nGen Works
http://www.ngenworks.com/
Description
nGen Works is a web design company based in Florida, USA.
Design
This website has a really smart use of design in my opinion. The header of the website looks fantastic visually as it is something different with the diagonal look. This goes for the navigation as well being diagonal which works with the header. The other good point about the design is that on every page the diagonal header changes colour each time which I thought was a nice effect. The use of comic book like images was also a nice touch when promoting each member of staff.
Content
This website has a bit more content/pages. I think this is down to nGen Works being an actual agency and not just a freelancer as they need to promote each member of staff and what each person does within the company. The content used to promote clients they have worked for was very effective also as they display screen shots of the processes they have undertaken when developing work and also displaying info about the work.
Overall Opinion
This website has a really nice design and the content used is perfect in my opinion. Of all the websites I have reviewed I would say this was the best for design and content.
Emotions by Mike
http://www.emotionslive.co.uk/portfolio.html
Description
Emotions is a website showing work from a freelance web graphic designer called Mike.
Design
I picked this design mainly because the colour of the website is very extravagant and different from other websites. The colour may not be to the taste of some of its viewers but I felt that it portrayed this persons personality as you can tell from the design that he is a bit quirky and likes to try something different which I feel works. Most of the text is to a small size which I feel also works very well with the overall design.
Content
The content is very straight to the point as website only has three pages consisting of home, portfolio and about me. I think this is a good idea as some websites try adding to much content and this is very easy to get through which is always what the user wants. The portfolio work is also very clear to see.
Overall Opinion
I like this website as it has taken a risk with the colour scheme, which I think has paid off a lot. The content is very simple but what is needed and is an overall good easy to use website.
LebLoe
http://www.lebloe.com/?p=636
Description
LebLoe is a website which promotes the work of Gustavo Rodriguez who is a Canadian based graphic designer.
Design
This website has a really nice design as one of the main uses in the website is transparent boxes which works really well with the background image. The background image has a small amount of bright colouring but on a dark navy background it works rather well. The only downside to this website design is the background CSS as it seems to have a repeat and it has the logo of the site on each page TWICE which I thought was poor for a person who works in that sort of industry.
Content
The content used in this site is very similar to other graphic/web designers as it showcases all of the latest work, contact info, networks and other things such as a weekly/monthly blog and keywords which are very important in a site now a days.
Overall Opinion
I liked the look of this website as the design and content used were really good and to a high standard. The only downfall for me was the background CSS as I was unsure if they had done this effect deliberately or not realised, which would be very poor if it was the latter.
DSelva
http://www.dselva.com/
Description
Selvakumar Duraisamy is an Indian based web design and development professional with 6+ years of industry experience.
Design
The design has a good use of imagery as the background. The site also uses imagery of Selvakumar Duraisamy himself which is sometimes not a wise idea but this looks a very clear and fresh design which I enjoyed viewing. The site design has a black and white effect and with bright colours for the client images and important text within the site.
Content
This website has a good use of content as there isn't too much information and gets straight to the point. All the contact information, latest work, about and keywords are all on the homepage which is makes the website easy to use.
Overall Opinion
I really like website as it is straight to the point with all the content and the use of dark background and bright text works really work.
Amazee Labs
http://www.amazeelabs.com/
Description
Amazee Labs is a web design company, based in Switzerland.
Design
The design concept of this website has a very high standard as the use of bright colours is very appealing. The website has a grey background which looks quite dull and unappealing but the website has a fantastic use of bright coloured navigation, bright images and a good use of text containers.
Content
This website has a really good use of content. It says everything that the user wants to hear/see as a portfolio website advertising their company. All the information shown about what they have to offer is straight to the point which is very effective as not many people like reading a lot on websites. The client page is also very effective as they use an image slider of screen shots of the websites they have created and also a small part of information of what that site has to offer.
Overall Opinion
I really like this website as it is straight to the point and has a great use of colour on a plain background.
Sunday 17 October 2010
Friday 15 October 2010
Personas
Name: David Jones
Age:20
Role: Web Design Student
Education: Second Year Student
Image Required
Personal:
In a relationship
Living with parents
Very web-savvy
Work:
Works for Sports Direct as a sales assistant
worked at company for a year and a half
works part time
Goals:
Wants to be in a successful job after university
wants to earn more money
Issues:
Feels under pressure to develop his career
Needs to justify training courses attended
has a very clear view of what he is looking for, and being web-savvy, is extremely comfortable with using the web to achieve this end
Name: Phil Batty
Age:20
Company: Force-7
Role: Director
Image Required
Work:
Works for Force-7 as a Director
Started company whilst attending school
Worked at company since starting it in 2006
Goals:
Wants to lose the 16-24 age bracket within the company
Wants to employ five head managers based in, research, marketing, office, new media and ...
