The final leg of the journey begins I have come a long way in my time at university and it is refreshing to think that it will soon be over and I can some how gain back some of life in which IMD has stolen. Over the Christmas break I concentrated on organizing my workload and getting ahead of the game so that when I return to university to finish off the final semester I will be ready and if read up on the necessary resource material needed to to this it will ensure I will be up to speed.

Essential reading material for reference and guidance Coinciding with the knowledge I have already gained within the aspects of design and ASP coding I still purchased some books that would help me learn a lot more and be a beneficial resource if I ever was struggling to find the answer to a particular problem. I have included a few images of these books below.

Designing Brand Identity
This was the first book I purchased. I remember Chris and Nick explaining that this was a great book to buy as it showed everything there was to design and develop a brand identity for a particular brand and to make it successful. I must say I have found the book a big help and after purchasing it over Christmas it was a big help for me when coming up with the idea for the Turntable Junkie logo and brand and how I intend to market this as a package.

CD - Art: Innovation in CD Packaging Design
This was another book which I decided to purchase as I am a big fan of CD artwork and in particular many of my favorite vinyl records have some of the best covers. This probably comes from the vast collection of music in which my father and I have collected over the years yo always remember a specificcover. I think this book will be a great resourcewhen I come to making the compilationalbums for the brand and shown in some of the examples in the book a minimalistapproach seems to work well with many of the complex designs.

Sams Teach Yourself Active Server Pages 3.0 in 21 Days
One of the major technologies i'm going to implement for use in my website will be that of ASP in conjunction with Microsoft Access database and SQL. I was lucky to have already gained some knowledge on this previously during my time on placement and also within many of the jobs I have undertaken within my freelance work so I have some sort of knowledge to begin with. One big reason in choosing this book though is that it shows many advanced techniques which I may be able to implement into the Turntable Junkie website and various tutorials to help me in the process. Again as with all the books I purchased I bought this from Amazon. I am sure it will be beneficial to me when it comes to a certain problem I may have to find the answer to in coming weeks.

Theme mock up of website and Gantt chart review


Following my Gantt chart which is shown in the image above I have started the development of the theme mockup design for the website. So far I have been looking at various new websites and existing websites in which I researched last semester associated with my brand and similar to what I am doing with my brand to give me a feel for such areas as content layout, navigation and color. I will be able to show the finished theme mock up design in the coming weeks once it is complete.

Other elements of research this week


http://www.udc.nl/
When looking for inspiration for the theme design I looked at various related websites associated with what I am trying to achieve with Turntable Junkie to give me a good understanding and feel for what way I would like to present the overall scope of the design concept. In doing this I looked at some of the previous websites in which Ihad visited lastsemester which too my surprise hadbeen updated with a fresher new look and also some new websites which I had been advised to check out. This first website in which I looked at was for an events and promotion company called UDC and what immediately caught my eye was the simplistic approach to the website and the neat and tidy element shown with the animations throughout inorder to tie together the main content and graphical nature of the website. This will be something inwhich I can look at with the theme design and highlight this with the interactive features in which Iintend to include within the website. Another excellent feature in which I picked up on was the animated logo which I must say offers a lot more in terms of dimension to the wesbite and if I can mimic this in my own design it will immediately catch the users attention and give an overall gloss and sheen to the header design of the website.

http://www.thunderdome.com/
Thunderdome was one of the websites I had looked at previously in last semester but I wanted to take a closer look at it again to look at the design aesthetic sandsee how I could apply these to my overall look and feel of the Turntable Junkie website. In particular what I like about the Thunderdome website is the somewhat grungy and dirty feel of the website this is highlighted in the background ofeach page and the fact that it is given a barcode, ripped and paint splatter effect which reallylooks well. One other design aspect which I looked at further detail was the video section of the website as it is clear to see that the design aspects have been kept to good effect showing not only the video but also the video ina grungy and dirty orientated window. Also I like the way the effects have been used within the video which is something Iwill look at in further detail in the coming weeks of 5 and 6. It also got me thinking of putting in a video element into the opening screen to immediatelycatch the users attention upon entry.

http://www.meganite.co.uk/
This next website in which I looked at this week to pick up some influence and guidance forcolors andlayout is for another of the websites in which I had looked at in semester 1 but since the last time I had accessed the website I have seen a significant difference in the overall change in design. This includes such things as the color scheme which to be said looks really well asit has been changed from a vibrant red to a neon like blue tone. Another feature which has remained though which I am glad to see is the fantastic multimedia elements on each page. When I had looked at this website before this was one of the main reasons why it caught my eye because of such elements as the gallery and audio features allowing users to listen to mixes and new releases. Lastly one of the best features which the website certainly gets a thumbs up in my eyes is the structure of data and how each piece of information is shown on the page in the best possible way. This is tanks to an excellent information hierarchyand great use of color to breakup the text.

Feedback on my Major Project Proposal This week the class were explained that we would be receiving some feedback on our Major Project Proposals. I personally think this will be a good thing as it will give myself a better indication of the key areas I need to focus on involving my project and what I can achieve. To be honest before I made the trip to the Art college to find out what Chris and Nick had to say about my Major Project Proposal I was feeling confident but also had a small hint of nerves. But when I thought about things I knew I had put the effort in and had received positive feedback in the past so I was ready for my feedback.

I must say that I was very happy with my feedback after the session, Chris and Nick both liked my idea and the fact that I am an ambitious person with clear ideals and where I would like to take the project and I received excellent marks in regards to the marking criteria. One thing which Chris and Nick did mention to me which I did find to be understandable and true at times whenever I am devoted to my work was that I may do a little too much sometimes and set my sights a little to high and if I was to cut back a little and focus on the main areas the end product such as my major project will be successful and much better because of this.

They mentioned that they thought my project was over ambitious and this is not a problem if you are an ambitious person but sometimes you also have to realistic in the process. I do feel after looking at my project plan and breakdown of the various elements of the website after the talk that this is a valid point and although it may seem I am trying to take on the world if I think about my project in better context and focus this will ensure I produce a project that runs to a smooth timescale and in turn be of a high quality.

