Templates and References

Templates
I hate templates. I edited the editable region on the main template and lost all the content on every other pages. So the conclusion is, never use template if you are a beginner in Dreamweaver! Loosing all the content was tough coz I had to re-create the content all over again. But it was a good learning process. After consulting Dr. Ken, I managed to find a better way to edit my website -> Use TABLES.

So I decided to use tables as a template. But before creating all other content, I had to make sure I am fully satisfied with the template in order to save time. So once I am certain of the template, I saved it in 6 different files (for 6 different pages).

The only problem is; If I decided to change anything, I'll have to change every single page. This is the troublesome part in creating a manual template. But then, it's better than loosing all your content ;)


Current Progress - Developing Content

So far, I have done 2 pages; Q&A and Quickies. I am still doing loads of research by referring to other websites such as CupcakeChic, YummyCupcakes & CupcakeFun. What I like about these websites (in terms of the layout and the content):

1. Cupcake Chic : Very simple and a straight forward design.
2. Yummy Cupcakes : Informative
3. Cupcake Fun : GREAT ideas, great design, loads of fun stuff.

I tried my best to combine all three designs and ideas into my website while creating the content. Here are some references / my source of information:

1. Recipes I refer to : Cupcake Fun
2. Baking tips : Nigella Lawson's.
3. Amazing Pictures : Happy Cakes Denver, Rachel, Minhnimie28.
4. Cupcakes names : Cupcake Lane Bakery

Those are all of my updated references for now :D

Starting The Index Page

I'm currently working on the index page. I've done the layout and put in the logo plus links to other pages. Here are some brief steps I took to build the index page:

Step 1
First is to re-create a logo that best suit the resolution for web. I tried cutting the images I did for the poster (last sem), but it looked horrible and very messy. Therefore, I decided to re-create Flutterby's header for the web, plus some buttons.

<-- Header

<-- Button 1

<-- Button 1 Rollover

Step 2
I like the 'table within a table' concept which Dr. Graphics illustrated in class. I find it easier to deal with tables rather than frames. As a start, I created a table according to what I need and added all the details needed.

Step 3
Then I saved it as Template (so that all my pages are the same). And I added an Editable region. After all is done, I saved it as index.html.

There you go. I still have loads to do, but that's my current progress =D

The Pre-Authoring And Authoring Process

Pre-Authoring Process

Alright, so it's time for me to start creating a website. But first, it's important to:

1) Gather all important information such as pictures & data from the internet.
2) Digg up all Photoshop, Illustrator & Flash files that I've done in the previous semester.
3) Research the internet further to find cool yet simple websites.


Managing The Media
And yes, Media Management is crucial, so I've arranged all the files that I have with me so far, into different folders. Will add up more files later on. Here's the overview of my folders:


The Authoring Process

Installing the Software (Tool)
As for the Software required, I decided to get the Adobe Design Premium CS3 CD from Syikin when the trimester begins. This CD contains all Adobe's latest software. Although this subject focuses more on Macromedia Dreamweaver and Flash, other softwares such as Photoshop CS3 and Illustrator CS3 is vital especially to edit the bitmap (pics of cupcakes) and vector (logos) files.


Creating A Site
For a kick start, I created a site and saved a test page. This site is named 'flutterbysite'. For those of you who are having a hard time starting, try creating a site. It should give U some moooooooooooood ;) [At least U'll feel like U've done something].


Importing Media Elements
After A site is created, I start Importing all the important stuff into the right categories.

Next? Time to have fun exploring the tools!

Since presentation is just around the corner, I'll have to speed up a lil bit! I'm waaaaayyyyy behind schedule :(

Will update soon. Till then, good luck all!

A Simple Proposal

Company Profile

Name: Flutterby Cupcakes

Product : Cupcakes

Description :

Flutterby Cupcakes provide Colourful Cupcakes of all sizes for all types of occasions such as Weddings, Birthdays, Engagements, Mother's Day, Baby Showers or even as a gift. These freshly baked cupcakes are suitable for all ages from kids, teenagers to adults. The best thing about Flutterby's Cupcakes is that it's made according to the clients desired theme such as Louis Voitton, Christmas, Rock, Kiddies, Easter, Valentines and many more.

Flutterby Cupcakes also provide Delivery services (in Klang Valley), Small greeting cards, and Flowers as a package to go along with the colourful Cupcakes.


Demographics or Target Audience

1) Malaysians

Cupcake Trends

According to Google Trends, Cupcakes trend have been increasing from year 2004 to year 2008. Google also ranked Malaysia as number 2 which might mean that Malaysians are fond of Cupcakes as compared to others. The trend of giving Cookies as a gift is widely seen in the United States (according to graph under cookies)

2) All ages

The graph above shows a man at the age of 68 was giving away Cupcakes as a gift on his birthday. This shows that Cupcakes are not only for the young generations but the elder ones as well.


