Class:MFA Illustration 2024/Week 24

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Last Week

  • Final review for self promo projects

This Week

  • Website & internet project introduction

Open Questions

Notes

History of the Internet

The Internet started in the 1960s as a way for government researchers to share information. The internet that we know today started in the early 1990s with the introduction of the World Wide Web.

Registering Your Domain Names

The process of looking good online begins with registering your domain name(s).

I have created a Domain Registrars reference page for you here.

  • You should really consider registering your domain name at a legitimate domain registrar and hosing at a separate company. It will provide you with much more flexibility and protection should something go wrong.
  • Sending web traffic to one host, or multiple hosts and redirecting your email traffic is all done from your Domain Registrar.
  • If you have an existing domain registered with another company, you can easily TRANSFER it to your Domain Registrar - and you should.
  • 5 Recommendations for choosing the right domain name for author, and illustrator websites

Hosting Your Sites

Some of you will end up using a hosted web site solution and not need to setup a dedicated web host, others will end up needing to upload your website to a dedicated host.

Do you need a dedicated host?
Will you be building your website yourself (HTML/CSS) and uploading it? - Yes
Will you be using indexhibit or Wordpress to build your website? - Yes
Will be using a hosted solution like Wix, Squarespace or Cargo to build your website? - No
Even if it is not your main website, will you need to export galleries and post them online for friends/clients to see? - Possibly

It's important to go with a Hosting Provider that you trust, one that you can contact when you need some help.

I have created a Hosting Providers reference page for you here.

  • My preference for all of you is to go with Dreamhost over Godaddy for JUST the hosting part.

Hosting Your Email

Depending on the website solution and hosting solution you pick, you might need Email Hosting, or better Email Hosting.

I have created a Email Hosting Services reference page for you here.

Illustration Site Building (CMS) Solutions

There was a time where an Illustrator would build (or hire somebody to build) their website from scratch. Adding and removing content from these websites would require somebody to edit the HTML and upload the changes to a web server. Successful websites are no longer built like this... Content Management Systems (CMS) have redefined how the internet works. These tools are either hosted, or need to be installed on your webserver to run.

This week I introduced the class to the concept of Content Managed Solutions. We will be spending a lot of time looking at these options.

I have created a Site Building (CMS) Solutions reference page for you here.


Video Notes

Assignment

It is now time to begin fearlessly exploring a handful of website options and variations!

  • If you have a website already, go look at it! What do you want to change? Does it look like the rest of your self-promotion work? Do you need to change the way you are curating or organizing your work?
  • Gather up a fresh set of images that loosely represent the type of work you will have on your website.
  • Study up on Cargo Collective, Adobe Portfolio, Squarespace, Weebly, Wix, and Format. You can trial all of these for free before you make them actual live websites with real domains.
  • Explore the themes available to you on all these services and try TWO different explorations.

Clarification: You can try two or three different themes on SquareSpace, you can try one theme on Cargo Collective and one theme on Wix (for example).

I expect that you will lean into different systems/themes and see if they work for you. I expect you to gather up the info and descriptions for the project on your website. I expect you to make wonderful about/contact pages.

Then:

  1. Gather up TWO demo links and passwords or present in class.
  2. Use this link chop.is/2026-web-submit-1 to submit your work
  3. Be prepared to show your two explorations in class next week, you will present from the computer so you need a slide deck or presentation.
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