The websites I found inspirational had much to do with the expressive type and use of whitespace. I enjoy the horizontal menu layout as it lines up with the photos. The first link is actually where I found the others and I found so many good portfolios on it! I used two typefaces to try to create contrast along with a color that goes with my logo. I am not very satisfied with these layouts but I guess that's why they are "roughs." For one of my layouts, I used a picture of my pup because who doesn't like a cute animal?! My other layouts have a picture of myself as I feel like it fits the purpose.
Hi Ericha, I really enjoy your designs, the layouts are clean and easy to read without being too boring or over the top. I personally prefer the first rough, it is simple yet eye-catching and unique. I like how you used color to break up the white space but didn't overpower everything with color. For the first concept I might switch the places of your logo and the navigation, and I'm not too sold on the vertical navigation, maybe if you increased the size it might bring everything together or use the navigation from the second concept. Great job! Excited to see where this goes!
Both of your designs are very appealing to the eye with how clean, uncluttered they are. I feel like you did a really good job making the layouts have a good balance of positive and negative space. One thing I noticed while making mine was the spacing of everything was harder to gauge in comparison to layouts in other media or print media. Naturally I think we are just wired from so much of our experience designing other types of layouts that websites we tend to steer towards that same method of filling up the whole space and the fact you didn't do that is impressive. It makes websites, in my opinion, so much more appealing to the eye and as a result more functional.
In terms of which set I like best, I gotta go with the dog one - not because of the dog (although that may have had some slight bit of influence haha) but because I feel your use of white space as the background and it blending into the image of your dog just looks so clean. I do like the first set too but I just feel because of your simplistic stylistic aesthetic choices, I think the extra green boxes around your bio and picture detract more-so than they add. I feel your use of color of the second set's buttons were just enough to keep the whole look cohesive. That first set is excellent too though but that's just my personal preference. Also I really love your logo design with your name and how you incorporated the logo color throughout. Looking forward to see where you take these!
Hi Ericha,
super clean and easy, I dig it. I would use the second rough, but do the same thing to a picture of you, not that your dog isn't adorable. I feel like it would just take your project to the next level. Awesome
Hey Ericha,
You're right, who doesn't love a cute pup! And I just love the white space established in the composition too, it makes the entire website seem spacious and able to roam around in. However, with the photo of the dog, it reads off as being a website for dogs or animals in general and not about a website for getting to know you better. As much as I find the photo of your pet very cute--super cute!--I think your first concept is going in the right direction for this project. And what is even more pleasing about it is that I have no critiques about it whatsoever! You started off really strong with this composition and I love the structure you created. To do offer some input from my end, I would just suggest tweaking the green rectangle in your mobile format to not be so high up, but other than that everything else is all set! Great work!
Hey Ericha! I'll start with the obvious one. I love your dog, and please give them copious amounts of pets for me. Now onto the sites! So I really like this negative space with one color thing you have going on. I think actually, you should have even more negative space. Something that may be cool to try is editing the photos to duotone with the same color. Regarding the color too, I like green, but I don't know if it's this green. Personally, I'm preferring the feel of the top one more, but again I think the color needs to refined.Taking out the boxes and changing the images to duo, and the type in that color, I think would really help push these into the landing page stratosphere! Great work!
Hello Ericha, I prefer the design with your picture in it. First, your pic being upside down forced me to screenshot it (now saved: hole in one for marketing) so that I could flip it and see your face. Second and so on, it's a great, positive portrait, conveys youth, adventure, outdoorsy (we used to SAY we did those things 40 years ago, but alot of you kids actually do them, so, the appeal is to the right people: young up and comers who are needing their own websites); your colors are so simple, clean and not distracting from the words. The DOG distracts from the words; those eyes are just too 'what is in it's talking bubble?' Looks very condemning: somebody did something wrong/bad, for the dog to have such a 'look askance' expression. Now I wonder who's the dog looking at? Cause they made the dog upset. I would say, "kill the dog", but that does NOT sound right. Lose the dog. That's better, and, even though I found the less-is-more thing working for you here, my first thought on how I might change it would be to add just a pinch of color, a tiny patch, something saturated, light, bright, but small, or if a line, thin. I loved your Laura Maltby website inspiration. I love that look she's got going, reminds me of 'my' favorite graphic artist, according to my GRC 116 research project, Louise Fili, "Elegantissima". Very fun designs, lots of slab serif, old timey, style. Lacey and engraved-looking, very busy, but enjoyably.
I note the size of your name--I am still designing mine and know now that it's good to make your name biggest because I did come into the replies section remembering your name is Ericha.
Don't take it personally, but I like the one with the pup better. The computer layout feels more open and easy to navigate.
It's a very clean layout you have here. My favorite bit is the color, or lack of it. What you have here is a grayscale layout with a single color acting as a highlight to move the eye different places. The dog picture is suitably adorable. That pup looks inquisitive and pleased to be learning. Great use of alignments too. You really do a good job creating edges where there are none. The margins are putting in work too everything has room to breathe. And you use proximity to create content islands where similar things are grouped together. Great choice typographically, too. You're employing the old "multiple weights of one typeface" trick which always works to unify any design it's used in. It also ties nicely with your logo where the splash of color and handwriting type draw the eye. Your navigation is easy to see and use.
Your mobile version of the pupper layout is a little crammed together. Almost constipated. I'd recommend shrinking the dog pic a touch and opening up your bodycopy so it and your page title have similar distances/margins to your computer layout. Maybe instead of stacking the project buttons, you could run them in a horizontal line, or stack them in pairs.
Good work! I want to scratch that pup behind the ears.
"Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just show up and get to work." — Chuck Close
Michael Ganschow-Green - GRC 175 Instructor mganschow@tmcc.edu | 673-8200 ext.5-2173
Both of your designs would work, and I like the monochrome idea of only one color, and everything else is black and white. It's simple and adds character.
If you were to go with the dog version, the website is amazing and fun to look at with the cute dog. But the mobile version might need more oversized buttons as it may be hard for someone with fat fingers to hit the correct button. So shrinking the dog a bit might work. The type is also small on the mobile version, so that might need to be bigger too, but that's up to personal choice.
I like the center composition and the layout of the second webpage. Not only am I a dog guy but i enjoy the fact that the image of the dog draws you to the layout and then the layout draws you back to the pup, nice. The only issue that I see when I look at it is the separation of the nav tools within the page to inform the user, they are there but just don't pop off to draw them in, perhaps a green pinstripe beneath them? Just a thought. Cute dog.
Regards,
