Elements Collages I found creating an elements collage to be a great way to experiment with multiple approaches to designing my portfolio mock-ups last year. Dan Mall came up with the concept of element collages following the release of Samantha Warren’s Style Tyles. While I really like style tyles as an approach to exploring various […]

Crazy 8 During a class workshop, we complete a crazy eight exercise, created eight wireframes in eight minutes. This was a brilliant way to get the “creative juices flowing”. I was able to take my inspiration and research and recreate some of my favourite elements really quickly. I carried on to develop further wireframes and […]

Grid Systems in Graphic Design by Josef Müller-Brockmann The above examples {1-4) show a grid structure that might be used in a book. They also utilise the Golden Section otherwise known as the Golden Ration (1+ square root √5)/2 a subject that I have looked at in more detail in previous posts. While I do […]

I began my research on how to visually design my CV by creating a mood board of outcomes that I felt were appropriate and well designed. I wanted my outcome to be minimal, cover all of the important facts and incorporate my personal brand. I thought it would be interesting to also take some time […]

Insights from previous students and employers This weeks lecture started with a helpful session looking at previous students and employers experiences of the placement application process. These were found on conversation threads in the NI Design Chat on Slack. I found this really helpful. These were the primary points I took away from the session: […]

Writing a User/ Job Stories Again I have referred to Content Design by Sarah Richards to learn more about User and Job stories. User and Job stories are a way of pinning down what you need to do via asking questions and getting answers.   User stories follow the below structure: As a [person in […]

Content Sources Content can come in lots of different ways. To start at the beginning it’s probably best to review sources of content theses include: Client Supplied Self-Generated Third-Party Sites (e.g. Wikapedia) User-Generated Content (e.g. YouTube) Application Programming Interface (API’s)- this is intermediary software that allows two applications to talk to each other. Client Supplied […]

The primary areas focused on in this talk were: Visual Grammar Language and Typography Narrative Design Visual Grammar Visual grammar is all the parts that make up a website or a product e.g. buttons, typography, windows, illustrations, icons etc. In a Nielson Norman Group article on the topic, 5 Principles of Visual Design in UX […]

Creating a content wireframe This is great for getting a visual of the information hierarchy and leads to a more open discussion about what needs to be prioritised. As stated by Tom Green by creating a content wireframe rather than a regular wireframe you can make presenting work to clients more of a talking point […]

Local Companies Rapid7- Belfast Rapid7 is a leading provider of security data and analytics solutions that enable organisations to implement an active, analytics-driven approach to cyber security. Rapid7 is trusted by more than 9000 organisations across the globe, including 48% of the Fortune 100. As a company Rapid7 clearly demonstrate its expertise in cyber security […]