The Daily Davis

AOD asked for a little girl and a giant sandwich.

Inkdoom asked for “Dash riding on a tauntaun.”

I hope all the requests are about my characters, haha.

Though I am sick today, I do not want to just sit around and stew in my illness. So I did the majority of the work on an academic journal that I have been asked to help with.

Designing for an online journal has presented some interesting challenges. For one thing, it’s interesting to see what happens when you conceptualize, and then wind up somewhere completely different at the end. I’m not even done yet, and even I don’t know where the final draft will end up. Such is webdesign’s fluidity.

So how about a peek at what I have so far, and where I started?

To the left, you can see the original rough pass after it was decided that the issues would be published as PDFs, I wasn’t entirely sure what to do with the layout. Extremely rough, but I needed something to work with.

I felt there were some good ideas in this layout, particularly the Latest Issue box, which I am proud to say made it more or less intact into the second attempt at the layout. Overall, this was just a very simple layout that ultimately felt a little thrown together and kind of ugly. I just needed to get something down on paper, so to speak. Of course, when putting it together, nothing went right, so I had to improvise and make some heavy changes to my original concept.

So, what did I end up with? Just take a look on the right

I can’t really explain why I ended up with this, but I do feel it is a vast improvement with content and functionality in mind.

Since the journal will be publish through PDFs I felt that some sort of preview element would be important to the success of the journal, which is why I have those boxes for each issue, that includes a small list of some of the papers as well as a download link.

Since new content is always one of the first things people look for, I have the latest issue with some extended information in the top left-hand corner of the page. If you look at the long issue-list and the individual issue boxes, you will see the newest information is always at the top left of the corresponding section. I’m very pleased with the individual issue boxes, and with a little styling, I think they will be a very nice addition to the entire page. They’ll convey a lot of information without a whole lot of clutter.

I am far from finished, of course. I need to talk to the rest of my team about this and gather their feedback and requests, but I think they’ll go along with what I have.

I have some more visual and style stuff to modify as well, but that’s the fun part, really. The core is in place, provided they don’t demand sweeping changes.

Now if only I could squeeze some money out of this type of thing…

If you would like to see the working layout in action, just click here.

I’ve done a lot of work for the journal so far, including editing some of the contributed papers. My hope is that when it comes to designing the issues, they might give me a crack at a few of them, that was I can get some journalism and design work onto my resume.

Anyway, if you have any comments on the layout, by all means, let me know.

Net-Squid- A species that features a rounded head surrounded by an array of long, thing modified airs arranged for gathering and filer-feeding. It also features 2 small tentacles on its rear for movement. This is the primary prey on Europa, as they are small and feed on bacteria and small debris. They are numerous and reproduce rapidly.

Aww yeah.

I’ve narrowed down my species for the project, and I’ve begun working on all the visual elements. I decided I didn’t want to leave my friends and readers in a lurch, however, so I decided I will post a description and a hilarious paint doodle of one of the creatures.

Without further stalling for time…

Angler-Squid- This predator uses a modified tentacle to capture prey. The modified tentacle is long and “dangles” off the Angler-Squid. The length is coated in small, hook-like hairs, while the end is bulbous with larger hairs for feeding mixed in. Specialized cells on the bulb secret an attractive chemical to lure in prey. The prey then attack the bulb and are stung by the hairs. It is theorized that the Angler-Squid secretes some form of digestive enzyme that is poisonous to most-species. The trapped prey will eventually be dissolved, and the modified feeding hairs will consume while immersed in the liquefying remains of the prey. For locomotion, the Angler-Squid features two modified tentacles near the “top” of its head. These resemble oars, with tapered ends.

People who have known me for a while know about my obsession with Samurai Jack, which in my opinion, was one of the finest cartoons EVER created. The only other one that comes close is Dexter’s Laboratory, which was from the same creator during an earlier period.

I have every episode of the series, and I’ve recently started rewatching them while I am more or less between parts of the latest Dash story. What I am thinking about doing is restarting my old art analysis series by using screenshots from every episode of Samurai Jack to write about style, color, shape, line, and other elements of design.

It’s definitely something to think, and write about.

