I intend to explore the most important and commonly used applications of php by developing a website which will incorporate these applications.
This could include: Providing a content management system using MySQL, creating secure contact forms, image galleries, and navigation guides.
This will provide me with working practice and experience of PHP and also provide me with a showpiece website to add to my portfolio.
I intend to use online and textbook tutorial(s) to find out what applications to incorporate into the website and to learn how to write them. To this end I have looked at a number of books on php and have a personal preference for 'PHP Solutions'by David Powers.
My resource list will contain:
1: PHP version 5.3: Open source
2: Apache local server: Open source
3: MySQL: Open source
4: Microsoft Notepad
5: Online tutorials: eg: PHP.net/manual, WC3 tutorials,
phpjabbers.com.
6: Text book: PHP solutions, By David Powers.
7: XHTML and CSS
8: A sketchbook and Digital Imaging software will be used for the website design.
Wednesday, 26 August 2009
Friday, 21 August 2009
Self Managed Learning Plan: Proposal for PHP and MySQL
With a view to what my future aspirations are in terms working as web designer, I am keeping an open mind at the moment.
With the current downturn and lack of jobs I am planning on developing the most currently in-demand skills and being prepared to work as a web designer initially on a self employed basis just as a means of building up a portfolio, and also developing the necessary skills. After gaining some experience I hope to be able to work either in contracts or full time as an 'all round' web/graphic designer.
Having looked at the required skills on various online jobsites (such as totaljobs), the most commonly sought - after coding skills after html and css apears to be PHP. So it makes sense to me to develop a working knowledge of this language. As it is also an open-source language, it is widespread as web development tool and integated into the GNU project, so is likely to be around for some time.
Learning the fundamentals of php will also allow me to incorporate secure contact and booking forms into any websites I build whilst working on my own. Online purchasing and feedback forms are a common requirement of websites for small businesses and sole traders - which will be my most common source of work.
I will also learn MySQL as it works alongside php as a database management tool.
I am hopeful that with these 'core' skills I will be able to answer the requirements of most websites, and in the future may consider other coding skills such as 'Ruby on Rails' or Javascript but for now I will stick to the 'basics'.
With the current downturn and lack of jobs I am planning on developing the most currently in-demand skills and being prepared to work as a web designer initially on a self employed basis just as a means of building up a portfolio, and also developing the necessary skills. After gaining some experience I hope to be able to work either in contracts or full time as an 'all round' web/graphic designer.
Having looked at the required skills on various online jobsites (such as totaljobs), the most commonly sought - after coding skills after html and css apears to be PHP. So it makes sense to me to develop a working knowledge of this language. As it is also an open-source language, it is widespread as web development tool and integated into the GNU project, so is likely to be around for some time.
Learning the fundamentals of php will also allow me to incorporate secure contact and booking forms into any websites I build whilst working on my own. Online purchasing and feedback forms are a common requirement of websites for small businesses and sole traders - which will be my most common source of work.
I will also learn MySQL as it works alongside php as a database management tool.
I am hopeful that with these 'core' skills I will be able to answer the requirements of most websites, and in the future may consider other coding skills such as 'Ruby on Rails' or Javascript but for now I will stick to the 'basics'.
Tuesday, 12 May 2009
First Year Summary
Looking back at my first journal entry I can read the reasons why I started this course, and what my initial expectations where.
I remember how I felt at the time, which was basically worried about a lack of knowledge in even the most basic aspects of web design and the social networking aspects of the internet, such as blogging, using forums and even creating an avatar.
I found the first couple of weeks to be quite a steep learning curve due to such seemingly small tasks as the creation of an avatar in das-forum, setting up this blogger site and adding links to forum and blog posts. These tasks have now become second nature to me, as they are frequent requirements of the course.
I was also apprehensive in returning to college as a mature student, and was hopeful that there would be other students with similar backgrounds and reasons for returning to college.