I must say though apart from this one comment which I suppose is not too bad overall I came out of the meeting feeling good about my work and it will allow me to rethink the project and adjust it accordingly to a more realistic work load and timescale. One thing I will point out though is that I have never been more driven to succeed than I am now and I know I can achieve everything I have set out to achieve in my new revised project plan all I can do know is knuckle down and get stuck into it.

Reviewing my Major Project Design Elements As I mentioned last week I had given some thought and am eager to crack on with the project and in particular designing a theme mock up of what I would like the website to look like in aesthetic quality and functionality. Before I went ahead and did this however I decided to review soem of the elements in which I had set out in my Major Project to see that I am overall happy with what I want to go forward with. I did this as Chris had mentioned in the Chat that some elements such as the logo could be tightened up and enhanced slightly to give an overall quality finish. I took this information on board and went about the task of developing my logo further and trying out various other concepts to show it off in its best light. I have shown each of the designs below to show different aspects of color and tone.

Original Logo Design Concepts


Shown above is the original logo designs in which I created. For the purpose of showing the logos in their best context I have shown an example of the original logo design with the desired colorscheme and also an example with the colors inverted to show how it may be used for other uses.

New Logo Design with simplistic approach


In regards to the examples above I decided to experiment with the logo design and use elements already present and display them in a different way to see if it gave the same impact or not. I was advised to try this by Chris as he explained to me in the previous chat on Friday that by doing this it will allow me to express the logo a bit better and sometimes logo's do not need to be complicated as the simplestlogos work the best. This can be seen in this example as I have stripped elements including the number of rings to symbolize the contours of the record / slip mat giving a more balanced approach to the layout I feel. I have however kept a small bevel effect on the centre piece through to give the logo some life

New Logo Design with minor alterations


For the next logo design example I took the design aspects of the previous design and altered them slightly. Firstly I took away the light bevel effect I had applied to the centre of the logo and I also made the image of the pill slightly larger to extenuate the overall make up of the logo. Again to see how it would look in a different context I placed the text for "Turntable Junkie" and the tag line "Music is the Drug" to the right of the logo instead of underneath. After doing so and stepping back from the screen to give myself a better perspective I was pleased with the new layout and I could see this logo being used in the future for different elements of stationary and business cards If I choose to do so.

New Logo Design with Vector art added


For the last logo revamp you could say this week I decided to experiment and do something different with the logo and the design principals associated with the logo itself. For this I used some vector art. I have always been a big fan of vector and art and feel that it is something which has certainly took off with designers over the past year as we are seeing more and more of it on the Internet. For this logo design I incorporated a piece of vector art in which I created using a mixture of Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Fireworks. I decided to create a piece of vector art which symbolizes growth and has various elements spawning from the logo. I think the overall effect looks well and I could see this being used in the the theme mockup as I am sure I could incorporate vector art into my theme design in some way.

Color Scheme


Following on form reviewing my logo design and how I could improve this I has a brief look at my color scheme. Although I had already picked my core colors and outlined this in my Major Project Proposal I decided I would look at this in detail again so that when I eventually got to the theme design I would have a clear understanding of the core colors I would use. To be honest I already knew I would use the red, black and white color scheme but in looking at the vibrant orange color scheme with the grey influence I could see how I may wish to incorporate this into some of the design or indeed a particular page that needs a presence. This use of color would be ideal.

Initial Theme Mock up layout sketches
Layout 1



Layout 2



Layout 3



After giving myself a good insight and a bit more scope in regards to my ideas with the improved logo designs and review of my color scheme I made a start at coming up with the theme design for Turntable Junkie. I sketched out various layouts to give me a chance to experiment with different layouts on screen and how I may structure the flow of information. I have displayed the 3 varying designs in which I sketched out above.

Other elements of research this week

http://convertible.id-t.com/2007/rotterdam/
This was a website in which I found by accident when clicking on a link from another Dance and electronic related website in which I regularly visit. I am glad that I found it though as I think interface wise this is one of the cleanest and sleekest websites I have visited in a long time. For me this is another excellent example of how Flash is being used to good effect to create an excellent website. Talking about the website itself it is for a new dance music event based in yes you've guessed it Holland and in particular Rotterdam called Convertible. I love the use of the vibrant Pink color and I will intend to Portray Turntable Junkie in the same way with it's main colors of Red and Black. Within the website animations will appear when you visit various elements on screen and what particularly drew my attention was that of the Dj profiles page I liked the way each of the images and profiles are generated on screen and this is something I know I can include in the design for Turntable Junkie to make each DJ and Artist and out as an individual in their chosen field.

http://www.tiesto.com/
This website is another of my recent favorites in which I have picked out for various reasons. DJ Tiesto has gone through a lot of brand changes over recent months and this is ever present in his latest tour and album for Elements of Life. I picked this website to include in this weeks section of my blog for the main reason that I really like the imagery and use of high quality images. It just goes to show with right amount of time spent on good graphics and images it will distinguish how well a website is portrayed to the viewing public. In particular I would ask you to draw your attention to the pages indicating the various events taking place on the tour I particularly like the sleek captions and clever use of tone change within the opacity of the text boxes overlaying the background image.

Initial sketches for new portfolio website layout
Initial Sketch 1



Initial Sketch 2



Also this week, I decided after hearing in the lecture what Chris and Nick said about our portfolio websites and the importance of getting them up and online to gain exposure for proposed employers and clientele I decided design myself a new portfolio website . To be honest I had been looking to do this for some time now as I feel it is a vital part of every designers life to have their portfolio viewable on the web allowing a chance for them to showcase their talents and work thus hopefully gaining more exposure and job opportunities in the future. Initial sketches for my proposed design is displayed above.

Design of new portfolio website Sketches
Sketch 1



Sketch 2



After I had made a start and sketched out some initial sketch designs last week I took it upon myself to do a second batch of sketches this time concentrating on the main key features in which I wanted to include on the website to make it look good not just to the user but so that I myself was content with my overall layout and design. Shown above I have displayed the final sketches of what I would like my finished portfolio website to look like. If you select the image by clicking upon it this will enlarge the image to get a better overall view and context.

