Students should customize their ePortfolios so that they reflect who they are as learners. This post covers some of the ways you can customize your Google Site and have it look great.
1. Choose a color scheme (and stick to it).
To change the color scheme of your site to to the "More" button and select "Manage site"
Then, select "Colors and Fonts" to change the background color, font, etc. for each of the areas of the site (header, body content area, background, etc)
Several sites exist that help you select colors that look good together. Some of our favorites are:
Once you've created a header, you need to add that to your site.
Click on the "More" button and select "Edit site layout" NEW!
Click on the top of the site in the header area and the header editor will open.
Tick on Height - Use logo size
Tick on Custom Logo and then "Choose File"
to select the your custom header image.
You'll also find it helpful to go to "More" and "Manage site" and then "General" and untick display site name on every page.
1. Choose a color scheme (and stick to it).
To change the color scheme of your site to to the "More" button and select "Manage site"
Then, select "Colors and Fonts" to change the background color, font, etc. for each of the areas of the site (header, body content area, background, etc)
Several sites exist that help you select colors that look good together. Some of our favorites are:
- Kuler where people design color "swatches" and share them. You can choose from any of these schemes and use them as background, font, title, etc. colors.
- Color Scheme Designer 3
- Sphere Color Visualizer
CRAB poster by Noah Katz |
2. Use C.R.A.B. to design your site.
C.R.A.B. stands for Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, and Balance. By applying these principles consistently to your design, you will make a visually appealing design.
3. Make a custom header.
Custom headers are an easy way to express yourself on your site. Several sites like Picmonkey allow you to create headers to a size you specify and then upload them into your site.
You can also make custom header images using tools on your Mac like Pages, and the screenshot utility. ePortfolio assets including the UWCSEA logos are found in this shared Google Drive folder. This video show how that's done. PDF instructions
Once you've created a header, you need to add that to your site.
Click on the "More" button and select "Edit site layout" NEW!
Click on the top of the site in the header area and the header editor will open.
Tick on Height - Use logo size
Tick on Custom Logo and then "Choose File"
to select the your custom header image.
You'll also find it helpful to go to "More" and "Manage site" and then "General" and untick display site name on every page.