Final Mockups of The Lab Dance Convention Website, 2019
To view the live version of this website, which was updated for 2020, please go to http://www.thelabdanceconvention.com
My client for this freelance design project was a choreographer and dance instructor starting a new dance convention for fusion-based dance, and wanted a logo and website with a bold style. The users would be dance studio directors, dance teachers, dance students and their parents. My goal was to create a stylized informational website which contained the ability to register users for the convention, and was also responsive to work on multiple devices.
Logo Design
I was originally going to design the logo, but after several attempts, I concluded that I wasn't going to be able to give my client what she wanted. I helped my client locate a branding specialist to help her with this task, which included looking over portfolios and conferring with her about which ones she liked. I was also consulted several times about the logo designs she got from the other designer. Delegating the logo design to a specialist took some of the pressure off of me, and freed me up to get started on the website design.
Creating the menu
Platform
In the interest of saving time and energy, rather than code the website from scratch, I decided to use a WordPress theme which I could modify and customize. This template would be responsive for both desktop and mobile platforms, and allowed for easy changes and updates to images, colors, and content. I felt this was the best option, as well, because after I was through with the design work, my client would be able to maintain the content herself. With my client’s tastes in mind, I narrowed the template designs down to three options, which I presented to her, and let her choose her favorite.
Faculty Bios: Project Within a Project
For this project, I had considered using a WP plugin, but none worked as well as I needed, so.I created a template from scratch in Photoshop. I used a color palette that coordinated with the rest of the website, and scaled the faculty photos so that they would work well as a group, not just on their own. Because I had created the photos as a layered Photoshop template, they could be easily updated for new faculty members or edited for more current headshots.
