By Anastasia Logan & Paris Roberson
UX and Web-ing
By Paris Roberson
My passion is illustration. And it’s crazy that that’s opened so many doors for me. I wanted to be an animator. I ended up getting some advice from someone in the field and they encouraged me to pursue graphic design first. So I applied for the Graphic Design program at UNT. I got into the UX program. It wasn’t exactly what I wanted, but I went with it and it’s worked out okay so far. Now I prototype websites.
Working on the 0ver magazine website was a challenge for me. I knew how to PROTOTYPE websites, not create an actual website. I was taught how to make a website look GOOD not how to publish it. When I go into the field, coders will figure out the doing part. I wasn’t really sure how to go about creating a website so I low-key procrastinated for a good month (sshhh don’t tell anyone). I had prototypes of what the website could look like but I kind of panicked with how to publish one. I started with Squarespace but ended up with Wix.
I’m SO glad Anastasia jumped on board to work on the website with me. It would’ve been hectic otherwise. I found it really hard to find time to actually work on the site day to day. Passing some of the weight with someone else was so relieving. There’s been some twists and turns with the website management, but it’s been interesting.
Life of a Web Designer
by Anastasia Logan
The future is digital. People claim that print media is dying but in reality we are just adapting to change. Being an editorial magazine we have the power of visuals to propel a website to be not only aesthetically pleasing, but engaging and professional. Giving our contributors another platform to share their work. Creating a website is not a simple task. Even with pre-created templates, courtesy of Wix, challenges present themselves in every turn. But the benefit of having a website overpowers every twist and turn presented.
I am no stranger to the world of website design and was ready to take on a new project. Originally, I did not have plans to contribute to the creation of the website. But as time progressed and the deadline was becoming evermore in sight, I realized that there was no way that a single person, even as talented as Paris, could possibly create and manage a whole website by herself. She totally could! That is, if she wanted to lose her sanity. Quickly, I go the 411 on everything about where the website was at and then it was off to the races.
The first hurdle we had to overcome was the intentional overall aesthetic of the website. There was a bit of a hiccup at the beginning but once the design was clearly shown and further explained reconstruction could begin. Choosing a single background image became a daughting task. Should it be a random photo from Unsplash or a photo from an 0ver contributor? This debate lasted much longer than we had the time frame to discuss. Eventually, we settled on an image and construction could continue.
Hurdle number two was fixing the whole menu situation. Originally there was an aesthetically pleasing vertical menu that added loads of character to the home page, but it was not functional. No matter what idea or test we tried that menu would not cooperate. So, like I do with most nuisances in my life. I deleted it. Bye. Paris and I agreed on the current horizontal menu that fills the space beautifully and I really think we killed it with that decision.
Hurdle number three became deciding fonts. When I say that fonts are about the most difficult feature of a website to decide on, this is not a statement to take lightly. This becomes more complicated when two designers have darsticlu different font styles. I tend to gravitate toward bolder text that is simpler to read and looks clean. While Paris prefers text that is thinner and takes away less attention from the website as a whole. Thank Mother of Compromise that we figured something out! We put our genius heads together and confirmed the final aspect of the website.
Looking back on the journey made to create this website I am in awe of what we have constructed. I know that as time continues there will be little bumps in the road, but as of now, the greatest challenge has been conquered.
Follow Paris on Instagram: @sirap2goe
Follow Anastasia on Instagram: @luna_bane
