mmmm Cookies

A homemade cookie site - what more could one ask - If only they delivered to Ireland. There layout is very straight forward and keeps to the same grid on each page. They have centralised their content to a central box with a solid colour background which is also the colour used on their navigational tabs.

They use a very limited colour palette for the whole site which I think works in their favour as they have better things to show off rather than fancy colours. This is a commercial site and is clear in its objective of selling their product. They have a range of cookies then give you multiple options of how to buy them.

Their product and aim are clear and the site is not to cluttered with unnecessary information - I only think their downfall in their design is where they don't have focal images and there content is very flat - like in their contact us page.


The best thing about this product is they have an angel to their selling - they make a huge mention of their all natural ingredients and low trans fats in their products. Due to health being such a very popular topic - so now you get a healthy cookie to overindulge on.

http://www.pacificcookie.com/

Space - the white and negetive kind

An element in design that is a very important part of your creation and is definitely not considered enough. This element is white or negative space. Negative space is all the space within a pictures borders that is not the subject. The borders of any picture form a frame. Within that frame, your subject is considered the positive area. Anything outside of that is called negative space.

Negative space should always be taken into account in your design and is not used enough to help your designs objectives, well at least not on purpose most of the time.

I came across this site while searching for logo's but it was too good not to share this - its some of the brilliant work people have done over the years of logo's but with negative space. Amazing minds out there and definitely tough competition.
http://www.logodesignlove.com/negative-space-logo-design

An example of negetive space - do you see it?

'Is is a vase or two faces?
The classic example of negetive space or shapes is the brian-teaser where depending on how you look you see either a vase or two faces'

http://painting.about.com/od/paintingforbeginners/ss/negativespace.html

Search facilities to help communicate with others out there

Facebook search facility allows you to search within the entire website. Then also to do diverse search via someone's email address or then their own name and it comes up with possibilities matching as close as possible to your criteria, or with the email is more specific and you have to log in to your own personal email and it then send requests to your whole address book to then find people.

Facebook is very clever is multi connecting its system up with the email services and then also in the bottom right it connects to various instant messaging programs, whereby you do the same as with your email. import your entire friends list from your previous instant messaging service as you want everyone you previously communicated with via email, Im or otherwise to chat to now on facebook. clever tactic to enroll the millions of now current user. Im pretty sure its the most used interface at the moment

Identity branding

On starting up something like a new business, your may have the concept and possibly even your name you want to use - but the next step from that is to design your logo and corporate identity. This brands you company. To make it easily and visually recognisable.

The objectives that a good brand will achieve include: Delivering the message clearly, connect your product you are selling to the brand identity. It is important to take the time to develop this properly and appropriately as it is the foundation for the start of your marketing campaign.

There are so many companies out there that are so household they are used as a generalised word for that product in the market, what I mean by this is, that multiple companies can have the same product but not be as household friendly as each other. so therefor one may use the name of one product to make reference to the same product but by another competing company.

One example that comes to mind is Sta Soft, now not everyone will know what that is - but basically its fabric softener - but in South Africa, the brand my mother always used to buy is Sta Soft fabric softer so by default, when I have to buy fabric softer, I write Sta soft on my shopping list.

Sound

I have been doing extensive research for this blog and reading as much as I can. I was researching another topic entirely and came across this site and decided to then postpone that topic I was on and quickly write my thoughts on this due to this annoying site inspiring me.

Sound interactivity on a site. It can be good and bad. In the very bad situations is that most people like to listen to their own music while on their computers and so to suddenly open up a site that then has interactive music on start up can be nothing short of annoying. What can we worse is if it cannot be turned off, this puts me right off if I cannot control it personally and I don't bother even looking at the site any further and I close it straight away.

As I said earlier, while researching, I actually opened up multiple tabs with sites I was going to read but was suddenly assaulted by some random woman talking to me from my computer. I had to first find out which site it was coming from, then find out how to turn her off. As I scrolled in search of controls, this imagery of a talking woman followed me down the page. Now im frustrated trying to discover the controls, as they are initially hidden, they only appear on rollover of the actual image.

Thank goodness their were controls to turn her off otherwise as I said I would have either muted, but then I lose my own music, if the site somehow seemed to grab my attention but by this time I doubt as I just want her to stop talking, I close it completely.

http://www.brandidentityguru.com/

Static and Fluid Web Layouts

On designing a site the question of static or fluid comes into question for the layout and how monitor size will affect your design and final layout.

How a fluid layout or now better known as a dynalmic layout, works is that the site is measured in percent according to size of display so it can modify and adapt to how a viewer needs it to be.A fluid layout will shrink and grow to fit the display window. The content then adapts with it and text on lines becomes longer or shorter and the content is very much more manageable for the user to how they want it.

An example of fluid layout is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

A static layout uses a fixed pixel measurement for placement of the sites content. What this is, if the user had to make the browser window smaller, you view less content and you will have to scroll either up or down or across more to view the whole site and all of its content.

An example of a static site is http://www.pigsback.com/Pages/3/5/9.aspx?pbq=1268%2c1268%2cHP

Interactivity

http://www.adidas.com/uk/homepage.asp

The home page is very full. It is all divided into different shaped blocks that roll out when scrolled over to give more details. They have good continuity through font and colour. It is very full and has alot of action good images for their sub sections.

The home page is very full. It is all divided into different shaped blocks that roll out when scrolled over to give more details. They have good continuity through font and colour. It is very full and has a lot of action good images for their sub sections.

This is however a very big website and takes quite a lot of time to navigate and load, to where you would like to look.

The whole site is very sensitive to mouse movement, it doesn't have a liberal rollover area on clickable items as it is a drop out menu, and it often disappears quite quickly and easily.

It is very clearly labeled in its sub sections and it uses a lot of clean white space in their frames to block everything.

There is a section where by you can watch workout video. This then gets you active and wanting their clothes to work out in. This range is very stylish and trendy. They are also extremely fashionable as Adidas like every other chimerical brand has now affiliated themselves to a run way designer to their line. Adidas has affiliated itself to the very popular and renowned designer Stella McCartney This is sure to inspire any lady looking at this range and it sure impresses me.

Additionally they then have an interactive area where you can develop your own shoes and sporting kit for your team. From personalising your shoe fit to colour and design of the show and entire outfit.

Definitely have some time on your hands if you wish to have a proper look through this website as it takes time.