After downloading the WAMP server package I began exercises in the following areas –

•    Strings

•    Arrays

•    Variables

•    Constants

I found the actual application of the syntax for these functions was not too difficult, what was a little confusing was trying to visualise the actual use of each of these functions. I did each exercise twice in order to achieve a greater understanding of the syntax. Even after the second attempt things still seemed quite confusing.

Further exercises led me into concatenating strings and a further exercise discussed the use of adding comments into the code, in a similar way to HTML and CSS. As of writing I have just began an exercise that discusses in detail how to create a contact form using PHP. This is going to be the most important part of the whole assignment and there may well be further journal entries this week to capture that.

My major concerns at the moment are that I still seem to be trying to make my way through the fog when it comes to PHP, I don’t seem to be getting the whole picture of what it can do. The syntax seems quite easy to learn but the overall use of arrays, variables etc… that, as yet, is not quite clear. Hopefully another week of study will help de-mystify things a little.

This week has given me the chance to assess how I feel I am matching up to the schedule I set myself in the learning contract. I do feel I may have over-estimated the research phase of my contract, that has been a little worrying, but then again there is the theory that you can never do too much research. I may have over-estimated the hours but I still feel that they were put to good use as I had no idea about PHP and its capabilities before the assignment so the extra time researching the subjects has left me well equipped to face this learning phase of the contract.

I may have a re-think this week about the learning diary that I said I was going to hand in as part of the research phase. It think it may be a good idea to actually publish the learning diary online as part of my journal as well as hand in a printed version.

Word Count: 489

What is PHP?

PHP is a widely used server-side scripting language used in web development to produce dynamic web pages;  this allowed users to steer away from the static look of web pages.[1]
Designed by Danish programmer Rasmus Lourdorf in 1995… PHP was initially designed  as a set of Perl scripts that were used to enhance Lourdorf’s personal homepage. Two Israeli developers rewrote the parser in 1997 and changed the language name to PHP in the process.[2] [3]
PHP as well as being open source software is also a cross-platform technology which means that it will run on most operating systems including Windows, Unix and Macintosh.

Dynamic Web Pages.

We hear the words dynamic web pages a lot, so I think it important to take a moment here and assess what a dynamic web page is. It is a term I have heard mentioned but never really looked into properly before now.  A dynamic web page is a page that changes based on individual user needs. It responds to the user’s needs, and provides relevant information to meet them, by accessing information in a connected database.  A dynamic web page allows users to go beyond reading text and looking at graphics. It allows for an interactive experience, with the user being in control of the information he views.(4) An obvious example of this that springs to mind is the search engine Google.

WAMP.

With PHP being a server-side language I have had to look into what server to actually use. For this assignment I will be using WAMP, which seems to be the industry standard for Windows and is a package that includes a web-server (Apache) and a database (My SQL). WAMP is free to download and can be installed on all computers that use the Microsoft windows operating system.

MY SQL

My SQL is the worlds most popular open-source database (5) It is in fact a database management system for relational databases which means that it uses multiple tables to store its most discernable parts. By incorporating a database into a web application, some of the data generated by PHP can be retrieved from My SQL. (6) My SQL gives you the base in which to create, read, update and delete (CRUD) records or data. (7)

PHP:  Highs and Lows.

Careful research using the internet, books and even DVD tutorials has brought up the following list of advantages and disadvantages of using PHP.

Advantages:

• Open source, readily available.
• Free to use
• A huge support structure with an official site that offers forums, tutorials etc…
• Relatively easy to learn even without an understanding of other programming/scripting languages.[8]

Disadvantages:

• Error Handling: PHP is loosely typed, this allows room for unexpected behaviour due to programmer error that many other programming languages might not permit.
• Slower than optimized C++ programmes.[9]

PHP:  What it can do for me?

One of my major reasons for wanting to learn PHP is to help de-mystify my feelings about contact forms. I feel confident enough in designing forms in HTML/CSS but I really want to learn how to code my own using PHP. I also want to learn a lot more about CMS (Content Management Systems) and a knowledge of PHP is essential in order to further my knowledge in this area. These are the two specific areas I want to concentrate on.

Resources:

I have purchased the book and software mentioned in my learning contract and will undergo a series of exercises and tutorials to further my learning. I will also seek support from an internet forum and have joined that in readiness.  Before undertaking the next objective in my learning contract I thought I should re-visit the Honey and Mumford learning styles questionnaire. On my first visit to the questionnaire I was very clearly a reflective learner,  which I still am, but I did find that my scores were down in three of the categories; and surprisingly I scored higher this time in the activist category. The questionnaire seemed to highlight the fact that I am lacking in organisational skills, this has certainly been a problem throughout the course. In order to address this I have decided to set-out a weekly working time-table for myself that will hopefully improve my organisational skills.