I found the first assignment quite frustrating, although it was useful in providing us with a basic knowledge of the technologies, equipment and programmes involved in web design and the Internet, there was a distinct lack of creativity involved. There was also an emphasis on precision of the assignment presentation and in particular the referencing which I thought made me more apprehensive and took some of the enjoyment of learning out of the tasks. I realise of course that precision is an important element of graphic and web design so it was a kind o preparation for other tasks and for the industry we will hopefully become professionally involved in.
During this period I also had to set up my email account, which despite having a few teething problems went fairly smoothly. This was relevant to me and I gained some confidence from the experience.
I also had another learning curve using Photoshop for the first time (apart from resizing photographs which I have done in the past.) This was due to creating an entry for the college Christmas e-card, I think I was more involved in learning techniques in Photoshop (such as layers and masks) than in sticking to the brief, as I managed to create a reindeer theme which was not really the modern look required of the brief.
The A3 'Sounds Like a Plan' assignment was the first taste of web design proper, it required research and development of a minimal one page website, which was plenty enough for me to cope with at the time. I didn't have much confidence in my Photoshop skills in creating a banner, and often felt quite confused as to what was expected from us as a final outcome. I spent a lot of the Christmas break learning Photoshop and In-Design techniques to develop the website plan.
Looking back now I think I could quite easily achieve the same results with much less time and with much more confidence, due largely to having more familiarity with the whole process of presenting a web design plan prior to creating it online. I can also see the wisdom in this approach as a lot of the design process can be resolved at an early stage,saving considerable time in the web development stage.
The A4 assignment was a grounding in layout and graphical presentation, introducing us to basic printing elements such as the use of grids, white space and leading. The assignment was refreshing as it allowed us to get more creative, albeit within tight production specifications. I found that the limited scope for creativity actually helped t develop skills in page layout, and kept us focused on the basics and helped us to produce effective designs.I also enjoyed learning about typesets and fonts, some of which can be linked to certain periods in time and have historical significance.
The A5: Builder assignment was our first real taste of creating websites with XHTML and CSS, and also of using Dreamweaver, which is not everyone's favourite tool for building websites. I certainly preferred hand coding rather than Dreamweaver and will concentrate on learning to build websites this was before I start to use other software. I had a lot of help on this first website-build, but I did at least begin to understand how the two languages work together. I also managed to edit some of the code to make minor alterations.
My sketching skills have been brushed up and put to good use in the development of both A6 and A7. I was hoping to do better in the final part of the A6 Magic Circle website design but the finished artwork lacked the finesse I was hoping to achieve, and so I will have to put it down to a learning experience.
On the positive side I was pleased to receive some very positive feedback for my sketch-book work and initial designs, so with a bit more practice I am hoping to achieve some more effective final designs.Having just handed in the final assignment of the year: A7: Rasterized. I am more confident with the final outcome although have the familiar apprehensions about missing out fine detail...
Looking forward to the next academic year...
My experience of web coding with XHTML strict and CSS has developed skills in coding, and I am please with my progress in this area, as I feel it may be a potential source of future work. I am considering learning Php as the Self-Managed Learning Programme as another facet for future employability, although I also intend to keep improving my skills in Photoshop, Illustrator and possibly Flash. I am also looking for a short course in a relevant area during the summer break. My aspirations for the next year:
Have more confidence and working knowledge in the most commonly used software packages relevant to web design.
I remember how I felt at the time, which was basically worried about a lack of knowledge in even the most basic aspects of web design and the social networking aspects of the internet, such as blogging, using forums and even creating an avatar.
I found the first couple of weeks to be quite a steep learning curve due to such seemingly small tasks as the creation of an avatar in das-forum, setting up this blogger site and adding links to forum and blog posts. These tasks have now become second nature to me, as they are frequent requirements of the course.
I was also apprehensive in returning to college as a mature student, and was hopeful that there would be other students with similar backgrounds and reasons for returning to college.
I found the first assignment quite frustrating, although it was useful in providing us with a basic knowledge of the technologies, equipment and programmes involved in web design and the Internet, there was a distinct lack of creativity involved. There was also an emphasis on precision of the assignment presentation and in particular the referencing which I thought made me more apprehensive and took some of the enjoyment of learning out of the tasks. I realise of course that precision is an important element of graphic and web design so it was a kind o preparation for other tasks and for the industry we will hopefully become professionally involved in.
