Friday 29 January 2010

Changes to Ye Old Trip

Home Page
  • Change the layout of the photos to sell the pub. What is the pub about?
  • Maybe experiment with an image of a pub in the banner.
  • Think about the colour wheel. What goes with red and white. Both black and green would work. Green...
Layout
  • Use the Browser space. Too much white space.
  • Too cramped
Navigation
  • The text doesn't stand out. Make it bigger, bolder and a different colour.
  • The text is too close to the edge of the navigation bar.
Illustrations
  • Good but make the most of them in the white space.
  • In a bigger browser the colour might be too intense. Maybe dull them down.

Ye Old Trip Website Reflection

I've have finished and completely finish the coding for my latest website 'Ye Old Trip.' I have found the coding a lot easier this time around. Although I am really happy that I am more confident with CSS I want to go back to the design stage.

I think I should start designing for larger browsers and on feedback from Brett Russell of LogiWeb I need to think about layout, bold colour schemes in RGB. Also he recommends a cleaner layout, which know looking back at I agree with. I want the website to suggest a sense of history, warmth and pride of Nottingham's oldest pub. Maybe I could introduce warmer reds?

Additionally I need to make the photos and text work together to tell a story of the pub therefore immediately grabbing the audiences attention.

Monday 25 January 2010

Ye Old Trip Mock Ups

looking back at my wire frames there is only one that stands out to me. I like the middle section holding the content in the middle because it resembles parchment to give the website an 'old world' look. There are a few variations that I've taken to the next stage.

I like this Mock up but I don't like the photograph. I don't think it is bold enough to give the audience an automatic impression for what the website is about. I also am not sure about the composition of the two warriors. I need to something else to suggests strength and elegance.


I think the horse goes well with the design and gives Ye Old Trip a sense of pride.

Change of photograph. Beer...much better.

I think a photo of the beer in the backgrounds works well at attracting the audience but I don't like the text or the colour of the navigation bar as it's too pale. It needs something stronger to suggest strength of character and English history.


Thursday 21 January 2010

Same Place, Different Camera.

I took another random trip back to Ye Old Trip today and ended up getting some random photos that I think might make my website more homely and more welcoming. The idea of these photos was for the audience to see people interacting other traditional English food.

Not all of the photos are amazing because I only had a camera phone on me.

Maybe use but the backgrounds a bit fuzzy. Photoshop will definitely come to my aid.

Too bright but I like the composition or beer, food and logo.

Beer close up always good when advertising a pub...

I think this is the best photo out of the selection of camera photo pictures that will probably work well with my menu page.

Wednesday 20 January 2010

Content for Ye Old trip

These are a few of my favourite photographs of my photo shoot of Ye Old Trip. I chose Ye old trip for it's historical contribution to Nottingham's history. It is a real life trading place that is built from hundred of years worth of mysteries and local stories passed down through the generations. I want to be able to recreate this mysterious, rustic history through my website to give people a feel of it's rich atmosphere.

Clock-Maybe use for opening times.

Beer an intrigal part of the pub.

The armour will give people a sense of fun a mystery.

Use the store as an extended page as to what the pub offers.

The most important selling factor. Ye Old trips infamous beer.

Maybe a background picture or logo?

Classic english.
Direction page along with a google map?


The Classic exterior from different angles.

Next step-Mock ups!

Wire Frames for Ye Old Trip

I have created 6 wireframes for Ye old Trip. I have kept all of them simple so that I can let the colour and texture of the images speak for what the website is about. Also I have made a conscious effort to keep the navigation simple as the naviagation form my last website overcomplicated the website coding. This time I want to clarify my coding skills without worrying about the navigation as much so in the future I have got a solid base to work from.

  • Bold navigation that the audience can't miss as it's placed in one of teh most popular places. Simple boxed structure that will be easy to work with when it comes to div ids.
  • Second wireframe big navigation using the 'F' shape. Structure will work well with pics but not much space for text.
  • Same as the last wireframe but room for text. There is a small amount of space for the text so the audience don't get bogged down with information.
  • Bigger title and logo to express what the website is about and footer for extra details.
  • I don't like the first wireframe on this page because the title and logo are out of sink with each other. However the background picture could work well being exposed on the left hand side. Maybe a curtain to 'introduce' the pub in a 'theatre style'.
  • I really like the second one of this page because I could work with transparency effects and background imagery whilst keeping the image central.

