Leah Boelkins Module 3 January 31, 2016

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1 Leah Boelkins Module 3 January 31, 2016 The interviews with Alexandra, Lauren, and Julia proved to be very beneficial for my future portfolio and my future career. Hearing answers to questions and receiving advice from people who were not too long ago in my place was very interesting and I enjoyed hearing about the experiences they ve had and the new skills and tools they ve learned throughout the years. Something that was stressed the most in the interviews with all three was the importance of portfolios. One thing I took away was to make sure that all portfolio pieces are good pieces of work that you are proud of or that performed successfully. Furthermore, knowing your portfolio inside and out is also important as potential employers could ask a question about any of the pieces or aspects of your portfolio. Lauren also discussed the importance and prominence of digital portfolios rather than paper. While paper portfolios are still occasionally used and it is a good idea to have both types, most portfolio pieces, especially in design, are better articulated digitally. I also enjoyed hearing about the process of the design and creation of Alexandra s website and the tools she used. Hearing both the steps, like prototyping, designing and building, and the resources used, like Photoshop, Google color templates, and just pencil and paper, are all included in things I will consider as I begin to brainstorm and begin to create my portfolio. Hearing the thought processes behind the different design choices in Alexandra, Lauren, and Julia s website was interesting as well, as I was able to understand first- hand why they designed their sites the way they did. For example, hearing the reasoning behind Alexandra s choice of having pink as an accent color because black and white websites are abundant made me think more about the colors I ll be using for my portfolio. Finally, learning how to interact with clients was something interesting to hear about. Although I m not sure if I will go into web designing at as deep of a level as Julia, Lauren, or Alexandra, hearing about how they worked with clients in general was something valuable that I haven t learned much about before. Alexandra mentioned that she is extremely professional with all of her clients, even if she knows them. She also mentioned that web design is a two- way street, which I found to be significant. It is crucial to communicate with and understand what a client wants, and to cater to their needs while still recommending and helping them understand what choices may or may not be best for his or her website. This kind of communication is part of what will create a successful experience and website for both you and the client.

2 Interview with Alexandra White How did you get started in all of your projects? o Freelance clients through talking to people o Didn t market outside of putting up portfolio o Re- built aunt s law- firm website and referrals from there o Went to networking events Are there any online or physical tools you used to build your site (Adobe, Kuler, etc)? o Prototyping paper and pencil o Designing Photoshop/Illustrator (logo design especially), Google color templates o Building Sublime (free text editor), Coda (Mac text editor) What inspired you to use the color scheme that you chose for your website? o Pink but professional, not black and white (because it s everywhere), wanted to stand out. How long did it take you to design and build your website? o Many generations were created over 5 years o Most recent one took the shortest time because skeleton was already there Where is the best starting point when it comes to building your website? XHTML first? CSS later? What was your plan? o Pencil and paper o HTML 5 with boxes o Add CSS later to explain boxes What are some of the benefits of having a digital portfolio vs paper portfolio when it comes to possible employers? o 90% of time she is not asked about a paper portfolio o It s hard to articulate on paper what site looks like o It s easier with writing samples/logo mockups to have a paper portfolio o They re not feasible for web design Why did you choose to use animation in your site? As you build, would you use more? o 3 links to same place drives people to see the work she has done How much of your technical knowledge came from PW and how much came from outside of MSU? o Most of her core knowledge from MSU (210 and 410). o She asked a lot of questions during her time here. o Once she left, her learning didn t stop. Code academy JavaScript and other classes Knowledge from job/in workplace

3 o Don t be afraid to apply to jobs if you think you re not qualified enough. What is the most effective way of communication between different clients and how do you bring in personal style? o Clients hire for the style of website she creates. o She is extraordinarily professional no matter with whom she is working. o Web design is a two- way street. How did you come up with your URL? o Owns Alexandra- white URL, which goes to designing lightning. o Did it for branding. How much influence do you receive from clients when it comes to web development? o Clients don t have that much influence. o She usually does 3 mockups and the client chooses one. o Big layout changes are the problem/more expensive aspects of web design. o Color/font/text size is easy to change. o Always ask for feedback and stand your ground if need be. o Clients always want things but don t always know what s best. Advice o Spend time in Firefox Firebug or Google Chrome Inspector and look at sites. o Copy templates and try to make it something else. o Keep practicing. o You don t need knowledge, just be dedicated! o She didn t know anything before WRA 210. o View her old site on Wayback Machine. Interview with Lauren and Julia Background: She worked with MSUFCU in an internship and worked in the marketing department after graduation. Now she works on an annual report for employees, and the community website. She works with community partners. Knowing your audience is one of the biggest things. Julia also works for MSUFCU and interned there. She worked for MSU press with editing as well. What do you typically charge for freelancing? o She charged $15/hr and progressed with more clients to charging more. o She finds clients from the press where she interned, and from people who view her website. What are skills in college that have helped you so far?

4 o Knowing your audience, group work, taking and learning specific aspects from group (helps in interviews and taking leads on projects). o She learned about networking and stresses that you should think about networking now. o Talk to anyone you can! o The Communities & Cultures class where she learned about writing for non- profits was beneficial. o The grant- writing class for nonprofits was beneficial as well. o She learned about portfolios and how to present yourself, etc. o She contacted other PW students and alumni if she was interested in what they did for an informational interview. o Finding a mentor is important too. What were benefits/inspirations of the single page of Taylor s website? o They decided that clean is better (white space) o They noted that getting people to scroll down is hard and added the button that brings you down the page. o Portfolio takes them through different levels. o The About section is below the portfolio because it is not necessarily more important than the work you do. o The About section is still very important as it snapshots who you are. o Find aspects that make you unique (i.e. the favorite beer). o Find how you can showcase your work by not just showing your picture, and tell a story if possible (Festival of the Moon and the Sun). How was collaboration with your sister? o Talked about both of their ideas, similarities/differences, and how to bring those together. o It can be hard at times if you have different opinions. o You have to prove WHY and HOW it would be better when working with a client. o It is a good idea to have a consistent meeting pattern and meet often. o Reviewing the website often is important. How is collaborating w/ clients o Working with client as freelancer is all about communication. o Know what your client wants you to do and know their expectations. Both branded with names, how important is it to capture your name as opposed to another handle (names change as women) How do you decide on a handle/brand for yourself

5 o She went with her name because she was trying to go into the editing and publishing sector. o She would consider using something else in more creative field. o Get yourself out there through networking and LinkedIn. o Your handle is most important thing because if you change your name, you as a person/brand won t change. o A logo doesn t necessarily need to be two initials, it can be another creative design. How do you choose what sites/social media to link to? o She doesn t link to Facebook because it has so much more personal information and pictures.. o Never link to Facebook. o Instagram and Twitter can be used more professionally, however. How far have employers looked in social media? o She doesn t know for sure. o She doesn t know what HR does, she has looked at Facebook of other potential employees in the past though. Employers usually consider it to be important. You have links to researching, interpreting on the homepage, but why are they not linked at the top with the other pages? o Squarespace only allows you to have so many tabs on top, so she put more important ones on top that reflect who she is more. Portfolios: o Don t wait to update! o There is a lot of material that you might not be saving. o Build sustainably o Your portfolio is extremely important o Have print and web based portfolios o She picks and chooses what she puts on her portfolio, uses things she is more proud of and things that were received better. o It is important to pick and choose. Employers can t look at everything, so choose great things for everything.