Post-Write: Web Design Project

For this project, we were instructed to create an original and professional digital portfolio website including projects we have completed so far this semester. The audience for the website was a future employer, so it was also important to add some information about ourselves and a copy of our resume.

The first step in creating my website was choosing a design theme. I chose to use the website creator, Weebly.com, to create my website because I knew that it offered many customizable options, as well as optional HTML use. The template design that I chose for my website included watercolor pictures of a tree and a navigation bar and page border accented with watercolor bush strokes. This image makes sense with the page because I believe it reflects my personality and still looks professional. I made sure to choose a template with plenty of white space so that readers would not have to spend excessive time one each page. I tried to use minimal text on each page not to overwhelm the reader. My theme was consistent throughout the website pages, and it is simple enough not to detract from the message of the website.

On my home page, I introduce the reader to myself in an “About Me” section. In this paragraph, I include some information about myself, what I would like to do in the future, and what I am doing now to move toward my goals. I also include a link to my blog for this class because it describes even more about the projects I have done in the class, as well as additional skills and knowledge I have acquired thus far in the course. I also include a button that links to a PDF copy of my current resume so that readers can see more of my skills and experience.

On the other pages of my website, I gave examples of course assignments for the reader to view. I began with a brief paragraph explaining what the project consisted of, as well as skills used to complete the project, giving the reader a clear understanding of what I accomplished. I included buttons, which linked to a PDF copy of the different documents my project consisted of. I chose to use PDF copies so that viewers could not alter them in any way and additionally viewers would not have to download all of the files in order to view them. I chose to remove my address and phone number from the documents that originally included them for safety reasons. I only included essential items on each page, and I created a different page for each project, rather than grouping them all together on one page.

My website can be found at ellencampbelldigitalportfolio.weebly.com.

Workplace Culture

Recently in class we read an article by Jim Henry entitled "Writing Workplace Cultures." In this article, Henry describes the reality of workplace cultures today. He says that in today’s world, hiring and firing occur constantly, and it is very easy to be surpassed by others in your field. His arguments go along with the idea of fast capitalism, which we talked about in class. All around us, we can see just how rapidly technology is advancing, and it seems that new ideas and products can never come out fast enough. This is similar with the workplace culture that Henry is defining. Companies want to showcase newer and newer ideas, and so workers get overturned more rapidly to fulfill new demands. This means that we, as prospective employees, must take on an educating role. We must show employers why we are important and why they need us. We also need to show them that we have a diverse and flexible skill set which we can adapt to a broad range of workplace scenarios. What are the skills we need to do this? A digital portfolio is surely a good start, and that is my next project.