Design of new portfolio website Wireframes
Wireframe 1



Wireframe 2



After I had sketched out my final portfolio design and I was happy with the overall look and feel the next step for me was to create the wire frame layout for how I wanted the website to look. In doing this it will give me a great indication of where I wish to place each and every graphic and also the various sizes in which I want to make each of the graphics in proportion to the main textual content. Also in doing this it gives me a better insight, into where the logo and main header design will be placed and proportioned and how I intend to display my navigation.

Influences and concepts behind my portfolio design


When looking for some guidance and influence in what I was trying to achieve in regards to the color and layout of my website I stumbled upon a very nice, clean and web 2.0 orientated website for Shine nightclub based in Belfast. Although this is not a portfolio website and is more geared towards that of a nightclub and promoting music I felt I could certainly use many of the key elements contained within this website and use it to the best of my ability by transferring these design ideas to that of my own portfolio website. What I found the most striking on this website was the excellent use of color to split each page and section of the website up. This can be clearly seen in the examples in which I have included above and below showing two different pages and how the color works to an excellent degree.

Another excellent feature in which I picked up on and stood out for me was the main header design and how the the smooth transition of contrast between the header and navigation with a small usage of vector art in the background gives a polished finish that in my eyes allows the website to express itself.

Finished design of my new portfolio website


Eventually after I had completed the the design elements of the portfolio website I then went about the task of finishing of the design and development. As I wanted to not only give the portfolio website a fresh new look and one in which I am proud off I also wanted to use a design and color scheme similar to that of the Shine website that I looked at in previous weeks to portray my work and profile in the best possible light. For this I would use a distinctive color for each of the pages and I would also style the page accordingly to fit in with that color changing elements such as H1 tags, header, navigation and text color. Overall I am very happy with the out come and I feel as I now have such a volume of work to showcase the design certainly has allowed me to showcase my work in a neat and ordered fashion also leaving room for possible updates and new work to be added in the future.

I also decided to incorporate the weblog for my major project into the website in such a way not to distance itself from the rest of the website but to keep in context with the branding and development of my Turntable Junkie Brand. This can be seen as I have kept the Turntable Junkie elements on that particular page but changed the design to promote myself as a designer under the name "Rick Wells" on the other sections of the website. I have displayed images of screen prints below showing my new portfolio design which may be enlarged by simply clicking on the image itself.

Blog page

Profile page

Folio Page

Services Page

Contact Page

Links Page

Creation of Turntable Junkie Bebo website


I also decided this week to create a Bebo page / website for Turntable Junkie. Main reasons for doing this was because of the fact that Bebo is such a widely used website in today's online culture I wanted to create a site for Turntable Junkie that would gather some momentum in regards to promoting the brand and the name. This way DJ's and clubber's can access the Bebo page and get a brief understanding of what Turntable Junkie is about before they visit the main website. I also feel that it will act as a good way of promoting the website and generate a buzz around the brand leading up to the launch of the website. I have shown an image above of what the website looks like to the user and you can view the overall layout by clicking on the image or alternatively click on the Bebo card below to visit the website. In regards to the website itself I designed a custom skin to accompany the overall design and branding in which I have created for Turntable Junkie and also to keep in with the overall context of the color scheme. I believe in doing this it allows me more control over the website and as a plus ensures a better effect and promotes the brand the way in which I want to show it and not how it may be perceived with a template made available by Bebo.

Shown below is a Bebo card which is a nice example of allowing a user to access the website through a clever link provided through the card and the image contained within the card itself.

Purchase of my domain name This week I finally got the opportunity to purchase and register my domain name online not only for my major project but also for my portfolio website as a graphic and website designer. Although registering the domain for my major was my top priority I did feel it was important to get my domain name sorted for my portfolio website as this was made very clear to me in the Thursday lecture. Chris and Nick had been explaining how important it was to get our portfolio website up and running not only to showcase our talents as designers but to also benefit from possible job opportunities. I registered the domain for this main reason and also it was a burning ambition of mine to get my portfolio up and running for some time. Another key reason was the fact promoting myself as a designer under my own name ensures that I am not giving out any false message to clients or possible employers as registering a website under a business name may cause them to feel I work with many other people. I was able to buy both my domain names with an online company who are a specialist in domain registering and hosting called NAMESCO . I have displayed an image below of the website in question that will link through to the website once the image is clicked upon.

My next step once I had registered the domain names that I required under the registered URL of http://www.rickwells.co.uk and http://www.turntablejunkie.co.uk was to access the control panel feature in which Namesco create for each of the domain names. I must say that it is an excellent feature as it allows you the user to have complete control to man features associated with your domain name such as forwarding it to a different website, changing the DNS details and also selecting how many email accounts you wish to run off the domain at any one given time. I was very happy to get the the domain names in which I bought as they are both .co.uk My main reasons for buying these names was because I feel both my portfolio website and Turnable Junkie are trying to a appeal to a more UK based audience and also to do with the fact that RickWells.co.uk was already taken . Information on the control panel and the layout for the domain information is shown in the image below.

Selecting a hosting package My next step this week was to go about the task setting up my hosting package for my two websites but in particular that of my hosting package for Turntable Junkie. I looked first of all at what Namesco had to offer in regards to hosting packages and it I felt what they could offer me did not suit my needs as I had particular requirements in regards to my hosting package. These included a hosting package that could support ASP as this would be what I will be developing the website in and also access to either Microsoft Access or MSSQL database. Another key element I also wished to consider was that of the monthly bandwidth allowance as I did not want to have any limitations to what I may or may not wish to upload to the website and also storage limits dealing with the capacity of the files stored on the server.

After some searching around I found an excellent hosting package which catered for all my needs and more with the website hosting and broadband company FireNET who for me was an excellent choice as they are based in Northern Ireland. Details of my package can be seen in the image below.

