d-server
The d-server is a website created for and with students of the Faculty of Design at Ohm Hochschule in Nuremberg. Developed during the pandemic, the platform allows students to upload and categorize their work, and explore what their fellow students created. Primarily developed for internal use, this platform was also used for the public exhibition at the end of the semester during the time when physical gatherings were not possible.
Created together with Simona and with support from students, this is a long-term project that has evolved and changed over time. Currently, there are two different designs available: version 1 is a darker column-style design inspired by old computer terminals, version 2 is a brighter masonry-style design with different filters. The name was inspired by the local network share of the design faculty, which was called D-Server. At the end of the semester, students uploaded their work to this share, and could also view everything the other students uploaded. We took this as inspiration and brought it to the internet. The interface of the first version is heavily inspired by DOS-like programs. The avatar images of students are automatically converted to ASCII art, to match the aesthetics. When enabled, additional effects, like a subtle flashing of the screen, scanlines and some screen tearing complete the appearance.
Version 2, on the other hand, is a more traditional portfolio view, showing the same content as version 1 in a different aesthetic.
Based on a highly customized WordPress system with a custom coded theme and plugins and a custom admin area for students to upload their work. The students can create their entries from different content blocks, like text or image blocks. There are also some special blocks, for example a p5js and a pico-8 block, that make it super easy to show of a p5js sketch or a game built with pico-8; the student just upload their sketch file, or a pico-8 cartridge, and the system takes care of the rest.
version 2 with a masonry-style design
the filters can be combined flexible; if JavaScript is enabled, the content gets loaded seamlessly via ajax
JavaScript also makes endless scroll possible
when viewing a student or a work case, information is displayed on the left side
it is still possible to switch back to the old v1 design; v1 defaults to the winter semester of 2020/2021, v2 defaults to the summer semester of 2021
the version 1 design features a column-style navigation
all the content can be viewed with both version 1 and version 2
