http://www.artsconnected.org/toolkit/
This is the Minneapolis Institute of Arts website.
It contains good visuals of the design principles we've been discussing.
It is also brief, so it's easy to visit.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Reading test
This "reading test" has been circulating for a while now and some of you may have seen this already but since we talked about typography today I thought it was relevant and interesting to those who aren't familiar with it. When you first read it it is quite shocking that your brain can actually understand what the words are saying, but after you realize it makes complete sense.
Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.
Here ya go!
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Astrologyzone.com
I have always been interested in astrology. That's why I love the site astrologyzone.com. The site offers your monthly horoscope as well as different astrological readings and profiles. The site itself is extremely easy to navigate and well organized. The site is far from complex and I enjoy the simplicity of it.
I am not a neurotic about what my horoscope says, but I think it is fun to read your monthly prediction and see if any of the things mentioned actually occur in your life. In my case, there has been a few occasions where the prediction was correct. With every new month, I check my forecast on the site.
If you are an astrology buff, the site also serves as a store to purchase books, calendars, and your very own personal birth chart. It's fun to check out if anyone is interested.
I am not a neurotic about what my horoscope says, but I think it is fun to read your monthly prediction and see if any of the things mentioned actually occur in your life. In my case, there has been a few occasions where the prediction was correct. With every new month, I check my forecast on the site.
If you are an astrology buff, the site also serves as a store to purchase books, calendars, and your very own personal birth chart. It's fun to check out if anyone is interested.
Instant Color Schemes
We are frequently in the need of good color schemes at work so I thought I would pass along a few sites that we use...
http://www.gpeters.com/color/color-schemes.php?search_term=Design
This one is fun because you simply enter a word and it creates a color scheme around it.
We also use these sites (some of these may have been mentioned previously but I thought I would pass them on)
Color Scheme Generator (as above)
http://wellstyled.com/tools/colorscheme2/index-en.html
Color Blender
http://meyerweb.com/eric/tools/color-blend/
Color Scheme Gallery
http://www.colorschemer.com/schemes/?start=0
http://www.gpeters.com/color/color-schemes.php?search_term=Design
This one is fun because you simply enter a word and it creates a color scheme around it.
We also use these sites (some of these may have been mentioned previously but I thought I would pass them on)
Color Scheme Generator (as above)
http://wellstyled.com/tools/colorscheme2/index-en.html
Color Blender
http://meyerweb.com/eric/tools/color-blend/
Color Scheme Gallery
http://www.colorschemer.com/schemes/?start=0
Monday, February 18, 2008
Meaning Of Colors
I found this site. It explains the meaning of colors and what they stand for. I thought this would be useful to give some more emphasis on how important colors are in visual design. It gives a little insight as to what people think when they see colors.
This site is an explanation of what the slides were on in class. (if you were like me and forgot a lot of the color wheel and types of relationships.)
This site is an explanation of what the slides were on in class. (if you were like me and forgot a lot of the color wheel and types of relationships.)
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Perception is everything
Corona Beer television commercial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLl9qDHQPyk
This is one of many "excellent" examples of perception produced for Corona Beer.
The camera angle always focuses your attention on the product - the beer - and you wonder how the girl could be swinging in a hammock held up by 2 beer bottles. That is, until the camera pulls away.
I understand the beer is poor, but their commercials are so visually rich. I just love 'em.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLl9qDHQPyk
This is one of many "excellent" examples of perception produced for Corona Beer.
The camera angle always focuses your attention on the product - the beer - and you wonder how the girl could be swinging in a hammock held up by 2 beer bottles. That is, until the camera pulls away.
I understand the beer is poor, but their commercials are so visually rich. I just love 'em.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
color versus balance - link about being color blind
In the Userbility article on color vs. balance it makes sense that visual balance affects us more than color use. Balance is universal. How we react to color my be cultural or physical, especially if you are color blind. This is a link to an article that really shows what color blind people may experience. http://www.vischeck.com/daltonize/
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
The New Yorker
One website that I always use is http://newyorker.com . I really enjoy this website. It's very easy to navigate and user-friendly. A very functional and basic textual site, I believe this website falls right under the funtionality tab within the handout we read our first class The Role of Aesthetics in Web Design. It states "...effective websites where the user quickly and efficiently can obtain the desired pieces of information without being delayed by long downloading times or blind alleys when navigating on the site."
Newyorker.com's information is to the point. What they deam as the more important articles, or their agenda setting, have a bigger area on the front page. These areas include: the category in which the article falls under, the title of the article in a large, bold font, the author, the first sentence or two, and a picture. There is usually two articles like this as well as another three articles with no picture and only a couple words describing the article instead of the first sentence.
