Design is not one of my strong suits. As a matter of fact, it is an area that I lack in and is something I can work on.
In the Fall 2021 semester, I enrolled in PUB 131- Publication Design Tools. In the name itself, design was something I had to work on. I had no previous design experience using Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe Photoshop (just the good old user-friendly Canva!) Fast forward to Fall 2022, I am now in PUB 101- Publication of Self in Everyday Life, better known as “posiel.”
Why do I bring up PUB 131 in PUB 101 you ask? Well, it is because I am getting flashbacks of Imposter Syndrome from PUB 131 now reoccurring in PUB 101. Honestly, it’s halfway into the semester and I am feeling quite lost in how to perfect my website. There is no “right” way to design a website, but there are certainly better ways to design a website than others. For example, you wouldn’t use purple text on a website as it will confuse users. You wouldn’t use a small font using yellow text as it may be illegible.
Not that I don’t have a specific type of design I am striving for on my website, I am just looking to achieve a simple, flowing, food blog. I decided that the appearance of my WordPress template is something that I am striving for in my end product.
Designing is already one thing I am working on, but designing on WordPress? I particularly emphasize designing using WordPress as it is something that is an even larger obstacle. I have stated in previous posts that I do not have previous web development experience. The lack of experience compels me to stay reserved and not try to design anything too much (I feel like I may mess up.)
The difference between designing on design platforms and designing on WordPress is that there is no (ctrl+z), a reliable tool that many designers, including myself, rely on. Designing using WordPress is even harder for me as I simply just don’t know. Even prior to PUB 131, I worked with Canva. I have absolutely no basis for how I choose to use WordPress. I am simply exploring WordPress and Elementor widgets and hoping for the best. “The practice of design involves a whole new mountain of influence crunching down, strong-arming decisions, imposing standards, and questioning abilities.“
As I have gotten my first review feedback, I am attempting to not be as intimidated by WordPress, Elementor, and design. I look forward to playing around with it all.
References
Gertz, Travis. 2015. “Design Machines. How to survive in the digital Apocalypse.”