99Designs Portfolio

So 99Designs recently developed a portfolio widget for designers to showcase their work. Here's mine!

Need a Logo Design? Try 99designs

Motion Design Character

Here's a sneak peak at my video project for my Motion Design class. It's a cutout animation to teach keyframing, composition hierarchies, and classic animation tweening. Click the image for the full image.

Melanie Payne

My Love:

Nuff said.

So You Want To Be A Web Designer: Part 1

I was asked to give an overview of some of the basics of web design for my cousin, and I had so much fun writing this little schpeal that I decided to share it with the blogging world. For those of you that are curious what it is I do for work, this is a little sneak peak at some of the things I've learned over the past year and a half doing web design. I hope you like it, and don't hit me if you don't! ;)

>> There are some basic things to know about how a website is made. I'll go into hosting and actually getting it seen on the internet at a later date. For now let's focus on the actual foundation of the site - the code. A website is made of these basic things:

• HTML coding (Hyper Text Markup Language) - I highly recommend reading up on what HTML actually does.
• CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) - This is what gives a website its layout, color, and text styling. It can do much, much more, but these are the basics. There are lots of considerations you have to make when using CSS. If you need help on a piece of code, feel free to ask and I will either answer or direct you to someone or some resource that has the answer.
• Images - While HTML and CSS are the backbone of a website, if you don't use any images in a website, you'll simply end up with blocks of color, perhaps some borders, and a jumble of different sized text. Images make a website come alive, and you can do just about ANYTHING by combining good coding and good-looking images. Use them for backgrounds, use them in animations, use them with logos, use them in your menus, use them in galleries, use them as accents in a paragraph. Go crazy, but not too crazy. There has to be balance, and when you have a few awesome images used in conjunction with good CSS and HTML, you've got a winner - someone might actually stay on your webpage long enough to read the intro paragraph. From there it's up to them...
• Pages - Just about every website on the internet is uses multiple pages containing HTML (e.g. a "Home" page, an "About Us" page, and a "Contact Us" page). You can have as many pages as you want, but keep in mind that you have to customize the code for each page and it can be tedious and risky to do so - more code means more mistakes. That's why many people (mostly advanced programmers) use Databases and PHP to create a template page that can switch out bits of code and refresh the page. I won't go into this now, it's pretty advanced for this discussion, but here is a resource that explains what PHP does.
• Hosting - For people to be able to view your website, you have to put it on a hosting server that is connected to the internet. This is essentially a hard drive that is constantly broadcasting a live feed of the files in a folder that contains your website. From there, when someone finds the address to the files (i.e. a URL), they can view your site in their browser. Voila! To do this, you are best off finding an online hosting company that will give you some instructions on how to host your site. You have to pay for these services and renew your agreement over time (you essentially rent space in their online apartment building) in order to keep your website viewable by the average Googling Joe. I will explain how to host your site in detail at a later date. For now, check out this site for useful definitions and this site for an overview of their hosting services.

Ok, so you know the basics on how a site is built. Now what about all that complexity I was talking about? Here's where the fun begins. There's a reason web designers get paid big bucks. They have to be programmers, designers, salesmen, managers, and other unpleasant jobs all at once in order to make a website that is clean, efficient, stable, and professional - and keep their demanding client in check but happy (Note: Clients often get antsy about when the site will be done and they will want to add a bunch of features that fly WAY out of their budget constraints. Learn to control that energy and get them excited about the work you're doing for them instead.).

>> Smashing Magazine. This website is an awesome resource for everything relating to web design. There are many more tutorials on here than I have listed, but just to point out some good ones that can get you started, here's a list of tips and tricks in modern web design:

>>> Use CSS (Cascading Style Sheets). The stuff here will show you the power of using style sheets in every website you make. The first covers simple layout techniques and provides templates and resources or getting started coding CSS right away. The second and third show you tips and tricks on what you can do with your div tags (div tags are style-able boxes used in just about every website made within the past 6 years or longer) to make your site look incredible. The fourth show even more tips and tricks. Try and combine these in every website project (Don't do EVERYTHING listed in EVERY project, but mix it up a bit and use multiple techniques on each project) to make your sites stand out.

