Goals:
I wanted to make a site that looks sleek, efficient, and like what people thought the internet would look like 15 years ago. I wanted to have a simple pattern for my background, to make it a bit more complex than a flat color, but still basic enough to not be stressful. I also wanted a relatively simple header, with a grid or other technological patterning. I wanted a green color scheme because– well, it’s my favorite color, but I also think it’s a pleasing color combination that stands out thematically.
Images:
For my site, I made a few images:
This is the logo. It’s definitely subject to change, as it’s just my initials, but I wanted a sleek and straightforward site identifier. It’s cohesive with my theming, and has a bit of a cinematic twinge to it because of the lines, which I intended to somewhat resemble the THX logo from those scary DVD openings.
For my site background, I made this simple grid pattern with rounded squares in paint.net. I designed it so that it repeats seamlessly (this particular image of it wouldn’t, because of the endings being the same– I shaved that off for the version used on the site). It’s simple and interesting, yet not too much, and further establishes the color palette. I used a translucent version for the sidebar, to make it a bit more faded out.
For my header, I made a pretty simple grid pattern. I wanted to use the grid and the fading out to imply 3D space, while keeping it a relatively straightforward design. The original intention was for the part on the left to line up with my logo’s placement, but it didn’t work out that way in practice– I don’t think it’s that important, so I’m probably scratching that.
Finally, for my favicon, I wanted it to somewhat resemble a video game icon, since it’d have to be somewhat pixelated to fit in that small space. I made it a rounded outline, kinda similar to an app shape. I then emulated my logo as closely as I could– I wanted those two aspects to be pretty similar, as they both serve similar purposes when it comes to identification.
Methodological Approach:
I used paint.net for all of this. It’s what I’m most comfortable with, it’s free, accessible, and lightweight, and it did the job. My experience worked out. It was simple, efficient, and I was able to accomplish my goal with little to no stress. The biggest issue was aligning it with how it appears on the site, but with a little fine tuning and use of the grid feature, I was able to pull it off pretty easily. If I were to want to learn anything, it’d definitely be using Canva to find graphics. I couldn’t really wrap my head around it, and I wasn’t able to find what I was looking for.
Conclusion:
I did achieve my goals! I’ll have to work on accessibility, as I’m not sure how my website would treat colorblind people, but otherwise, I’m pretty confident in my design, it fits my plan solidly. I did have to change my theme, but that’s ok– the new one fits my vision way more. I’m happy with what I have so far, and I’m excited to iterate on it going forward!