Tuesday, 21 December 2010
Winter Photos
Here are a few photos i have taken of different locations in the snow. Some of these pictures i have developed further and edited using photoshop.
Friday, 10 December 2010
Validation - DONE as of two days ago
A bit of a late post but as i forgot to mention it in my evaluation thought i should write a quick post. I managed to validate all my webpages for the Pit and Pendulum site on the validartor which came back with two main erroes which where easily solved and 4 warnings which i relsovled as best as I could. Overall Website functioning well with no errors and validated using http://validator.w3.org/.
Evaluation of PIt and Pendulum Website
I wanted to make the website responsive to the user whilst fitting into the correct genre of the establishment. Not just making a website that is interactive with numerous aspects of media, but a website that appealed to the target market and was fit for purpose.
I began by planning what slides I would produce. I did this by looking at Pit and Pendulum and seeing what content would be needed for a website. Having considered what content may be relevant I structured the site. I chose to make seven pages each containing something useful to the audience.
First Page: Index (Homepage)
I chose to keep the layout simple but bold, trying to capture the stereotype of the pub in the design. Sticking to the rustic/medieval theme found throughout the bar. This worked well and I managed to make a homepage that had elements of detail with a simple yet eye catching design. I made a floral side bar which I included on all the pages. It consisted of a rustic textured black frame design, similar to a pattern I saw in the pub. I made a simple header with the links in bold boxes, having the effect too stand out to the participant (visitor of the site). Also the links react to the mouse cursor with them highlighting when the cursor hovers over them. For the main header of each page I made a Typeface on photo shop saying the establishments name ‘Pit and Pendulum’. This not only tells them the name of the bar but introduces them to the website. I added a photo of the pub bordered in a red box to make it stand out from the textured background. This was to give the possible customer a glimpse of the pub. I also added a small introduction. The final thing I did was added narrow long boxes in a red colour. This was to break up the empty space in the layout. The container was centralised on a pale coloured background with brushes and filters to give the final image.
Second page: contact
On this page I stuck to the layout of a floral sidebar and a header with the links and typeface in. I then added the contact details and number in a rectangular side box. To the right of this I made a working Google map to give further directions and guidance to the establishment.
Third Page: Drink Menu
On the drink menu I included a couple of illustrations I had drawn using biro and watercolour paints. I also made a text box included the basic drinks sold at the establishment. This was design to give the user an insight into the drinks sold.
Forth Page: Events
This page was designed to tell customers of upcoming events and offers. At the time all the current events have passed so I left it as a text box TBA with the java script coding to enlarge the text if needed. As this box will included vital information of the current events, whilst at the moment it only stores a small sentence it is designed to store an events details and other important information. In large volumes of text it will need enlarging too read making the java script button useful.
Fifth Page: Gallery
I chose for this page to gather a range of photos from within the establishment, giving the participant an inside view of the bar. Showing people who have never been to the Pit and Pendulum what it is. I design it sticking to the layout that flows on every page whilst including an introductory sentence to the gallery its self. I made the gallery using java script to make them all black and white until the cursor hovers over which enabled them to go into colour. This worked really well and gave some sort of interaction to the audience.
Sixth Page: Special Drinks Menu
For the special drinks page i stuck to the cocktail theme for the establishment, including the seven deadly sins and seven heavenly virtues. I created specific typefaces to draw attention to the page making it stand out. This page consisted of a simple layout making it more users friendly.
Seventh Page: Food Menu
This was the final page I created to bring the website together. I used java script and j query to create a sliding accordion. This displayed four selections starter and snacks, mains, sides and salads and desserts. This gave the option for the participant to choose the section they look at by a click of the mouse.
Throughout the website I have strived to keep a simple layout with elements of detail in areas. I produced a controllable interface which helps the users complete their tasks successfully and efficiently.
I began by planning what slides I would produce. I did this by looking at Pit and Pendulum and seeing what content would be needed for a website. Having considered what content may be relevant I structured the site. I chose to make seven pages each containing something useful to the audience.
