Oct. 29 Homework

A. Find a design blog (use delicious.com) that you enjoy. The best way to improve as a designer/ artist to look at what other people in your industry are doing.  Bring the URL to class, tell us what exactly attracted you to the blog, as well as an interesting blog post about another artist, product, design, etc.

B .Bring in a CD-ROM you have (if you can't find a CD-ROM, find a Flash web page online that sells a product---search for big name brand companies, ie Nike, Adidas, Sony, Dove, Axe)

Take screen shots of 5 different sections of the (Flash) website/CD-ROM. Break down the layered elements that make up the interface as a hole. Identify and answer the questions below. Type up your answers, save a PDF, hand in print out to me at start of Monday's class. You will be sharing your discoveries and screen shots with the class on Monday as well.

1. What does the background look like (images, solid color, gradient, what colors make up gradient, what kind of gradient is being used, do I know how to re-create it?)

2.  Typography --what kind of type is being used (serif vs. sans-serif). Are more than one typeface being used? What kinds? Is certain type a different color?

3. Hover state of buttons/links/clickable objects- is there a hover state for the clickable objects? How do clickable objects change visually when hovered over with a mouse? Are all items with different hover states clickable(a link that bring me to a new page, or does an animation or new information only pop-up)?

4. logo (design and placement) - what makes the logo stand out from the rest of the information on the page? What does color play in logo design? Are any layer blending effects applied to the logo (drop effect, glow, shadow, etc)?

5. Navigation (design and placement)- where is the navigation? Is it static (does it stay in one location, or does it jump around depending on what page your are viewing? Are all the navigation options present at every page? Does the navigation text change if a certain page is selected? Is the typeface different in the navigation in comparison to other text on the page. What about color of that navigation text?

6. Color palette (what colors are being utilized, what kind of relationship do the colors have with one another)? Do the colors evoke any emotional connection? Is there a cultural association with the color being used?

7. Explain overall what makes this interface design aesthetically pleasing, easy to use, and/or entertaining to the user.

Student findings:

NIKE.com

BT Paintball

weltmag.com

specialopspaintball.com
Mercedes-Benz