1. Available at www.php.net/ (Accessed: 7/11/10)
2. Available at www.wisegeek.com/ (Accessed: 6/11/10)
3. Available at www.wikipedia.com/ (Accessed: 2/11/10)
4. Ullman, L. (2009) PHP 6 and MySQL 5, Ist Edn, PeachPit Press.
5. Available at www.mysql.com/ (Accessed:6/11/10)
6. Available at www.wikipedia.com/ (Accessed: 6/11/10)
7. Available at www.mysql.com/ (Accessed: 6/11/10)
8. Available at www.php.net/ Accessed: (9/11/10)
9.  Ullman, L. (2009) PHP 6 and MySQL 5, Ist Edn, PeachPit Press.

With PPD3 being a strict self-learning assignment, further research was needed to ensure that I listed skills that would be most suitable for working within the Industry. Web Design vacancies, both locally and nationally, generally advertised the need for web designers to have a good working knowledge of both PHP and JavaScript along with the usual demands for HTML and CSS.  I have always had an interest in JQuery and feel that some of the JQuery plug-ins can have a very positive influence on the look of a web-page. With the above in mind my three choices are as follows -

• PHP
• JavaScript
• JQuery

PHP:

PHP is a widely-used scripting language that is especially suited for Web development and can be embedded into HTML. PHP is used, among other things, to code contact forms and I feel I need to learn an understanding of how forms, specifically contact forms, are coded and how to best to design them to improve interaction with my targeted audience.

PHP Learning Resources:

Research into possible learning resources for PHP have led me to the following -

• PHP for the World Wide Web: Visual Quickstart Guide
• Build Your Own Database Driven Web Site Using PHP & MySQL

JavaScript:

JavaScript allows you to create highly responsive interfaces and provide dynamic functionality that moves web-pages away from a static look and feel. Some of the uses for JavaScript that I feel would be of huge benefit include being able to apply a search box to a web-page and also the greater use of rollovers. To be able to explore further uses for JavaScript within my web design work would be hugely beneficial for my future development.

Javascript Learning Resources:

• JavaScript and Ajax for the Web: Visual QuickStart Guide
• JavaScript Essential Training DVD.

JQuery:

JQuery is an extension of JavaScript – a library of plug-ins that offers snippets of code that can be embedded with JavaScript into HTML code. Plug-ins include the ability to create the lightbox option for images and also to give a gradient look to div tags. JQuery plug-ins are a huge resource to web designers and open up further visual opportunities.

JQuery Learning Resources:

• JQuery: Visual QuickStart Guide
• JQuery Essential Training.

Conclusion:

After looking over the three options and weighing up the importance and value of each to my learning I have decided to choose PHP as the subject of my learning contract. I feel that PHP is a skill that all web designers must possess and having struggled in the past to develop an understanding of even the basics of PHP I feel this is an area I need to develop and learn new skills in.

It was back in May of last year when I began to get my first thoughts of moving back to the UK from Spain. I felt it was time to finally grow up, come back home and actively seek out a career doing something I enjoyed. I really wanted to do this course as soon as I came across it; I considered it my last chance at ‘chasing the dream’.

I found the build-up to the very first day of the course quite disconcerting. It felt like I was heading out into dangerous territory; out of my comfort zone. I had a few worries; my chief one being; was I ready for this?

Having no kind of background in design or even in computing played quite heavily on my mind when the course started. And as the course unfolded I found myself struggling with very basic design tasks that everyone else in the course seemed to take in their stride, right from the word go I felt I was behind the pack and struggling to keep up.

I have mentioned this before in my journal entries but as this is an overview of my year I must clarify fully my problems with the software we have used. I had never used InDesign or PhotoShop before and the long hours I spent trying to grasp an understanding of these applications defintely took too much of my time and attention from other aspects of the course. I do consider myself to be quite a slow, reflective, methodical kind of person and I think that comes across in my learning too – I can be slow to grasp things.

Early Work Example

Despite my problems with the software I do feel my design skills have improved considerably. The lecture we received on the PARC principles really seemed to unravel a lot of the mystery I had felt about design. It clarified to me the difference between good design and bad and actually gave me the confidence and the tools to feel that I could attempt good design. Looking over the year I think these principles were the most important thing I learned.

Later Work

Casting a glance over the modules that have run throughout the course of the year gives me a feeling of regret. I could and should have done much better; I guess this is where the highs and lows make their entrance.