During this period I also had to set up my email account, which despite having a few teething problems went fairly smoothly. This was relevant to me and I gained some confidence from the experience.
I also had another learning curve using Photoshop for the first time (apart from resizing photographs which I have done in the past.) This was due to creating an entry for the college Christmas e-card, I think I was more involved in learning techniques in Photoshop (such as layers and masks) than in sticking to the brief, as I managed to create a reindeer theme which was not really the modern look required of the brief.
The A3 'Sounds Like a Plan' assignment was the first taste of web design proper, it required research and development of a minimal one page website, which was plenty enough for me to cope with at the time. I didn't have much confidence in my Photoshop skills in creating a banner, and often felt quite confused as to what was expected from us as a final outcome. I spent a lot of the Christmas break learning Photoshop and In-Design techniques to develop the website plan.
Looking back now I think I could quite easily achieve the same results with much less time and with much more confidence, due largely to having more familiarity with the whole process of presenting a web design plan prior to creating it online. I can also see the wisdom in this approach as a lot of the design process can be resolved at an early stage,saving considerable time in the web development stage.
The A4 assignment was a grounding in layout and graphical presentation, introducing us to basic printing elements such as the use of grids, white space and leading. The assignment was refreshing as it allowed us to get more creative, albeit within tight production specifications. I found that the limited scope for creativity actually helped t develop skills in page layout, and kept us focused on the basics and helped us to produce effective designs.I also enjoyed learning about typesets and fonts, some of which can be linked to certain periods in time and have historical significance.
The A5: Builder assignment was our first real taste of creating websites with XHTML and CSS, and also of using Dreamweaver, which is not everyone's favourite tool for building websites. I certainly preferred hand coding rather than Dreamweaver and will concentrate on learning to build websites this was before I start to use other software. I had a lot of help on this first website-build, but I did at least begin to understand how the two languages work together. I also managed to edit some of the code to make minor alterations.
My sketching skills have been brushed up and put to good use in the development of both A6 and A7. I was hoping to do better in the final part of the A6 Magic Circle website design but the finished artwork lacked the finesse I was hoping to achieve, and so I will have to put it down to a learning experience.
On the positive side I was pleased to receive some very positive feedback for my sketch-book work and initial designs, so with a bit more practice I am hoping to achieve some more effective final designs.Having just handed in the final assignment of the year: A7: Rasterized. I am more confident with the final outcome although have the familiar apprehensions about missing out fine detail...
Looking forward to the next academic year...
My experience of web coding with XHTML strict and CSS has developed skills in coding, and I am please with my progress in this area, as I feel it may be a potential source of future work. I am considering learning Php as the Self-Managed Learning Programme as another facet for future employability, although I also intend to keep improving my skills in Photoshop, Illustrator and possibly Flash. I am also looking for a short course in a relevant area during the summer break. My aspirations for the next year:
Have more confidence and working knowledge in the most commonly used software packages relevant to web design.
- Develop my coding skills, and also to practice during the summer break.
- Learn an additional related programme such as PHP.
- Learn an additional software tool such as Flash.
Friday, 1 May 2009
One Last Hurdle...
Well, the last few weeks of the first year are upon us and the deadline for the last assignment is looming. Fortunately the assignment has been divided up into various stages which has so far gone well for me (I think).
The very first task was to listen to the music and create a review of it in five hundred words, which was quite difficult for me as it involved expressive writing and trying to avoid various cliches about music and art.
The logo design was next, and we had to develop three logos, one of which was selected by the 'client' during a sales pitch. I found it quite difficult trying to sell the designs and try to make them sound special and unique. I also felt under pressure from the rest of the seminar group who were also judging my sales pitch.
I was happy enough with the selected logo, although I had also put a lot of work into trying to design 3-d style logos.All of the logo designs involved learning how to use the pen tools in Freehand and Illustrator, which was a steep learning curve but both enjoyable and useful, as I also used Illustrator to trace an image for the CD packaging artwork.
