TITLE: Rolling Star
MEDIA: Word Document
SOFTWARE: Microsoft Word, Fire Alpaca
HARDWARE: Windows 10 64-bit
SPECIFICATIONS: 3739 words
CLASS: COM 346 Writing for Interactive Media
PROFESSOR: Stephanie Tripp
SEMESTER / TERM: FA 21
INSTITUTION: University of Tampa
LINK: N/A
DESCRIPTION: For an assignment where we needed to write a proposal for an interactive media project, I created this document as a pitch for a hypothetical mobile game titled “Rolling Star”. The game’s central premise was creating an innovative yet casually enjoyable game focused on the gyroscope, an underutilized component of phones in mobile gaming. Players rotate their phone to manipulate circular mazes in order to guide a star to goal points in various level. The pitch has detailed information on the development process of this idea, gameplay functionality, story, visual presentation, and intended audience and platform. There are also several graphics incorporated, such as mockups of various screens in the game, a cutscene storyboard, a logo, and a character design sheet.

TITLE: Metamorphosis
MEDIA: Interactive Web Story
SOFTWARE: WordPress
HARDWARE: Windows 10 64-bit
SPECIFICATIONS: 22 “chapters”
CLASS: COM 346 Writing for Interactive Media
PROFESSOR: Stephanie Tripp
SEMESTER / TERM: FA 21
INSTITUTION: University of Tampa
LINK: https://dylancom346.wordpress.com/digital-storytelling-project/
DESCRIPTION: A hybrid between creative writing and educational web content made for a digital storytelling project. Metamorphosis tells the story of three children who work together to create an observation log on the life cycle of a caterpillar, learning more about themselves and how to function in a group along the way. In thinking of unique ways to draw out the strengths of web page design within a storytelling medium, the beginning of the story acts as a sort of “hub” for the other chapters, which are presented in-universe as weeks of observational notes on the presentation board. In addition to creative writing, the project also features images, educational pages, and a template for readers to print if they wish to follow along and take notes on their own caterpillar.

TITLE: Understanding Color Psychology in Logos: What Does Red Make Us Feel?
MEDIA: Blog Post
SOFTWARE: Wix
HARDWARE: Windows 10 64-bit
SPECIFICATIONS: 1243 words
CLASS: WRI 220 Writing for Online Audiences
PROFESSOR: Julie Nelson
SEMESTER / TERM: SP 20
INSTITUTION: University of Tampa
LINK: https://dylannordhagen.wixsite.com/mysite/post/red-color-psychology
DESCRIPTION: This article gives a brief insight into what color psychology is and how it is utilized, using the color red as the focus. As an artist, I think color choices and color psychology are very important things to keep in mind when working on projects where visual design is crucially important. In addition to explaining the psychology behind the color red, I also take a look at several logos of popular companies or brands that utilize the color in a meaningful way.

TITLE: 5 Underutilized FireAlpaca Brushes And Their Applications In Your Art
MEDIA: Blog Post
SOFTWARE: Wix
HARDWARE: Windows 10 64-bit
SPECIFICATIONS: 875 words
CLASS: WRI 220 Writing for Online Audiences
PROFESSOR: Julie Nelson
SEMESTER / TERM: SP 20
INSTITUTION: University of Tampa
LINK: https://dylannordhagen.wixsite.com/mysite/post/firealpaca-brushes
DESCRIPTION: An article highlighting several interesting default brushes built into FireAlpaca. When considering what topics I could talk about in a list-based format, I found brush types to be a fitting example that is relevant to my own interests. Since the website this blog is hosted on doubles as another portfolio for my work, I thought tying in brush explanations to visual representation of how it has appeared on pieces that visitors of the site might have seen earlier was a great idea.

TITLE: Designing Tips and Principles for Beginners
MEDIA: Blog Post
SOFTWARE: Wix
HARDWARE: Windows 10 64-bit
SPECIFICATIONS: 1176 words
CLASS: WRI 220 Writing for Online Audiences
PROFESSOR: Julie Nelson
SEMESTER / TERM: SP 20
INSTITUTION: University of Tampa
LINK: https://dylannordhagen.wixsite.com/mysite/post/designing-tips
DESCRIPTION: An article that goes over several key tips for aspiring designers to follow when creating work. The idea for this blog topic stemmed from the consideration I had put into the design of the website hosting this article. Throughout the semester in which I took this class, I had learned and implemented a lot of good graphic design ideas into my work, and wanted to explain them and share it with the world.