Week 1
Monday 1/6: course overview, introductions, selecting a topic
assignment (due before class on Wednesday 1/8):
- fill out the website project brainstorming exercise in our class Google drive folder (and here’s a filled out example)
- read Elements of Rhetorical Situations (10 sections, ending with Conclusion), from Purdue OWL
- watch the six Padlet 101 videos
Wednesday 1/8: (class ends at 2:50): go over brainstorming and reading; Wix questions; audience analysis
assignment (due before class on Monday 4/10):
- complete this audience analysis worksheet (and here’s a filled out example) and add your version to the audience analysis worksheets folder
- begin drafting the Website Proposal
Week 2
Monday 1/13: (class ends at 2:50)
in class: go over audience analysis; check out How to Create a Buyer Persona (Hootsuite) and What is a Target Audience and How to Analyze Yours (SimilarWeb); time in class to work on the Website Proposal
assignment (due before class on Wednesday 4/12):
- write your Website Proposal and upload a Word or Google doc (preferably not a PDF) to the proposals folder in our Google drive
Wednesday 1/15–Website Proposal due
in class: begin the Style Guide project; look at the Style Guide examples on the Resources page; begin Imagery section; Photo Editing tutorial #1
assignment (due before class on Monday 4/17):
- Take a look at this list of adjectives and decide on the 3-5 adjectives that describe the style you have in mind for your site. Use this Google doc to add your name and your 3-5 adjectives. Include a few sentences that discuss how these adjectives align with the audience and purpose of your website. (You can certainly change your adjectives and style as you continue working on the project; this is just a non-binding sort of exercise to get you started.)
- using filters, adjustments, and layer blending (tutorial #1), create 3 images in the style that you’ve identified for your website
- upload these images to the images page that you created at your Wix website along with a brief description for each image that explains how you created it (that is, what tools and features of Photopea you used).
Week 3
Monday 1/20–Holiday
in class: Photo Editing tutorial #2; check out this photo edited text/image example, and these others
assignment (due before class on Wednesday 4/19):
- using text, masked text, and layer styles (along with what you learned in tutorial #1), create 3 images in the style that you’ve identified for your website
- post these images at your Wix website images page
- add some text for each of these images that describes how you created the image in Photopea
Wednesday 1/22
in class: Photo Editing tutorial #3; link for images; example of a style guide using collage
assignment (due before class on Monday 4/24):
- using what you learned in tutorial #3, create a collage (or several) in the style that you’ve identified for your website
- post the collage(s) at your Wix website images page along with a description of how you created them
Week 4
Monday 1/27
in class: go over images, photo editing questions; begin the Color section; look at sample color pages by Writing 105M students and Professional Writing Minor students; look at Adobe Color CC and Coolors.co; download moodboard templates and moodboard tutorial; create a moodboard in Photopea (or use Canva)
Color section required elements:
- 5-7 colors, including a dark and a light for text/background, displayed somehow on the page
- Include hex code, CMYK, and RGB for each color
- Give each color a name that is relevant for your style
- Include text describing the colors and the style they embody
- Show the color in action (e.g., in photos, illustrations, moodboard), perhaps on a separate page
assignment (due before class on Wednesday 4/26):
- complete your moodboard and upload it to the moodboard folder in our class Google folder by Wednesday 4/26 before class
- read “The Fundamentals of Understanding Color Theory,” by Kris Decker (99 Designs)
- read “Perfect Color,” by Before & After
- explore the Color tools on the Resources page
Wednesday 1/29
in class: work on color page(s)
assignment (due before class on Monday 5/1):
- complete your color page draft and upload it to the color drafts folder in our class Google folder by Monday 5/1 before class
- read Chapter 3 from Stop Stealing Sheep by Speikermann & Ginger
- read the Foreword, Introduction, and the chapter Why typography matters in Practical Typography by Matthew Butterick
- watch The History of Typography 5-minute video by Ben Barrett-Forrest
Week 5
Monday 2/3
in class: go over color pages; begin work on typography section; look at typography pages by Writing 105M students and Professional Writing Minor students; discuss typography readings
Typography section required elements:
- Select the fonts for header and body text at your website
- Optional third font for subheaders or flourishes
- Provide the name of each font and the alphabet (upper and lower case) in each font
- Optional numbers and glyphs for each font
- Include a brief paragraph describing the characteristics of each font as they represent the intended style of your website
- Optional elements:
- Demonstration of each font in action (e.g., a header, subheader, and body paragraph)
- Instructions on how to use each font (e.g., size, tracking, leading)
links for the “look of letters” writing exercise:
- Five traits that define a typeface, by Creative Bloq
- Canva’s Beautifully illustrated glossary of typographic terms you should know
- Visme’s A visual guide to the anatomy of typography
assignment (due before class on Wednesday 5/3):
- complete the “look of letters” writing exercise
- check out these resources on finding perfect typeface pairs:
- The Ultimate Google Font Pairings, by Reliable
- Fontjoy, an easy way to generate font pairings
- Type Connection: “a typographic dating game”
- A Guide to Combining Fonts, by Matej Latin
Wednesday 2/5
in class: typography tools and resources:
- body text comparisons
- The Ultimate Google Font Pairings, by Reliable
- 10 Beautiful Font Combinations, by Inkbot
assignment (due before class on Monday 5/8):
- complete your typography page draft and upload it to the typography drafts folder in our class Google folder by Monday 5/8 before class
- read Craig Hulst, “Grammar, Rhetoric, and Style“
Week 6
Monday 2/10
in class: comments on typography section; begin overview and writing sections; check out 105M overview pages and 105M writing pages, and PWM about pages; discuss Craig Hulst, “Grammar, Rhetoric, and Style”; check out ChatGPT’s descriptions of a cat in various styles; look at Mailchimp’s Writing Goals and Principles and Voice and Tone
Website overview required elements:
- Concisely describe the topic, audience, and purpose of your website.