Not only was I able to set up an excellent hosting package for 2 years but I also was able to create multiple email accounts to use in conjunction with Turntable Junkie and the website. Another excellent feature which is very helpful included in the package was that of the an online control panel in which I can configure my settings involving email accounts and MSSQL support. This is also backed up with an excellent support team who I found to be very helpful in the setting up process.

Learning from my mistakes involving domain transfer My When carrying out the setting up process of the domain I did however come across a one problem. I suppose I will put it down to a learning experience and at least will know or the next time in which I set up a new website on a new domain name. This problem involved the transfer of the domains in which I had registered with Namesco. Unfortunately I did not find out until after I had registered both domains that it would have worked out cheaper for me to register both domains with FireNET and host them both under the one package. Instead because I had already registered both domains with Namesco I had to transfer both domains across to the control of FireNet costing me an additional £10 each domain name. Although I was a little peeved at this it had to be done in order to give my new hosting company completer control of the domain name and allow me the necessary means to change settings. I will put it down to experience and a lesson learned but at least one good thing came out of it I now know how to transfer domain to a different sever.

Uploading a holding page With my domain and hosting now sorted I designed a holding page to upload to the Turntable Junkie website. In regards to my portfolio website I uploaded the entire website. I decided to upload a holding page for the main reason to allow users and visitors to the website a brief glimpse of what's to come and also by putting in the necessary keyword and phrases on the index page in will help the website to get listed and generate traffic until the entire website is uploaded. I made the holding page basic and simple with a small caption showing "launching May 2007".

Click on the image above to view the holding page design locally or alternatively click on the image below to view the live version on the website.

Great feedback and support from DJ's and producers As a big part of Turntable Junkie is geared towards promoting and helping young and aspiring DJ's and producers to break into the dance music industry especially in Northern Ireland and gain promotion I felt it was necessary to see if I can get the support of some of the these DJ's who would like to be associated with the brand and in the possible future be a face of Turntable Junkie together with myself playing at events and possible collaboration on mixes and production. I am happy to say that I have been in touch with 3 or 4 Dj's and they all feel very accustomed and exited about what I am trying to do to develop the dance and electronic music scene within Northern Ireland and they feel that they could help me to enhance the profile even further.

I have also been very lucky to have contacts with various nightclubs and Dj's who I am friendly with in the local areas where I live and having worked in a nightclub for some 5 - 6 years it has enabled me to become good friends with these Dj's and promoters and in doing so they have been able to explain the concept to other Dj's that, they are friendly with about my idea and they are willing to support myself also. What makes it even better is that some of these DJ's are established names on the club scene not only in Ireland but in UK . Displayed below are some of the DJ's I have already struck up a good working relationship with and who feel they would like to be associated with the Turntable Junkie brand not only within the promotion side but also helping myself with help and guidance when it comes to possible running events in the future. For each of the images of the DJ / producer I have displayed a small caption describing themselves and another small quote combined with the image on how they described what Turntable Junkie can do for the music scene in Northern Ireland and what they thought of the idea.

DJ James Best
James Best has been djing since 1999, playing any house party that came his way. In early 2000 an oppertunity came his way to play in one of Irelands most prestigeous clubs, the Coach in Banbridge - Northern Ireland (voted Irelands no 1 club and Irelands no 1 crowd). After making a few appearances he was soon offered a residency playing house music in a new back room with the capacity of about 350 people. After making the room his own with his mixture of funky and chunky house and his ability to get the crowd going, he was soon warming up and finishing off the night for big name djs in the main room with a capacity of around 1500 people.

It has also been a busy year for James in the studio. After completing a music production course, James has started working with Phil Johnston of Coast 2 Coast. He has now started work on his follow up to his debut studio production - "San Miguel". Expect to hear more quality productions in the very near future.

DJ Jon O'Bir
A lot can happen in 12 months, for Jon O'Bir, 2002 started off with him mixing in his bedroom like thousands of others dreaming of the big time, but as the hours counted down to 2003 his dream came true and he was warming up the crowd at U.K. super club, Godskitchen.

2007 is set to be another action packed year for the Nottingham born DJ and producer, producer being the key word in 2007 as he starts to smash out the top quality productions and a surprise artist album due for release in May 07 that will surely push Jon O'Bir to greater things.

James Zabiela
James' career so far has been stratospheric to say the least. After winning Muzik Magazine's Bedroom Bedlam competition with a string of well-placed mix tapes in 2000, he went on to win the award for Best Bedroom Bedlam DJ at The Muzik Awards one year later. Swiftly snapped up by Sasha's Excession agency a few weeks later, he spent the next year taking on Eastern Europe, Australia, South America and the US of A ("more fanatical than anywhere else in the world") while still finding time to record well-received CDs for Groovetech, Hooj and unleash a string of fine remixes along the way. Royksopp, Virgin Souls and End Recordings artist Dave Breannan have all been under the Zabiela scalpel - and more are on their way. (Fact Two: Sunday Best boss Rob Da Bank declared Jay-Z's work on 'Remind Me' to be his favourite re-rub of the year... aside from the factor five on Salinas Beach that one time of course.)

Still only 24, still pushing the envelope and still learning to cope with a real-life fanbase and life on the other side of the record counter, its unlikely that James Zabiela will be taking a breather anytime soon.

Mandy Reid / Armandi
Mandy is without doubt one of Irelands leading female Dj's / producers, winning best female DJ at the BBM Awards 2 years in succession and nominated for best irish DJ at the Smirnoff awards in Dublin. Producing and playing Tech / Trance, she has been playing across Ireland alongside names such as Tiesto, Eddie Halliwell and Ferry Corsten. Mandy has also featured at Planet Love, Creamfields Ireland, and the Coach / Tonic club events at Eden in Ibiza.

Mandy holds residences at the renowned Coach Niteclub in Banbridge and the highly successful club SOI in Portrush, prior to this she held a four year residency at the legendry Met / Arena Club Armagh.

Jordan X
From the country that has spanned some of the modern dance scene's biggest stars, such as David Holmes, Fergie, Agnelli & Nelson and Phil Kieran, it's no great shock that the newest prodigy is making such a noticeable impact. Holding what is looking like one of the busiest diaries in Northern Ireland for the next year, Jordan has rocked clubs around the UK, now under the management of Fergie's EXCENTRIC agency.

