Interior design site
Leaky Penny (2612 pencils) | Thu, 2008-12-11 02:54
So after MANY pages of sketches, a client i am currently doing a project for accepted this concept which i threw together in Illustrator as a colour comp as well.
They have a high end client, mostly baby boomers, nto the type that are exactly web saavy, so simplicity was important. Nothing that takes ages to load either.
I'm getting the copy and final pictures this week, so for now I have placeholders. Personally? The footer is what's bothering me, but they want their info there.
Here it is, what's good and/or bad?
—
Leaky Penny
Check out what I've been up to lately!
http://petersonjoseph.com
I'm going to print it out and eat it.
-Unknown Artist
Commenting on this Image is closed.
to critique, since nothing appears when you click on "original"
Leaky Penny
www.leakypenny.com
“What ain't no country I ever heard of. They speak English in What?”
~ Jules Winnfield
Leaky Penny
Check out what I've been up to lately!
http://petersonjoseph.com
I'm going to print it out and eat it.
-Unknown Artist
The text on the right is too close to the main photo. I'd add some more space and if it's controllable, reduce the column width of the text. Also, I'd increase the font point size if room permits, re: older eyes.
I'd try reversing the HOME ABOUT US... from a solid brown bar and treat rollovers with the selected section turning cream to match the background palette--basically, the bar would be non-existent beneath the text on whatever link the viewer was on. I find the directional text a little lost beneath the dominating title.
I like the marbled watermark as a base for the page(s) and the earth tone palette--exudes class.
Overall, nice look.
"Those who dance are thought mad by those who do not hear the music."
"Art -- the one achievement of Man which has made the long trip up from all fours seem well advised." - James Thurber
in regards to the nav bar, I don't even have to give it a try to know it'll look nicer.
Defintely making the point size higher would be a good idea, but I really don't want to go over anything over 13 pt, it's a 12 now.
Ah, and this just in: The client has an existing business card which has PATRICIA, HALPIN and INTERIORS one on top of the other...and would like to keep it that way on the site as well.
Leaky Penny
www.leakypenny.com
“What ain't no country I ever heard of. They speak English in What?”
~ Jules Winnfield
Leaky Penny
Check out what I've been up to lately!
http://petersonjoseph.com
I'm going to print it out and eat it.
-Unknown Artist
Can you put a link to the original somewhere? CB's doesn't work half the time.
Here is the link that works: http://www.creativebits.org/files/images/kitchen-&-bath.jpg
What happens is that the URL replaces special characters like '&' or " ". Ideally this would be fixed on the site. In lieu of that, just use alphanumeric characters in your file names.
Awesome! Thanks bud, will do from now on.
Cheers
Leaky Penny
www.leakypenny.com
“What ain't no country I ever heard of. They speak English in What?”
~ Jules Winnfield
Leaky Penny
Check out what I've been up to lately!
http://petersonjoseph.com
I'm going to print it out and eat it.
-Unknown Artist
Baby Boomer here. "Not exactly web savvy"? Ouch!
Unless by "high end" you mean Persian potentates who cut the sleeves off their fabulous silk robes rather than disturb the cat, I can assure you, Baby Boomers know how to surf the Internet.
Your layout is handsome. The size of the text doesn't bother me. We're not talking 89-year-olds who cease drooling on their monitors only long enough to hold magnifying glasses up to them.
What does bother me a bit is the subject of the large photo. It's composition is uninspiring -- just a vast swath of beige tile, flanked by very commonplace-looking white cabinets and that bit of toilet bowl in the back. Couldn't you find something more inspiring?
Psycha-funka-delic paisley, perhaps. Oh excuse me, I forgot: "high end." Better make it a little more preppy: Campbell Tartan wallpaper, reclaimed antique bricks for the floor, polished barnwood cabinetry. A bong on the toilet would be a nice casual period touch.
Seriously, it's nice. Would the thumbnails work under the text block on the right? They seem a little afterthought-ish where they are.
Mara
printed out, framed and hung above my desk for those days when I just can't muster up a smile on my face!
In re: to the baby boomers comment, the client herself said most of her clients wouldn't be able to navigate around a overly complex website and would probably lose interest if they had to click more than thrice to get to what they wanted! I know many "baby boomers" ( present company included) who can run laps around me when it came to web design! ;)
Good point about the subject of the photo: I was provided pictures by the client so unfortunately I don't have much control about how they look, but I will definitely talk to them about that.
And as much as I detest using the term high end, it's the clients buzzword when describing her clientele, and in the breif as well.
God bless you Mara for such an insightful critique!
Leaky Penny
www.leakypenny.com
“What ain't no country I ever heard of. They speak English in What?”
~ Jules Winnfield
Leaky Penny
Check out what I've been up to lately!
http://petersonjoseph.com
I'm going to print it out and eat it.
-Unknown Artist
Well, if you're framing this, be sure to give yourself proofreader props by putting a nasty red circle around "it's" and write in the margin, "It's its, not it's, you stupid old bitch."
There. I feel so much better now.
Now run along and educate your client about her clientele. She's "misunderestimating" them. ;-)
BTW, I feel your pain about client-supplied photos! This seems especially an issue for design/build clients, for some reason. They see fabulous detailed craftsmanship, we see bad composition and boring colors. I think part of the reason for this is that they take their own photos. When I work with guys like this, I try to get my photographer in there so we can stage really good shots that I know I can transform into terrific layouts. Sometimes it takes getting halfway through a project the hard way before they realize how much they're missing by not taking that step.
Good luck with this! If nothing else, it sounds like a lucrative gig.
Mara
haha
Perhaps I am the only one who is bothered by this but... Do you really want the main picture of the site to have a toilet in it? Just a little strange, to me, is all.
Other than that it's pretty good, I don't have much to add to what others have said :P I like the background, I might make the nav a little bolder and the text just a bit bigger.
Since it's for interior design, most people think about three main locations in their house to remodel: Kitchen, Bath, and livingroom... So the answer is yes, it needs a bathroom reference, however the kitchen or livingroom should probably be the larger of the photos. probably kitchen because there's more profit opportunity in kitchen remodels.
"...and mamma cried: Watch out where the huskies go, don't you eat that yellow snow" - Frank Zappa
The provided photos are most likely the ones they feel are their best work, or most middle of the road that will appeal to most of their clients. I'd bet they have more if they've been doing this longer, ask to see their portfolio rather than letting them limit you with only the ones they provided. While these aren't bad, I agree that there's nothing spectacular about them either.
Personally,I feel the footer bar is too tall and possibly too strong compared to the rest of the page...
I know they want the contact info there, but if that's editable text, they're leaving themselves open to spammers acquiring their email address too... most companies seek to avoid that by having a form-based contact option rather than putting something up that can be read by a search-engine.
their assumption that baby-boomers are their primary target is probably true (new retirees with time and, hopefully, money on their hands).
"...and mamma cried: Watch out where the huskies go, don't you eat that yellow snow" - Frank Zappa
what I would do is to transform that thin line beneath the title of "Patricia Halpin..." into a brown (same of the footer) rectangle and maybe it can become the nav bar, I think it may balance the composition...and yeah the main photo has to be a good one and not a toilet picture haha!