Introductory Questions

1. Provide your name, major, year in school (sophomore, junior, etc).

My name is Cameron Ekstrand and I'm a sophomore majoring in Communication Design with a second major in Math+CS

2. Tell us a bit about your background and what prompted you to take this class.

I've taken a few CS classes related more to back end development, so I'm familiar with Python and Java. I thought taking this class as studio for Comm Des would be perfect because I get to learn new things (languages and front-end development) in and area that I know I enjoy.

3. Do you have any experience with HTML/CSS/JS? If so, tell us a bit about it.

No, but I'm excited to learn new languages!

4. Name one thing you hope to learn in this class.

I hope to learn the best front-end development practices and strategies so that I can apply them to my work in the future.

5. Name one way you expect designing for screen to be different from designing for paper.

I think that designing for paper can be somewhat one-dimensional at time. I feel like designing for screens opens up opportunities for more creativity (visual effects, endless canvas, etc.).

6. Provide a link to a website you think exemplifies effective design. Explain your choice.

Apple

Apple's website exemplifies effective design because there is a clear hierarchy to the information they present, and they keep a very consistent style. There is lots of negative space, making the site easy to navigate and not overwhelming. There is nothing extraneous.

7. Provide a link to a website you think exemplifies effective communication. Explain your choice.

Twitter

I think that Twitter is very effective at communicating because it provides the user with so much information in an orderly and efficient way. If designed another way, the site could be overwhelming given the amount of text/information being presented, but Twitter managed to make their site rather easy to navigate.

8. Provide a link to a website you think works well. Explain your choice.

YouTube

I know YouTube works well because whenever I go on it, I can never take myself away. The site makes it easy to find new videos that are interesting to you, and the subscriptions feature allows users to keep up with their favorite channels.