Place

Interactive Web Design I · DM2280B spring 2013 · Corcoran College of Art + Design
Instructor: David Ramos alberto_ramos@corcoran.edu

In this project, you’ll explore ways of telling stories in electronic form, and you’ll study techniques for helping a reader move around a digital space.

There are two sources for content:

  1. Definitions from Home Ground
  2. The place you choose

Take two definitions

Home Ground is a collection of words that describe places and environments. Each word comes with a tiny essay written by a different writer. The essays define the words, but they also aspire toward poetry.

Choose two words from Home Ground (definitions).

Choose a place

Find a location in the Washington, D.C. area that you can visit and revisit during the course of the project. Select a place that speaks to the two words from Home Ground. Document this place or what it means to you – use words, photography, drawings, or other media.

Publication

Produce a tablet publication that shares this place and the two definitions with readers. Your publication should also contain the full text of both definitions from Home Ground.

Go farther than mere description. Respond to the two definitions, and ask how those definitions can relate to the place that you choose. The connections might be direct or oblique, supportive or oppositional, immediately evident or abstruse.

Build the tablet publication using Adobe DPS for the iPad. Your publication should include text and images. Add your own navigation system in addition to the built-in navigational features.

This project involves learning how much technology is enough. Aim for quality and thoughtful design decisions, rather than half-implemented complexity.

Functional requirements

Produce a project for the iPad using DPS. Screen dimensions are 1024×768px, horizontal or vertical. Provide a cover, a table of contents, and interior screens. Consider screen size, readability, and usability.

This project moves fast, and you should focus on design and content. Be leery of adding interactive features for their own sake. Think about whether additional elements are worth the time and whether you’ll be able to build them well. If you use sound or video, especially, take care that your improve the reader’s experience rather than detract from it.

References

Published 2013-09-15. Updated to reflect in-class instructions 2013-09-19.