Here we go again. This site, CampMinder, displays illustrated versions of its staff members on its home page. You can hover over them for their names and job descriptions. Love, love it.
Click the image to check it out yourself!
Category Archives: Website Advice
One Page Wonder
I came across this gorgeous site while perusing a designer showcase. It is the portfolio of Ryan Scherf.
I think this layout is beautiful. The background illustration is the focal point, and it’s just simple but gritty and texture-ey enough to function both as a main image and a backdrop.
The real reason I’m taking note of this site, though, is because of its navigation style. It’s interesting because the whole site takes place on one page. (If you haven’t already, click on the image to see what I’m talking about.)
The navigation links which are on the upper left side simply take the user scrolling down to the appropriate anchor point, while the arrow at the bottom leads him/her back up again. The site is so condensed already that it wouldn’t be a bother to scroll up and down manually, but it has a nice feel to it.
I guess this type of design has been coming into vogue lately because this is the 3rd or 4th time I’ve seen it, and each one had a similar-but-different quirky design flair. The simplicity of the layout lends itself to some graphic experimentation, perhaps.
I think it’s really effective because of the simple interactive fun you feel bouncing up and down the page and (huge bonus:) the fact that the images need only load one time during your visit. As a downside, you do need to keep content at an absolute minimum to pull this off, and the page does have to actually fully load– even if it’s just that one time. Overall, though, I have to say I like it!
Lost in Translation
I was enjoying some time at Borders last week when I hit the “graphic design” section. It’s always an information overload for me at book stores. I get my hands on one book, and I have to sample and compare it to 5 similar. There’s no such thing as a “quick stop.”
But one thing that intrigued me while looking through all of these design books was how many of them (that looked so interesting and valuable on the outside) were kind of useless on the inside.
It’s like, you’re there examining the cover art and tagline, reading the back for a summary of topics covered, and even catching a glance of a recommendation from some college professor. But then you open it up, and… nothing. You’ve skimmed over 7 pages in a bore-coma, not really understanding anything you’ve read. Sure, there were some pretty pictures along the way, but why haven’t I learned anything?
I like to think that transferring the message is a part of the art. Because every project has its goals and restraints, and those are what push you to be creative. When writing a book with the goal of giving advice, how can a completely fluffy design with wild typography be “good work”? Just my two cents, I guess.
Template Design: Necessary/Evil?
Over the last month or so I’ve been thinking it might be fun to start designing premium WordPress themes.
For those of you who haven’t heard of WordPress before, it’s a content management system with built-in functionality that makes it super easy for a layman to update or edit their own websites. Some people may have only heard of WordPress as a blogging software (which is how it became so popular), but these days there are millions of websites of all kinds who use the platform.
A “theme” is basically a turn-key template design that someone can use on their WordPress site. With a default theme, your content is laid out quite plainly. But, with a press of a button, your content can be rearranged with images and a brand new color scheme. That’s how simply themes work.
As a designer/developer, I am coding WordPress themes for clients all the time. In fact, you’re looking at one right now! But for those emerging businesses or individuals that just can’t scrape together the funds for a designer, there are premium themes sold all over the internet at modest costs that can do the job before a brand takes off.
As a web designer– especially one who’s done it for so, so long– I have a natural resistance to this one-size-fits-all mentality of website templates. I’m all about customization, capturing what it is that makes a product or service what it is. But, as much as it has made me cringe in the past, I have to admit that there just might be a time when grabbing “something pretty” is the best option.
So there, I said it! Stephanie might just start designing WordPress themes. I will let you know if and when it comes together.
Online Personalities
Like a majority of people in my profession, I love to read articles at smashingmagazine.com.
One thing I haven’t paid much attention to before, though, is their use of vector characters. The cartoon people actually represent the employees themselves! How cute is that?
I know I always like to see photos of “the people behind the product” when I’m reading blogs or admiring other designers’ work. I’m not quite sure what makes the cartoon-version even more satisfying for me, but the bottom line is I think it’s brilliant.
Color Scheme Designer
I’m really fascinated by color scheming websites. My favorite is ColorSchemeDesigner.com, which lets me pick a color, adjust the lightness or darkness, and then pairs it with its mono, complement, triad, tetrad, analogic, or accented analogic counterparts to create perfect color combinations.
My favorite part is that the hex code is displayed when hovering over any color, so adding them to my style sheets is easy.
When It’s Okay To Make Your Own (Free) Website
This seems to have come up a lot lately, so I wanted to talk about it… Is it a good idea to make your own website for free? By this I am referring to the individual who learns a bit of HTML, uses a site builder, or chooses a template. Not ALL of these solutions are free; often they are even expensive. But I will just refer to the free types.
So, is it okay? My short answer is not really. I’m sure you would expect that. But, on occasion, it really can be the best solution. And there’s something of a science to it– a balance of money, time, and skill.
Generally, the lower your budget is, the more likely it is that a free DIY website option will work for you. Sometimes you just can’t afford the expertise of a designer/developer, and I have even referred people to sites like Wix.com that have free options.
You might find that shocking. And I’m sure it raises the question, “Why should I ever pay an expert if you are saying the free stuff is okay?” Easy. Brandability! When you are just starting out and have no funds, by all means find an attractive template and get your info online. That’s what you need to do to start making money! But once you do have a bit of funds ( just enough), you should invest in a professionally customized website in order to create a unique brand for yourself or your organization. Branding is what makes people take you seriously, and without it there just isn’t much opportunity to grow.
Furthermore, some people just don’t have the time to fiddle around with a site builder or template, let alone spend a month or two later on to find a web designer and get a branded, professional site once they’ve got the resources. So for these types, I say “Don’t do it!”
Lastly, I want to focus especially on the types who might think about picking up a bit of HTML or getting the neighbor kid to help them code up something. This is scary territory. Occasionally, someone with a bit of computer science background can pull this off (with a hefty investment of time). And sometimes the neighborhood kid really does have a firm grasp on it. But, unfortunately, this is all too rare.
Most noticeably, the design usually suffers big-time. With just basic skills, a newbie coder can’t create the dynamic style and functionality we’re used to seeing on the internet. And, maybe more importantly, the code is often bad. The web is constantly being re-invented, so code that was good 5 years ago isn’t necessarily good today. You might spend a ton of time following a tutorial a couple years old and end up with something that isn’t built to last (or doesn’t work at all)! I won’t go into cross-browser compatibility, but let’s just say if you aren’t prepared to test your site in several browser versions of IE, Firefox, and Safari, then just spare yourself the pain. :)
In conclusion, though having an expert customize a site for you is always ideal, I believe that getting a free DIY website design online might be the best temporary solution for you. It’s all a matter of money, time, and skill, and only you can determine it for sure. Just don’t lose sight of what you’re really “spending” as far as a time investment or even the customers that an amateur site might be turning away.
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To put this very simply, this thing I call Speciality is a collection of creative ideas-- anything clever or unique I come across and want to share. Note-worthy people, places, products... even just good advice I pick up related to website creation or other artistic endeavors.
This is about me sharing these thoughts with you as a real-life person (maybe a fellow creative?)
I really hope you enjoy these posts as much as I do posting them! And as always, would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by.
--Stephanie