Design Context: May 2013

Tuesday, 21 May 2013

What is Good? G.F. Smith Catalogue.

I was shown this publication set during my final crit as inspiration for my catalogue and I have found it to be really influential. The quality it really high which I think helps to reflect on the brands products. How the all the aspects fit together is great, within the box and also design wise. I think the bright yellow colour is very eye-catching and gives the products a crisp finish. The use of different processes, like the foil finish and style of binding add to the luxury look and give a continuing look across all the items. I think the aspect that stands out to me most is the fold out sample sheet, which is something I am definitely going to look into doing myself. I think it is good because it gives the audience a clear indication of the whole range of products and it is easy to compare them all. Finally the small sample books are also finished to a really high quality, I think it is great how the foiled theme has continued to this as well.

Friday, 17 May 2013

What is Good? App Research.

I have found that when researching these apps and comparing them to the corresponding website that they reflect very directly. I think this is something very important to consider with my own designs. Because of the more limited space and change in dimensions some aspects have been arranged differently for example the navigation is usually seen as a drop down vertical list, in one case there is also thumbnail images. With the m&s example I like the idea of having an introductory screen with the companies logo first, rather than going straight into a busy screen. I have also noticed that even with the decreased size the images remain great quality.

House of Fraser

Homepage

Navigation

Thumbnail options

Product view

Scanning option

Next

Homepage and navigation

Product list

Product view and info

Shopping bag

M&S

Homepage and welcome screen

Navigation

Product list and filter

Product view

Checkout

Scan

App Icons

What is Good? Web Research.

I have decide to look into homeware brand websites to give me a better idea of how to lay out my own site and what content to include. There were some similarities that I noticed across the range for example the logo always being placed in the top left corner and the navigation running underneath. The also use a lot of drop down menus, but I don't think this will be as relevant to my design as I only focus on one aspect whereas a lot of these shops have multiple departments. Thumbnails are also used to display the products and are commonly arranged in a grid format to make it easier for the audience to view. These normally have a brief bit of information and then once it is clicked goes into a lot more detail. The images can also be zoomed to allow the audience a closer look at the product. Some of the photography used is simple, that I think is effective and other times the products appear in a set up environment. Filters for the products is also common because of the extensive product range, that may need narrowing down by the audience.

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