Tuesday 19 January 2010

Colour in Website Design

Whilst researching different websites for inspiration for my new project I have come across a good website when I consider colours and their appearance on different browsers. Although we have already covered this in lectured I found it to be a good reminder.
http://www.websitegear.com/design/html/colorcode.asp

In my quest to design website number two and in a more limited amount of time I have found this website http://www.itchynottingham.co.uk/review.cfm/14/189541/Nottingham-City-Guide/review/Bar-Cuba-Libra. I like the background because it encompasses what the website is about straight way. Also it is in a prime spot that people will look at when first going on a website (see post in Nov/Dec 2009).

I like the vivid image and the green merging into black as it suggests darkness and evil due to the green and black but because it has got the image in front of the meaning colours shift. To me it suggests that the if you go to that bar and drink their alcohol that you will have a 'devilish' time where you don't have to worry about what is going on.

The one criticism I have of the website is that it makes people scroll too many times therefore they loose interest too quickly trying to find the information that they need.

I like this websites layout because it is clean cut and gets the message across quickly through images. Through researching food and drink based websites I have seen an emerging pattern of green to advertise drink. But why can green advertise drinks but not food? Maybe all advertisements keep in mind that green hold connotations of tranquility, calm and relaxation but when it comes to food mould.

I like this website for completely different reasons to the first two. It uses bold colours to make the image stand out. The navigation is in the most popular place on the site so that the audience can find it easily. Also it uses block colour as a background to keep it simple.

I think I would use block colour but maybe with a textured background to imitate the characteristic, rustic feel of Ye Old Trip (the oldest pub in Nottingham).

Monday 18 January 2010

Pub Website Design

I have been researching pub websites in Nottingham and to be honest I am not impressed. There are a few gems out there but as a majority they all seem to be poorly designed with basic coding (see below). Also most of them seem to go through larger search engines, such as http://www.viewnottingham.co.uk/pubs-bars.aspx and http://www.nottspubs.co.uk/. I can see that the pubs do this for quick reconision and a lot of their customers but none of them stand out to me.
My one gem that I found is the orange tree website. It is easy to use, strays a way from traditional use of navigation bars and allows the viewer to interact. I really like the hand drawn aspect of the site. The style won't suit either the Rope walk or Ye old trip but it is one of the types of design I want to be able to create in the future.



Design Exercise 10: Choose a real life example of a local trading retail establishment. It doesn't have to have a current running website but all design,research and XHTML/CSS must be completed within 2weeks.

During this brief I want to expand on my coding skills while also taking my design work in a new direction. I am really happy with the design I produced for my last product although it caused a few coding problems! This time I want to keep the design simple, bold and warm. Perhaps bring more photography and drawing into it for content.

I am stuck between 2 pubs that I think represent a more traditional Nottingham that is away from the student way of life that the locals would be attracted to.


Ye Old Trip, Brew House Yard: http://www.triptojerusalem.com/contact


I am planning to take photos tomorrow for the content tomorrow to help me choose between the pubs. The are both standing out to me for different reasons. Ye Old Trip is traditional with a warm atmosphere and gives you a sense of mystery through the legendary stories that surround it. Whereas the Rope Walk stands out to me because it is a traditional pub with a contemporary twist. Also the Rope Walk website is very basic with an eye sore of a colour scheme so this website screams out a new challenge for design!

With the Rope Walk I want to develop the navigation as there is a lot of scrolling involved with one of the pages, change the font, definitely the colour scheme and give it a modern homely look. From the times I have been to The Rope Walk I think it's prime target audience is 19-26 as it has DJ's playing until 3am but it has good food and drink you can enjoy with your friends etc. I want to portray a sense of quality.

I like the website for Ye Old Trip but I think it could attract more people by having a richer colour scheme and less information on the homepage so people don't become to bored of all the information. As it's the oldest pub in Nottingham I want it to give the viewer a sense of pride, richness and mystery.