GRC 175 Learning and Discussion Forum

These are my rough drafts for project 1. I love gardening and growing plants indoors so, I decided to go with a plant theme for one of my drafts. I was initially looking into other themes such as the beach and the ocean when I ran across this picture of black sand. I like dark backgrounds and thought the texture was really cool and helps with contrast. I generally like using a lot of negative space. I will experiment more with different font styles for my final project as well. I chose the bottom two links below as my inspirational links. I like the first one for the dark background and contrasts. I also really liked the swiping effects of the homes. The layout really grabbed my attention and I enjoyed the background images against the black. I can't understand it because it is in another language but I found it visually appealing. The second link contains a list of really good coffee websites so in a way I kind of cheated because there are a ton of really cool websites on this page. I like the look of canape baker. The background picture and the way the screen scrolls down looks really nice. I also like way the images darken up a little bit after holding your mouse over them. The font looks classy and it gives an inviting feeling to the viewers.

Inspirational links:
https://www.behance.net/gallery/65404941/ODRINA-2018
https://medium.muz.li/20-most-inspirati ... 1be19e9ab9

Hi Katherine,
These look so nice and I personally love a good huge background image. I think the first one is better because I like the softness of the circles and the sandy image. One thing I would suggest is that to keep that soft and rounded look going is to round the edges of the box around your 'about' text just a bit so that they aren't so harsh when the rest is so soft. I would also bring up the transparency to make that chunk of text stand out a little more, or change it to white and make the box black. I like the leaves imagery in your second one as well and that you did keep everything more square. I would go with the first look because of the circles and softness to it, but really these both look great and either would be a good choice.

Hi Katherine!

I really love the rich colors you used for both of these designs! I'm always really afraid of using darker colors in my designs, especially if I need type, but you utilized them so well into your layout! I think I like the first set of designs the most, the black and white color scheme is just so well done! The only advice I could give is maybe making the text and tabs a bit bigger. I love that cool sandy background and it'd be cool to see more of that contrast with the type against it!

These are really unique designs and I'm super excited to see what your final website looks like : )

Hello Katherine!
I love the variety and difference in your designs! I'm really do like second design, but I'm really leaning towards your first design. I'm a big fan of the open layout and I think the circles will work really well. A suggestion I have is removing the textbox, making the text white, and using gaussian blur to blur out the background slightly and I think your text will pop really well. If you wanted to keep the background image in your second design, I think it would look really great with the layout of the first design. You have some really good things you're working with and I'm excited to see how your final looks!

Hello Kathrine

Your designs look really professional and neat, I like the use of photographic images as a background it works especially well in your first design with the black sand. I love monochromatic color schemes and it gives you pages a polished feel. My only advice is to experiment with different type styles, the ones you have now while a safe choice also feels default. Maybe a more sleek typeface similar to something you might see in a magazine could work to fit your uniform design.

Hi Katherine,
I love your designs! They look so clean and well organized. I agree that the black sand adds texture to your design. The first design has great use of shape, space, and the opacity helps in making the text easily readable. However, I'm liking the second design more. One thing you can think about doing is maybe instead of the boxes creating leaf shapes or little planting pots for the projects. Great job!

Personally I like your leaf background one the best. The center alignment feels tighter and less fragmented.

I really like that leaf background image selection. It visually speaks to your love of plants and does a lot of the descriptive heavy lifting for you. Your layout is clean and intelligently laid out. It transitions well between computer and mobile. I like the placement of everything. The eye falls easily on every piece of your layout and cruises through your design. I especially like your order choice with the project navigation at the bottom. Your navigation is easy to see and use and splitting it was a good choice. Everything is easy to read and find. I like the semi transparent black box on your footer it works a good little framing device for your overall design. You've got good margins too. Nothing is too tightly packed together.

My big issue with it is that you've tried to over complexify it with all the transparent white boxes. I don't think it needs them. I think if you make your title type and bodycopy white with a slight black outer glow, I think they'll pop plenty nicely against the leaves. You can leave the black buttons as is, but don't forget to horizontally and vertically center the type within them. I'd recommend doing something similar for your project navigation since the white boxes are a little clashy. Maybe make the buttons leaves?

Good effort!

Hello Katherine,

I really like what you choose as background for both of your designs. I think both of them make it easy to find where your content is at. I think you decide which one you like the best. The one is into the most is probably the black sand because I think it really unique, and I really like the movement and texture it provides. It also probably helps place with content that is white or lighter in color. And I don't think the white backdrop panel behind your body copy is necessary; I think instead, switch the text to white and adjust the hierarchy between it and your name.

Hi Katherine,
I love your background picture for you first layout, the sand also looks the the night sky with stars and it fits in nice with your insta handle. I think a pop of color would help make you design with this one, like just a little bit of gold or a blue. Other than that I would make sure your text fits properly like with the about button. Looking forward to seeing your final!

Hi Katherine,
The background textures you chose for your website designs are really cool, they give a lot of depth to your work. I think I prefer your second website because the layout is easy to follow and understand. I think if you were to make the opacity of your description’s background a little less opaque, it might be easier to read. Good job!