Kai Walker
Dr. Gu
English 8123
Project Profile
- Type and purposes of the project: I will be creating an online portfolio for PhD purposes, as I will be applying to those this Fall. I will try to create a website that is reflective of myself and not a typical portfolio one may see in higher education circles. Since the PhD programs I am applying to are in the creative writing field, I felt I would have more flexibility in how I can design the website and represent myself—to be creative but still professional.
- Client: As this is my online portfolio, the client will be myself. I will be using the opportunity to give a well-rounded view of who I am.
Bio: I am an English MA student in the Rhetoric & Composition concentration at Georgia State University. I am also a writing tutor at the university and have been given the additional role of “Writing for National Award Initiative Tutor” for 2024-2025. Before graduate school, I was an undergraduate at The University of North Georgia, Gainesville campus. There I was housed in the Interdisciplinary Studies department and studied alongside English and Film/Media majors. My official concentration was titled “Humanities and Fine & Performing Arts.” While there, I helped create a special topics course and formed an online journal. I also had the pleasure of having one of my poems published in their literary magazine, The Chestatee Review. I graduated as Summa Cum Laude and became a Sigma Tau Delta Alumni.
Currently, I am working on my upcoming thesis, which explores the intersection of rhetorical feminism, spirituality, and tarot.
- Audiences: My primary audience will be professors. They will gauge who I am as a person and student before deciding whether to admit me. This means my website will have to portray me in great detail so they can walk away feeling as if they have a good idea of who I am. Their expectations will be in three parts: writer, researcher, and student. They must know what type of writer I am to see if it fits their specialties and interests and the program and cohort. As for research, the creative writing programs are still housed in the English department and have the intent of making one a scholar. They have to know if I can research as well as I write. Lastly, they need to know what type of student I am and how well I will fit in with my cohort. Basically, they are assessing my personality.
- Content design: My content pages will be the homepage, with links to my writing history, tutoring philosophy, academic record, and autobiography.
- Design tools: I plan to use Canva to design my site. I have the Pro version, which enables me to have premium design features. Through this platform, I will utilize a basic template and customize it.
- Special concerns: A primary concern I have is how interdisciplinary my writing work is. I have an interest in technical and UX writing, as well as several creative forms. To add, I have a range in my research interests, from rhetorical feminism and Paganism to digital creation and information architecture. What I choose to focus on will heavily influence the aesthetic. I will take a risk because I want my design to reflect myself. I will try blending my taste of modern and professional (simplicity, black/gray/white) with spiritualism (unique symbolism).