Research
For this assignment, I conducted research to figure out what type of information should be included in the biography part of my “About Me” page. Through readings of articles and biographies that other people had written, I found the most common information included was an individual’s name, profession/college major, skills, accomplishments, and future goals. I didn’t want to overload my biography section with all of this information so per the requirements, I spread it out over the other sections of my page.
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- Exercise #1:
Iterations
In order to produce the most successful and aesthetically pleasing version of my “About Me” page, I brainstormed many different layouts to possibly display my information. For the sake of time, I quickly sketched these layouts before tackling the idea within my actual website. Below are pictures of three different configurations. Although my website isn’t exactly like any of them, doing these iterations really helped me to play around with different layouts and combine the best aspects of each one into what is now my “About Me” page.
Production
(note; screenshots made the proportions look a little inaccurate)
#1
Initially, I typed out all the required information and displayed it within a very simple layout. When attempting to create the layouts I had previously sketched, I wasn’t able to manipulate the pictures and text as easily as I originally thought. Thus, I started with the basics and focused more-so on creating contrast between the different sections by separating them with lines and alternating header colors.
#2
After looking at that version, I knew some revisions were necessary. I started with the biggest problem I saw; the pictures. I wasn’t happy with the way they were formatted, as the spacing at the top and bottom made them look awkward, unbalanced, and distracting. To fix this, I rounded the edges of every photo and attached them to one another so spacing would never be an issue again. After this, I put them all back into the website and centered them, moving the text down accordingly. Because of this change, I also had to adjust the noteworthy section because bullet points have the inability to be centered.
#3
From there, I changed the header color to match the blue in the top picture and asked my professor what additional changes I should make. She first suggested that I remove my “Past Work” section because information like that would eventually go into a different place. She further suggested that I edit my text sections in order to create more flow and structure within them. You’ll notice that the “What am I most excited for?” section is blank, as we mutually agreed it should be entirely rewritten with a more clear focus on what specifically about design excites me.
#4
After taking her suggestions into consideration, I was able to produce the final version of my “About Me” page. Pulling inspiration from the first layout I created, I rearranged the biography section and placed it next to my picture. I also changed the shape of my picture to be a circle because it created a better sense of visual interest and harmony with the text next to it. From there, I uncentered the text and rewrote the large majority of it to make it sound better. Lastly, I placed lines similarly as I did in the original layout and was able to achieve a more balanced and structured look. Overall, I was very happy with the way this page ended up looking. It’s a lot more aesthetically pleasing than I thought was possible and although some of the features were difficult to manipulate, I actually had fun making it.
Link to Portfolio Project
Now that you know how it came to be made, here’s a link to my first project; my “About Me” page. Enjoy!