• Read pages 80-95, 157-159, 165-169, 178-184, on Plugins and widgets
• Create a personal website using Wordpress CMS
• This site should be easy to update and have a dynamic portfolio
• To start with, choose a theme that fits your brand
  • Be cautious how easy it is to work with...generally the more bells and whistles the harder it is to configure
• Requirements:
  • Content must integrate well with the theme
  • SEO
  • Must adapt to tablets and mobile devices
    • Responsive design theme
  • Calendar of events or blog (for project deadlines, personal events that pertain to your life that this site reflects - something dynamic)
    • Good SEO needs constant site activity...this is a good way to acheive that goal
  • Contact form
  • Portfolio
    • Most likely done with categories and posts
    • Note: The major feedback that I get from the industry folks is that they like to see three or four pieces of your strongest work with communication on your design process, method and skills you use. It also is helpful to describe the background of the piece, who it is for and how it was integrated. Careful...Illustrations and logos may be your strong suit, but will most likely not speak to the needs of clients and employers. I constantly hear that they never see any examples of layout. Also, if you are thinking of putting a bunch of logos first and foremost, consider entire branding instead.
    • Consider this example of how one brand dominates the page
  • Security (find ways to keep hackers from messing with your site and if you have a blog...ways to keep discussions from being spammed)
    • Plugins - Wordfence or IThemes security
• It's very important for you to sell yourself well. Don't be lazy. The more you can show the more you will be taken seriously. You should at least have:
  • About me
  • Resume
  • Privacy policy - a statement or a legal document (in privacy law) that discloses some or all of the ways a party gathers, uses, discloses, and manages a customer or client's data. It fulfills a legal requirement to protect a customer or client's privacy. Don't make this a primary menu object
  • Portfolio
  • Contact
• And consider adding:
  • Acknowledgements
  • Reviews, testimonials or accolades
  • Clients
  • Anything that makes you unique, creative or indespensible
• Examples:
  • Dinverno
  • Bognar
  • Lee
  • Altop
  • Jones
  • Kamieniecki
  • Strand
  • Leonardi (for something different)
• Answer this questionaire fully to get a start on your material
  • Questionaire due end of class Tuesday March 17 in the Personal Questionaire folder
    25 points
• Upload a single electronic representation of your site that will look good in your portfolio
  • Example
  • Photoshop device frames template
  • Upload pdf to dropbox

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• Questionaire due end of class Sunday April 5 in the Personal Questionaire folder
  25 points
• Website links and pdfs due end of day Tues April 21 in the Personal Website folder. We will be doing critques the next day (on Wed April 22, we will be having a our client for the second project come into class for an interview. I will prep you for this next week)
  50 points

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