I am taking a coding class. Part of the class exercises are to replicate some given example webpage.
It’s still in the intro phase of the class, so it’s still covering parts of coding that I know very well. So at first I was particular to the point of ridiculousness (what font is the example text? Is the heading and text in the same font? Can I open the example page as an image and count the pixels in that tabstop? If I add a hover effect, do you want the same green or a different accent green? …. These are all questions I asked, literally.)
After some heroically supressed eyerolls on the part of my TAs and instructors, I started to relax. Started to add subtle rollover and text effects that ~could~ be part of the example page. I mean, they’re showing me a static image. Who’s to say that if you hover over something, you won’t trigger some interactive effect?
No one has said anything to me about it, but I’ve been getting full marks. Bear in mind, full marks consists of ‘turned in on time’ and ‘has some passing resemblance to the original’.
So … it’s been several weeks of this. I’m starting to relax a bit more. The latest assignment has this retro futuristic vibe to it. And the point of this exercise is responsive design – that as you resize your browser, different things will happen.
And I so, so, SO want to throw in the Wondermark Futurism poster. One just one of the ‘responsive’ layouts – the largest one, where there’s lots of space left blank. Just to amuse myself; possibly to amuse the instructors. I think it’s terribly funny. I think it’s thematically related to the example page. It will require some extra (stretch to call it advanced) coding.
Yet I wonder … is this going to far away from the intent of the exercise? Will they also find it amusing, or am I the only one who finds myself quite this entertaining? Am I showing creativity and initiative, or am I being disrespectful and missing the whole point of the exercise? Am I over thinking this?
Project has to be turned in tomorrow (Sunday). Fate of the Futurism poster is still unknown.