module specification

This moduleinitially introduces the visual skills and authoring tools required to make web sites.  You will develop a visual theme as a response to a brief, create the required assets and use authoring tools to code the site. You will also learn how to structure information and create a logical navigation system. These skills will then be integrated with media formats from other modules to orchestrate a multimedia campaign or project.  Images, text, sound, animation and or AV production will be combined through a given brief. Students will be encouraged to work in teams to simulate working practice in a design studio, organizing themselves into small production groups.

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The module aims to:

1. to provide student with a firm grounding of web design theory, along with the practical skills needed to build functionally effective and visually appealing web sites.
2. introduce basic theoretical and practical understanding of server-side programming and web site management. 
3. encourage collaborative working, and apply specialist knowledge by contributing to design team project
4. develop students’ project management skills, and how best to critically reflect upon the process.

An indicative programme of study covers the following:
• Theory of web design
• separation of content from structure and presentation
• Practical web design
• Pre-production, paper design and proptotyping
• correct use of XHTML and CSS and web authoring software
• asset production and rich-media content
• Design theory, accessibility issues, aesthetic appeal and function
• Web site management
• Production planning
• understanding brief requirements and understanding target audience
• team organization strategy
• Digital media production
• design and pre-production
• asset collection and management
• testing and post-production
• time and deadline management
• purpose and methods of critical evaluation

The initial part of the module will be delivered through a series of lectures, seminars and practical workshops.  On line resources and tutorials are available and students will be encouraged to take advantage of these. Group projects will be supervised and tracked through tutorial support where feedback can be given on a weekly basis. Students will be expected to keep an online record of their progress with regular reflective entries.

knowledge and understanding:
1. Understand the concepts of content, structure and presentation in web design.

cognitive intellectual skills:
2. Collectively organize and produce a suitable response to a digital design brief.

transferable skills including those of employability and professional practice:
3. Contribute to effective planning as part of a digital media production team.
4. Monitor, record and analyze one's own progress.

subject-specific practical skills:
5. Work in a group to produce a coordinated response to a brief, integrating a range of media.
6. Use web page authoring and styling code to create media rich web sites

Deuze, M. (2010) Managing Media Work; Sage
Frain, F. (2012) Responsive Web Design with HTML5 and CSS3; Packt Publishing
Kraisztuin, G &Schlempp-Ulker, N.  (2006) Visualising Ideas; Thames and Hudson, London
SHEA, D. and HOLZSCHLAG, M. (2005) The Zen of CSS Design; Peachpit, Berkeley
Tatroe, K. et al (2013) Programming PHP;  O'Reilly Media
Weyl, E. (2012) What's New in CSS3; O'Reilly Media
Williams, R. and  Newton, J. (2010) Visual Communication: Integrating Media, Art, and Science; Routledge
Frieze [journal] Sharp and Slotover
.net [journal] Future Publishing