• CSS Layouts
• Mastering CSS: Part 1
• Mastering CSS: Part 2
• CSS: Techniques, Tutorials, and Layouts

>>> Read books on web design. Smashing Magazine is printing their first comprehensive web design book next month, and you can get it for a discounted price (20% off) if you pre-order. I highly recommend this. Also look at stuff like "CSS for Dummies" and other such intro books, because if you study the basics, then augment it with the principles and tutorials taught in websites like Smashing Magazine (there are tons of others, this is just to get you started), you'll end up being able to make awesome sites that function correctly and efficiently across browsers (and trust me, that's super important!).

>> Also study how to work with the program you use to build your websites. If you're using a text editor, chances are you're going to have no hair by the end of the week. If you don't have or can't afford a program like Dreamweaver, there are other resources out there that can help you simply by color coding the HMTL and allowing you to preview the website. Just having a fancy program doesn't make it any easier if you don't know how to use the program.

I hope you learned a little about what it is I do on a daily basis, and for those of you that want to get into this stuff, I will be doing more of these turorial/discussions/lessons in the future. Either leave a comment or contact me if you want me to discuss something specifically. I'd love to help out by directing you to helpful resources and get you started on the right track!

Thanks for reading!

-Scott

National University

Sooooo..... I'm in my first class at National University (don't worry kids, I'm on break) and thought I'd share the experience. I'm in my multimedia class where I get to use Photoshop for all my projects. Could anyone think up a class better suited to what I like doing in my spare time??? Hahaha! I love it! The campus is awesome, the class has 10 students, the teacher rocks, and we are using sweet Alienware and Mac computers with *gasp!* up to date software and hardware specs! It's totally awesome.
In other news, in case some of you hadn't heard, I am indeed planning to move out to Tennessee by the end of the year (that means after Christmas) to grow a music venue and cafe/pizzeria on a college campus in Jacksonville with my friend Eric Ososkie. I'm super excited and everything has been falling into place to make it possible. I will most likely change my major to Strategic Communication (Marketing, PR, Project Management, etc.) after taking a few multimedia classes (I will come back for a second BA in Video Game Production and Design after I get back from Tennessee) because it's all online and is DIRECTLY related to what my responsibilities will be in TN.
In the meantime, I'm going to finish up some prereqs at Palomar, finish my outstanding web projects, and get myself ready to move out for a while. It feels like I'm going on a mission again, except the purpose is building a business model and experience that I can take with me back here to SD within the next year or two. I plan to be very successful with this whole endeavor. Risky? Yes. Worth it? I totally believe it will be. I've prayed about it, I've studied it out, I've helped prepare the business model, and Eric already has the music venue up and running - everything's just waiting for me to get involved.

What do you guys think about what I'm up to?

T-Shirts Anyone?

So I just started doing t-shirt designs. I did a few today, and plan to have a lot more coming. Check it out:

Nice Night

Today was a pretty good day, despite being incapacitated until noon today. I had another fatigue attack when waking up and couldn't get out of bed. It's weird how our bodies work - or don't work - at times.

After a while of trying to get back on my feet and into the groove of things, I was able to pick up my little brother from his last day of summer school. There was an extra bonus there because my dad stayed home from work today, so he went with me to pick Brandon up. It's always nice to have some alone time with my best friend. I love my dad so much.

I worked on a few things today (flash design projects and such) and finally felt some sense of accomplishment. After finishing that, I looked on Blizzard's website, since BlizzCon '09 is coming up later this year. Apparently they have art contests and other related contests that anyone can enter.

I was inspired.

Thanks to people like my dad and Andrew Young, I've gotten back into artwork, and now I see an opportunity to grow as an artist. I'm going to enter the competition. To others this might not be such a big deal, but to me, it's a form of resurrection. I haven't been drawing anything at all recently (unless you count website designs as art...), and with my concentration classes in college coming up this semester, it's about time I brushed off the old... brushes... and got to work on some original stuff.

I've always had trouble putting the concepts I see in my head down on paper. I love to imagine, to create, and to inspire, but it seems I'm hindered by my own heart and hands. While others create what they see with what seems like little to no effort, I have always been hindered by an overcritical eye and low expectations for my art.

I can be a good artist.

Looking back at some old pieces, I can see where I've messed up and where I've had successes. I need to keep practicing and become the artist I know is lurking around in my head. Just as a bear comes out of hibernation, I'm going to do my best to break out into the sunshine as a real artist.

Tonight was a good night. It was the beginning of what I could see as a great and satisfying career path. Yesterday my dreams and visions were just that. Tomorrow they will be realized. Now is the time to prepare.

Anyone else come to a similar realization?

