Learning Freehand MX

Today we will begin the piece of software known as Freehand MX. This is another of the products in the Macromedia Studio package. Freehand is software for graphic design. It is geared more to preparing printed material than is Fireworks.

To begin, I'd like each of you to complete an online tutorial. Click here to access the tutorial. Once you've gained some experience with Freehand, you'll be ready to take on your own design projects.

Excel Project

Spreadsheets are one of the most powerful applications developed for computers. They allow users to manage huge amounts of columns and rows of numbers and other forms of data. They can do in seconds what it would have taken a team of accountants days to do in the pre-computing age.

You will use Microsoft Excel for your project. Your project should contain:

• At least two different types of formulas. (ex. SUM, AVERAGE, COUNT, IF -- for extra credit use VLOOKUP!)
• At least one chart displaying your information.
• Use proper formatting for column and row width, rounding of values, row and column labels, etc.

Some ideas for spreadsheet topics:

• Sports statistics - calculate stats for your favorite team. Baseball, softball, basketball, etc.
• Personal budget - Get a grip on what it costs to live. Prepare a realistic budget of expenses for life on your own.
• Loan amortization - Want to buy a car? Spreadsheets can help you calculate payments for that dream ride.
• Track a stock - Set up a spreadsheet to follow the value of a stock portfolio over time.
• Surprise me - Not really, but if you have a good idea, let me know and I'll probably approve it.

Finishing Up Flash

As many you near the completion of your Flash projects, I thought you might like to see some examples developed by professionals. I stumbled upon this site from an Escondido-based company. Check out some of their examples.

Going the Extra Mile
Some of you are completing your work well ahead of some of your classmates. Use your extra time to improve previous projects, add content to your portfolio site, or work on another approved project. If you need some ideas, how about:

• redesigning one of the web pages on the CLHS site
• putting together a page for the gallery section of the web
• make a Flash banner for your church website
• suprise me!