Holding a monthly residency at the 1000-capacity 'LOST' in Belfast, has allowed Jordan to expand his passionate local fanbase, sharing deck duties with some of the worlds top hard dance and trance talent, whilst showcasing his tough, involved, energetic and often unpredictable, tech-influenced style.

Other elements of research this week As I do with most weeks this week has been no different in my search for inspiration in other areas of not only my life but my profession. As each week goes buy I am always learning something new which is one of the great reasons why I chose the career in which I am involved in as every day is a new challenge. This week has been no different as I have found some excellent pieces of inspiration from various locations both on the Internet and in magazines.

LOST character Sawyer Speed Painting
I found these collection of video's on YouTube over the weekend and was blown away by the overall complexity of the illustration and artwork itself. I myself am a massive fan of illustration and have often tried my own illustrations and especially vecot graphic creation and vector art in the past but to achieve something as detailed as this drawing would take years of experience. Looking at the drawing in detail itself it is clear to see if any of you are LOST fans that it portrays the character Sawyer from the TV show. From what I can see going by the video it was created by an artist called Nico Di Mattia going under the alias of NEXX and this is not the first time he has created such works as he has designed drawings and paintings in the past for other characters from TV and movie genres and as I researched him further I stumbled upon his YouTube page which is shown below where you can find all his work, only then does it become apparent the extent of work this guy has done and what he is capable of.

http://www.basecamphq.com/
I also decided to have a look at the 37 signals website this week as Chris had mentioned this in the previous class last week and in particular the Basecamp facility to allow you to plan a project and keep to various deadlines. I looked at the website and found it very interesting as this piece of software which is free to use allows you the user to plot your every move in regards to your proposed project. Call me old fashioned but I decided not to sign up for software and use it for my project partly due to the fact that I have always liked a more hands on approach when it comes to working on a project and I like to plot out my own procedures in how to do things. I personally think although the software and system is a good thing and may be a useful addition to a project I would rather use the old fashion method of a sheet of paper and pen to plot out my tasks for a given day that way I have it in front of me at all times and cant go wrong and if the computer or Internet is not working on a particular day I can still check my tasks for the day. Never the less I did think that basecamp did deserve a look.

http://www.presentationzen.com/
Although my presentation is not until the very end of the final week of presentations I felt it couldn't do any wrong to start investigating various techniques and ways in which to carry out a presentation as any little tips will come in handy when I come do doing my presentation as I want to make it unique and stand out. I was advised to check out this website by a fellow friend in my IMD class as he himself had checked it out and said it gave useful tips and guidance on how to make your presentation better. I found the website to be very helpful especially the in depth sections on slide design, breaking up the bullet points and also graphs and tables. I am sure as I will be starting to put together my slides over the coming weeks that I will use this website as a good reference tool to help me together with the notes and sheet in which Chris gave me in class last week.

I have processed an order for my Moo cards After hearing what Chris and Nick had to say about the Moo cards in last weeks lecture I made sure to check out the website to see if I would be interested in ordering them to promote the Turntable Junkie Brand and my Major Project. After some thought I decided to go with the Moo cards for the simple reason that they are an excellent way to promote my website and the Turntable Junkie Brand, they are small and portable meaning that you can fit a few into your wallet and you will always have some to give out to possible clients or people interested in the website and lastly for a price of £13.00 you have to say they are real value for money considering what you are getting for your money.

My custom Moo Card Design
I selected the Flicker option of the Moo cards as this allowed me the control to put in my own designs on the card which is what I wanted as I wanted the card to display my logo together with the "Turntable Junkie.co.uk" and especially in the branding and color scheme in which I had set out to use. Although Flicker offer the chance for you to use default images in which they have available I would rather use my own as I took the time to design the brand so I want it to be displayed an promoted to my liking and taste.

To do this I had to create a flicker account on the website and upload my necessary images to the website . After that I could crop the card to get the correct size and layout for the front of the card. I created two separate designs that can be seen in the images below and enlarged once clicked upon. One image displays the logo for Turntable Junkie and the other a vector illustration I used in conjunction with the header design of my blog which I thought, brought out the character of the brand and showed some attitude. Another reason for doing different designs was so that each person will get varied designs and not the same card each time.

Front of Moo card design 1 ( image not actual card size)

Back of Moo card design 1 ( image not actual card size)

Shown below are the alternate designs in which I created for the moo card. For this design I used a more illustration based image to show attitude and promote the fact that "Music is the Drug" my tag line for my brand. One thing I will point out though in terms of the Moo cards because I am sure everyone will buy them or get something created in the same sort of format I have something else up my sleeve in which I will hand out during my presentation that will be associated with Turntable Junkie and the brand.

Front of Moo card design 2 ( image not actual card size)

Back of Moo card design 2 ( image not actual card size)

Designing the final theme for Turntable Junkie I thought it was time to finally make some head way in the design and development side of the Turntable Junkie website and after carrying out my initial sketches some weeks ago and designing my wire frames for what the website was going to look like I set the development of the final theme mock up as my main goal for this week.

My best way to talk about the production of the final theme mock up is to take it in stage of development and describe the key areas of each design and my reasons for doing it in this way. For each of the design concepts in which I created displayed below if you simply click on the image it will enlarge the graphic.

Theme mock up design concept 1

This was the first theme mock up design in which I created. For this design I used a three column layout using two sidebars and a central column for the main body of the content to be placed in the middle of the website. Underneath the main text content I placed two features that will allow the user to go to another section of the website. My main reasons for adding in these features was to make the home page overall more appealing and stand out grabbing the users attention ensuring that they will return to the website again and again. Clearly shown in the sidebars I also placed various items of interest such as a latest interview with a DJ, event news and latest releases.