Buffy vs. Edward

Ok, so we just got back from Transformers 2, and my dad pulls up this video. If you're a Twilight fan... go ahead and still watch it. If you're not a fan, I dare you to not laugh!



You're welcome.

-Scott

Microsoft's Kodu

So I've been watching the progress of a very interesting development from Microsoft's XNA development studio called Kodu. As the official site says, "Kodu is a new visual programming language made specifically for creating games. It is designed to be accessible for children and enjoyable for anyone. The programming environment runs on the Xbox, allowing rapid design iteration using only a game controller for input.

The core of the Kodu project is the programming user interface. The language is simple and entirely icon-based. Programs are composed of pages, which are broken down into rules, which are further divided into conditions and actions. Conditions are evaluated simultaneously.

The Kodu language is designed specifically for game development and provides specialized primitives derived from gaming scenarios. Programs are expressed in physical terms, using concepts like vision, hearing, and time to control character behavior. While not as general-purpose as classical programming languages, Kodu can express advanced game design concepts in a simple, direct, and intuitive manner."

This is soooo awesome, and I'm super excited to try it out. Check out the preview video and a letter I sent to the dev team regarding limitations and such on the dev tools within Kodu. If you're into games and have always wanted to try to make one, here's your chance. If a 12-year old could do it, so can you.



"Hi there!

I've been watching this project for quite a while now, and I've grown VERY fond of how you guys have been developing this awesome platform for codeless designers like me to learn to program and create games (based on ideas I've had brewing but never the know-how or resources to execute). I can see the truly endless potential of Kodu's framework and the outstanding GUI you all have implemented into the game.

Now on to my questions. As I've been thinking of games to try my hand at developing, I came across a few hitches that I haven't yet seen answered (it's very difficult to track down very much information on the specifics of the limitations of the project).

As I understand it, there will be 20 custom Kodu characters that each serve specific archetypes on which to build. Among those characters, will there be a humanoid type? I'm fine with the awesome Kodu characters, but for some ideas I had, I was curious if I could use a humanoid character in some of my games. (Or could I use my Xbox Live Avatar perhaps?)

When it comes to items and props, how many types of objects will be available? Along the same lines, will any of the 20 characters be able to be assigned actions to equip certain items that are assigned modifiers for the character's benefit?

Also, will there be any way to implement dialog boxes and NPC interaction besides blowing them up? If there is such a feature, will I also be able to create things such as inventories that keep record of items on hand and allow actions for equipping or using such items?

Will there be any way to link levels together (such as entering a dungeon from outside and being in an enclosed space with an isometric camera view) to allow for multiple levels within a game? Or will I need to simply make paths to these various levels and make it very clear that they are in a different area? Or can I assign teleport actions to certain doors and such and have them link to a separate part of the map, where the level is self-contained and set apart from the main overworld?

Finally, with regard to camera options, will there be a way to blend camera movements for tutorials and flybys? Say I have a character that is on flat ground and starts walking up a mountain. Until he begins the ascent, he has full camera control. Once he crosses an invisible marker, can the camera change properties and become a sidescrolling locked view of the character as he winds up the hill, then give back control when he reaches the top?

These are a few of the questions I've had. I'd really love to jump right into the experience when I purchase this next week, so it would be nice to have a little head start so I don't disappoint myself with hyped up expectations (by no fault of your own. The team has made it abundantly clear that this is first and foremost an educational tool for a younger audience).

I hope I haven't overburdened you with questions and hope you all enjoy the last days of development! You all rock and I'm so excited to try my hand at Kodu!!"

-Scott Hernandez

Restlessness

Ok, so about the last comment I made about getting out of the house.

Yeah.

It's hitting me right about now.

I am so restless I could tear my skin off. I want to go outside and play ball or swim or something, but I don't know where to start. I finished my work stuff a little early and my plans fell through for the night, so I have approximately 5 - 7 hours to do NOTHING. Here's how I see a conversation going if one of my physically active or sporty friends were to call me right now:

Friend: "Heeeeyyy Scott! How've you been??"

Me: "Great [insert friend name here]!! I'm glad you called, because I was afraid I was going to eat my computer mouse due of a brief spasm of boredom-induced insanity. Want to play base ball?"

Friend: "SUUUUURRREEE!!! That sounds super! Come over and pick me up and we'll hit up the park! I have 2 mits and a ball."

Me: "WHY AM I STILL TALKING TO YOU???"

Friend: "I know, huh???"

*Click*

Sooooo..... Any takers?? ;)

-Scott