References for content development

Referring to other sites made me better understand people's behaviours and needs. It help to broaden my ideas. I need to first understand how others view Cupcakes, their preferences and current news update in order to present the right information in my website.

Here are some interesting links about cupcakes:

Magnolia Cupcakes (The famous cupcake for the movie 'Sex and The City')

Why Cupcakes are HOT!

The Cupcake Class

Trendy Cupcakes


References for Website

1) Apple

I like the simplicity. This site was recommended by Dr. Ken and i fell in love with it the first time I looked at it. My favourite reference. But I need to put more colours on my page to fit my theme.

2) Cupcakes Take The Cake

It's not a website, it's a blog. But it's a good reference coz it's straight to the point and very simple. This blog is full of excitement!

3) Nike Woman

This page is really cool. I think the simple flash with the drop down menu looks attractive. The colours are bright and this page brings the readers to the right direction within a few clicks.

There are loads more references but I'm avoiding information overload. However, I will look at other websites from time to time to get more ideas on website layouts and content development.


The website

Theme : Light & Fun

Colour Blend : Brown & Pink & White

GUI :

Link Purpose

Home : To bring readers back to the initial page.

Products & Services :
To list out all the Services, Packages and Costs. Sub category -> Delivery, Flowers & Cards.

What's New? : Current promotions. Current events. Current News.

Contact Us : Email, Contact Number, Address.

Q & A : Customer inquiries

Quickies : Quick & Simple recipies. Baking Tips. Measurements (for baking).


That's all for now. Further addition (if any) will be added later on.

Wish me luck! =D

Part 2 of Flutterby Cupcakes

This second part is the continuation from previous project where I was assigned to create a poster and a short Video while exploring the tools in Adobe Photoshop CS2 & Adobe Premiere Pro. Only this time, the course focuses more on interactivity within a website (hence the name Interactive Multimedia). With the use of Macromedia Dreamweaver and Flash, I'm assigned to create a Website which consist of Text, Graphics as well as Animation (most important aspect).

I'll be using the same product & service which is 'Flutterby Cupcakes'. I chose the same product so that I can focus more on the software's tools & discover more things instead of wasting time to find a new product. This way, I can see the growth of my idea and skills through using more multimedia elements.

At the end of this trimester, I hope to have the experience of being a 'Webmaster' and learn to categorize content accordingly.

Cheers!

I showed my video to Dr. Ken and he said there are certain things i can improve:

1. The video towards the end with the jumping people, was a little too long (40 secs)
2. Need more Cupcakes images at the end of the video


Since I managed to complete my project slightly earlier, I had the advantage to edit it before the final submission. So here's my Video Finale:

Flutterby Cupcakes Finale

I think Dr. Ken has a point about the finishing of the video. After adding more cupcake images towards the end of the video, I think I'm satisfied with my work ;)

What Have I Learned? (Part II)

|Review of the Video|

1. T.I.M.E is precious
It took me almost a week to complete my video editing. I know I can go on and on since it's really fun, but Ms. May Chan (a lecturer from MMU) gave me a very good quotation when she talked about designing. She said 'The thing about designing is knowing when to stop"...

For me, that was the best thing to do. So I did my final editing and finally... I STOPPED! I know I'll never be satisfied with the outcome till the final day of the submission.

2. Recycle!
Most of the images used in the video was edited in Photoshop. I changed the brightness and the contrast to make the pictures look clearer and nicer. The first assignment has helped me a lot! Most of the pictures I edited in Photoshop for the Poster, was used again for the Video. Well, that was my approach to save loads of time ;)


|Problems|
There are some difficulties i faced while editing the video. And it took some time to actually find a way to solve it. In some cases, I cant solve it at all. Let's take a look at some of it in details :

1. The entire video file went offline

When the files are offline, the screen goes red. The first approach i took was to replace each clip one by one. It took a lot of time and by the time i managed to replaced all of it, It was time for me to leave for class. So I switched it on after I got back and guess what? It went offline again!!!

I had no other choice but to open a new Sequence and paste everything from the previous one. That sort of solved the Offline problem.


2. Program Shut-Down

There was something wrong with my video and I was unable to encode the file. Everytime i save it, the whole program shuts down. So again, I had to copy the whole finished video, opened it in a new project and export it as a movie.

Exporting it as a movie result to a larger file size. The file was 105,052 KB (too large for the web). But after exported, it's no longer a .propj (Adobe Premiere Pro). It's now an .avi file (I named it 'Sequence 01').

Then I opened a new project and dragged the 'Sequence 01' to the Timeline. Only then I was able to Encode it to a smaller .avi file. The size was almost similar, but the encoded file was only 4,158 KB. See the difference?

In my understanding, there might be something wrong with my software or one of my files was corrupted.