Recently I have had a chance to sort through some old design files which were saved on a pile of CDs. I was able to look back at three different websites I created over the years, marking an evolution in design style and technological changes. It is reassuring to see how I adapted to each advancement in web media to express a personal brand. These websites are a look back to when the internet embraced Flash, HTML, CSS and smaller resolution images. This is where we started and what lead to where we are now.
This site was designed with image files optimized in Adobe Fireworks. It was HTML based with Flash animations that loaded on some pages. My aesthetic at this time was to use a lot of illustrative effects. Many of the backgrounds and textures were from scanned drawings and original photographs. I wanted to create depth and a layered collage style on some pages. I designed this site shortly before getting a painting internship at the Seattle Rep Theatre.
This was an all Flash-based site with nested files that linked to one master file. I thought this model would allow for faster download speeds because Flash provided high image compression. At the time my logo had undergone a full design revision and I was very enthusiastic about the purple/violet color palette. All navigational buttons were custom designed and gradients were my favorite style attribute.
In this version of my site I went back to basics and designed an HTML site, coded by hand. I was excited by a new class I had taken in jQuery and the enhanced effects made possible with CSS. I became fascinated by source code on the internet, analyzing and then breaking it down to implement it into layouts. Here I designed with web fonts, created rounded shapes and added shadow gradients all dynamically. I revised my personal brand, toning down the colors and creating a simpler, more classic look. This was the last site I developed before learning WordPress, which is what I use now. At this point I also revamped my entire design portfolio with digital photography shot from a DSLR camera.
