Midterm Reviews
I was out sick on the first day of presentations, so reviews of those are missing (from the other reviews the presentations sounded really cool though).
Matt: I was really interested in the content and I think the project was very well executed. The videos were short and to the point and very informative (I see a lot of "instructional" youtube videos where the author spends the first 2 minutes just babbling to "introduce" the video and only the last 30 seconds on the actual content). I've always wanted to become more proficient with the terminal and I learned quite a bit just from what you demoed in class.
10/10
Aaron: Your site has a lot of promise and it looked well thought out. I don't mean to sound harsh, but I think the design could use a fair bit of work. The high-res, non-repeating background is actually a really big trend in web design right now, but if you just improve the legibility of the text and maybe try out some different navigation styles I think you'll have a really solid site. I'd like to encourage everyone who made websites for the project to try learning to code your sites CSS! Coding a site by hand in CSS (even on your first try) is at least 100x easier than Dreamweaver, I promise.
8/10
Diego: Fascinating video. I think you did a great job with the editing overall. Perhaps some spots could have been tightened up just a bit (or maybe it's just the youtube buffering issues that are making me think that). Anyway, it was an interesting watch--it reminded me of when I got my first iMac and it had all of 3 gigs of harddrive space and I remember thinking, "Three whole gigs... I'll never fill that up in a million years." and now I've got a whopping 4.5 terabytes hooked up to my system.
9/10
Kevina: An interesting look at the different facets of Youtube. I think you managed to hit most of the key points on the subject and it was nice to see a more personal use of the site.
9/10
Alberto: The presentation felt a little all-over-the-place, but I can see where you're going with it for your final. I think blogging your switching experience is a fantastic idea, especially for others considering making the leap themselves.
9/10
Wayne: Impressive stuff, especially considering that the videos were produced with MS Movie Maker. If you're looking for a better way to produce stop motion, if you happen to have Photoshop (CS3 and up, otherwise this functionality is still in a separate program, Image Ready which usually comes with PS) you can actually animate stuff right in PS and export it as a movie or a gif (just put each frame in a different layer and use the Animation menu to "flip" through the layers, you can control the frame rate and frame length in a fair amount of detail pretty easily). You'd have to add music with another program though. But if you don't already have PS it's not really worth it just for that feature.
9/10
Nate: It must have been tedious work to produce that video. Keeping track of the camera and playing the characters and everything at the same time must have been difficult. I think I have to second Pat's suggestion that you try adding voices if you continue working on it for the final; I think it'd be a nice addition.
9/10
Nicola: I like how organized your presentation was, it made everything very clear and easy to follow. The FCAT project seems like it's off to a great start and I wish you luck with getting it implemented it seems like it'll help a lot of students.
10/10
Theresa: Looks good for a first website. Your content's pretty solid but I would caution a bit about giving out so much personal information so readily. I know everyone has facebook and things like that these days, but it can still be dangerous. Design-wise, I'd focus on improving legibility and maybe giving CSS a try as opposed to using a WISIWIG editor (again it's super easy despite what you might think and if web design is something you're considering pursuing professionally CSS is the current standard in web design). I'm not going to lie, the one-color+black style is a little out-dated, but the general idea (and most importantly the content) is good. Don't be afraid to experiment!
9/10
Chris: Nice gif, a little small and difficult to see, but given the file size restraint, it's understandable. I got the impression that you put a lot of work into it, but didn't really have much to show in terms of how you got there.
8/10
Erin: Ah, not many people appreciate the importance of typography. It's nice to see someone take an in depth look at the subject. I think you've gathered a lot of useful resources on your blog, but I was kind of hoping to see some original work in the subject--for the final perhaps? I have to wonder, what's your opinion of Helvetica?
9/10
David: It seems like you've done a lot for those kids! I think the blog's a great way to keep things going and get everyone involved even after you leave the position.
10/10
Namon: Nice clean-looking website. I think yours probably looked the most modern of the websites presented for the midterm. The black color scheme certainly seems popular with the class, though--it'd be nice to see some more variation in terms of color design. And now I feel the need to reiterate my incessant "learn CSS!" thing.
9/10
Collins: I was impressed just with your choice of program to try to tackle in such a short time. 3D modeling is so daunting, but you persevered and actually made something. I hope you keep going with it, I'd love to see how far you can get with a few more weeks.
10/10
Ray: I think you're on your way to having a nice, professional site. The ideas are there, but the basic design could use some updating. You did a nice job integrating all the graphics into your design (it looks very coherent), but design-wise it does look a touch dated which can be a bit more of an issue for a more professional site as opposed to a personal one. And here's the part of the review where I reiterate "learn CSS!" for the last time. In all seriousness, it's the current standard for web design and if you want to look professional (especially if web design is something you're interested in doing) it's pretty much a must. It's also significantly easier and faster than any of the current WISIWIG editors out there (the code they produce is usually garbage that isn't up to standards too).