Theme mock up design concept 2

Main changes in the design for theme mock up 2 are the fact that I decided to add a web 2.0 style of effect to the buttons, navigation and logo. I must say that I think this really looks well and has added a new dimension the design of my logo and the whole look and feel of the website and header design as a whole. It has added an extra sheen and gloss and allows my logo to stand out much better. Other changes in which I made to the original theme design was to take the bold effect of the text on the navigation. Instead I reduced this by adding a no anti alias effect and reducing the size of the text on the button. I also added a light drop shadow effect to the button and dropped the opacity to 67% to extenuate this further .I personally feel it makes for a crisper finish and and with the lowercase letters improves the overall navigation.

Theme mock up design concept 3

Within the design of theme mock 3 as you can see I changed the color of the two features situated under the main text body. I did this for the main reason that I felt with the white background on these two features it made them look to over powering and distracted the users attention in a bad way. Also I changed the color of the side bars and in particular the boarder. For this I used a darker tone of red from that of the main design as I wanted the side bars to fade into the page rather than stand out immediately.

Theme mock up design concept 4

In the design for theme mock up 4 the main change in which I experimented with was adding a different type of navigation andI showed how it would look to the user if was to develop a piece of navigation using either Java script of CSS to produce a drop down box feature. In doing this it allows the user to select sub pages and sections straight from the home page.

Final Theme mock up design

Shown above is the final theme mock up design for what I will go with for my web sitedesign for Turntable Junkie. I intend to keep the overall design elements the same but I am sure I will make a few small alterations along the way. I decided after looking more into detail at the theme that I would keep the navigation the way I had it as I can recall Chris mentioning in the lecture in week 2 that sometimes too much navigation is no navigation. I think also that the navigation looks better and less cluttered without the drop down box. Other changes in which I had to this theme mock up design was to include a media player in stead of another feature or image of a DJ. I felt I had enough features situated on the home page so by including a media player which I intend to develop in flash allowing the user to click on it and it will open in a pop up allowing them to browse the website an listen to the tracks whenever they wish.

Dj Profile Page Theme mock up

After I had completed my design and knew exactly the way in which I wanted to display the content I designed another of the pages for the website. This page to be the DJ profile page I will use to include content on various Dj's and Artists displaying information on the DJ, links to mixes and possible links to videos of their sets and live performances. For this section I made the layout simple as it will allow for ample space for more information to be added in the future.

Designing various navigation concepts After looking at the theme design in detail I thought I would show various concepts in which I looked at in terms of the navigation design. These designs shown below displaying each of the various navigation design concepts below in which I looked at for use in the proposed design of my theme mock up.

Navigation design concept 1

Navigation design concept 2

Navigation design concept 3

Recording and producing Audio with Cubasis 3.0 This week I have started into the production of the key media elements I wish to include in the website. I hope to complete all elements to do with audio and video by the end of week 10. Firstly this week in regards to audio I have been busy producing the audio elements for Turntable Junkie in my home studio. As I am used to using Cubasis for production in the past I found it easy to get to grips with again even though I haven't used it in a few months. Pictures of my production period in my home studio and video is shown below.

Production of audio for Turntable Junkie image 1

This image shown above shows my home studio setup in which I use to record all my music and experiment with various muic elements.

Production of Audio for Turntable Junkie image 2

This image above shows me experimenting with various different tracks in my home studio. In doing this it allows me to mix various tracks together and see which ones would suit the overall sound in which I wish to portray with turntable Junkie ad the brand. I did this using my Pioneer DJM 600 mixer and CDJ 800's.

Production of Audio for Turntable Junkie image 3

Shown above this image shows me trying out various effects processor in my Pioneer DJM 600 mixer create desired effects in conjunction with the audio samples I am playing. For this session that was during a late night session I was trying to get samples in which I had recorded together with real tracks to match the pitch in which I was testing the drum beat and bass effects to give a smooth overlay effect of drum beat and bass with the recorded sample at the correct intervals.

Other elements of research this week This week I have found some great inspiration form various sources that has inspired me to think of many new ideas and possible avenues that I may take in future weeks of development. Together with my own research and from talking to Chris this has opened up many new possibilities.

http://www.digitalprogression.com/
I found this website when I was reading Web Designer magazine and what immediatly caught my eye was how a simplistic appraoch can really say much more than you think. Digital Progression is a website for digital artwork and photography and if you are looking for a great example of how to display your work online this is the way to do it.

Digital Progression is a studio who specialise in the creation of high end artwork and for me it is this artwork which has been highlighted to a great detail. They have kept the site navigation and text minimal letting allowing the work and artwork itself do the talking. To show this in better detail I have displayed a few examples of their work below.

After looking at this website I found another excellent website when looking through the various articles. Information on this particular website is displayed below.

http://www.555design.org
This website is home to a graphic designer called who creates artwork for photo, wallpapers, brouchures, eroded magazines and CD covers. Looking at the some of his workin detail it has a real dirty and grungy edge to it. He has done this by using Sepha Tones to give the impression of scratches, tears and stains. Another nice feature of the site is how he splits up his work into dirty and clean this may be something I could consider when looking at the music genres in Turntable Junkie I could split them up into a harder edge and and softer edge. What I like in particular though on this site is his work in relation to music some of his CD cover designs are truly inspired. I have displayed some of these below to show this in better detail.

Lastly this week I had to include this website in which I found when looking at another article in Web Designer magazine called Prisim Gril Grpahics. It was brought to my attention when reading an article titled "The cream of the web crop". This website which again blew me away in terms of the graphical ability because of the designers talent and how she uses her work is simply staggering.

http://prismgirl.org
My only way to describe this website is a visual explosion of beauty and a fantastic interactive experience. This website is the personal website of Tokyo based graphic artist Azusa Mano and, as I am sure you agree her work is amazing. Once again as with Digital Inspiration her navigation has been kept simple allowing the showcase of her work to do all the talking. I also appreciate the fact that she has combined many elements of her work into one another such as period Japanese drawings with fantasy and modern day imagery. I have shown a few examples of her art work below.