- Optionally, add descriptions for secondary audiences and purposes.
- Include the website’s URL.
- Advice:
- Don’t feel compelled to fill the entire page with text; use an image alongside the text, or allow for some white space.
- Use columns rather than running the text from one side of the page to the other.
Writing section required elements:
- In around 150-200 words, describe the style of writing that you will use at your website and address how this style is appropriate for the content, audience, and purpose of your website.
- In this description, include the 3-5 adjectives that define the style of your website; these adjectives can be presented in a list, in complete sentences, scattered throughout the section, or in some other way.
- Advice (same as above):
- Don’t feel compelled to fill the entire page with text; use an image alongside the text, or allow for some white space.
- Use columns rather than running the text from one side of the page to the other.
assignment:
- write a draft of the overview and writing sections; upload them to the “overview and writing drafts” folder in the “writing” folder in our class Google folder before class on Wednesday 5/10
Wednesday 2/12
go over Front cover, Imagery, and Final page sections; check out the Writing 105M example Style Guides; peer review of page drafts
Front cover required elements:
- Title of your project + “Style Guide”: for instance “UCSB Bucket List Style Guide” or “Style Guide for UCSB Bucket List”
- Your Name
- URL for the website
- An image, pattern, design, or color(s) that evokes your intended style
Imagery section required elements:
- Present more than one image (photo, manipulated photo, illustration, pattern) that evokes the style of your website project
- Optional: use a moodboard to organize your images
- Include a brief textual description of the style of the images or the adjectives they represent
Final page required element:
- A brief restatement of the major points of the style guide
- An invitation to visit the website
- An image, pattern, design, or color(s) that evokes your intended style
assignment:
- make revisions to your overview, writing, typography, and color sections based on peer feedback
- draft the front cover and final page for your Style Guide
- upload a complete draft of your Style Guide in a single PDF to the “style guide drafts” folder in our class Google folder
Week 7
Monday 2/17–Holiday
in class: work on completing the Style Guide; check out The Big Four, by Garr Reynolds (and my version with ducks)
assignment:
- complete your Style Guide and upload the PDF to the “final style guides!” folder our class Google folder before class on Wednesday 5/17
- if you need extra time, send me an email (sorapure@ucsb.edu)
- if you’ve changed your topic or the URL for your site that’s listed on the websites page, let me know
Wednesday 2/19–Style Guide due
in class: Wix and the Website project; Wix Tips; writing the Website Outline; check out these examples of website outlines from a previous class
assignment:
- create a complete draft of your Website Outline; be prepared to share with your website groups in class on Monday 5/22
Week 8
Monday 2/24
in class: website groups; work on outline and website; setting up a blog in Wix
assignment:
- complete your Website Outline and either upload it to the class Google folder prior to class on Wednesday 5/24 or turn it in at the beginning of class
- read Writing for the Web
- continue working on your website
Wednesday 2/26–Website Outline due (upload here)
in class: work on website; Homepage Best Practices; best practices for writing on the web
logo makers:
assignment:
- write the text that will appear on your homepage; create drafts of three additional pages; be prepared to share in class on Wednesday 5/31
Week 9
Monday 3/3
Wednesday 3/5
in class: criteria for the website project; peer feedback on website pages; using the Wix mobile editor
assignment:
- create a complete almost-final draft of your website and be prepared to share it in class on Monday 6/5
Week 10
Monday 3/10
in class: website peer reviews
assignment:
- complete your Website
Wednesday 3/12
Website due from Wednesday 6/7 to Wednesday 6/14: email me when it’s complete and in your email please describe what you’re most proud of in your website
in class: website presentations: 2 minutes, showing one or two of your favorite features of the website.