9/10
Matt: I was really interested in the content and I think the project was very well executed. The videos were short and to the point and very informative (I see a lot of "instructional" youtube videos where the author spends the first 2 minutes just babbling to "introduce" the video and only the last 30 seconds on the actual content). I've always wanted to become more proficient with the terminal and I learned quite a bit just from what you demoed in class.
10/10
Aaron: Your site has a lot of promise and it looked well thought out. I don't mean to sound harsh, but I think the design could use a fair bit of work. The high-res, non-repeating background is actually a really big trend in web design right now, but if you just improve the legibility of the text and maybe try out some different navigation styles I think you'll have a really solid site. I'd like to encourage everyone who made websites for the project to try learning to code your sites CSS! Coding a site by hand in CSS (even on your first try) is at least 100x easier than Dreamweaver, I promise.
8/10
Diego: Fascinating video. I think you did a great job with the editing overall. Perhaps some spots could have been tightened up just a bit (or maybe it's just the youtube buffering issues that are making me think that). Anyway, it was an interesting watch--it reminded me of when I got my first iMac and it had all of 3 gigs of harddrive space and I remember thinking, "Three whole gigs... I'll never fill that up in a million years." and now I've got a whopping 4.5 terabytes hooked up to my system.
9/10
Kevina: An interesting look at the different facets of Youtube. I think you managed to hit most of the key points on the subject and it was nice to see a more personal use of the site.
9/10
Alberto: The presentation felt a little all-over-the-place, but I can see where you're going with it for your final. I think blogging your switching experience is a fantastic idea, especially for others considering making the leap themselves.
9/10
Wayne: Impressive stuff, especially considering that the videos were produced with MS Movie Maker. If you're looking for a better way to produce stop motion, if you happen to have Photoshop (CS3 and up, otherwise this functionality is still in a separate program, Image Ready which usually comes with PS) you can actually animate stuff right in PS and export it as a movie or a gif (just put each frame in a different layer and use the Animation menu to "flip" through the layers, you can control the frame rate and frame length in a fair amount of detail pretty easily). You'd have to add music with another program though. But if you don't already have PS it's not really worth it just for that feature.
9/10
Nate: It must have been tedious work to produce that video. Keeping track of the camera and playing the characters and everything at the same time must have been difficult. I think I have to second Pat's suggestion that you try adding voices if you continue working on it for the final; I think it'd be a nice addition.
9/10
Nicola: I like how organized your presentation was, it made everything very clear and easy to follow. The FCAT project seems like it's off to a great start and I wish you luck with getting it implemented it seems like it'll help a lot of students.
10/10
Theresa: Looks good for a first website. Your content's pretty solid but I would caution a bit about giving out so much personal information so readily. I know everyone has facebook and things like that these days, but it can still be dangerous. Design-wise, I'd focus on improving legibility and maybe giving CSS a try as opposed to using a WISIWIG editor (again it's super easy despite what you might think and if web design is something you're considering pursuing professionally CSS is the current standard in web design). I'm not going to lie, the one-color+black style is a little out-dated, but the general idea (and most importantly the content) is good. Don't be afraid to experiment!
9/10
Chris: Nice gif, a little small and difficult to see, but given the file size restraint, it's understandable. I got the impression that you put a lot of work into it, but didn't really have much to show in terms of how you got there.
8/10
Erin: Ah, not many people appreciate the importance of typography. It's nice to see someone take an in depth look at the subject. I think you've gathered a lot of useful resources on your blog, but I was kind of hoping to see some original work in the subject--for the final perhaps? I have to wonder, what's your opinion of Helvetica?
9/10
David: It seems like you've done a lot for those kids! I think the blog's a great way to keep things going and get everyone involved even after you leave the position.
10/10
Namon: Nice clean-looking website. I think yours probably looked the most modern of the websites presented for the midterm. The black color scheme certainly seems popular with the class, though--it'd be nice to see some more variation in terms of color design. And now I feel the need to reiterate my incessant "learn CSS!" thing.
9/10
Collins: I was impressed just with your choice of program to try to tackle in such a short time. 3D modeling is so daunting, but you persevered and actually made something. I hope you keep going with it, I'd love to see how far you can get with a few more weeks.
10/10
Ray: I think you're on your way to having a nice, professional site. The ideas are there, but the basic design could use some updating. You did a nice job integrating all the graphics into your design (it looks very coherent), but design-wise it does look a touch dated which can be a bit more of an issue for a more professional site as opposed to a personal one. And here's the part of the review where I reiterate "learn CSS!" for the last time. In all seriousness, it's the current standard for web design and if you want to look professional (especially if web design is something you're interested in doing) it's pretty much a must. It's also significantly easier and faster than any of the current WISIWIG editors out there (the code they produce is usually garbage that isn't up to standards too).
9/10
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