I have also developed more skills in Photoshop, bringing in vector shapes and rasterizing layers, creating background images, overlays and adding shading and reflections. So far I am quite pleased with the graphical side of this assignment and my supporting sketchbook work.
I am a bit anxious about creating the A7 web page as I am not yet fully confident with the coding side, although I realize coding requires practice and partly learning through trial and error.
The very first task was to listen to the music and create a review of it in five hundred words, which was quite difficult for me as it involved expressive writing and trying to avoid various cliches about music and art.
The logo design was next, and we had to develop three logos, one of which was selected by the 'client' during a sales pitch. I found it quite difficult trying to sell the designs and try to make them sound special and unique. I also felt under pressure from the rest of the seminar group who were also judging my sales pitch.
I was happy enough with the selected logo, although I had also put a lot of work into trying to design 3-d style logos.All of the logo designs involved learning how to use the pen tools in Freehand and Illustrator, which was a steep learning curve but both enjoyable and useful, as I also used Illustrator to trace an image for the CD packaging artwork.
I have also developed more skills in Photoshop, bringing in vector shapes and rasterizing layers, creating background images, overlays and adding shading and reflections. So far I am quite pleased with the graphical side of this assignment and my supporting sketchbook work.
I am a bit anxious about creating the A7 web page as I am not yet fully confident with the coding side, although I realize coding requires practice and partly learning through trial and error.
Thursday, 2 April 2009
Almost There...
There's been a lot of project work carried out since my last journal entry, and a lot of learning. This includes creating my first web page in XHTML and CSS for my A5 Builder assignment, following the web design goals set out in the A3 assignment.
I enjoyed the learning process of coding, although I did require a lot of help in getting it finished. I'm feeling more confident for the next coding project in the A7 assignment and will attempt to complete as much of it as possible on my own. I was quite pleased with a pass for this assignment but hope to achieve better results for future coding projects.
I have also completed the A6 assignment which was based mainly on digital imaging manipulation using Photoshop. I have mixed feelings about my overall performance in this assignment: Pleased with my sketchbook work, but a bit disappointed with the final outcome of my web design for the Magic Circle.
I experienced a steep learning curve using Photoshop to create my web design and feel that with a little more practice and experience I could have made something a lot more finished and cleaner looking. However I am confident that I have learnt a lot from this project and think I am on the right track. I am please to know that my initial sketch work is to a good standard and realise that this is one of the most important aspects of creative design work.
The technical knowledge I need to transform my ideas into digital work is just a matter of perseverance, and the current A7 assignment should help me to get a step further..
I enjoyed the learning process of coding, although I did require a lot of help in getting it finished. I'm feeling more confident for the next coding project in the A7 assignment and will attempt to complete as much of it as possible on my own. I was quite pleased with a pass for this assignment but hope to achieve better results for future coding projects.
I have also completed the A6 assignment which was based mainly on digital imaging manipulation using Photoshop. I have mixed feelings about my overall performance in this assignment: Pleased with my sketchbook work, but a bit disappointed with the final outcome of my web design for the Magic Circle.
I experienced a steep learning curve using Photoshop to create my web design and feel that with a little more practice and experience I could have made something a lot more finished and cleaner looking. However I am confident that I have learnt a lot from this project and think I am on the right track. I am please to know that my initial sketch work is to a good standard and realise that this is one of the most important aspects of creative design work.
The technical knowledge I need to transform my ideas into digital work is just a matter of perseverance, and the current A7 assignment should help me to get a step further..
Sunday, 22 March 2009
A Review of Insen by Alva Noto
Insen is the 2005 follow up album to the highly acclaimed Vrioon (2003) album created by Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto. Insen is a modern album done in the minimalist electronic tradition. While its modern sound may not be readily accessible to the general listening public, research of professional musical reviews shows that Insen has been well received by music critics.
According to BBC writer Colin Buttimer,1 Insen is an exploration of electronic sounds combined with traditional acoustic instruments, which in the case of Insen, uses the piano skills of the multi-talented Japanese musician Ryuichi Sakamoto. Alva Noto is the pseudonym of Carsten Nicolai, one of the three members of the recording label Raster Norton (the other two members being Frank Bretschneider and Olaf Bender).
