In order to begin the initial idea process for the 'Design For Web' brief, we where given a series of set questions to consider and answer which will help us to narrow down our chosen subject field and decide upon a chosen concept for our website.
1. What is your subject matter?
2. What are you trying to communicate?
3. Who will be/ could be your target audience or 'end user'?
4. What will be the most appropriate / effective form of content?
5. What is the function and purpose?
We were also asked to consider what sector/industry would we be designing for?
From this we were then asked to gather our ideas and consider how we can articulate these ideas into a workable informal brief which will communicate what we aim to design.
In order to aid this I first began looking at websites on the subject of Promotion which is the subject my website will be on, however I found this quite difficult as it is a broad subject, therefore a began looking into 'How To' websites which is one of the possible format of my website in order to focus down instead of trying to cover all aspects of Promotion.
I found looking at existing websites in the filed which I have chosen for my website particularly useful as I was able to see what already exists in industry, what works and what doesn't and use this information to inform my own designs.
Promotion Websites
I had difficulty finding many websites based upon the subject of Promotion which already existed in industry, many of the websites I did find were more marketing websites who aimed to inform the audience of the latest news stories. Therefore the designs were quite text heavy and had a serious tone of voice which is something I would like to steer clear from in my design.
How To Websites
http://www.instructables.com
http://www.ehow.com
The aim of 'How To' websites is to inform and instruct the audience, therefore the designs of the website need to be simplistic and easy to navigate which is something I need to consider when designing my website. I particularly like the navigation used on the 'Instructables' website, which uses simplistic icons which categorise the articles as a means of navigation.
http://www.dummies.com
I believe that using a light-hearted, humorous tone of used within the 'Dummies' website in order to inform the target audience is particularly effective as it is more appealing and engaging, therefore this is something I would like to incorporate into my website design.
Task:
For next weeks session, find examples of websites which speak to you and print your favourite page, why are they good?
I believe that creating a website which is interactive is an effective way to engage the audience, I particularly like how the 'C-Roots' website has achieved this by creating a interactive spider diagram which the audience uses to navigate around the website.
Similarly to the 'C-Roots' website, the 'Form Follows Function' has created a concept which the audience can interact and engage with.
Within my design I prefer to used hand rendered techniques as opposed to digital, therefore like how Innocent Smoothies have incorporated a hand rendered feel into the digital format of a website.
By using the actual function of the website to inform the design decisions of the website the designer has created a website which appeals and is engaging for the target audience.
http://verdi.com.br
I particularly like how the designer has design a creative way of navigating through the site which I find interesting to engage with compared to the navigation on other websites. As well as being creative the design is also functional and easy to use which is the main consideration when designing a website.
