GRC 175 Learning and Discussion Forum

A few sites with useful information:

http://www.jessicahische.is/ I'm particularly fond of the layout (not to mention her graphic design work). She has some interesting articles on design itself and even footage from her own presentations at different designer events. Not only does the portfolio reflect a her own preferred style as an artist, I also think it serves as a good model on how to build and promote expertise.

http://www.awwwards.com/ Somebody probably referenced this, but it's nice to sample design that wins awards and read why.

Inspiring to me:

http://tatteredfly.com/ Like the texture in the site (metallic fly reel & tackle box, old photographs and paper). I want to learn how to create this stuff.

jasonsantamaria.com Love the creative layout and texture in Jason's design.

http://faithink.com/ I like the use of color in the site - violet balanced with a neutral yellow. The image fits perfectly, almost like a matching Picasso?

Rough 1 - While I can see it's not as balanced as I hoped, I wanted a design to capture my interest in cinema and reflect the golden age of Hollywood. I created a filter effect similar to the glamour shots of old, and kept a simple black, white, sepia and silver color scheme. While the header type reflects that used in the '30's, the rest is a basic Berlin Sans Serif.

Rough 2 - Different layout with a more modern image. Used an image of old film for a second navigation menu. Once again, relied on a shiny metallic look for the header and footer. Still aimed for a retro feel, though.

Hi Patrick,
I enjoyed your project one rough layouts. They are both very well thought out with a specific idea in mind. I like the first rough because of the film strip it really projects an idea. The use of color is great and harmonic.
The second layout i'm not sure if it's the image that has too much going on but it is distracting to me and doesn't flow as well.
Good job.

Sierragirlnv

Hello Patrick!

Firstly, these are awesome! I immediately know something about you, even without reading the description, and that is that you are very inclined to films/filming. I appreciate when a design incorporates traces of personality, which yours certainly does. In addition, the roughs have that sort of "retro" and "old-timey" feel, which I can tell is intentional. As far as which layout I believe you should choose, my vote is on the first one, primarily because it shows your love of movies more. The film strip is a nice accent! If I could make any suggestions, I would change the background color to something more interesting than just dark gray, maybe use a tint from somewhere off the camera image? And also the links at the top are kind of floating around at this point, I think they would look better seated lower, like where your name is.

Hi Patrick!
My pick is rough 2. It's clean and shows where your interest lies. It does seem a bit heavy on the left side, I'm wondering if flipping your name with the navigation might help with that. In rough 1, the bar in the image that runs at an angle across the top of your text is very distracting for me.

Old Man Pat,
These are both great homepages because I get an instant feeling of cinema and a very vintage classic cinema at that which is revealing and inviting. I would open op the leading on both paragraphs about yourself simply because it will make it easier to read. Also a different typeface would lend itself better to the look and feel of your design. I like both, but the the image with the people working and the lavender tint is more personal in a way. I wold like to see your film work.

Take care,

Wendy

Hi Patrick,

I really like your top rough. The asymmetrical balance is great and the grainy sepia tone makes it read like an old film's opening credits. I can actually hear the countdown before you see the film. Having the buttons be on a film strip is a nice touch.

I'm not crazy about the font you chose for your main text. The characters are really close together and that makes it hard to read, but other than choosing a more legible font, I wouldn't change a thing.

Hi,
I like the first rough more than the second rough. Great idea putting the projsct bottons onthe filmstrip. Try butting the nav bar in line with your name. right now to me it feels like they are floating in that space.
Great roughs though!

Hi,Patrick
I enjoy the feeling of art from your both photos of your two roughs, I like the tone you created.Both of them are easy to tell you are a film or cinema lover. I like your rough 2 (shows on the top one) more, the layout is nicer,more easy to read. Modern camera with a retro feel, I think it is cool.

Well, these are certainly some evocative designs. Good work on theming and ambiance with these. Both have a very Art Deco feeling that I like.

I slightly prefer the first design because it makes the themes of the website more obvious without "talking down" to the user. I like the metallic header and footer, it really helps evoke the 30's-40's atmosphere you're going for here. It presents it's content in a very straightforward manner while standing with it in equal emphasis.

It does need a few tweaks from my perspective however. I am not sold on the font choice for the bodycopy, content and class info (the headline font is excellent). It seems to jagged and pixellated. I'd pick another font that's smooth and clean, like AvantGarde or Kabel. I'd also move down the navigation, so it's more centered in the metal bar and carry the flimstrip all the way down so it clips behind the bottom metal bar. Also, I would increase the leading of your bodycopy and alighn it left. It'll be much easier to read that way.

Overall, I love the mood these evoke. A good start.

Hi Patrick,
All I can say is WOW these are clean, professional, visually appealing, etc.!! I love that when I looked at them I immediately knew what interests you, film & photography?. I have to say that I don't really have a favorite because I love them both. But if I had to choose it would be rough #1 because I think it is balanced very well, I love how you setup the navigation it is the first thing I seen. I think a graphic of your initials or an image of your work would look nice above the TMCC logo. Rough # 2 is awesome also! I love the film strip with your project links on it. Your navigation above I would suggest to move it done to where it is even with your name and maybe a little bigger font size too. I can't wait to see your final design!