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

In this class, I want to gain skills that will be applicable in my future as an illustrator/designer/whatever I actually end up being. I think being able to design my own portfolio website, or even just having the ability to tweak an already-existing site, would be an indispensable asset for me in the future. Also, I want to see how learning a new way of thinking effects the way I go about other sorts of problem solving. One of my friends who knows I'm interested in writing told me I should take a coding class because you learn to pare things down to only what is truly essential, so I think this class will influence my designing, writing, and who-knows-what-else in interesting ways.

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

On paper, it's so easy to draw and think freely, without needing to have anything planned out in advance. I don't really expect designing on the web to be as loose, and I think I'm going to have to think things through on paper and have a concrete plan before I try them on the screen.

3. Provide a link to a website you think exemplifies effective design

https://www.pinterest.com : I think the design of pinterest lends itsels seamlessly to scrolling aimlessly, shopping, sharing images, or really whatever the user is trying to use it for at any given visit to the site or phone app.

4. Provide a link to a website you think exemplifies effective communication

https://www.squarespace.com : Squarespace is the website I used to create my portfolio, and I'm not sure if this counts more as effective design or effective communication, but the website itself is just as easy to navigate as the websites you can create using their templates. At my internship this summer, I tried to look at other work made by the design firm that made our (really, truly awful) website, and on their page they didn't have any examples of other work, and it was impossible to navigate what little content they had. I think the design of Squarespace's homepage is initself an effective piece of communication because you have the same kind of experience that someone will have looking at the website you're about to create.

5. Provide a link to a website you think works well

https://www.buzzfeed.com : This might be a dumb answer, but there are actually so many websites that have tried to copy Buzzfeed's style, and none of them have nailed the layout in quite the same way. You can get lost in Buzzfeed for hours (especially if you're a mindless millenial like me) because the format allows you to scroll so easily and keep clicking related content.