Talenthouse.com

offered an opportunity to create a music video for one of my very favorite musicians: MARK KNOPFLER !

Redigesting a video created for my motion graphics course, themed from my original fairytale artwork rendering,

I sampled the provided Mark KNOPFLER track and repurposed my video:

What an exciting several days, waiting to hear that my video was not selected, but an honor, nonetheless, to be considered.

My submission was a “work in progress” with the promise of completion if selected.

Finding the competition late in the development window alloted to participants, I was forced to submit a portion of my overall vision of a completed themed video.

During the Fall 2013 semester, I ventured into the realm of motion graphics. A semester long course in Adobe After Effects required many homework hours and brought me much joy in the process.

I began a YouTube channel to host my work:

Here were preliminary exercises, weeks of instruction and completed assignments-

But my satisfaction was gained with my semester’s final project. An original video, designed in time with a favorite piece of music from archive.org – and was born:

“Who is this?”

The website design process is exciting and much like traveling requires careful planning and organization to reap the highest rewards.  Although spontaneity initiates exploration and offers excitement, a well planned route and timeline will bring one to and fro their destination with ease and a relaxed experience.

A website is a destination that requires an accumulation of ideas and resources, planning and execution, and a schedule — an itinerary if you will.  With such, the initial sketches born from spontaneous brainstorming are mapped out and create an overview of how one will get from point A to B.

Organization is the key that unlocks the door to a new world and allows the unfolding of an exciting locale limited only by imagination.   Much like a suitcase, a web designer organizes their files and resources in such a manner that allows not only the initial expedition, but painstakingly maps out routes for travelers around globe to truly allow a world wide web.

True to the design process, ideas are worked and reworked. Using my wireframe samples as resource, I began to develop my vision of a new website for the Hammond Museum. Elements are the bones of a composition — each a support for the other and collectively provides a framework.

I made a commitment to color. During creation of the wireframes, I explored several color combinations for the website. As my casestudy is a museum, I was inspired by the artists’ palate and their greatest resource — the color wheel.
R-O-Y-G-B-I-V became my mantra and I began to paint my blank canvas.

The next element was a logo. The original logo was given color and became an important part of the website’s overall composition.

The fundamental building blocks of a website also provided opportunities to creative. Items needed for navigation were enhanced by the creation of a graphic. A silhoutte of a lotus flower was created and served as the backdrop to a menu bar.

Additional elements were also utilized, including a uniform sub-menu to each page, photographs, and social media icons.

Once all elements were gathered, I began to connect the dots. Below are sample website pages where once obscure items now provide a clear picture.

In preparation for a grand debut, I have updated the Hammond Museum logo while keeping true to its original form.  Inspired by the flag of Japan, the logo is now in color — a scarlet red — and now honors the source of inspiration of the Museum’s stroll garden.  Also, to help define the details, I have added an outside ring to created a defined border.

A Before and After snapshot:

The first few weeks of class provided an overview on website design, structure, and tools.  As our eyes feasted on the graphic wonders of website design, we were given the task of choosing a non-profit organization as our individual case study for the school semester.  By process of exploration, I found myself once again wandering the garden at Hammond Museum.  Although winter is upon us, it was a virtual stroll, via the web, and I found myself more immersed than ever before.

The first step was to create a site map.  Using the museum’s existing site, I laid out the of pages and their branches in a simple text format.  Step two was to create a graphic site map in color with modifications as would be applied to a website redesign and to be used as a guide for the building process.

This week was a giant leap.  Step three required creating wireframes; blueprints of our website’s home page.  This is a necessary process to provide visual choices for how a website will look prior to the construction.  Several ideas are depicted, creating stepping stones which will lead to the final destination — the final design — and necessary footwork for the website to blossom.

Happy New Year!
I look forward to 2014 and creating a colorful year!
Yes, school is still on the agenda…
and my calendar has been scheduled through December.

First up:  Web Design 1, Spring 2014 Semester.
Although I already have this course under my belt, it’s time for a review.
My first time at bat did not include HTML5 instruction
but did provide a crash course in Dreamweaver and CSS.
Taken long ago, and with no practical experience afterward,
I’ve decided to reweave my tapestry and dive in headfirst
into the World Wide Web.  This retuned course will again provide
detailed instruction in Dreamweaver, intertwined with HTML5 and CSS3.

Not to soon to look ahead, I’ve committed a full year to the web
and will take Web Design 2 in the Fall 2014 Semester.

I have secured a few domain names which are one page wonders!
Now, with a plan of attack, I will be able to unveil my sites by years end!

Stay tuned and stay informed with my Web Design tab which will document
my progress in 2014, The Year of the Web.

The final project for my Motion Graphics course is complete!
Original graphics found a perfect home with inspired words and music.
My course experience rates at a ’10’ resulting in 100% satisfaction.
I look forward to many years of creativity with Adobe After Effects!

Click on photo to view my video:

My semester project is taking shape as I create
a visual arrangement to song.

Begun with a simple question… Who?… I have immersed myself in details!
The what, where, when, and why of a jumbled puzzle
has garnered my attention and thoughts. 
And now my question is… How?
Maybe yours is too.

My semester in Motion Graphics has been information filled!  The abilities of Adobe After Effects require much study and practice, even long after my course ends, and I can forsee a lifelong relationship in the works! With each class
lecture and demonstration, we venture into homework territory to explore
different aspects of the program to create short videos.

Our course has reached the halfway mark and has given us each a library
of material to share with willing viewers.  I have uploaded a number of class assignments and the beginnings of my semester project under my
“Motion Graphics” tab.

Song selection was made and I created a short :30 second video for
mid-semester review. The balance of the semester will be spent on
further developing the video and incorporating design elements.

Stay tuned.