My biggest disappointment of the year was my referral for the WRL1 module. I find it quite embarassing to look back upon the report I submitted which, although quite well-written, headed in completely the wrong direction. I tried to be a little different when all that was required was a well written, informative report. I think my re-submitted and revised report would have hit quite a good grade but unfortunately the damage had been done.

Keeping an assessable online journal has been a very enjoyable part of the course and it is good to be able to look back through time and see how I actually felt at a particular moment. We were given reflective methods to follow such as Gibbs, Johns and Honey and Mumford; I have found it a little difficult to keep to those guidelines and have often felt a power struggle as to what I ‘want’ to write and what I feel I ‘should’ write.

Honey and Mumford Mind-Map

Learning HTML and CSS was the major reason I wanted to do the course and looking back over the module now I have to confess I found it disappointing and at times a litte uninspiring, which was contary to everything that I hoped it would be. There is a real rush, a real sense of creation from hand-coding a web-page and I was really looking forward to a series of lectures that would open up this world for us but we were pretty much left alone to learn and develop these skills. I had some major problems with my WRL2 assignment and I just didn’t feel I possessed the skills to deal with the problems.

The toughest aspect of the course so far is the home-study. Having the discipline to sit myself in front of the computer when I don’t really feel like doing so has been a major problem. I look back now to the advice we were given by the second-year students, they made it clear how important it was to “put the hours in”. I haven’t always put the hours in and that is a major regret I take away from this first year.

Although I have made progress over the year, the progress has been somewhat stilted in comparison with some of my fellow students. I hope to put that right over the summer when I am planning to try and absorb more fully what I have been taught.

Looking ahead into Year Two and I aim to be fully prepared for the challenges that lay ahead. I never really felt that I was ready during this first year; it has been a battle throughout. I’d like to take a little time out to grasp an understanding of PHP and improve my HTML and CSS skills. I hope to achieve both goals by trying to build up my own personal portfolio which I hope can present a more thorough representation of what I have learned than what I can offer at this moment in time.

The major difference I’ve always felt between art and design is that an artist is someone with an inherent natural ability, someone who possesses a skill that cannot be taught or trained and as such there doesn’t seem to be the ‘mechanical’ feel to art as there seems to be to design. Design seems to be something that can be taught and once the designer actually understands and takes grasp of certain rules that seem to apply to all design then someone of limited natural ability can become a good designer. Art, I feel doesn’t offer the same options and doesn’t seem to be governed by such rules and it could be argued that art gives much more room for creative expression; a much greater need to be bespoke. Art can be a very personal thing with the ability to rouse emotions; I’m not sure the same can be said of design. I think with good design comes the appreciation and a respect that the designer has followed ‘the rules’. With web design other issues must be brought to the table that can stifle creativity, such as accessibilty and usability.

Since starting this course and submerging myself in this environment of design, the more I realise that I am not actually very creative visually; maybe that’s unfair? perhaps it’s more of a case of not being able to capture what I envisage in my mind into any kind of visual medium; I find that immensely frustrating. I feel enslaved by my limitations, my limitations with software, my limitations with the actual concept of design itself. I am finally beginning to learn the rules of the game, now it’s a case of putting them into practice, letting the creative process flow naturally. At the moment I find my inexperience and lack of knowledge quite stifling and at times it can crush any form of creativity I may have.

Where does that leave me? Well, I’m no artist and at the moment I’d be hard pushed to label myself as a designer but I am slowly learning the rules, putting them into practice is the next step.

Word Count: 433

The Digital Imaging assignment gave us seven seperate designs to work on, ranging from small banners through to a full web-page design and even included a little basic animation. This was all to be done using Photoshop CS4, which I was really looking forward to learning to use.

Photoshop CS4

WD1 was to be our introduction to HTML and CSS; the module was clear, our website design from the previous Interface Design assignment was to be coded in HTML and CSS and made ready to be uploaded onto the web.

HTML Dog (Our Sourcebook)

It was clear very early on that there was a lot of work involved in both of these assignments. Part of our task was to organise a practical working schedule that we could adhere to. Looking back on it now I realise how important this schedule would be and how much our tutor was trying to press home its importance. I was very nonchalent about this aspect of the assignment and I’m beginning to realise now that a nonchalent attitude at the beginning of an assignment normally spreads right through to the end of an assignment.

I was disappointed to learn that neither of these two assignments would be lecture-based, as I do find the lectures the most enjoyable aspect of the course. WD1 asked us to follow a series of online tutorials, which I must confess were helpful up to a certain point. The basics of HTML and CSS were quite easy to pick-up but as we moved onto the more delicate and tricky areas I began to struggle. I found trying to design my contact form page particulary difficult. We were instructed to find the solutions to various problems from online sources but looking back over the module now I do feel that a couple of lectures on one or two of the more hard-to-master things in WD would have been invalueble.