The Raster Norton label is renowned for its spectrum of electronic based music that is largely experimental and ranges from stripped down incidental sounds to abstract and experimental music. The music can be linked with art movements such as Minimalism and Futurism and harks back to the days of Kraftwerk and early electronic music of the past 1980’s, although it belongs to a more creative and artistic plane than popular music.2
The album is the result of Nicolai’s masterly dissection and rebuilding of Ryuichi’s delicate piano scores, complimenting these notes and rhythms with a network of interwoven electronic sound that has the effect of encompassing the entire album in a reflective ambience, tugging at the emotions and heart-strings of the listener.
The music takes on a simplistic, elegant yet stripped-back style to produce delicate sounds which provide both contrast and harmony. The subtle notes of the piano are complimented and augmented with the meanderings of digitally created sound, as if they are being carried on the air like delicate bird song.
On the first opening notes of the leading track ‘
‘Morning’ has the feel of a clear and still air of an early winter’s day; cold repetitive notes become hauntingly familiar as the track continues.
Both of the tracks ‘Logic Moon' and ‘Moon’ combine sudden stops and interruptions by using a glitch effect to break into the gentle melody.
‘
‘Iano’ begins with a brief introduction of piano notes, electronic background samples and a crackle which forms into a part of the rhythm which picks up slightly before being rejoined by the piano. Static sounds become blended into the mix gradually giving a feeling of rainfall in the background. The beat can then be picked out and becomes pronounced with a more obvious fusion of piano and digital pulse before gradually fading away.
It seems clear that the two artists have worked together to create a natural fusion of their own individual and highly developed skills into creating a piece of work that is both mesmerizing and emotionally charged.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/release/rmhj/, Accessed 20 March 2008.
2 ibid
Monday, 2 February 2009
Beginning of Semester Two
This is the second week into the second semester and we have just missed a half day due to severe weather. This is disappointing for me as I am eager about learning the technical aspects of the web design such as HTML and CSS, and this afternoon would have covered an introduction to Dreamweaver which I am completely new to.
We have been given some self study work to be getting on with but I am currently not too confident about the A5 usability checklist we need to provide for next week. Looks like I'll be spending a fair amount of time researching WCAG2, Web Standards and other related issues.
Last week included feedback for our two previous assignments A3 and A4 and I was both pleased and relieved to discover that I have passed both of them.
Most of the feedback I received for both of these assignments was positive, although I could have improved on my results by producing some more sketchbook development work, especially for the A3 assignment. I also need to maintain a high standard of time-keeping if I am to achieve better results on future assignments.
Although I am pleased with my results I would like to do better in the next assignments and think this is possible for me to achieve if I put enough work and effort into them.
For the current A6 assignment I have started to create some tutorial hand-outs for our presentation tutorial on Photograph Repairs in Photoshop. I have enjoyed spending time learning the various methods and practising using them, and then making step-by-step guides for other students to refer to. I'm looking forward to learning some new Photoshop techniques during this assignment although I will probably get a bit nervous during our presentation.
We have been given some self study work to be getting on with but I am currently not too confident about the A5 usability checklist we need to provide for next week. Looks like I'll be spending a fair amount of time researching WCAG2, Web Standards and other related issues.
Last week included feedback for our two previous assignments A3 and A4 and I was both pleased and relieved to discover that I have passed both of them.
Most of the feedback I received for both of these assignments was positive, although I could have improved on my results by producing some more sketchbook development work, especially for the A3 assignment. I also need to maintain a high standard of time-keeping if I am to achieve better results on future assignments.
Although I am pleased with my results I would like to do better in the next assignments and think this is possible for me to achieve if I put enough work and effort into them.
For the current A6 assignment I have started to create some tutorial hand-outs for our presentation tutorial on Photograph Repairs in Photoshop. I have enjoyed spending time learning the various methods and practising using them, and then making step-by-step guides for other students to refer to. I'm looking forward to learning some new Photoshop techniques during this assignment although I will probably get a bit nervous during our presentation.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