There is a table of contents at the bottom of the page of other articles. On the left side there are links to other various sections of the magazine. Just under the New Yorker title, there are tabs for different categories of the magazine.
The New Yorker's audience is geared to more information rather than flashy images, which is what the site gives, mainly text. Referring back to The Role of Aesthetics in Web Design, "Functionality has the highest priority and aesthetics are only included to support it. This is typically the case in the genre of information sites, where the primary purpose is to get the needed information as quickly and efficiently as possible." Though this website is nothing exciting with its black and white page and minimal images, it is an information site and its primary attention is made excellently.
Newyorker.com's information is to the point. What they deam as the more important articles, or their agenda setting, have a bigger area on the front page. These areas include: the category in which the article falls under, the title of the article in a large, bold font, the author, the first sentence or two, and a picture. There is usually two articles like this as well as another three articles with no picture and only a couple words describing the article instead of the first sentence.
There is a table of contents at the bottom of the page of other articles. On the left side there are links to other various sections of the magazine. Just under the New Yorker title, there are tabs for different categories of the magazine.
The New Yorker's audience is geared to more information rather than flashy images, which is what the site gives, mainly text. Referring back to The Role of Aesthetics in Web Design, "Functionality has the highest priority and aesthetics are only included to support it. This is typically the case in the genre of information sites, where the primary purpose is to get the needed information as quickly and efficiently as possible." Though this website is nothing exciting with its black and white page and minimal images, it is an information site and its primary attention is made excellently.
The New Yorker
One website that I always use is http://newyorker.com . I really enjoy this website. It's very easy to navigate and user-friendly. A very functional and basic textual site, I believe this website falls right under the funtionality tab within the handout we read our first class The Role of Aesthetics in Web Design. It states "...effective websites where the user quickly and efficiently can obtain the desired pieces of information without being delayed by long downloading times or blind alleys when navigating on the site."
Newyorker.com's information is to the point. What they deam as the more important articles, or their agenda setting, have a bigger area on the front page. These areas include: the category in which the article falls under, the title of the article in a large, bold font, the author, the first sentence or two, and a picture. There is usually two articles like this as well as another three articles with no picture and only a couple words describing the article instead of the first sentence.
There is a table of contents at the bottom of the page of other articles. On the left side there are links to other various sections of the magazine. Just under the New Yorker title, there are tabs for different categories of the magazine.
The New Yorker's audience is geared to more information rather than flashy images, which is what the site gives, mainly text. Referring back to The Role of Aesthetics in Web Design, "Functionality has the highest priority and aesthetics are only included to support it. This is typically the case in the genre of information sites, where the primary purpose is to get the needed information as quickly and efficiently as possible." Though this website is nothing exciting with its black and white page and minimal images, it is an information site and its primary attention is made excellently.
Newyorker.com's information is to the point. What they deam as the more important articles, or their agenda setting, have a bigger area on the front page. These areas include: the category in which the article falls under, the title of the article in a large, bold font, the author, the first sentence or two, and a picture. There is usually two articles like this as well as another three articles with no picture and only a couple words describing the article instead of the first sentence.
There is a table of contents at the bottom of the page of other articles. On the left side there are links to other various sections of the magazine. Just under the New Yorker title, there are tabs for different categories of the magazine.
The New Yorker's audience is geared to more information rather than flashy images, which is what the site gives, mainly text. Referring back to The Role of Aesthetics in Web Design, "Functionality has the highest priority and aesthetics are only included to support it. This is typically the case in the genre of information sites, where the primary purpose is to get the needed information as quickly and efficiently as possible." Though this website is nothing exciting with its black and white page and minimal images, it is an information site and its primary attention is made excellently.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Photoshop frenzy
Well two things I want to share in this post. For those of you who are seriously into Photoshop and want to see it working at its finest there are conventions held all over the country showcasing the program. Here is a link to one of them I received in a an E-mail.
The other is a video posted on YouTube showing off Speed Painting. The subject of the photoshop speed painting is John Locke, from the TV show Lost. Some of you may have seen this video before or a similar one but I just thought it was interesting to see how much you could do with the program. The video has obviously been sped up because not even the most talented painters can move that fast! Enjoy.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Chuck Norris Doesn't Fall for Optical Illusions
After Saturday's class and our discussion on perception, I googled optical illusions and came across a cool site -- Mighty Optical Illusions. I explored the site a bit and then came across a posting about a pothole sticker illusion. For my next trick, I have to give credit where credit is due. In this pothole post, the author came across a hilarious trick on Google. Go to Google and type in "Find Chuck Norris" then click I'm feeling lucky instead of searching, I laughed...hard.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Friday, February 8, 2008
Common Craft
Hello!
