Website Designers

The first stages of the assignment was to research portfolio websites, in order to have an idea of what I could create. 

http://www.studioairport.nl/en

The portfolio stood out to me in terms of its navigation system, icons have been used to display text. The hover tool have been incorporated in order to display when the user has placed their cursor over that particular icon. In order to avoid clatter within thr page the designer only displays text with the use of the hover tool, this is used to identify the various pages it has implemented. Some of the icons used are universal, the designer has used a telephone as the contact icon therefore the need for text is unessessary in this case.

http://www.paulcurrah.com

This website displays much more content within, the designer has divided the content, here the various types of work have been placed at the top, the user has been given the choice to either view the content according to their category or as a whole. I like the choice of option as it goves me the choice of preference, this is an attribute I could consider for my website. The choice of categories allows the clients to choose the specific section they want to see. The next form of menu is the personal section providing information about the designer and how to contact them. I like the use of colour within this website, each menu section has been given their unique colour combination that makes it easier to identify. I like the form of gradient from one colour to another implemented on the top menu. The use of very light greys instead of whites actually makes the page look more interesting and less bland. The logo use is very simple just a letter to represent the name, I might use this technique for my logo instead of displaying my whole name I could have my initials or an abbreviation of my name. The designer has added a brief description about them underneath the logo, I quite like this techniques as it gives the viewer a taster about them it could determine if they are interested in finding out more information that would then be displayed in the about page.

http://www.ollygibbs.com

The main element that stood out to me about this design was the font used. it gives a more casual impression that such a formal one. I like how he has kept it consistent all throughout especially on his logo. The use of different colours to underline each section allows the user to identify each category; he has also incorporated the ability to view all the content at once. Although I liked the font the overall feel of the website is quite bland and boring, there is nothing amazing about the logo although I see he has followed Gestalts principle of similarity. The text is the same although he has adjust the logo to be a larger size there drawing the user to it.

 

http://pixelbot.ro

The portfolio is effective regarding the colour scheme used, the designer has kept to black, grey and white, and the colour pink has been used in order to highlight features. I like the use of symbols on the logo to replace text; it has been implemented effectively as you can still identify the missing letter. The robot is effective as people can identify the website with the avatar; it is a form of representation. The designer has added their recent work as images that serve as links in order to give the viewers a taster of what they have created, the links will lead to the actual product therefore there is no need to look through the menu etc. The actual menu has been placed at the very bottom of the page along with their social networking pages. I like the positioning of these attributes, it makes the user come across their latest work before they reach the menu because of this it constantly promotes their work and projects. The use of a simple menu gives a very casual impression; the pink highlights on attributes are eye-catching as the rest of the page mainly consists of greys, blacks and whites.

http://www.theloft.co/learn-more/

This portfolio is similar to the previous one in terms of the colour scheme used; the designer has incorporated black, white and greys. They have then used the colour pink to attract the user to certain attributes of the website. In this website I focused on the colour scheme I quite likes the combinations used, it seems to be a successful colour scheme as the previous website has also incorporated them effectively.

http://www.degt.cl

I looked into this portfolio in order to see how the designer has incorporated his information. Underneath the slider he has incorporated 3 columns where he talks about his recent projects, how he can help and his latest work. Within the slide he gives a brief description of who he is and what he does, I like this feature as you can find out some information without the need to visit the about page. The designer has also incorporated an avatar to represent himself I quite like this technique as it is part of your trade mark just like the logo. He has also used familiar icons to represent elements on his page; this time he has used the envelope icon to represent the content page.

http://www.visualswirl.com/inspiration/designer-portfolio-website/

The overall design of this portfolio was my favourite I liked the used of circles as the menu instead of logos and squares. Instead of having such a long menu the categories have been limited down to 3 which removes the amount of clatter on the page. The logo has been kept as a circle and therefore continues the overall theme. I like the used if a gradient as a background with a dark blue text, it depicts from the standard use of black text. The designer has also incorporated some brief information at the bottom that serve as links to specific pages. This is effective as they have added the remaining information that is needed but as a different format to the menu.

Sources

Hornor, T. (N.D.). 30 Beautiful Three-Colors Websites For Your Inspiration. Available: http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/three-color-websites/. Last accessed 12th April 2013.

Greenham, S. (2010). 50+ Beautiful Websites with Great Colour Schemes. Available: http://inspiredm.com/colour-schemes/. Last accessed 12th April 2013.