Analysis

http://www.RedBullProjectX.com/

This week one of my favourite websites I have looked at is to advertise a snowboarding event which is happening next year. The website really impressed me in lots of different ways, for a start the photography used on the website is amazing. Some of the shots are really impressive and add to the whole atmosphere of the website.

The navigation for the website is all on the left hand side of the page and makes it really easy to navigate for the user. All of the information is scattered around each of the different pages and this means the user gets to interact with the website and can learn lots of interesting facts about the event, such as things like how long it took to build the half-pipe which will be used.

The website also contains an image gallery and other exciting features which contain some really impressive imagery which will keep the users attention for quite some time. There is also an audio track in the background of the website which contains very atmospheric music which almost makes you feel as if you are at the slope itself, and this helps to boost the experience gained by visiting the website.

Project Ideas

After Shaun gave us an idea of what our project for this term would be, I began thinking more about possible location which I could base my website on.

I wanted to choose somewhere which is special to me, and which I am able to access easily, should I need to take photos or videos of it. The place which kept ticking all the right boxes for me is the City of Manchester Stadium. This stadium is the home of Manchester City Football Club, and I have been going there regularly to watch the team since they moved to the stadium in 2003.

It is very easy for me to get video and pictures of the stadium as I attend every home game so am there a few times every month. The stadium also has some history around it as it was originally built to host the 2002 Commonwealth Games. Therefore there is plenty of information available which I can use to fill a 5 page website.

Also, after viewing the stadiums current website - http://www.cityofmanchesterstadium.co.uk/, I feel I could easily improve the current website by both looks and content.

Website Analysis

Website 1;

http://www.graphotism.com

Graphotism is a website which allows people to upload images of their graffiti, be it in their sketchbooks or on a wall. People can then comment on each others work and give each other advice on how they can improve. The website has a really good sense of community and people respect each others work. I also really like the layout of the website, it's fairly simple, yet it still looks extremely effective and sticks with the graffiti theme of its content. The website also contains other things such as a shop, a forum, and reviews. Overall I was very impressed by the website and the content was really impressive and there was some really good examples of different text styles.

Website 2;

http://www.tattooson.com/

TattoosOn is a website which allows people to talk to each other regarding tattoos. The interesting thing about this website is that it allows tattoo artists to register on the website and show off their work, this is a good way of them meeting new clients and it allows them to get to know other professionals in the same area so they can compare work and help each other improve. Some of the work on the website is really impressive and after looking around I believe it is the most widely used social networking site of its kind. The website also allows people to post saying what kind of tattoo they are looking for, then artists can get in touch if they are interested and potentially gain work. This is why I think it is an excellent tool if you are in, or interested in, the tattoo business.

Website 3;

http://www.football-networks.com/

The third website I looked at was a football related social network. This site allows people to upload images, videos, and other football related things. People can then comment on each of the items and people are able to share content. The website also features a forum, and other areas where people are able to able to converse with each other and talk about football related subjects. The website also features a shop and other interesting features. This was my least favorite of the three websites and I wasn't highly impressed by the layout of the site. It was a really basic website but it still did the job and had some interesting content.

Screenshot

Managed to get the screenshot to upload properly. This is a photo of the design I am working on for a website of a local band.

Update

Just a quick post to let you know what I have been up to over the past weeks and months.

During the summer I did a lot of hours work experience at a local design company. Spending my time working alongside their web designer, this gave me a great insight into the industry and how it worked. It also gave me the opportunity to make lots of website and get to grips with different coding languages. Here is a link to one of the many websites I made during my time there; http://www.thinkpebble.co.uk/

Since I finished my work experience I have been designing other websites for a few different clients. Personally I like to design the website first using Photoshop, and then build the website at a later stage, this means I know exactly what I want the website to look like, and it gives the client an idea of what the website will look like without me having to change lots of code and almost completely redo the website if they do not like it.

I tried to upload a screenshot of one of the websites I am currently working on, but for some unknown reason parts of the image were removed and the colours were changed.

Interview Analysis

Dan Saffer; 'Interaction design is an applied art'

I found this article really interesting, I found it a really useful way of getting into the head of a successful interactive designer which allowed me to compare the way he works, to the way I work. The part of the article I found most interesting is where he is outlining all the other disciplines which are related to interaction design. It is amazing how many different disciplines are actually related and it makes you think about how big the interactive design industry actually is. I also found this article helpful with his pointers on what the typical mistakes made by newbies to the industry are. This allows me to avoid making these mistakes myself.

Joel Schafer; 'I'm into minimalistic clean design'

I really enjoyed this article. He gets straight to the point and also gives you a good idea of what his thought processes are when creating a website. I really like the idea of only using "greyscale + one color" when making a website. This is such a simple but effective idea, and it really allows him to put his own creative stamp on each website, this will be recognised by people and they will instantly know that he created the website. This article also had some really interesting tips and pointers for people who are new to the industry and this could prove to be a huge help to me.