Matt Fiske - Web site designer

email: webmaster@theartemisia.com

I'm a mediocre web and page layout designer who's struggling through integrated marketing communications to try and get a career that lets me use xhtml, css, pHp and Photoshop along with other media production items. I do web, print, video, graphic design and a little photography. I'm also a reporter.

News: The Artemisia Web site is showcased on the popular Web design site Design Meltdown under the "black and white" section.



About this site:

I designed this site from scratch because I wanted to try something that embraced some of the traits that the Web 2.0 movement promotes.

One of those traits is user-interaction. Stories, blog entries and news all have a comment system. There is a poll question that will change on a weekly basis. Submission utilities also allow you to post articles directly to other social networking sites. Also, there's a contact form at the bottom of every page so you can send us an email whenever you want.

Another trait is design. I added 3D elements, rounded corners, used lots of gradients and have started using various icons to make the user interface more attractive. These are characteristics of most contemporary sites, so hopefully it helps us look contemporary as well. My concern in doing this was that the site would lose some of its prior originality, but I don't think that's happened.

The color scheme is primarily black and white, with emphasis on black. I chose this because I believe it helps the colors in individual articles stand out better. An example would be "It Costs How Much?"

Another trait is timely content. The Artemisia will still release the magazine one to two times a semester, but online will focus more on daily stories and features. One item that changes everyday is the featured wallpaper, so make sure to check back regularly. Because content is going to be added with more frequency, I also added an RSS Feed so users can quickly see what's new.

On top of that the site still offers what the old one did: videos, photo galleries, and the magazine features.