What’s in a Name?

The name ‘Red Dais’ was chosen to typify the traditional speaker’s podium in new media; its red colour will, hopefully, be suggestive of controvertible content or simply passion for my forte – do you disagree with my theories? Why? I want to know! The blogging section works twofold to catalogue my sources of inspiration (technology, multimedia design) and to comment and share words of wisdom amongst like-minded individuals. Red Dais isn’t just about publishing portfolio work, but encouraging exploration into design theories, experimenting via tutorials and highlighting shifting trends in the technological, web and design spheres.

In a bout of bright-eyed ambition, I lurched into the development of a complementary logo for a fictitious template that had, in my mind, encompassed everything excellent in web design. Unfortunately, establishing a great design is never just touch and go. For starters, Wordpress and the production of a web portfolio from the ground up is entirely new to me, where I have had the delight (more often than not) of reassembling websites or using methods no longer really kosher.

What do you need to succeed? I’d like to say vim, vigour, clean architecture and a novel approach to communicating data. But most of us are, to a palpable degree, susceptible to creating typical work that reflects current web trends rather than pushing to develop something different in order to stay afloat with the competition. While a good design should be acknowledged for its innovations, I believe that in this case it’s possible to have too much of a good thing. How many Apple-esque websites are designers going to claim as archetypal modernisation of the web before moving on to the next big thing? Where is the personality beyond the text? We’re only barely scratching the surface of potential this medium offers. It’s frustrating, but I feel that I need to undertake small projects and learn via trial and error the potentials programs (e.g. Photoshop) and services afford me. 

As an undergraduate I.T student and budding web designer, too many people create websites posing as some international conglomerate before their experience is up to par with industry expectations – and I intend to avoid it. It’s so much more preferable as a designer, especially where technology is concerned, to grow organically instead of making a leap you’re not equipped for. Central to Red Dais is the publication of new skills and fresh methods of communication and interaction; a trialling webscape, if you like, that I’d like to use to exhibit new skills to an audience while I learn.

Template Design

The paper background texture and watercolours, combined with vector-esque imagery, was cultivated  to exemplify successful crossovers of media and design styles to create something new and inviting. Warm yellow hues and vivid colour complements the web site’s content visually and assists the viewer by leading the eye to content in order of importance. This combination of technology, art and design supports the theme of the web site’s contents to a tee.

Make it Better

 To grow as a designer is to find a balance between being too self-assured and overly self-critical, and I admit to being a very harsh personal critic. This sort of mindset can apply broadly to an entire work, or just to one small section; it’s becoming acquainted with responding to the self-imposed question ‘how can I make this better?’ and responding positively that I hope to improve upon through the development and maintenance of Red Dais. There will always be some type of constraint on design due to the tools you use, and I need to become more familiar with both limitations and unconsidered opportunities. By being able to apply this attitude to portfolio work on a regular basis, I’ll also be able to better detach from designs.

Professional interests

• Web design
• (Print media/digital) Typography
• Packaging
• Interactive media/ multimedia design
• Systems architecture
• Xhtml/CSS