Hello Again Friends,
I am a total sucker for aesthetics, and when I see something
that has potential, but simply doesn’t reach the distance it deserves, it
drives me nuts. The two sites I selected for this discussion blog are:
Spot Metering (Spot Meter): Digital / 35mm / Medium Format!
The Riverside
Art Center:
To begin the total destruction of these sites (as if I were
the perfect web designer) my first reaction was to that of busy, busy,
overactive, overwhelming materials. Both of these sites offer an overly
elaborate collection of links to learn details about every aspect of the
business/service offered through the site.
Keeping in mind, the average internet user can decide in
seconds whether or not they will further investigate a site or leave it in
internet limbo, well, forever. Sadly, I think both of these sites would have
been in the latter for most causal internet surfers, and I’m happy inside to
know these pages get so many views due to this particular assignment. Imagine!
Knowing every couple of months, your site randomly receives an extra 100+
visits and you may never know why! HA!
Okay, well, the next thing I immediately noticed upon adding
these URL’s to my address bar was the lack of title for the Riverside Art
Center, to be added on the tab of the open browser page, simply stating “Home” as
any novice web designer would write. The other site, Spot Metering, seemed to
have an overly elaborate title, mentioning the business twice and then film or
camera shutter measurements, which may not be recognized by all audiences.
Also, and it could be a personal thing, but this designer has elected to
display the Japanese flag as his favicon, and I’m hoping it is due to his own
cultural background, rather than selecting an image he felt described his
business.
I guess there’s a particular taste, or style that
accompanies a web site that potentially could be recognized and make it big,
but neither of these sites have that appeal. I’m not exactly sure what the
magic is, and I’m sure I’ll learn before this class has ended, but I can say
that neither of these sites have reached that level of trendy beauty. I do
believe, however, the Spot Metering site is likely more prepared to arrive at
that level, with some work and adjustments, but is still a distance away.
Some things that could use changing on both sites:
Enormous navigational panes – both of these designers should
learn to condense information, and although I admire their motivation to make
dozens and dozens of web pages, the general visitor is there to find what they
want and leave. It is rare there is someone there to address every navigational
aspect of the website, therefore wasting the time (and perhaps money, depending
on host size limits) of the developer.
Bland colors on one / busy background on other – despite their
obvious intention to get attention where it belonged, these sites have elected
to do the exact opposite of what they are designed to do. The site that
displays photography (Spot Metering) has used an elaborate, decorative site
background, font style, and navigational skin which takes away from what the
site is intended for: photography. A simple background and basic text will
allow the true art to be noticed on this site, if the user wants a touch of
personalization, there are many other ways he can incorporate that without taking
away from his photographs. On the other
hand, the site designated for art is bland and misleading, and almost
immediately asks you to buy something as soon as you arrive. This site should
reflect all the art and beauty this center produces, keeping the user’s eyes
full with magic and wonder.
Neither of these sites appropriately indicate their date of
construction, or maintenance, and therefore cannot be considered modern sites
by the standard of the internet, however, there are updates made to the site
that indicate particular dates and times that inform the user there was
activity recently and likely will be in the future.
To be honest, it is difficult to critique a site, especially
if you have a few of your own floating about online. The difference between my
critique and what I have done in the past is: I’m certainly taking notes this
time around, to avoid sending any of my material on the fast train to Internet
Limbo.
The two sites I selected for positive discussion are:
Apple:
Headhunter Hairstyling Tanning and Nails:
As opposed to my two previously discussed websites, these
two are fantastically made, well organized, aesthetically pleasing, easy to
navigate and balanced. Both of these sites offer a beautiful collection of
professional images reflecting the products and services available with a type
of glamor that sells.
Just as discussed in my previous post, the average internet
user immediately decides if they are attracted to a website, and as an “average
user” I can say I was immediately attracted to both of these sites. I adored
the images selected for the galleries, and the photographers that contributed
were very talented. The navigation of both sites were fantastic and easy to
understand for the most novice to more experienced users.
The Apple site, as it was expected to be, was miraculous,
offering links in a well-organized fashion, leading the viewer to practically
any aspect of what the site and Apple, as a company offers. There was little of
the site I didn’t like: the colors were perfectly selected, the font and
navigation was balanced and attractive – it was an all-around a great success,
but do we expect any less?
The Headhunter Hairstyling site has a wonderful array of
images, cleverly scrolling on the homepage, inviting the potential customers to
see their competency first-hand. Besides the incredibly wonderful name for a
hairstylist, the site portrays the incredible skills of the team in a bright
and inviting template with well-organized navigational links and aesthetically
pleasing font selection.
Thanks for reading!
Cheers!
JennL.
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I attempted to read Laira Ellis’ blog this week, for
comments, and discovered her privacy settings have been changed, and I am
unable to access the content without an invite. Sorry, Laira.
I also attempted to visit
David Hurt's blog to discover there was some input issues and nothing to comment on. Sorry, David.
I Commented on:
Kylee Grice
Thanks for reading!
Cheers!
JennL.
