GRC 175 Learning and Discussion Forum

Hey everyone! The website that I chose was Internet Explorer is Evil. I didn't only choose this because of the hilarity of the subject matter, but because the original website is about as complicated as project 2, meaning that the original bar is set incredibly low. As for my roughs, try not to look at them too much. I still kept with the demonic hellish theme, and I ran with it. In full honesty, these layouts were all MEGA rushed, so they're far from how I want my final work to be represented. As of now, they convey the general look and feel, but I plan on revising the final layouts by some considerable amount. Personally, I'm feeling the raster-based design set a little more, but I like the imagery that the vector-based set has.

SET1 SET2

Hi Spencer, I really like the designs, bringing the essence of the original but also improving on it as a whole. I might change the background a bit, there are some issues with contrast, and I might change some of the navigation. Well done!

Hi Spencer,
I love this! How did I make it through life without finding this website...I like the first design better, I love your graphics, and the red and dark palette just make it pop. And I'm mad because I feel like a slacker now, thanks.

That is flippin' hilarious, what a great site concept, but you are right what a sh*#@y design. I really like the first design, it carries the same theme but in a more organised and flow worthy layout. The two big things I would look at, since you said they were rushed I assume you know, is the text layout on the interior page would give me a migraine to read and can maybe be sussed out a bit with some article or section tags. The second issue is that the nav doesn't really say click me, the black color against the background gives me the impression of a visited link. Otherwise. soooooo funny, love the concept and great start.

Hi Spencer
I really like what you have for the first option i think it is a lot more clean and easy to navigate and read. The bright red one might not have enough contrast with the white lettering but overall the first one is great!

Ok, I didn't even know this was a website, lol.

Ignoring that, I think the first design would work the best as it's not too distracting from the original intention of this website and screams welcome to hell. Internet explore is evil, and here is why you're in hell now.
So I suggest you take the first design and run with it for fun.

Spencer my dude!

Hilarious website choice! Both of your redesigns really grab your attentions with the vibrant use of red - very devilishly aggressive! In terms of which one I am most drawn towards though, I would have to go with your first set - there is just a solid use of contrast with you background image (which is freaking awesome on its own) along with your hud elements. It all works together very nicely!

If you go with set 1, there are a couple things I would consider for both your mobile and desktop versions. For the desktop, if there was a way you could move the background image down just a bit so that the devil skull palace entrance isn't cut off by your top hud bar, that would make that background pull the users attention all the better as that is the focal point and major tie into your chosen website (minus obviously all the dark, hellish colors and lava of course haha). Also for your "What will Bill do next" page, the font is a tad small and hard to read but you did a fantastic job putting fun shapes and backdrop[s behind the text. I think the text just needs to be blown up a bit which would also entail the user to scroll down through it. For the mobile, I would simplify your navigation into a drop down as the menu buttons now are rather small and you would give users fingers so much more room to navigate the menu.

Fantastic start and thank you for picking a website that literally made me LOL. So awesome. Looking forward to see where to you take this!

What a bizarre little website. One man's hobby horse, clearly. One crazy man. Of course, I might have signed on fifteen years ago tho.

That demonic Bill Gates, made me literally laugh out loud. It so tabloid! Perfect for what you're going for here. And a much better Devil Gates than the original madman's site had. I like your "SET I" designs better myself. They have much better contrast and they feel better balanced. Plus the inner page has the bodycopy rising in sulphur clouds. How can you not love that? Nice work winding the type up to the top. The illustrated hellscape background is just perfect, too. It has the right amount of contrast and texture to really ramp up the visual interest. The home page in particular has a very "Samurai Jack" feel to it. Aside form the winding bodycopy, the actual layout itself is very simple and clean, which allows all the really weird little details to let their freak flags fly. Your navigation is easy to see and use too. Well placed and bold enough to encourage me to click on them. I like how all the buttons are in questions or declarative sentences. Lol! Reminds me of some of my class demo web pages I've done over the years. Suitably unhinged. Just like the source material.

For your inner page, I'd narrow your paragraphs up a little bit. The lines are so long the eye drifts off of them. A good rule of thumb is to have line lengths no longer than 75 characters to ease reading. That will also give you the opportunity to give your sulphur clouds a little more margin. Right now your paragraphs are a little close to both edges. Also, if the text is all roughly equal in hierarchy I'd be careful at making your column widths too different. A narrower column will look less dominant next to a wider column, all things being equal.

Good work!

I think the site you chose is very comical. I like how the menu option "how to torment IE users" I think that that's hilarious. I think the navigation needs to be a little bit more formal, but everything else looks pretty good. also not sure if this was intentional but the grey opaque box you have around your text on your second rough almost reminds me of a smoke plume over the lava.

Funny site... well, if you were there back then, you'd know why a certain demographic hates Bill Gates. He hurt our Woz! Our Apple MacIntosh Wozniak! Evil is too good a word for him. :- ) no, not me, but I knew people. :- )
He was a real party pooper. Still, he's OUR party pooper now and has us by the short and you know.

I like your second set, more readable, violent, without actually looking as dark and paranoid as the first set. It's no good to LOOK paranoid. Maybe split the big wide body copy bit into two columns? I really like the flamey flames. I remember the hate for him: this is accurate. Text getting a little close to the edges on the first page of set 2.

Good job, fun, I know people from the old days who would love what you've done, making revenge artsy. :- )