Imaginata/Websites

This feels like a warts 'n all presentaion of what websites I've done in the past, from my very first one to the latest. My early attempts are not that good so please wear protective glasses. Having said that, I am quite fond of them because they are all part of the learning process and I did learn much while doing them. I'm learning all the time. I like to see progression in any art/design, so this page shows mine.

Most of these sites incorporate CSS in their coding, mainly for positioning. I've also learned how to develop a PHP script for using with a form so that the inputted information is then sent to an email address. I've refrained from using Javascript because its not liked by Firefox (though I know it is by IE). Flash is also another program I can use but again I tend to avoid using it myself because, although there are some amazing sites out there where it is used, I can get irritated as a user waiting for the damn things to load. Also, not everyone downloads Flash Player onto their computers. Good ol' HTML does the trick for me.

This is my re-design for The Wirral Resource Centre's website. The previous one you can see below. I think this is a huge improvement. What really go me to re-do this was the Centre's introduction of a new logo (the two teddies) which meant me re-jigging things about a bit. It was also agreed the previous site needed warmer colours as the green and black seemed a bit cold. The site also appeared too formal for what is essentialy a Centre run for children. I have used Javascript for the show/hide layers where the teddies appear and disappear for each link. I did this site entirely voluntarily.

Wirral Donate is a consortium of local charities, one of which is The Wirral Resource Centre (where I work). Having seen the site I did for the Resource Centre they approached me to do one for them. It was while doing this site that I learned how to fix a background image using CSS. This then allows everything else to glide over it when scrolled. I have to say, it's kind of revolutionised my approach to website design. I've also used a little Javascript so that donation forms can be printed off by the user.

I've only got as far as doing the Home Page for this site as the Mddc have not replied to my emails. I'm not sure if they want the site continuing or not. It wasn't a complete waste of time though because it was with this site that I learned how to create a form using PHP. It took me three days of intense study but I got there in the end. It was also with this site that I started to use a bigger layout instead of creating sites that would fit on 15" monitors. Obviously, it gives a lot more space and stops pages looking cramped.