Aruajo Who?

There's something about going through a vineyard website that makes me want to pull out my gardening tools and get deep in some mud. I chose http://www.araujoestate.com as one of my favorite websites not because I like wine, but rather the message they transcend when scouring this impeccable website.

As you go through http://www.araujoestate.com, you will notice a series of things; the first being, that they have their technological storytelling skills down. No T nor i has gone un-crossed or un-dotted in this realm of knowledge. The site opens with an image of Araujo Estate, where you are immediately encouraged to click on one of the links lined across the top of the page. The title of the webpage is made apparent by a contrasting font and size. 

The home page of the site.

Once you click on one of the links, the viewer's eyes are drawn to the leaf-like graphic found at the top of every page in a repetitive format. The title of each segment is made apparent by a contrasting bold title against a cream background. All of the text is in an almost dark green/grey color that contrasts well against the cream.  Every  text segment is accompanied by a slide show of images. 

The leaf-like graphic greets the viewer at the top of every page.

The images are vibrant and organic, mirroring the message they are transcending to their audience. The viewer has the option to interact with each text segment, whether they are gliding through images or reading through wine notes of past years. The proximity of each text/image segment to the next is just enough so that the audience has to scroll down to see what is next; I believe this was a great touch that allows the viewer to focus on one segment at a time instead of getting everything at once. Another detail they added to emphasize this proximity is dimming the surrounding segments to emphasize the one you are reading. The whole website's alignment is centered, which makes their story telling details work great for them.    

Notice how the text is dimmed in comparison to the vibrancy of the image.
 Also, notice how the title of each segment follows the viewer. 

Let me know if you like it too!

C.R.A.P. Improvements

Like everything, there is always room for improvement. This is especially true when you have acronyms such as CRAP. I am extremely into design, and after looking over the CRAP, I decided there were many things that could add to my design expertise. (Hehe).

For example, contrast. A black "inner" background was chosen originally to create contrast between the colorful text  (green, white and red) and its surroundings while still maintaining a neutral canvas to work on in order to off-set all the color in the body's text. The color contrast of the text in the body paragraph is used to reiterate the main point of the blog: never underestimate the perception inherited through your cultural roots. 

BEFORE

The title of the post was in an red/orange color that could be said was kind of random. The title of the post changed to white because it is more neutral, and mirrors the style of the entire blogging stream title "A New Beginning," which also adds some repetition/consistency. The contrast of the date was also changed, in fact, it just about blends in with the background for the very important reason that it is not that important. I wanted to add emphasis to my blog titles so basically I pushed the date to the background by darkening it to make it seem less important.

AFTER

There is also contrast between text. Notice that the headlines are not the same style as the font in the blog's body. This was done intentionally to create a sense of  importance and overall style. I wanted the blog to look like a travelers journal with some structure, so I chose an almost sloppy font contrasted by a very rigid one that embodies clarity and organization.  Lastly, the three pictures chosen are vivid and tie in with surrounding colors. The red in my dress ties in with the red in the text; the green in the Korea picture appears very similar to that of the background's;  the orange of the fish tie in with the orange of the bridge in the Korean picture, as well as the pencil at the very bottom (not to mention the blue and black of reef only adds to the vividness of the picture). 

Repetition was represented through font, color and size. Headlines are distinguished by the font Rocksalt and white; while the body paragraphs are all Arial font and unpredictable colors.  Picture captions are all Arial font and white. 

Alignment of the text is to the left with the exception of the captions and pictures which are centered. 

Proximity of the pictures to text remains consistent. The proximity within the actual text is neutral.The proximity of the information provided with each other is all very relevant. Even the video clips on the side panel go with the message.  Go roadrunners!

Let me know what you think!

No One Can Take Away Your Education

I can still remember the firmness in my fathers voice when he would look into my five-year-old eyes and say, "Engleesh!" in his heavy Mexican accent, urging us to strictly stick to the English language while in a public setting; this was always the motto in my household, that and "No boys!" I grew up in a modest home where Mexican culture and tradition reigned despite the fact that we lived in the United States pretty much my whole life. Being an immigrant, though, gave me a whole different perspective in life. With just this small detail I realized many things, but most importantly I found out that the playing field is not always level especially for an immigrant. My mother knew this well, and imprinted in my brain that the only way to escape some of these inequalities is by educating myself. My parents emphasized that education will help get me to where I want to be. That it will enable me to make my dreams a reality and my goals obtainable. So that is what the goal has always been: acquire an education and a degree. Never have my parents ever allowed me to take my finger off the mark. This is what a degree from UTSA means to me.

I would not be where I am today without my family. (My mother, me!, and my aunt.)

I plan to teach English in Korea Spring 2013.

I plan to visit many of neighboring Asian countries while in Korea,
but I am also planning to dive the great barrier reef in Australia while there.