I struggled with the DI assignment throughout; right from the original thumbnail sketches to the actual final designs. The thumbnail sketches were a little bit of a dilemma for me as I had no idea of my design capabilities using Photoshop; should I keep my design ideas very simple or try and be a little more adventurous? It is very difficult to judge when you have no idea of what you are actually capable of with the given software. (Does this sound familiar?) I decided to leave the thumbnail sketches for the time being and spend some time trying to master some Photoshop basics through a series of tutorials. On-line tutorials can be both immensely helpful and terribly infuriating but most importantly they can be very time-consuming. I had mentioned in seminar group that one of my major problems is I can get frustrated very easily and when frustrated I tend to give up on things. A month into the assignment and I was well behind schedule and morale was pretty low.

It had been decided that during our weekly seminar group meetings we would be called upon to show our progress on the DI assignment. It was here that my lack of progress became very apparent causing the tutor to ask quite forcibly, “Do you want to be a Web Designer?”

It was a fair question! And it was a question that had been on my mind a lot.

I was now under a lot of pressure to deliver a miracle at the last minute and come up with some suitable designs. No matter how much I tried I was finding it very difficult to make my design ideas look effective in Photoshop.

The build-up to assignment hand-in was a disaster. I was well behind schedule and spent a full weekend working on both assignments with no sleep whatsoever. Working so intensely, without sleep, is not something I want to go through again. The work I submitted was rushed, it lacked finesse and I really feel, once again, that I could have done so much better. When pressed into action I found that I was a lot better with Photoshop than I originally thought and If I had stuck to my original working schedule I could have handed in some very presentable work.

What have I learned?

I really am lacking that vital edge, that little bit of self-belief. I need to fully focus on the assignment from day one, make a good solid start. Listen to my tutor, take in the advice he is giving. If I can do that then I know I can deliver some pretty decent work.

Word Count: 785

Family of Man Plaque

Situated at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park and sitting prominently on a hillside overlooking an horizon that reaches out far into the Yorkshire countryside ‘The Family of Man’ seems to have found its spiritual home.

Family of Man Piece

‘Modernism’ is not a word that appeals to an old traditionalist like myself and especially when it comes to art. My father, an architecht by trade, was also a little-known artist and it was from him that I learned to love and appreciate some of the works of Goya, Constable and the irrepressable Gaughin, artists whose works are bathed in history and revel in an age and era long since gone.

To me ‘The Family of Man’ is a cold, harsh piece of art, perhaps that was Hepworth’s intention, perhaps not, but viewing it on a cold February morning, with a slow wind blowing hauntingly through the air, the kind of wind that makes you feel alone and as one with nature itself, it is easy to come away with that impression.

Family of Man Lower viewpoint

The work itself comprises of nine bronze monoliths spaced out unevenly over the contours of a small hillside. Is this uneveness deliberate? is it intended to give representation to the role of man amongst nature and with God? Viewing the piece from the top of the hillside gives one a feeling of power, of dominance which lies in complete contrast when viewing it from the bottom of the hill; where one gets a feeling of subservience, of knowing mans place in the whole sphere of life and existence.

Subconsciously I found an overwhelming feeling of death about the whole thing; the towering figurine at the top of the hill seemed to signify Jesus and my mind raced with neon flashes of crosses and the cruxifiction of Christ. The nine statuettes seemed like ghostly apparitions amidst a rising mist and the eerie wind seemed to add to this feeling.

‘The Family of Man’ may well be Hepworth’s most famous work and it is indeed thought-provoking but it left me asking more questions than it actually answered.

1. Barbara Hepworth, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Hepworth, Accessed on 18/02/10

Word Count: 393

To the untrained eye it is quite difficult to grasp the actual effect that typefaces have on our day to day lives without our ever fully realising it.

BBC Logo

During the course of the lectures, as my learning increased and my eye became accustomed to actually evaluating typeface, I found it quite amazing to see how the mind can be manipulated to a certain degree by the use of typography. On a quiet moment I would find myself actively seeking out shop-signs, advertising boards and assessing their effect on the untrained eye.

The benefits of this as the module gathered momentum are, I think, there to see in some of my designs that were handed in as part of this module and even had a good effect on my Interface Design module too where I really feel I found a effective typeface for my web-site header. I now realise that typography plays a huge part in the make-up of a website and words, letters, the actual shape of how words are set out are not to things not to be taken lightly.

