Welcome!
Creating websites is not just about the code that goes into making a page function. One also has to consider the content that will occupy the pages, the design elements involvedd with presenting that content, and the way the user interacts with the site. As a student in the rhetoric program (or one considering the rhetoric program) you will likely have some basic level of familiarity with rhetorical theory and how it may come into play during the web design process. Since a website is a means of communicating information to an audience it should be clear that rhetoric is present in every step of the process. Can visuals be rhetorical? Yes they can. Can code be rhetorical? Absolutley. By understanding rhetorical theory you are going to have an edge over other web designers who merely have the ability to code.
However, having some understanding of rhetoric does not make up for an inability to code or understand basic design principles. This website will help you get a handle on both the design process and targeting information at your users, as well as adhering to widely accepted design principles. The nav bar to the left will take you to pages discussing the 5 planes, Visual Heirarchy, and the basics of HTML and CSS. This will provide you with a good footing with which to get started.
After you've had a chance to review the other pages come back here and check out some of the links below. These will provide some food for thought and get you thinking more about the nature of rhetoric in the digital world. Happy coding young Padawan!
Open Data and Algorithmic Regulation
Procedural Rhetorics of the Obama Campaign
Supreme Court's Growing Tech Illiteracy
Also consider:
"Writing is a Technology that Restructures Thought" by Walter Ong
"Persuasive Games" by Ian Bogost
"What an Automation Can Teach Us About Writing" by Carolyn R. Miller
