Digital Content

WEBSITE BUILDER OPTIONS

You will be using a website in order to present your 80F Final Projects. For most people, the easiest and most effective way to do this will be to use one of the website building systems below. These platforms allow people to create websites relatively easily, without necessarily having to know how to work with HTML, CSS or the other script languages that extend the capabilities and functionality of websites.

There are some drawbacks to working with these types of site builders, such as slightly higher subscription or hosting prices. But, with the advancements they have made in the past 10 years, along with the shift from desktop to mobile web browsing, and factoring in the overall cost of hosting and upkeep of a custom coded, responsive website, I believe these are still the best options for most individuals, artists, businesses and organizations.

For those of you who are starting from scratch, there are 2 site building options described below. If you already have experience with a different building platform or system, you may check in with your TA to determine if that can work for your project instead. Tumblr and Blogger will not be allowed, as they are used more for social media in a professional / business setting.

What’s Due

5 screenshots showing the different aspects of experimentation or set-up in the “back-end” of the website editing system. Content can be for your final project, or it can be completely temporary, made-up or non-sensical content (as long as it follows previously stated content rules). These processes cover most of the technical requirements for the Final Project - Wix and Squarespace both have very useful tutorials and instructions, and many of these are parts of their quick-start or basic tutorials.

• Screenshot 1 - adding a banner image

• Screenshot 2 - adding at least 1 title + paragraph text

• Screenshot 3 - adding an image or image gallery

• Screenshot 4 - adding a new page or editing navigation

• Screenshot 5 - embedding YouTube or Vimeo video

SQUARESPACE

PROS:

• Easiest, most straightforward user interface

• Well-designed templates

• Shifts from desktop to mobile designs without any additional set up needed

• 50% student discounts for 1-year plan (ideal if you are needing a website for portfolios, other courses or other projects

• Excellent customer / technical support

Pricing: $16/Month or $72/year with student discount

WIX

PROS:

• Easy, straightforward interface

• More template options + flexibility to mix and match

• Easier to customize page by page

• Free option (supported by web ads)

Pricing: $11 - $14/ Month

Recommendations

For absolute beginners, I would recommend checking both out before deciding - Squarespace allows you a free 1-week trial (which I think you can extend to 14 days). It just isn’t quite enough time to work for the entire project, but plenty of time to see what the user interface and the site building experience is like.

For those who prefer Squarespace to Wix, their one month subscription cost is still relatively low, and well worth it for those looking for extreme simplicity and ease of use, or looking for an Ad-Free option, or for those who are planning on working with websites for the next year and can take advantage of the 50% student discount.

Wix, on the other hand, might be better for someone who has a bit more experience working with systems like this, or customizing templates, or for those who desire more flexibility on a page by page level, or who do not care about ads and have a limited budget. Ads are fine for this project, however, if you are using one of these systems for any kind of portfolio to present to potential employers, it is worth it to pay the basic subscription fee to remove ads.

As a professional designer and artist, I prefer to work with Squarespace, as it is easier for me to quickly build out a streamlined site for a client and show them how to be more self-sufficient (and ultimately more sustainable) with updates and additions.