Increase the skill of employees
Wants the company to be a national niche brand in six months times
Wants the company to be working for known brands in a years time
Issues:
Wants to leave the company in a high quality when planning to leave
Wants to work in social care within five years time
Age:20
Role: Web Design Student
Education: Second Year Student
Image Required
Personal:
In a relationship
Living with parents
Very web-savvy
Work:
Works for Sports Direct as a sales assistant
worked at company for a year and a half
works part time
Goals:
Wants to be in a successful job after university
wants to earn more money
Issues:
Feels under pressure to develop his career
Needs to justify training courses attended
has a very clear view of what he is looking for, and being web-savvy, is extremely comfortable with using the web to achieve this end
Name: Phil Batty
Age:20
Company: Force-7
Role: Director
Image Required
Work:
Works for Force-7 as a Director
Started company whilst attending school
Worked at company since starting it in 2006
Goals:
Wants to lose the 16-24 age bracket within the company
Wants to employ five head managers based in, research, marketing, office, new media and ...
Increase the skill of employees
Wants the company to be a national niche brand in six months times
Wants the company to be working for known brands in a years time
Issues:
Wants to leave the company in a high quality when planning to leave
Wants to work in social care within five years time
Monday 4 October 2010
Client Related Practice
Professional Practice
Presentation Skills
Planning
Planning is essential when creating a presentation as the subject of the presentation needs to be well researched before it is put into words. Putting pen to paper is also a good idea with such things as spider diagrams and bullet points being a good start when thinking about what is needed.
Visual Aids
Visual aids can be vital when planning and presenting. This can be such things as the content of the presentation such as wording as it is a known fact that people viewing presentations do not like seeing a lot of words. It also can be such things as the design and layout of the presentation as especially as a designer the visual aspect has to keep the viewer interested otherwise they won't take it seriously.
Rehearse
Rehearsing is essential as without this it can make your presentation laughable. A well presented presentation is based of confidence and by rehearsing this can help you have the confidence to realise which part you need to talk about instead of looking at the presentation and just going with it.
Answering Questions
Most people will want to ask you as the presentor, a question once the presenation has been complete. This can be sometimes tricky as they may ask something that you have no knowledge about but usually with it being a presentation about something you have rehearsed it should be easy when part of the audience ask a question.
Links
http://www.presentation-skills.biz/
Presentation Skills
Planning
Planning is essential when creating a presentation as the subject of the presentation needs to be well researched before it is put into words. Putting pen to paper is also a good idea with such things as spider diagrams and bullet points being a good start when thinking about what is needed.
Visual Aids
Visual aids can be vital when planning and presenting. This can be such things as the content of the presentation such as wording as it is a known fact that people viewing presentations do not like seeing a lot of words. It also can be such things as the design and layout of the presentation as especially as a designer the visual aspect has to keep the viewer interested otherwise they won't take it seriously.
Rehearse
Rehearsing is essential as without this it can make your presentation laughable. A well presented presentation is based of confidence and by rehearsing this can help you have the confidence to realise which part you need to talk about instead of looking at the presentation and just going with it.
Answering Questions
Most people will want to ask you as the presentor, a question once the presenation has been complete. This can be sometimes tricky as they may ask something that you have no knowledge about but usually with it being a presentation about something you have rehearsed it should be easy when part of the audience ask a question.
Links
http://www.presentation-skills.biz/
What design means
Something genuine
This means that creating a design which is completely individual. It could be simliar to other websites but throwing your own ideas and drawing them out first can always help create a genuine design which no one else has. This could be things from design, logo, content and style.
Putting the pieces together
This can be things such as concept of the product, the message the product is sending out and also the feel of the product. These are essential as the product needs to look appealing and make the viewer want to stay, without this it may as well not exist.
Generating Ideas
Brainstorming
Brainstorming is very important as this can always help generate an idea, it can be such things as spider diagrams, writting ideas down and sticking them to a wall etc depending on how you want to do it. When researching the internet, books, magazines etc will usually help massively when needing ideas.
Daydream
Daydreaming can help as it can take your mind off the subject that you need to be working on. By doing this you can relax your mind and think of other things which could give you a brilliant idea.
Daydreaming can help as it can take your mind off the subject that you need to be working on. By doing this you can relax your mind and think of other things which could give you a brilliant idea.
Carry a notepad
Carrying a notepad around can prove very handy as when being told something you can always write down an idea even if you don't end up using the thought.
Carrying a notepad around can prove very handy as when being told something you can always write down an idea even if you don't end up using the thought.
Links
Project Planning
Project Goals
The project goals mean that planning first is essential as the client you are dealing with will want to know what they are going to receive from your service. Researching the client first is always a good step so you can get a background of what they do, what their interests are, how they want to be portrayed etc. Once the researching has been completed you will need to find out their needs and what they want from you on their product.
Project Schedule
The main part of a project schedule is working out which areas need more effort than others, planning out how long each part will take (days, hours) and also calculating a completion date.
Links
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