cola' and 'Volkswagen' to name but at few are almost intently recognisable with just a passing glance.

I am looking forward to the self study task(s) this week if it is in keeping with that we have done then we certainly are onto a winner!

The developmental process we have undertaken here is very different to methods I have adopted in the past. It is very interesting to see how even just mind maps and mood boards allow you to interpret your own understanding of what you do and break it down to its rawest and simplest entity - only then can you begin to move forward.

Thanks for reading.

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Quote of the week

"Education: That which discloses to the wise and disguises from the foolish their lack of understanding." - Ambrose Bierce

Music that speaks for itself...

shaun@shaunbellis.co.uk (Shaun Bellis) — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 18:00:00 +0000

The relaxing, soft tones pulsating are almost like a massage for your mind. Drift off into your own little world and explore new levels of creativity and imaginative play.

The warm, welcoming and almost hypnotic instrumentals, combined with an at times tribal feel makes this album a must have for any collection.

This easy listening compilation is perfect for anyone wanting to clear their mind of distractions and allow their concentration to be focused on the task at hand. The album can slip seamlessly into the background of almost any thought-based activity.

Each track blends almost seamlessly into the next allowing your mind to focus on other more pressing issues.

The soothing and tranquil melody takes full advantage of the featured creative use of silence and neutral repetition; this album would be an ideal alternative to the sounds of nature to aid problematic sleep patterns and / or high levels of stress and unease.

The almost tantric sounds emitting from your speakers will take you away from the ‘hustle and bustle of modern day living; making this the first choice for anyone relaxing after a busy day in the office.

If silence is bliss… then this is the new silence!