Website Research

This post is a reflection on some of the different formats of websites utilised by creatives that I have visited, with a list of features I have compiled from them to be considered for my own, which I shall be soon creating. I have secured the domain of MatCoffey.co.uk.

http://mariondeuchars.com/index2.html has two briefly animated introduction pages that present the artist's bio, achievements and specialisms, in addition to the logos of who Marion has worked for. These immediately give a strong first impression and inform the visitor of the context of what they will see on the site in a professional and creative way. Her site also features hand-drawn text for the category names matching the intro animations, which are a nice personal touch. Though not the case here, the downside to the animations is that these can sometimes take some time to load, or just completely fail and even crash the page.

The website http://beljones.com/ is one that I particularly like. It appeals to me due to it's clean, minimal look, simplicity, and ease of navigation. The website is divided into separate categories and sub-categories presented on a bar at the top, allowing for quick and easy selection of the part of the site you wish to view. The lack of complicated animated elements means the site loads immediately. A feature it has which seems to stand out from the rest for me is that the site features as a diary/blog on the homepage in addition to the portfolio sections, allowing for you to present activity, progress and 'behind the scenes' work in addition to finished pieces.

http://jackparra.daportfolio.com/ features thumbnail versions of the images contained on a reel on the top so that you may choose to look at whichever, rather than unnecessarily clicking 'next' on an image slide when you might be seeking a specific image, or don't know how long the reel goes on..

http://www.aaronyeomanphotography.co.uk/ has an interesting format for the homepage where images are shown on a rotation, covering the whole screen except for a navigation bar that fades in and out. The images being large-scale better showcases detail and has a greater visual impact.

http://www.lauradifrancesco.com/#!portfolio/c12wr features clickable photos with the categories, another potentially eye-catching way of presenting navigation.

http://samspratt.com/ uses a variant on the photo reel where each image is displayed next to an enlarged section, allowing for detail to be showcased.

http://www.davehillphoto.com/#/174090/ -This site uses an interesting format of showing the entire portfolio in one page as smaller, clickable images, with a selection of themes listed at the top which take you to the relevant point on the page when selected.

Main desired attributes for consideration:

• Clear, simple navigation
• Different pages for different themes, categories...etc
• Possible blog section
• Homepage featuring a slideshow, with pause / manual click option