introducing my blog

My goal is to clearly and legibly reflect on my dabbling with instructional tools and design. In his introduction to Presentation Zen Design, Garr Reynolds (2014) explains the wasaga, or traditional Japanese umbrellas, as a metaphor for the ideal simplicity of design: "The beauty of the wasaga design is a fundamental reminder that simplicity and complexity can live side by side in harmony" (Reynolds, 2014, p.18).

To appeal to simplicity, for the majority of my copy font I chose Droid Sans, which is similar to Frutiger, a font that is "sturdy, legible, simple, clean" (Reynolds, 2014, p. 40 ). I have always found sans-serif fonts much easier to read on a computer screen than serif fonts. As a compliment to Droid Sans, I have selected Droid Serif for some titles and headings. However, I did not choose a font such as Fontdiner Swanky (see it in the attached image?), a more creative, off-centered font; I feared the "noise and clutter" (Reynolds, 2014, p. 29) of the font might overshadow my messages and undermine the professional reflections I am choosing to convey in this space. 

For my layout, I have decided to use light, soothing colors in the background and dark text to provide a strong contrast for easy-to-read words. In a smaller, left column on my blog, I have provided a short "about me" section with my favorite quote and the purpose of my blog, under which is my blog archive. I chose to put this information to the left so that my blog posts and embedded pictures could be left-justified and any white space to the right could add to the cleanness and simplicity of my blog. I did experiment a bit with the width of the sidebar and blog posts, settling on a proportion that I felt most emphasized the importance of the blog content while still making the sidebar legible.

I hope the content and how I have chosen to arrange my blog allow you to join me on my journey through new tools and ideas. My goal is to grow as a professional and individual, perhaps finally reaching a moment of self-realization like Elizabeth Bennet's in Pride and Prejudice. One day, I will be able to join her in saying, "Till this moment I never knew myself."

Reynolds, G. (2014). Presentation Zen design: A simple visual approach to presenting in today's world (2nd ed.). United States of America: New Riders.