Art 450 Update

Good news! I finally finished the Salty Wahine website (with the exception of the shopping cart and the contact web mail form)! If you would like to see it, please follow this link! If there are any problems (though there shouldn't be), please feel free to contact me.

As for my Anakela portfolio site, I was not able to work much on this at all. I suppose that the primary reason for this is that I did not realize how much of an undertaking Salty Wahine's website was going to be. Not only did I have to design it and edit all the photos on it, but I had to code it with HTML and an external CSS form. In addition to these factors, I also had to work full-time and care for an orphaned puppy I found on the side of the road.

However, despite all the opposition against me, I did learn quite a bit about HTML and CSS coding, including how each element of an HTML website works, which will help me in my future coding endeavors. For instance, I found out that the reason my "Products" page was not aligning correctly was due to a rogue "nav-menu" div code that I had left in my CSS form even after I deleted the "nav-menu" div from my HTML. It was interesting to me that different CSS components could affect other CSS divs on the same page.

Inconclusion, this project was not only educational, but fun for me. I am now more confident in my abilities as an HTML and CSS coder, and as a web designer. Hopefully, I will be able to design and code more websites in the future, and build a business for myself that can generate income.

Art 450 Update

First off, I would like to apologize for not having posted for the last couple of weeks. Things have been extremely hectic over here, what with family being here from the mainland, and my having found a puppy on the side of the road. However, I am happy to report that things are finally getting back to normal!

As for my projects, things are progressing along slowly but surely. Unfortunately, I am a little behind schedule, but am still working hard to get my websites up and running. Today, I have been working on getting the "Products" page of Salty Wahine's up. However, I seem to be running into a few snags. I am finding that the table that displays the products does not work when I add in my CSS file. I do not know what to do about this, but I'm hoping that I can find some help soon! Here are a couple of pictures showing what I mean.



Above is what the table should look like, and below is what the table looks like when I include the CSS file in my HTML file.



If anyone knows how to resolve this issue, please contact me! :)

Other than the websites, I have also been working on side projects for Salty Wahine. Last night, I created an ad for a magazine. I am still waiting for feedback from the owner to see if any changes need to be made. Here is the ad as it stands now.



See you this coming week for more updates!

I just put up the first page of Salty Wahine's website up online. Check it out here! I hope to get the rest of the site up soon, but first I have to figure out how to hook up the web mail form so that customers can contact Salty Wahine. I will let you know when this happens. Also, I have been working on Salty Wahine's new labels, which I will post here. Let me know what you think!


The above label is for the grinders Salty Wahine uses.


The above label is for the packets that Salty Wahine produces.

Due to a family emergency, I will not be able to post on Thursday morning. I will be flying out to Oahu tonight, where I will have no internet connection for two or three days. However, I would like to post a screenshot of the Salty Wahine website that I have been working on so far later this afternoon. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

"Salty Wanakela"

Your first task is to create a project proposal. You will present the project proposal to the class on Tuesday, April 5, at 1:30. Your Project Proposal must contain:

1. A working title for your project.

“Salty Wanakela”

2. A one-sentence description of your project.

I will be developing two different websites throughout the next term: one for Salty Wahine Gourmet Hawaiian Sea Salts, and one for myself.

3. A one-paragraph description of your project.

From April 2011 to June 2011, I will be creating two different websites: one for Salty Wahine Gourmet Hawaiian Sea Salts, and one as a portfolio/business page for myself. Salty Wahine’s site will need to contain several different pages, including About Us, Products, Shopping Cart/Ordering, and Contact Us. My portfolio/business page will feature art I have done, including, but not limited to, Website Design, Digital Drawings, Traditional Drawings, and Contact Me.

4. A one-page description of your project.

During Spring Term 2011, I will be designing and creating two individual websites. The first site will be for Salty Wahine Gourmet Hawaiian Sea Salts, and the second will be a portfolio/business site for myself (Anakela.com). These two sites must be built from the ground up, and will require both designing and HTML coding in order to function properly. I may decide to also include a Flash version of each site, and would also like to learn how to create a mobile version for each one, though I cannot promise being able to create one as I do not know many advanced coding methods.

Salty Wahine, translated into English as “Salty Woman,” is a small, locally owned business here in Hawaii that has been in business for approximately two years. It is a sister company of my current workplace, Aunty Lilikoi Passion Fruit Products, and specializes in creating seasonings using Hawaiian sea salts as a base. Salty Wahine’s site will need to contain several different pages, including About Us, Products, Shopping Cart/Ordering, and Contact Us. I will be designing and HTML coding this site, using the logo that has already been created via 99designs.com.

