GRC 175 Learning and Discussion Forum

The first set originally I was going to go very minimalistic, white and black, with a menu bar and and single centered image. However I changed course when I had to add the "about me", and class name, and TMCC elements. Instead, I decided I wanted a bit of a DIY, distressed theme (while using still some minimalist aspects.) I used a distressed looking faded type for the headline and the menu links. I used the graph paper square, to kind of going along with that DIY idea and also a bit of a reflection of the pattern on the shirt. I gave a bit of a choppy edit of the photo, again to go with the theme of distressed or "unfinished". The colors are mainly from the blue/orange complimentary family (and black).

Inspiration: http://www.davidcarsondesign.com/
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The second set of designs I wanted to try a different style. Instead of simple and grungy like the first set, I wanted to go more fun and whimsical. Instead of relying on menu links, I used several panels to show a site that is meant to scroll to access more content. I used a "tactile" canvas background and used colors of green and brown (and black) for a bit of a safari theme.

Inspiration: https://www.wikiart.org/en/salvador-dali
https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/wes-anderson-style/

Hi Kevin, I really enjoy your roughs for this project! I think that both concepts are very strong and have a lot of differences in them, I really like the first concept, theres something about it that really draws the eye in. The second one is good as well but needs a bit of work. For the first concept I would change the dimensions of the navigation bar to make the type not as squished, and instead of cutting out the parts of you that cover up the text, maybe just lower the opacity of your picture and have it be behind that text. For the second I would increase the size of the navigation lines and mess with the giraffe-dog a bit. Other than that this is a great first rough, well done!

Hi Kevin
I like your dog giraffe in your second one, and how the project buttons have a picture, so it is easier visually to see which project is which.
In the end, if you want something that seems more friendly, I would go with the second one and refine that layout to be your final. Maybe you can mix in stuff from your first layout that works well with the second, ya never know.

Hey Kevin,
I like the first layout, for some reason it's easier for my brain, yet I do respect the dog giraffe. I like the navigation bar, and color scheme. I would play with the opacity of your text bubble, it's super dominant. And play with your photo editing on the lower portion. But it's very open and has a nice airy minimalistic feel. Super cool.

Howdy Kevin,

I think I like the 'work in progress' vibe of the first set of designs, it's sort of like it's saying "this is what the process of designing looks like". I also like that it's simple and easy to navigate. The only thing is I think the rough edit of the photo doesn't quite read to me the way that you intend it to. Maybe if you play around with deliberately including the actual editing tools in the image, so that you can see that it's a photo in the process of being edited. The limited color palette also gives it a very clean look as well. It's a great start.

Hey Kevin,
I'm really digging the second concept the best! Originally, I had actually enjoyed the composition of your first one, but I found that the second concept shows your character much more! Especially with that giraffe-dog peeking out from behind the tree haha! My critiques would be to try and establish some hierarchy and organization within your layout. I think that you could solve this dilemma by placing some headlines within the design so that it helps guide the viewer throughout your site if you want them to scroll downwards towards your projects; especially with sans serif fonts that are more bolder and thicker to combat with the texture of the background. For the computer format specifically, I think it would be best to have the buttons/pages/navigation on the top and not compacted into the three-bar button (the hamburger button) since that one is usually fitting for the mobile format. I also do recommend viewing more website examples to understand their layout and structure. Hopefully this speil will have helped towards your final designs, but great work so far!

Hi Kevin! I can really see your creativity throughout your designs! I also think you have a good connection between your web and mobile layouts, and that they will transition well. I think both versions would be a great direction for your site as they both show so much personality. If I had to give a critique I think I would say to hone in on your textures, colors, and typefaces to establish a more cohesive design. Great start!

hey Kevin
I really like the space you left for your projects in your second design, I like how open and clear everything reads on both mobile and desktop. I think that your second design is much more creative and personal! I like the dog giraffe you have going there.

I would say that the second seems to have a better layout and functionality. However I don't think either design is really there yet. The first doesn't really lift off the screen for me and feels a bit flat. The second is a great idea but seems that maybe you need some foliage in the background for your giraffe to eat? There's just not a lot of contrast between your character and their background, you could use an open sky or just a sky blue with some leaves or perhaps some different characters to balance out the comp. As someone who makes their living illustrating I love the idea of the second composition but feel that the background narrative could really set this composition on it's way with a little bit more work.
Regards

Lol! You're a torn image on your first one. I like it!

Your whole first design has a sketch (but not sketchy) quality about it and it really works. I like the gridded content stage you have set up and how your picture breaks out of it with geometric tears. You establish the rules and then break them all at once. That grid really organizes things and let's you hang content off of it like a corkboard. The three blues and pale yellow highlight color work well together. I like the pencil sketch font you've chosen for your title and navigation. It looks hand made and goes with your sketch/blueprint theme. Yet, the entire thing is easy to read. Your navigation is easy to see and use.

I don't know that you need the blue background behind your type. I think if you make your bodycopy black and maybe lighten up the grid a bit, it should show just fine. I don't think you need to squish your navigation text quite so much. It looks fine at it's normal height on your name. Try a sans-serif type and see how that looks in your bodycopy and class info. I'd also be tempted to mess around with the TMCC logo and make it look a little more sketched. Maybe make the double sided line in your footer yellow to match you nav.

Good effort!