Week 4: Aesthetics and Design

Welcome to Week 4...

... and the beginning of what should NEVER happen on a website!  I've chosen two examples from the list.  First up:

www.jamilin.com

Oh my.  What ISN'T wrong with this website?  Three potential problems from this website are that it's designed in a table, it's a mish-mosh of what this woman does with no direction at all, and there is really no color scheme at all.

Yikes.

I would begin by NOT repeating pictures on the homepage.  I'd try to figure out one motto or vision statement to post, and I would not design the entire site in a table.  Separate the buttons (using the same colors;  the chakra element was kind of cool), and maybe remove all of the side information.  It would make the site less chaotic.

Second site:

www.roverp6cars.com

Again - Yikes.  And I like automotive websites - restoration sites of older cars.  This site reuses the same photos for buttons, and they don't even line up!  The words in red over them are almost unnoticable.  

There's SO much going on on the webpage between the scrolling text and the vibrating boundries of the colors selected.  Ugh!

I would focus on maybe 5 things to have as buttons, and remove the pictures as buttons.  I would change up the font to something more pleasing to the eye, and my god!  Get rid of the vibrating colors!  I got a headache looking at this site for more than 5 minutes.  They did have a facebook link, but it was right in the middle of the page.  So many yikes!

Now lets talk about who's got it right!

www.apple.com

Clean design with BIG pictures on a black background.  Menu at the top, and information at the bottom.  Nothing gets in the way of your exploring their amazing products.  San serif fonts are easy to read and minimalist.  I LOVE this site.  I just want to stay here - or perhaps buy something.  Quick!  Time to get off of this site. : )

Next is...

www.toyota.com

Many of the same elements as the apple site, menu at the top, info at the bottom, a movie playing on entry to the site.  Minimal buttons at the top - but there are menus throughout the site.  Site is broken down nicely separating information.  They did repeat buttons, though.  And there was a LOT going on in the 'What's happening' section of the website.  Overall, very nice design.

roverp6cars.comLinks to an external site.