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Task 1: The Home Page
The first page of your portfolio, commonly referred to as the "home page," is the first thing that your readers will see when they get to your website. What do you want the first thing readers learn about you to be? How do you want to set the tone for your portfolio? What kind of context will a reader need?
STARTING WITH THE HOME PAGE
Although your portfolio assignments will vary, more than likely you will have some sort of home page to your website. As you can see with the sample assignments on the right, the requirements or expectations for the home page vary widely.
Even though the expectations may be different, you can try to think about the home page in similar ways. Consider your home page as the "home base" for your reader--it sets the tone for the rest of the portfolio and lets the reader know what to expect. It's the jumping off point for the rest of the composition.
Some designers like to have a brief introduction or context for the reader, some designers like to tell a little about themselves, and some designers like to explain the purpose of the portfolio. The choices that you make as a designer should be representative of the expectations created by your specific course and it should be representative of what you want to accomplish as a writer.
Click on the different assignments and view the subpages to see different examples of home pages. Please keep in mind that these home pages are not perfect examples and have both negative and positive aspects with content and design choices.
Sample Home Page Assignment Guidelines:
Assignment 1: Tasks and Required Elements
On your home page, the reader should find a picture of you or one that is representative of you. The home page should also include your name, our class and section, and a title for your portfolio. Try to think in terms of a theme for your portfolio. What would be an overarching idea that ties everything together for your reader? Is there a symbol or metaphor that you could use to represent your thinking and writing this semester? On your home page, you should also have an introduction to the reader. In this introduction, you should explain who you are, the purpose of the portfolio, and what a reader should look for or expect to find while going through your portfolio, What do you want your reader to know that would be helpful for navigating through the site? Try to set up both a purpose and a context for them as readers. This would be a good place for you to explain your theme or metaphor as well. (~300 words)
Assignment 2: Include Midterm Reflection
This page sets the tone for your entire website, so you’ll want to make it a reflection of you. You can include images, videos, hyperlinks to other sites, etc. to achieve this goal. What do you want people to know about you as a writer? What do you want people to know about this class? What should the reader look for while reviewing your portfolio? Your midterm reflection will also be located here (please post the intro above the midterm reflection). You should try to make the tone and design consistent throughout the site, but it starts with the intro page.
Assignment 3: Create a Context:
As with all writing situations, you need to consider both the context and the audience. For this challenge, you must provide a context for the readers of your portfolio. You could have an introduction to the reader, you could set up an annotated table of contents, you could create a challenge grid, you could do a voiceover, you could create a prezi, you could create a podcast, you could set up a video—the possibilities are endless. For the context, you should explain who you are, the purpose of the portfolio, and what a reader should look for or expect to find while going through your portfolio. What do you want your reader to know that would be helpful for navigating through the site? Try to set up both a purpose and a context for them as readers. Remember that your context is the initiation of a dialogue with your reader and it is your chance to frame the understanding/evaluation of your work. Try to embed or hyperlink examples of your work whenever possible.