Week 3 Part A: Aesthetics, Design, and Branding

Gates N Fences

  This website is full of problems. It is incredibly poorly C.R.A.P.H.T.E.D..

  The header is jarring and painful to read. There is very little that is well contrasted. There is too much text.

  They could leave the contact information at the bottom of the page, or they could move the contact information to a separate contacts page. The paragraph above the header and the paragraph in the header could be moved into a sub-header section. The coloring could be more tied into the background aesthetic. The text could be made to have a greater contrast so that it is easier to read.

  The links are a total mess. There are too many to be listed completely in a column on a single page. Additionally, many of the links are duplicated in a separate text box for additional links. More of them are duplicated in the main body text. This makes it difficult to know if you are following the correct link. It also makes it more difficult to read the page.

  They could reduce the total links by removing the entire duplicate links section. They could further reduce the total visible links by collapsing each section into drop-down menus. Finally, remove the width-wise highlighting from the link images; it makes them very hard to read.

  There is too much text on the home page. The home page should introduce your company and direct traffic. It shouldn’t be traffic.

There are links to each section, use them. Reduce or remove the home page text. Increase the size of your images. Group the images with appropriate text.

  This website looks like their younger child helped their parents make a website without really understanding anything about website design or artistry.

 

Roverp6cars.com

  The links along the side are atrocious. Link text should be easy to read and condensed. There are far too many visible links on the page. Too many links confuse visitors.

  Reduce links into categories of drop-down menus if needed. Otherwise have links direct to category pages and then direct traffic from there. Don’t put links above images. Photo images reduce contrast and make text harder to read.

  There are too many unlinked images. Images on a website should be grouped with text that define why they are there. It is often useful and even customary to have the images be links themselves. Disjointed images make websites hard to navigate.

  They should reduce the total number of images and group them with the appropriate text.

  Contact information is haphazardly added throughout the page. There is a shop link near the top. There are then links for different part types. Next there is contact info; with no context or navigation. Later, there is an email contact link. Then a Facebook link further down.

  Contact info is one of the most important parts of a business website. It needs to be easily accessible and unified. They should have a link at the top to a contacts section, even if that is a jump link to the bottom of the home page. They need to make sure to appropriately group their contact info.

  This website appears to be built by a car hobbyist rather than a web design professional.

 

Artcenter.org

  This website seems to be built by a professional.

  The logo is clean and prominent, without being too much. Links along the top of the page are clean and simple. Additionally, as jump links, they make navigation easier and reduce loading speeds.

  The main image shows what they are highlighting professionally right now.

  The navigation section is simple. Simple graphics and clean text clearly identify where each link leads.

  There is clean contrast and font selection. I’m not always a big fan of mixing gray, white, and black on the same page, but in this instance it lends a classic, cultured look to the main page that is a nice contrast to the bright artistic main image.

  The arts community has always had a contrast between bright imagery and a classic feel; vibrant artists and wealthy benefactors. This feels like art.

 

Headhunterhairstyling.com

  This site is simple and clean. It feels basic, but with a good understanding of design.

  The logo is simple and prominent. The links are basic but clean. Most of the colors seem well contrasted. I’m not a big fan of the gray tone for the current page, but it isn’t terrible. The simple video simply and effectively highlights what the page is for.

  There isn’t too much on the home page. Header, video, Callout, introduction, contact info. Clean and gorgeous.

  I definitely feel that there is a clear level of professionalism here. Not necessarily web development, but definitely design professionalism. The site looks and feels like a cookie cutter website. The design elements show someone that is well versed in graphic design and fashion.