Anakela.com is a recent concept I have come up with thanks to an illustrating gig that went awry. It is a portfolio/business website that will feature my artistic endeavors. I would like to feature my work online in order to potentially attract clients who may need illustrations or web design. Creating this site may be the first step in starting an illustrating/design business that will prospectively earn income.

5. A description of your products of study—what you're going to actually produce during the course of your project. I will be producing two distinct websites during my time of study. The first, Salty Wahine’s website, will be a site reading about the products, being able to order the product, and being able to contact the company in order to ask questions or order over the phone. The second site will be a portfolio website with a potential to turn into a business-generating website that will allow me to create illustrations or web design for others. 6. Visual and/or written research for your project—other people’s work.

There are a few sites that I have been lead to that are inspirations to me. For my portfolio site, I have looked at a couple of other portfolio s

ites, and instructional sites, such as the following:

http://www.zammap.com/

http://hansmaillustration.com/

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/02/26/10-steps-to-the-perfect-portfolio-website/

As for Salty Wahine’s site, there are a few business sites that appeal to me, and could help me create a functional, aesthetically pleasing site. They are as follows:

http://www.auntylilikoi.com/

http://www.roysrestaurant.com/

http://www.islandsoap.com/

7. Treatment visuals for your project—your own work.
I have put in a couple of hours of work on previous web layouts in the p ast, and have incorporated them in order to help figure out how each site will be laid out. I have also studied HTML this past year with the Art Institute of Pittsburgh – Online Division. These are pictured here:

8. A written description of specific technical and research issues you will need to address during the course of your project.
I will have to do research on PHP coding, along with advanced HTML coding in order to make both sites work correctly. I may also need to do more research on Flash in order to possibly create a Flash version of each site. In addition, I will look into how mobile sites are created so that each may possibly be accessible via iPhones, Androids, or other smartphones. I will explain each step as I go through them. 9. A timeline of your project. When you will be doing all of this good stuff. You must include specific deadlines (for example: "May 17th", not "some time in May."

Date	Explanation
March 29, 2011	Begin writing project proposal.
March 31, 2011	Continue writing project proposal.
April 5, 2011	Conclude writing project proposal.
April 7, 2011	Begin layout for Salty Wahine site.
April 12, 2011	Confirm layout for Salty Wahine site, and begin layout for Anakela.
April 14, 2011	Confirm layout for Anakela, and begin production on Salty Wahine site.
April 19, 2011	Continue production on Salty Wahine; begin production on Anakela.
April 21, 2011	Continue production on Salty Wahine & Anakela; test sites.
April 26, 2011	Continue production on Salty Wahine & Anakela; test sites.
April 28, 2011	Continue production on Salty Wahine & Anakela; test sites.
May 3, 2011	Continue production on Salty Wahine & Anakela; test sites.
May 5, 2011	Continue production on Salty Wahine & Anakela; test sites.
May 10, 2011	Continue production on Salty Wahine & Anakela; test sites.
May 12, 2011	Test final Salty Wahine HTML site; upload to the web via FTP.
May 17, 2011	Hook up Salty Wahine’s site to inbox mailing feature.
May 19, 2011	Test final Anakela HTML site; upload to web via FTP
May 24, 2011	Hook up Anakela’s site to inbox mailing feature.
May 26, 2011	Room for testing/fixing.
May 31, 2011	Room for testing/fixing.
June 2, 2011	Room for testing/fixing.
June 7, 2011	Room for testing/fixing.
June 9, 2011	Complete sites up and running.

10. A blog containing all of the above. You must document your progress and process on the blog by updating it weekly.
Already done here at http://anakela.blogspot.com!

Going Through Tutorials

I've found that while going through different tutorials, a lot of them assume that you already know something about Flash, which, in my case, is not true at all. The only thing I know about Flash is that there are keyframes used for animation. I don't know how to build a website. So, having said that, I want to let you know that I really like this tutorial so far: Killersites.com Video Tutorial. Their videos assume that you know nothing about Flash, and so they explain everything in detail as though you're retarded. I LOVE IT! Lol... Anyway, thought I would update and let you all know what's been going on. Toodles!

Out Sick...

Hello, everyone. I wanted to apologize for not having posted in the past week or two. I have been sick with both strep and mono, and it's taken quite a toll on both my body and the time I need to complete my projects. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to drop the 3D project that I was planning simply because I now only have time for one project, and the Flash site is more important to me seeing as how I don't really understand how to use Flash in the web yet, and I know how to use Maya (for the most part).

Anyway, I found a tutorial on the web that seems to be pretty thorough in describing how to use Flash in a web layout. The link can be found below!

Introduction to Flash