First Page: Index (Homepage)
I chose to keep the layout simple but bold, trying to capture the stereotype of the pub in the design. Sticking to the rustic/medieval theme found throughout the bar. This worked well and I managed to make a homepage that had elements of detail with a simple yet eye catching design. I made a floral side bar which I included on all the pages. It consisted of a rustic textured black frame design, similar to a pattern I saw in the pub. I made a simple header with the links in bold boxes, having the effect too stand out to the participant (visitor of the site). Also the links react to the mouse cursor with them highlighting when the cursor hovers over them. For the main header of each page I made a Typeface on photo shop saying the establishments name ‘Pit and Pendulum’. This not only tells them the name of the bar but introduces them to the website. I added a photo of the pub bordered in a red box to make it stand out from the textured background. This was to give the possible customer a glimpse of the pub. I also added a small introduction. The final thing I did was added narrow long boxes in a red colour. This was to break up the empty space in the layout. The container was centralised on a pale coloured background with brushes and filters to give the final image.
Second page: contact
On this page I stuck to the layout of a floral sidebar and a header with the links and typeface in. I then added the contact details and number in a rectangular side box. To the right of this I made a working Google map to give further directions and guidance to the establishment.
Third Page: Drink Menu
On the drink menu I included a couple of illustrations I had drawn using biro and watercolour paints. I also made a text box included the basic drinks sold at the establishment. This was design to give the user an insight into the drinks sold.
Forth Page: Events
This page was designed to tell customers of upcoming events and offers. At the time all the current events have passed so I left it as a text box TBA with the java script coding to enlarge the text if needed. As this box will included vital information of the current events, whilst at the moment it only stores a small sentence it is designed to store an events details and other important information. In large volumes of text it will need enlarging too read making the java script button useful.
Fifth Page: Gallery
I chose for this page to gather a range of photos from within the establishment, giving the participant an inside view of the bar. Showing people who have never been to the Pit and Pendulum what it is. I design it sticking to the layout that flows on every page whilst including an introductory sentence to the gallery its self. I made the gallery using java script to make them all black and white until the cursor hovers over which enabled them to go into colour. This worked really well and gave some sort of interaction to the audience.
Sixth Page: Special Drinks Menu
For the special drinks page i stuck to the cocktail theme for the establishment, including the seven deadly sins and seven heavenly virtues. I created specific typefaces to draw attention to the page making it stand out. This page consisted of a simple layout making it more users friendly.
Seventh Page: Food Menu
This was the final page I created to bring the website together. I used java script and j query to create a sliding accordion. This displayed four selections starter and snacks, mains, sides and salads and desserts. This gave the option for the participant to choose the section they look at by a click of the mouse.
Throughout the website I have strived to keep a simple layout with elements of detail in areas. I produced a controllable interface which helps the users complete their tasks successfully and efficiently.
Thursday, 9 December 2010
Cosmic - Cartoon Artist Cornwall
This is an artist I happened to find through a house mate, who happens to be a good friend of theirs. He is a Cornwall based artist whilst being a graphite/ Illustrative themed designer. He has developed a career through this style appearing in magazine, surf boards, shop windows, walls, vehicles and a few exhibitions. I found his work very unique and original whilst being bright colourful with lots of detail. I intend to try doing some of my own work in this style using my imagination to create my own twist on the imagery. Here are a few examples.
Tuesday, 7 December 2010
PUSH (designer)
Designer- Push And Alex Saviuk
An Example of their work is Tijuana Flats, a grapgic-novel inspired restaurant site. It is the online home for a chain of Mex Tex restaurants across America. As you navigate down the website, the main page navigator bar drops down to seamlessly blend in with the background artwork. This part of the site is a key element and works really well. The site is HTML based and doesnt use flash.
Below is a screen shot of the website.
An Example of their work is Tijuana Flats, a grapgic-novel inspired restaurant site. It is the online home for a chain of Mex Tex restaurants across America. As you navigate down the website, the main page navigator bar drops down to seamlessly blend in with the background artwork. This part of the site is a key element and works really well. The site is HTML based and doesnt use flash.
Below is a screen shot of the website.
Sunday, 5 December 2010
Folio - Illustration Agency
Folio is an Illustration agency i found. I chose to investigate its content as i personaly have a keen passion for drawing and illustration, which i hopefully hope to help me brand my own work in the future and make it individual. The styles within the agency range from classic oil and acrylic painting, water colour techniques, classic airbrush, model making, through to contemporary illustration and digital multi-media.
http://www.folioart.co.uk/illustration/folio/about
First Draft Of Special Drinks Page
This is the first draft to my special drinks menu for the website. I drew the illustration in biro, with the use of watercolor paints to enhance the image. I then scanned it in and used a number of layers and brush effects to give the final image shown on the website screenshot. After i had created it i decied it didnt look how I imagened. So I adjusted the pages structure. I have also got rid of the illustration that didnt flow well with on the page. Resulting in an all round better page graphically.