project 3 preliminary critique

[dboudinot]

Hi Everyone, My name is Dominique Boudinot, and this is preliminary critique for project 3 GRC 175.

For this project we had to redesign the graphic communications program website. The only parameters were that we had to include the current tmcc logo, which had to appear on a similar place on each page. We also had to have the heading Truckee Meadows Community College and a minimum 5 pages of content (program overview, instructors bio, student work, classes, and degree information.)

For my first set of roughs I wanted to do something using geometric shapes and saturated colors. I also wanted nice eye-movement.

For my second roughs I wanted something that felt more artistic, so I went with a painted feel and chose to use gradients and a lot of green and coral.

My overall goal with both designs was to entice the viewer to click on the content and hopefully inspire them a little bit.

Let me know what you think!

[rrodriguez]

Dominique,

I like your second rough, where the Sierra building is in background and a paint brush is running along the side, as if to paint the remaining building together. It definitely gives off an artistic feel, but at the same time is organized to show information. My only suggestion is to align the button more evenly between each other. I like rough 1 idea and concept. The use of lines and color do pop out at you. But roughs 2 give a more interactive design approach that I'm diggin.

[paula_b]

Hi Dominique! Good job on your roughs and my choice is rough2. I like your color choices and type. Very cool idea with the paintbrush! I'm interpreting the buttons as drop downs, my only suggestion is to make them a little smaller so that they're not crowding your headline. Great job girl!

[recordd]

Hi Dominique!
Wow girl...both of your designs are very creative and unique! I love them both! Rough #1, I love the color scheme, your circle designs, font and image of building all add an artistic feel to it. I love the content boxes that you created too, a very nice touch! One suggestion that I would make is to make the Truckee Meadows Community College more of a bold font (maybe like the Graphic Communications font but use the use green in your navigation) Rough #2, you definitely nailed the artistic feel! I love the dripping paint brush and the look of an actual painting, nice creative thinking! Your color scheme goes well together and I love the drop down navigation boxes. I don't have anything to suggest for this one...great job!

[lingling_chen]

Hi,Dominique
Good job on both roughs, I like your rough 2 more, the green one. Cool!

Lingling

[Sierragirlnv]

Hi Dominique,

I like your second rough the best. If it were me i might try to take colors from the main picture and use those as your background and buttons, etc. I think it would create more unity in your design.


Sierragirlnv

[georgia_novotny]

Hi Dominique,
Good job with both your designs.

I like your rough2 designs more as I like the illustration more in this design.
I think its looks good and the colors really go with TMCC.

Nice Job,
Georgia

[kiwakom]

Hi Dominique,
I enjoyed your designs.
Personally, I like the rough 2. The color choice is great, also I like the background TMCC photo.
But, I think you can play with fonts.
Other than that, good job!

Kiwako

[Instructor]

Hm. Got some interesting ideas here, Dominique. I like.

I prefer your first design, actually. I think the simplified vector version of the Sierra building feels more "design-y" than the posterized Red Mountain building in the second one. I also prefer your navigation placement and top bar layout on the second design. The navigation is easy to see and follow. I also think the semi-transparency creates a nice unifying effect on both your first and second designs.

I'd recommend enlarging your content area, secondary navigation buttons and vector building so that there is a better sense of unity between everything, similar to your second design. Feel free to have your content and secondary nav go over the top of your vector building, like in your second design. Also remember to center your type in your secondary navigation buttons and have the fonts be the same size. I'm also not sold on the background purple. Try a darker version of TMCC's lime grren and see how that looks.

I think with a few tweaks this could look really strong. You've got some good ideas here and I'm excited to see your finished site.

[schakarun714]

im liking the first layouts but im not fond of the color purple, but hey thats just me. however i think the design choices you made are really powerful