My girlfriend Janis had a website when she graduated from SCAD years ago, however it wasn’t very extensible or easy to update. As usually happens with hard-to-update websites, it languished and became obsolete. She is in a position now, where having a place to showcase and share her work would be very helpful, so I assisted her in developing a completely new site.
Details and Background
Coming off of just finishing my own WordPress based website, I decided taking a similar approach would be the best way to go. I then sat down with Janis and went over the basics of WordPress components and how they work together. This would then allow her to take some time and create a 2D mockup of the site, depicting the look and feel of her prototypical home page. When that was finished, she handed it back to me and the work began.
The first step was to register a domain name and find a place to host the site. It should be noted that WordPress can be a challenge to host, reportedly due to it’s database-intensive operation. After originally hosting my site at GoDaddy and watching the performance degrade drastically, I switched over to HostGator. For a slight increase in price, I get nearly flawless performance. To keep the setup simple, Janis’ site is hosted alongside my site.
Following the install of WordPress, I began to craft a custom template so she could achieve the desired look and function. I strived to create templates that used both html and css code to create the visual experience. In almost every case, with the exception of two small details, it was all created with code, instead of a complicated collage of image files. This allows for faster loading and better portability across most modern platforms (computer, tv, mobile device, etc).
Results
The site is fully operational at this time. Janis is able to easily add posts and achieve the look she initially desired. Thanks to several well crafted plugins found in the WordPress Community, she is able to easily watermark her photos. Additionally, people are able to view larger photos without having to navigate away from the page. The site feels complete and should be able to provide her with years of use.