Meeting up with DJ James Best to capture video This week I had the pleasure of meeting up with DJ James Best to record some video segments for the website. I had been talking to James in previous weeks through email and various phone calls as he is a good friend of mine to see if he would interested in getting involved on the project by allowing me to shoot some footage of him mixing and to possibly shoot an interview with him. He was more than happy to so can I just say what an excellent guy he is. My main reasons for wanting to record the video was because I had outlined this in my Major project proposal as one of the key areas of development in which I would like to include on the Turntable Junkie website. I have made a big thing out of making the content interactive and interesting to keep users coming back to the website and by doing this it will not only enhance the website but will also enhance the profile of the DJ's taking part.

Meeting up with James Best @ Coach niteclub

As one of the key features of Turntable Junkie will be promoting young talent I wanted to allow not only DJ's but clubbers and users to the website feel they have something to say and they can be part of a growing community of ravers so to speak. In doing this placing video of up and coming DJ's togehter with established names will keep the content fresh and allow DJ's and artists to gain extra exposure.

I found my chat with James to be a very beneficial one as it gave me an insight behind the scenes of how he prepares for his sets and and the various music styles and genres which have influenced him. Not only this but it also gave me the chance to understand the guy rather than the DJ a bit better and he has became a good freind to call upon in the future. In meeting up with him I gained access to behind the scenes @ Coach niteclub where James is a resident.

Coach niteclub would be one of the main nightspots in my local area of Banbridge as I would regularly attend because it caters for the music in which I like. In talking to James I learned a lot that I did not already know as a DJ and he was very helpful in showing me some skills and techniques in which I did not know. Shown below I have included some more pictures in which I took when meeting up with James.

James Mixing up in DJ box

First meeting James early in the day

DJ James Best Interview and sample video extract As the necessary footage has now been recorded I am in the process of transferring it over into Adobe Premiere and this will give me the chance to edit it and place in the necessary effects. For the purpose of the weblog and to show some development on my part in developing the Turntable Junkie Video Player I have shown a sample extract from the video below together with the video player in which I have developed for the website.

Sample video extract of Interview

Sample video extract of James playing his set

Making tweaks to my weblog design After completing the theme mock up design I decided to make some alterations to my weblog to make it a lot more visually appealing. In doing this I added a web 2.0 style of button design to all my navigation along the top and included my new web 2.0 style of logo in which I had created for my theme mock up design.

I have shown the various changes in which I have made with details about each below. In making these changes it has enabled me to give my weblog and portfolio sections of the website to gain a better look and feel and allow the overall design process to gain an extra dimension.

I also feel it not only enhances the look of the website but will also keep it up to date and fresh for users who visit the website and blog.

Changing the logo design to a web 2.0 style

Shown above is the logo change in which I carried out . I added a web 2.0 effect to the button using various opacity's to give an overall sheen and polished effect to the logo.

Changing the navigation tabs to a web 2.0 style

After I had changed the logo design and added a web 2.0 effect to it I did the same for the tab navigation along the top of the screen to keep in with the new design element. I think it really looks well and adds an extra bit of gloss to the entire tab navigation and header.

Changing the H1 tag design

Lastly the final tweak in which I made to the weblog and portfolio design this week was to add in new <H1> tags. I thought they looked a little bit too plain before so I added in an element of the main logo design to coincide with that of the title text which is displayed in trebuchet MS to give the user a better overall feel for the week in which they are in and also to split up each of the sections.

Experimenting with audio samples and mixing audio After being heavily involved with production in my home studio last week I decided to take some of the audio samples and tracks in which I was using and experiment with them by mixing various variations together to give myself a a feel for the kind of sound I would like to generate and associate with the Turntable Junkie brand. As I mentioned I am always mixing and experimenting with various techniques at home in the studio and this come natural to me so by trying out a few new combinations with some of the various tracks in which I have been using for inspiration to get a feel for the sound I am looking to use it will not only enable me to find the sound I am looking for but also allow me to try out some new techniques and tricks.

I have shown below a few extracts of the mixing experiments and audio techniques in which I have been trying to develop into the Turntable Junkie sound below.

Experimenting with techier elements of sound

For this experiment I used a more tech / trance element of sound and by using various effects such as flangers, reverb and echo it allowed me to see how I may use these in the overall context of what I am trying to achieve with the audio for the sonic branding for the website and how I can add something different to the mixes to be available on the website through podcasts.

Experimenting with harder dance elements of sound

For this experiment I tried a more varied arrangement of sounds including a more heavier arrangement of baselines together with strong synthesis. In doing this and with the use of effects such as delay and pitch shift it allowed me to create excellent build ups and excitement within the music. I can use this technique again to create suspense within sections of the website.

Other elements of research this week Once again this week I have been looking into other areas of research to help with my overall work and and design but also to keep myself fresh with new ideas and concepts and various things which I may consider doing as my project develops.

Bomb the bass flyer
Firstly this week when looking through some music related magazines and websites I found this flyer which I thought was very different and stood out. My reason for highlighting it and including it in my weblog was for what the flyer is trying to say. It uses the metaphor "Bomb the bass" and creatively displays this in the design aspects of the flyer. I also like the way in which effects have been used on the flyer to give it a more eye catching appeal. This is good advertising and something I will be looking at in detail next week for Turntable Junkie.

VDJ for visual experience
Another area in which I have been looking at this week which is something in which I can see myself moving towards in the near future as it will allow me as a designer to incorepate my work and designs with that of my music is that of the art of VDJing. I have no doubt that VDJ technology is the future of DJing technology. DVJ is basically just like a CDJ but you use DVD's instead. In the simplest terms you could put "Spiderman" DVD in and it will play the movie and if you were to scratch in a sound, the image will move in correspondence with it. This for me is an excellent way to distinguish yourself from all the other DJ's around and it will be something I will buy in the future for sure to enhance my sets along with a visual presentation of my music.

Shown below I have included some excellent examples of DJ's who have embraced this technology and, are using it to good effect within their sets. Please clink on the appropriate images to go to the website and check out the demonstrations.

