The final web design was made to have minimal focus on the
layout and typography, and maximum focus on the images and content of the
website. By using three colours - black, white and the Imaginefx Gold colour, I
kept the website simple, consistent, and recognisable as belonging to the
Imaginefx magazine image. By using two desaturated and one saturated colours,
attention is focused more towards images without these colours - once again
making images the stand out of the website.
The navigation is cleanly and simply stated at the top -
there is a colour change on hover but other than that, it is extremely minimal
but has plenty of space around the type. It stands out at the top of the page
(unlike the original). The search bar is also on the top right. The Imaginefx
logo has more space around it as well.
There is two main columns of content - used throughout the
website design. The main body of content has any content relevant to the page
category the user is on. The bar on the right holds the login information, basic
magazine buying links and ads. The gold bar's contents rarely change. The main
content always has a large picture featured at the top. This means no matter where you are in the
website, it is obvious what the website's primary function is - displaying
fantastic digital artwork. On the homepage there is a small, simple slideshow
that moves between the most important (and recent) areas of content. When
javascript is disabled, a person is still able to view and click on these,
however they are simply stacked one below the other. Below is other articles
that have as much importance, but without the "new" factor, or the
reverse - they are "new" but don't look impressive (such as reviews of hardware). These also have a
simple hover effect over them. As this is a website about viewing images, I
wanted it to be as instinctual as possible. By clicking on the image in a list
(say from an interview or on someone's portfolio) the image appears using a
javascript, and becomes the central focus of the page - without leaving the
original webpage. You can then click on either side to go to the next/previous
image or click anywhere off it to go back to the normal page layout.
Social media icons are included on most pages (excepting the
portfolio pages, where these would get confused with the persons own social
media links). The search bar and login are customised to fit in with the
website's visual style, and don't stand out like sore thumbs. It is clear what their
function is but they blend with the website's hierarchy.
By removing the added navigations, the text boxes of daily
updates and forums and creating a simple and cleaner hierarchy of viewing, I
have improved the websites legibility and functionality. In the original design
of the website I was able to incorporate all the sponsored ads on the original
website, however for the purpose of the assignment I removed a few of these.