The renowned American type designer Frederic Goudy once famously quipped, “Anyone who would letterspace blackletter would steal sheep” and I think that statement does summarise how important it is for any web designer to possess a deep-rooted knowledge of type both from a practical and historical point of view.

Frederic Goudy at work

Looking back over the module I was delighted to pass but the delight was tinged with a little regret that I could have put a little more into it and achieved a much higher mark. My revision for the written examination was last-minute but I was delighted with my score. My practical design work was mediocre at best but I did feel there were signs that I was beginning to grasp the basics. So, a tip of the hat to Messieurs… Gill, Goudy, Miedinger, Caslon and Bodoni.

Word Count: 393

It wasn’t an easy option to leave my girlfriend and her two children, it took a lot of soul-searching but this course eats into a large chunk of your life and especially for a person such as myself; pretty much a newcomer to web design. There are huge time demands; huge pressures; so much to learn and so much depends on the key area of self-study.

I can readily admit that a lack of discipline in self-study has been very detrimental to me on the course so far – combine this lack of discipline with so many distractions at home and the end result can only be failure and that is not something I wish to contemplate. So here I am, back in Lancashire, back in Leigh, my little home-town, where our only claim to fame is that the author and screenwriter James Hilton was born here.

James Hilton

I now have my own little study area, surrounded by photos, pictures and other little personal items that can help bring a little inspiration to my work. In other words a place where I can be alone to focus fully on what I need to do.

My chief concern now is the two assignments from last semester; results are due and I fear the worst but am prepared and ready for it. I feel those assignments are the last remnants of the life I’ve left behind and If I can just get through with passes I’ll be more than happy and for the first time I will really feel confident of what lies ahead.

Semester 2 is upon us and with it comes new demands, new assignments and the need to organise our study time is more important than ever. I feel I’m now ready to take on the challenges, perhaps that’s because of the sacrifices I’ve had to make to be in this position.

Word Count: 386

Browsing through my sketchbook it is apparent how much we have been taught even at this early stage, but I still don’t feel that I’m actually putting what I’ve learned into practice. My sketchbook work is pretty poor, although I always knew this would be a problem for me. My thumbnail work and annotation are areas where improvement can be made. Knowing my limitations on InDesign I often neglected my thumbnail work during the typography tasks in order to get my digital work ready for presentation – all annotation was done by trial and error on the screen. During the Interface Design assignment I was able to take the time to put a little more work and clarity into my thumbnails and annotation and I can now see the benefits.

Thumbnail sketches

When it comes to actual design work I really feel I am improving. I am slowly beginning to get a feel for colour and the use of space; this isn’t something that comes naturally to me so my progress in this area is particulary pleasing. I was really happy with my original web-site design for my Interface Design assignment, unfortunately I had to make some changes due to difficulties that may occur when creating the site in HTML but my original design idea really pleased me.

Interface Design (Original Idea)

I must confess that I have found the workload we have been given to be pretty daunting at times. At one point I had four assignments running concurrently and having to deal with that kind of pressure is not something I am used to. The workload may have been intensified by the amount of time I have had to put into getting a basic knowledge of InDesign. That has been my biggest obstacle on the course so far and in my eyes the time I have spent trying to master InDesign will have cost me a lot of marks on both my Typography and Interface Design assignments. Looking back I really feel I could have done well on both these assignments but due to time constraints I know I will be struggling to achieve a basic pass mark at best.

My time-keeping and organisational skills have really let me down badly up to now. I have been working last-minute on every one of my assignments so far, including journal entries, which I don’t feel is the best way to go about achieving the quality of work that I want to submit. I think my time in Spain has given me a ‘mañana’ attitude which is stubbornly refusing to budge.

My biggest disappointment of the semester was a referral for my Work-Related-Learning assignment. Everyone else before me had passed and as I walked back into the classroom and had to let everyone know I had failed; it was quite humiliating and not an experience I want to go through again. Looking back on it now makes me quite angry because the reasons the work wasn’t good enough were very apparent and it didn’t take much to resolve the problems to a passable grade but I need to work on getting things right first time.

I feel the support offered through the first semester has been excellent, both from my tutor and from my fellow classmates. Fully utilising this support is another matter, I do feel reluctant to be troubling fellow students who are under the same pressures as myself, even though it has been made clear that everyone is more than eager to help. We do have a great bonding within the group and I love the atmosphere within the classroom.

It’s been a semester of ups and downs, a realisation of what is needed to be successful at this level. I wanted to set myself a challenge and I’ve certainly done that – I’ve learned so much but I feel I’ve let myself down at times. I’ve recently had to make some changes in my personal life that I hope will give me the time to focus fully on the next phase of the course.

Word Count: 741