Anne Savage using VDJ technology to enhance her set

Charles Kriel shows how to use the VDJ

Editing niteclub video footage Again this week I have been involved a lot in video production and editing for the project to be displayed on the website. Last week after I had edited the necessary footage from meeting up with James I recorded some video from niteclubs in my local area. I did this because I also got thinking about having a section on the website devoted to various niteclubs in the surrounding area and help promote the profile of them together with the DJ's who play in them. Hopefully by doing a bit of both it will allow niteclubs to see the young DJ's and up and coming talents on the website and act as a way of recruiting them for playing at the niteclub. It can work well the other way by letting the young DJ's and artists who are associated with Turntable Junkie see a niteclub that they would love to play at some time in their carrer and get in touch.

Sample video extract of Club BLU

Shown above in the video extract is some footage in which I recorded form Club BLU @ Bannville in which I work at the weekends. I decied to record this footage not only to show some footage of inside the club at peak time but to give a sense of an overall atmosphere and euphoria that is generated around the peak time of the night from 12:30pm to 1:30pm.

Moo cards arrived! I am very happy to announce this week that my Moo cards have arrived. I must say that I am very happy to get them as they will be a helpful medium in promoting the Turntable Junkie website and brand.

I only ordered one batch of 100 cards to see how they would look and when I recieved them and I am happy to say that they look great so I intend to order another batch as soon as possible as until my presentation I will be sure to give some out to friends and collegues and I would like to have enough for the presentation. Shown below you can see my glee upon receiving them.

My Moo cards arrived in the post

Merchandising and promotion for Turntable Junkie I have been looking at other key areas of advertising and promotion this week as I am trying to promote the name of Turntable Junkie and get the brand noticed. In doing this in conjunction with the the build up to the website launch I will be able to create a buzz for the website and ensure everyone understands what the project is about and how it can help.

When looking at areas of promotion and advertising I stumbled upon an excellent website called 247 print house. This website caters for all types of flyer design, cards and poster art for promotion of music events and gigs. I have shown below some examples of their work in which I received after I had contacted them about sending me out a sample pack to see exactly how the quality of the design looked in real life rather than a digital version on screen.

I decided to look at this side of promotion due to on main reason. When meeting with DJ James Best last week and after being in contact with various other young DJ's and producers I had asked them the question of possibly collaborating not only in a music related release but when the brand becomes established after the website launch of possibly running an event in which various DJ's can play at. Now after checking out this excellent website who supply fantastic flyer and postcard designs for a small price it would be a good way of advertising an event in conjunction with Turntable Junkie in the near future and when you think about it clubbers are always picking up leaflets and flyers when at a club so it is a quick and efficient way of promoting the brand.

Example of a 135 GSM leaflet

This example image above probably shows the most basic of all the flyer designs on offer by 257 Print house although they may be cheaper this would probably be the better option as I could get more produced at a cheaper price.

Example of Gloss Flyer

Shown in the above image is the top of the range flyer design in the form of a gloss flyer. Although a lot more costly you definitely get what what you pay for as the quality in design and finish is fantastic.

Example of standard Flyer

Shown in the image situated above is an example of a standard flyer design in which I may wish to use for the flyer design to promote Turntable Junkie.

Example of a Pulp Board Flyer

Shown above is an example of a flyer design when created using a pulp board based card which has been recycled from sustainable forests.

Collaboration for the production of a Junkie Mix CD After meeting with the various DJ's and artists so far who have helped with the growth of Turntable Junkie on many fronts I have asked the DJ's in which I have worked with about the possibility collaborating on a mix CD / E. P to be released with the launch of the website in May 2007. So far my support has been excellent with DJ James best whom I interviewed last week and has became a good friend very supportive together with DJ Jon O'Bir, Jordan X and Erik K and myself.

I am very happy to be working on this Mix CD together with my project as it will not only enhance my profile and the DJ's who will be appearing on the CD but it will be a nice feature to add to the overall production of the website and possibly my presentation in week 12 as this would be a nice thing to include within the presentation together with my moo cards to give out. I intend for each of the artists tracks to appear on the album and for myself and James to produce the album in either my home studio or his. I hop to have it complete together with the website for week 12 which is a realistic deadline as in regards to the CD all that is needed to complete is to mater and mix the audio adding in necessary effects.

DJ's confirmed to appear on the mix CD / E. P

Producing Turntable Junkie the Anthem After getting the good news about the DJ's who would like to be associated with the website and in the production of the mix album / E. P I got thinking about my inclusion on the CD. As I wanted to produce something new and fresh to coincide with the project and the fact that I had been using Cubasis quite a bit over the last week I have started into the development of the Turntable Junkie the Anthem track to appear on the CD. I intend to use various sample sin which I recorded last week in my home studio together with that of samples already pre recorded to develop the track which I will also place on the website.

I aim to keep the track to a techno / trance based track as many of the artists appearing on the album play and produce that type of music so keeping in with the theme of the music to be portrayed and also the theme of music in which I would like to develop further with the brand. Displayed below I have included a simple early mockup of the cover design.

Early mock up of cover design

Other elements of research this week This week as I have been looking a lot into detail at the merchandising elements of my project and other areas that I could expand the Turntable Junkie brand on further I found a few interesting websites that would allow me to bring the brand on further ensuring it was portrayed on many different formats.

Spreadshirt
This is a fantastic website if you are looking any sort of print design included on piece of clothing. I have used this website in the past for such things as T-Shirts but they offer so much more in terms of jumpers, hoodies and all forms of T-Shirts. What I like about the site is the fact that they allow you the user the chance to design your own T-Shirt and also give you the opportunity to choose the color size and many forms of design to bring out the best in your logo or design in which you are placing on the item of clothing.

Golding Products
As the collaboration for the Turntable Junkie Mix CD / E.P has got the go ahead I have been looking at how I intend to package the CD to make it look professional. I had mentioned the idea to Chris and that I intend to use it with my presentation and he liked th idea also so he pointed me in the direction of a website in which he uses for many of the artists in which he provides CD artwork and designs for. Golding products I found to be an excellent website as they cater for many different forms of CD box and packaging design to show your sample or demo etc in its best possible light. I feel what makes Golding products so different from other websites of this nature is their attention to detail and also the wide and varied range of cases and packaging on offer.