An interesting site that I actually found through another class blog is www.commoncraft.com. The website provides instructional videos on web concepts through a very simple format. The site refers to them as "Paperworks". Here is a video explaining what blogs are.
An interesting site that I actually found through another class blog is www.commoncraft.com. The website provides instructional videos on web concepts through a very simple format. The site refers to them as "Paperworks". Here is a video explaining what blogs are.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Pepsi Superbowl Ad
Adding to the comment about the Superbowl Ads, I thought one of the best ads to make its debut was the Pepsi commercial with Justin Timberlake. I have never been to the Pepsi website before (as I am a Coke drinker- and from Atlanta), but this definitely grabbed my attention and raised my curiosity about visiting the site. Pepsi.com is an extremely visual stimulating page along with music. The site offers its viewer much more than just buying a drink, or persuading one to. There are links to music downloads, sports, and entertainment- but of course all of these links involve Pepsi; whether they sponsor them or are on the receiving line of some sort of dividends. No, this website does not want me to change from Coke to Pepsi, as I am and always will be a loyal drinker to Coke, but one cannot deny the visual aesthetics within this website and the offerings it gives for a pleasurable experience.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
mytalkingstain.com - funny, and effective
This was one of the many ads that made its debut during the SuperBowl. When I first saw it, couldn't stop laughing. When I visited the site, I knew Tide had created one that was designed to capture your attention, develop a product brand, and involve viewers. They scored a passing grade for creating an outstanding multimedia website that is simple to use and makes you want to click through it.
the landing page
As a landing page, it's not exciting...but, it does what it was designed to do - focus your attention on two areas: a young man with different colored stains on his white shirt, and...some sort of orange magic marker above his head. - simple.
As a landing page, it's not exciting...but, it does what it was designed to do - focus your attention on two areas: a young man with different colored stains on his white shirt, and...some sort of orange magic marker above his head. - simple.
television ad pageThis is just so much fun to watch. It's a situation we have all experienced - having a stain on our clothes at the worst moment. Because it's so real, it's so funny...and, you can play it as often as you want. And each time you do, Tide scores another point in market share. You'll remember this orange pen the next time you go to the store.
The black rectangle that holds the ad, plus two other clickable choices resembles an iPod which probably draws in more people...very clever.
prizes, film downloads pages
The three other pages in this compact site offer the same colorful graphics, layout and easy navigation as the first two. The vertical rectangle becomes horizontal, making it more interesting and once again, resembling the versatility choices offered by an iPod...genius.
The Tide "talking stain" website is a must-see. It incorporates all the design elements that make for standout communications. It's a model to follow.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Love the Kraft
One of the websites I use the most is Kraft Foods. I've been using it to search for easy recipes for years now. I find it fairly user friendly and full of helpful tips, videos, and most importantly yummy recipies. My only complaint with the webpage is that it looks overcrowded. I feel they overwhelm the user with too many options. However, they do label by categories and provide nice shots of the completed recipies.
The current look of the site is fairly new, and I actually prefer the look of the old site; however, this won't deter me from using it. Hope you enjoy!
The current look of the site is fairly new, and I actually prefer the look of the old site; however, this won't deter me from using it. Hope you enjoy!
Eperience It For Yourself
As I had mentioned in class, Under Armour is a site that I visit regularly. Under Armour is the best known for their unmatched athletic apparel, however I feel that they have added to their brand and the experience associated with their clothing throught their site.
The marketing side is about to come out of me, I feel that Under Armour does a great job with brand identification. Their website supports this through the videos and the carfeully selected word"experience" to attribute to visiting the site.
I feel that Under Armour has done a great job with "less is more." You opt into watching the videos if you so choose, or you can go right to shopping. The site leads you to the featured clothing without being too "in your face" about it. I feel that the organization on the site is well set up. You can choose to browse by almost anything including gender, sport, clothing material, or type. The borders around each of the groups of links help you sort through them. The blank space around the edges of the site keep it neat and easy to navigate without being overwhelmed.
Overall I feel that Under Armour does it right, their site is just as good as their clothing.
The marketing side is about to come out of me, I feel that Under Armour does a great job with brand identification. Their website supports this through the videos and the carfeully selected word"experience" to attribute to visiting the site.
I feel that Under Armour has done a great job with "less is more." You opt into watching the videos if you so choose, or you can go right to shopping. The site leads you to the featured clothing without being too "in your face" about it. I feel that the organization on the site is well set up. You can choose to browse by almost anything including gender, sport, clothing material, or type. The borders around each of the groups of links help you sort through them. The blank space around the edges of the site keep it neat and easy to navigate without being overwhelmed.
Overall I feel that Under Armour does it right, their site is just as good as their clothing.
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