Anyway, if you’re interested, please chime in. I’ll probably do it anyway, but I love to know what you guys think, or maybe even suggestions for other design/screencap posts.

Yes, Mara. I am completely serious about this.

A short story I wrote based on a prompt for NPR, I was originally going to send this in, but never got around to it. There’s always another writing challenge out there somewhere, so no harm.

…

My plan was simple. First, I would enter the cafe with a newspaper. Then I would get my coffee and loiter, like this was a regular thing for me. I don’t know why I cared so much. I guess I still don’t. Deep down, I wanted to prove I was a normal person. Normal people went to cafes, right?

I crept to the coffee-shop, wary to not seem too eager. I blew that when I pushed the door, rather than pulled. The loud rattling of the door in its frame turned all eyes to me, both inside and out of the shop. I flushed, realized my mistake, and then pulled with more force than I needed to. I was off to a good start.

There was a line to the counter and a small stage where a guitarist was getting ready to play that soft kind of music that I call background noise. The red tables stood out against the brown and green tones throughout the shop, like mushrooms on a forest floor. Even with all the attempts at atmosphere through color and music, I felt nothing for it. It felt all too artificial, like my presence.

At the end of the line, I gave myself a proper amount of distance from the person in front of me. My foot tried to tap while I was waiting, but I willed it into submission. I didn’t want to seem annoyed or impatient to others. In my head I rattled off what I was going to order.

“Sir, may I take your order?”

I nearly bolted to the counter and apologized. I was terrified some customers behind me were shooting dirty glares for wasting their time.

“No problem. How can I help you?”

I froze.

“I’d like a coffee, please.”

“Sure, what style?”

My eyes moved up to the menu and I glanced around at all the items, names I couldn’t understand and numbers in columns that grew in amount from left to right. I felt my eyes rattle in my head.

“Uh. Large black, please.”

I didn’t even like black coffee.

I paid my three dollars and sat glumly at one of the red eye-sores. I saw one of the big, comfortable chairs with the leather and padding, but I stayed away. I didn’t want to look like I was struggling to get out of it later.

My paper was open to a section I wasn’t really paying attention to; I was more interested in staring at a wall. I heard my name come from the counter and rose to get my drink. I didn’t realize my feet had been wrapped around one of the legs until I went stumbling across the floor, dragging the chair with me. The loud scraping caught everyone’s attention as my fingertips brushed the floor. I felt tears well up in my eyes as I untangled myself from my betrayer. I shuffled to the counter and grabbed my drink silently, terrified of being mocked. I sought sanctuary with the turn-coat chair.

I brought my paper cup to my lips, hesitant. I didn’t know what was worse: the taste, or the searing spears that had assaulted my tongue. I fought a yelp and swallowed my sip. I felt the hot dirt-water scald my throat and the gazes scald my skin.

I left the paper at the table for someone who would actually read it, and dumped my coffee in the trashcan as I made my way out. Maybe this was wasteful, but the bigger waste was my being there. I decided to go back to where I was comfortable.

February 23, 2010

It’s time for you and Writer’s Block to part ways. Write a letter breaking up with Writer’s Block, starting out with, "Dear Writer’s Block, it’s not you, it’s me … ."

Dear Writer’s Block, it’s not you, it’s me… I am so sorry for leading you on like I have. I was never interested in you as much as your prompts. I fell in love with them, and you were the unfortunate casualty of my pursuit. I used you to get closer to them, and I have been consumed by guilt over this. I felt like I needed to clear the air.

I don’t want to part on bad terms. You’ve been so supportive and well meaning, and I don’t want to lose that. We can still be great friends, and I want to be great friends. It’s just your prompts have given me more than you ever could. Your advice, while practical and well intentioned, doesn’t fire me up quite like your prompt’s ideas. Something about your prompts are just so… inspirational. You keep me moving forward like a good friend, but the prompts really get my motor running, so to speak.

Please don’t grow disheartened, I couldn’t bear losing your support. There will always be a place for you in my life, just not in the capacity you hoped for. I’m sorry.

Your friend,

David.

PS: Your prompts and I are hoping you’ll join us for a light lunch next week. Say around 12 on Tuesday?