Prelim Critique - Project 01

[Gr8K8]

Hello! For my two designs I tried to make one more busy and textured and fun. The other I tried to do a little more straightforward and clean.
Personally I enjoy different aspects of both and look forward to hearing what you guys think.

With both I'm still playing around with font size, different fonts, and font colors.

For my floral design I was inspired by sites like http://www.fiftycoffees.com. Something a little cleaner looking.
I take pictures of flowers allllll the time. I have a problem. So something clean, pinkish, and floral was the driving motivation behind this design.


For my scrapbook style design I was inspired by the website pic for Helmy Bern on https://tympanus.net/codrops/2011/02/27 ... avigation/. (The site has since been updated and no longer looks like the picture from this article.) I really liked the way they used textures and just kind of went wild with it.
I was trying to incorporate my love for collage, flowers, and crafting by bringing in these elements.

[NalaniN]

Hi Kaitlin,

I think both designs are fantastic! I really like the 3D look of the scrapbook design that makes it seem like I could reach out and feel the different textures. I like that one a bit better than the other for the uniqueness and because the floral design overall has lower contrast and is harder to read (florem ipsum not taken into account ).

[cwalkerdesign]

Hi Kaitlin
I love both of your designs. Both have user friendly attributes. And both are visually pleasing to the eye. The first one your are able to see where everything is as far as color and placement. As far as the darker flowered open even though i think it is the prettiest out of the 2 the text could pop out more from the background.
Charmaine

[katyroses]

Hi Kaitlin,
I like both designs, but I think your first one is stronger. The concept, the colors, and layout look really nice and has a unique look to it. Plus it is super clever how you combined multiple images to create the design. If you went with your second design, I think you need to simplify the background a little bit. It competes with the text. I think all you would have to do is turn down the opacity on the background. All in all, super creative! Great job!

[TheWalapus]

Kaitlin! Nice layouts. I like how you used the color and the shape of the buttons on your more "rainbow" layout to bring attention to the home button! Do you plan on doing anything with the empty tab on your desktop layout? If you are trying to maintain balance by having the menu bar go all the way across the screen I might recommend adding an 'about me' tab with your contact info so you can fill the space in the menu bar or making the flowers take up the space that would be there if you moved the resources tab over.

Your second layout has some amazing colors. I love how the dark turquoise and pinks interact with each other. Like everyone else, my only critique is that the type color is too similar to the turquoise in the background and the type tends to "disappear". By lightening the type up it will pop right off the page! Nice job!

[Abused Oreo]

Hey Kaitlin, great work with both designs! They both look incredible and very attractive. Between the two I would stick with the first design because its got a lot more color and contrast. It is also very easy to read and navigate through the site. I like what you did with the torn piece of paper revealing your name. The only thing that I can come up with for improvement is the navigation menu. The "home" button blends into the buttons enough that it looks a little silly. The (I want to say cotton balls) look cool for the different links, but I feel like they need to stand out just a little bit more so the audience can tell that its a button to a link. Other than nicely done!

[itsdrrlcarden]

Hello,
I think your first design works better because it is more readable. It is also more visually interesting! I love the rainbow headline part, its so cool. I think just play with more typefaces! Good job!

[tandyg]

Hi Kaitlin,

Your first design is the neatest with the layout and emphasis of your name in the title of the ripped portion. It may be an option to add more of the eclectic effect with the rip on the layout. I like how the rip is continued into the application. I like that layout the most.

[Instructor]

Oooh, oooh, gimmie dat scrapbooking one!

Wow! What a great use of texture! This design is so deep. This thing is a textbook example of texture usage. It also shows off how you can take a pretty Plain Jane standard layout and really make it an eye catching and special design. It also gives it a warm and homespun feeling that invites you in to stay a while. Your top bar makes for a great frame for your content. In general, your alignment is en pointe through this whole composition. You do a great job of using placement and alignment to imply shapes that aren't there. I like your color selections as well. They reinforce the handcrafted, homey feel of the whole thing. Your white headline type pops so nicely against your paint swatches. It shows what a subtle drop shadow can do. Nice use of the blue TMCC logo, too.

The only real issues I see in this thing are in your navigation. I would either shrink your navigation so it fits entirely in the cotton balls or Photoshop enough cotton balls so you have one ball per button. I'd also recommend using your "Kaitlin Wallberg" headline font in your navigation.

Nicely done!

[adriannageo]

I really like the first layout. It gives off an inviting vibe. The use of the different textures makes your design so unique and eye-catching. I like that you changed the logo to blue.