Now that we are halfway through the semester, I can see my CSS and HTML knowledge improving. All of the practices, notes, and challenges have helped me practice strategies and learn new techniques. When working on the Midterm Drafts and learning responsive design, I can see my growth from my previous class. To me learning responsive design for me was a major step towards making more professional sites.
Before jumping into responsive design we focused on our first draft of our website. I wanted to challenge myself and choose a random topic outside my comfort zone. I got a Real Estate Agent Website. After doing research I used placeholder elements to build the basic sections of the site. Although it was simple, it had the basic structure and elements needed for the site.
The feedback I received was very helpful. A lot of feedback noticed the negative space between elements and simple but bland design of the site. I wanted to add more content and design choices to create a more interesting design. To do this I added several images I have taken in addition to stock images. I also found a font pairing (that may change in the future). I also used a stronger color range and color palette.
Taking a break from my drafts, I moved onto responsive design. I found it interesting how these responsive designs are 3-4 different layouts put into a single site. I was surprised about Media Query breakpoints since they are often unnoticed by the user since they are usually intersecting with one of those layout designs. I also learned that it is much better to start at the mobile view over the desktop view. While I always thought that the mobile view would be difficult, it is the opposite. The mobile view is essentially a column view that has little layout styling.
I want to incorporate these responsive design features to my website. I value making an accessible design for all users and I hope to be able to create creative but intuitive layouts. I hope I can use these strategies when designing my next site.