Hilman Curtis: Process

A. What does Hilman Curtis mean by using a theme for a website? How can this approach affect how you design the site?
Having a theme for a website is having a main idea that everything (meaning the design, colors, images) is based on. This approach can affect how you design the site because it unifies everything. If you just have disparate pieces/images/parts, the site can fall apart. Hilman Curtis mentioned "Without communicating a theme, our designs will simply be pretty pictures... a bouquet of roses with no note attached."

B. The concept is the idea you formulate which illustrates your theme. What advice does Hilman Curtis give on developing a concept?
On developing a concept, Hilman Curtis suggests getting in the habit of recognizing themes in movies, books, art, magazine articles-- "all forms of creative expression" (53). When we can identify a project's theme effectively, we can apply what we see in them to our own work.

C. What does H. Curtis mean by Eating the Audience?
"Eating the Audience" means "[internalizing] the audience, considering them in every part of the speech process, from concept to delivery" (75).

D. When H. Curtis talks about Filtering, what is this, and when does this come into the design process?
Filters are limitations that we get either from our resources or where our final product will be presented (for instance, the internet). In the design process, filtering "forces us to constantly bear in mind that our designs need to work [and] communicate" (81)

E. Justifying: What is and how can this relate to filtering?
(... on the last page, the last sentence = "Which brings me to the final chapter of this section and the last step of our process: Justify" (89)-- is there a chapter missing?)

F. Write 6 sentences about your impressions about this article / his description of process. Does this apply to any other processes / ways of working that you do in other areas?

Hilman Curtis has a lot of good solid advice on how to organize a good website and how one should think about it "philosophically."

Quoting a quote in the article, "You have to sell the product, otherwise the design is crap." That goes very well in leading to the idea of themes: "Themes have power. They can communicate so much deeper than literal messaging" and "Without communicating a theme, our designs will simply be pretty pictures... a bouquet of roses with no note attached " (41). --This idea is very relative to Biomedical Art-- our illustrations are research and idea based. Definitely not just, like Hilman Curtis says, pretty pictures. They ARE pretty pictures but are meant to educate.

In the section on filtering, I really liked this: "[Limitations] can be seen as liberating frameworks that force you to streamline your work, thus making it accessible to the most people possible, both technologically and aesthetically" (81). Limitations are liberating. It's an oxymoron! But so true!! You learn to work within your boundaries and find loopholes in which you could be even MORE creative. Then will you become truly original. Heh heh heh.
H. Curtis also says "As designers, we get to communicate both visually and functionally.... It's an honor really, not a hindrance" (81). ALSO, "You can see either limitations as demons tearing your creative freedom away, or as angels freeing you from gratuitous elements and unfocused designs" (83). Embrace your limitations.
Now, that really makes me think of signing on a blog like this! blogger! You have a page where you can design the "look" (or the page layout/design) that "defines you"-- because after all, this BLOG is basically a journal of YOUR thoughts-- you should design it accordingly. Limitation-wise -- I guess for some-- if you don't have enough design knowledge, or software experience under your belt, you can't make a totally customized page. You might have to choose from pre-made layouts. Or if you are really dedicated, look up templates online and read all about customizing templates, etc. etc. So amount of experience maybe the limitation or the actual page size. But anyway, you have these boundaries you have to work within-- but if you can find information and codes, you would be able to make a truly personalized page. (I'm sure this is more than six sentences!)

BUT last quote I like!: "You sell the product by spotlighting what is unique about it while casting a shadow on its competitors" (29). It's cruel but hey, you have yourself to think about sometimes. Then again though, you can just spotlight yourself and not put other people down... not directly at least. Your work should speak for itself.