Project 1 Roughs

[dnorwood]

Hi all,
Here are my two sets of roughs using a Home page and an About Our Designs page. They are completely different from each other and incorporate pictures of actual jewelry I made. When I find out where my hubby hid my lights for my photo tent, the pages will have more (and better) product pics on them.
Rough 1: Elements has a dark, full color homepage to grab the attention. The inner pages will all be much lighter for contrast and to let the jewelry be the focal point.
Rough 2: Metal is a much more conservative, classic style. The color palette is intended to echo the copper and silver metals of the jewelry. (no pics of the silver, yet).
Let me know what you think. Good luck on your designs!

[rmiyashiro]

I find both designs visually pleasing and very different from each other. I like your first design more, but I'm not sure how difficult it will be to keep all the cool visuals and make it responsive. Your second design seems like it would be easier to transition to responsive design.

[awesomeMF]

Denise,

Wassup homie! I like the first design - showing the four elements. The photos intrigue me and I like how the inside pages are light and easy to read. You break up the type in small paragraph forms which make it super simple to read and understand. The second design - the logo and the title headline are fighting for attention. I do get the metal feel, but I like the elements concept better because these jewelry are handmade. Kinda like created from the earth. So elements and whole made jewelry tend to blend together. Only thing I'd suggest for the first design - make your logo the home button. I know you already have a home button. But your logo makes me want to click it. Or maybe if your logo was a button, it went to about the company. Can't wait to see more!

[Instructor]

I prefer the first design personally. It's visually striking and establishes a theme instantaneously. The second design isn't bad, but it seems like a more standard website, while your first one stands out visually.

I especially like the use of contrast, both in it's presence on the homepage and it's absence on the inner page. It strengthens the imagery and enhances the colors. Both your home page and inner page layouts are very strong. I like the product image placement on both. It immediately establishes what your products are about and gives potential customers a taste of your wares. I also generally like the typography of the thing, both the curving type of your home page and the paragraphs of your inner page. It's easy to read, for all of it's modification, and helps to reinforce concepts established by your design.

My only real nitpicks are that your homepage navigation text gets a little lost in the top bar image. Also, make sure your navigation text is all the same size. It looks to me like "home" is a little bigger than your other buttons. I'm also not 100% sold on the Photoshop surround on your homepage headline. It seems a little heavy. I'm wondering if the same thing couldn't be accomplished with glows. It's also going to be a bit of a handful to build, but far be it for me to get in the way of a student's masochism.

Good work!

[ravennvrmre]

I would go with the top design, it's really colorful and unique. I think it goes with the name better too. Maybe put a transparent box behind the nav so it's easier to read/see. Awesome start.

[stalksyouatnight]

Your first design has more going for it so I suggest that is the one you should go with, the other design is plain. I think it looks interesting, but it might get over crowded.

[ravens.way]

Both of your designs are nicely done. My favorite is the elements design. I like the way you used nature in this design. The layout and font works nicely on both styles.

[kaycee_weddell]

I really like the first design. It works really well with the name and the bright colors pop of the page and give it a nice contrast with your header. The font you've chosen works well with the jewelry and four seasons theme as well. Your other design is nice and I like how you incorporated the gold in there but personally I like the first design better for this project! Good job!

[dzync88]

Hi Denise,
Both your designs are very good and showcase your products nicely. I prefer the first design - your homepage is a real grabber and I like the subtle way you carry it into the interior page. Your second design is very professional and organized looking but for the type of jewelry you're offering, I think the artsy feel of the first design is a better fit. Well done on both layouts.

[BecomeAHero]

Like our classmates, I agree that the first composition is stronger. The use of imagery and color is more unique and eye-catching, and echoes the structure of the jewelry better. However, I do worry that it would be a difficult design to translate on to a smaller screen, such as a cellphone, so I'll be interested to see if you come up with some cool solutions for that.