re-tooling | web design

Looking for a way to develop an online presence, but lacking the technical know-how to create your own website? CVA faculty member James O'Brien guides you through the process of creating a website. A variety of topics will be covered including page structure with HTML, page styling with CSS, navigation strategies, accessibility and usability, color and type, and image optimization for web use.

As you plan your website design, you'll answer questions about what your website will do, who its audience will be, and what results you expect. Planning your website design will include sketching out a line drawing layout and navigation plan. You will use this layout to create a mock-up of each website page using Photoshop and then begin constructing your site using Dreamweaver.

Beginner Level

 About the Instructor: James O'Brien
James O’Brien is a practicing illustrator and artist whose work has been recognized by American Illustration, The Society of Illustrators, Communication Arts, 3X3, PRINT, The Society of Publication Designers, SBS Digital Design, AIGA, and SILA. His client list includes: American Express, Bank of America, Colgate, Rand McNally, Microsoft, Delta Airlines, Sears, Hewlett-Packard, Oracle, McGraw-Hill, Scholastic Press, Smithsonian, Business Week, Fortune, Harvard Business Review, Newsweek, US News & World Report, Computer World, PC Magazine, Interactive Week, Entertainment Weekly, Wine Spectator, The Christian Science Monitor, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The San Francisco Chronicle, and The New York Times.

James' images are created using Photoshop and Illustrator, a mix of found, made, and digital materials. “The process I use is akin to a collage method incorporating elements that are cut, drawn, and painted, both traditionally and digitally. My work mostly is about quiet, contemplative moments with a hint of unease and impending movement and change. Chance is an essential part of my process. It is a collaboration between me and my materials, my intentional implementation of media along with unexpected and forced accidents.”

He teaches and is chair of the Illustration Department at the College of Visual Arts. In his rare free time, he enjoys running marathons, reading important novels, and collecting/creating music.

MFA Illustration, University of Hartford
MA Illustration, Syracuse University
BFA Graphic Design/Illustration, Minneapolis College of Art and Design