Placement Blog

02/02/2024

The first task set was to look over and analyse what features from the existing website could be modified to increase performance for visitors. For this I worked individually to gather my research over the website and then came together over an online meeting to share my findings. I focused on using the existing colour palette and style but used various different mock up layouts to visualise how it could look. What we found through doing this was that the colour palette did not work with many of the images that will be used and featured throughout the website. This was a good opportunity to explore what changes needed to be made and we came to the conclusion that the brand identity needed further thought. From this I learnt the importance of adjusting existing designs to help the client determine what current features they would like to maintain and what features they feel needs work. In this case it brought up the discussion of creating a new identity for the community which could be implemented across all platforms and would help represent them as a whole.

The main findings I found that I thought needed modified was the lack of a ‘Home Page’ as I found without one it was very difficult to navigate the website. The main focus seemed to be the ‘Blog’ as all pages seemed to lead back to the ‘Blog’. I also found that even though the community is very focused on people it seemed to lack the sense of community through the design which I found to be a very important aspect.

From the feedback during the online call, I gained an insight into what the community is looking for through their website which will help to have a significant impact on the designs and approaches throughout the designing process. After reflecting over the feedback given, I was able to get an understanding of the importance of communication when designing for an existing brand, particularly one with a focus driven on the community.

09/02/2024

This week we were tasked with starting to create the new brand identity that will be used across all platforms. For this week the main objective was to gather typefaces that could be used throughout the site and were easily readable. In order to make sure that the entire site was assessable to various disabilities, considerations such as what typefaces are used had to be considered. This was also a factor considered with the colours that would be used.

The main challenge was the choice of colours as there are so many variations that could be used and that would work well. Colours are also something based off of personal preference which can make the decision harder due to carrying opinions of what works best. When finding various colour palettes I made sure to have one dark colour which could be used for text or alongside black and I then tried to make sure a lighter colour was present that contrasted well with the darker colour. Through this process it helped me learn the importance of contrast that allows a design to stand out but also be legible for readers.

When gathering ideas I made sure to match the colours to the typeface used, for more fun and bright colours I used more exciting and youthful typefaces. Each decision then linked to the other factors within the identity to allow continuity throughout the brand identity but would also seamlessly link through all platforms.

16/02/2024

This week was a continuation of the previous week where I continued gathering colour and type options that could be used on the website but also throughout the brands identity.

When gathering the colours I was referencing other similar charities and community designs to get an inspiration of what colours and typefaces work best, it also allowed me to determine what colours represent a community best and how different shades can make a significant difference on the overall atmosphere of the brand. I continued to gather these ideas and colours independently in order to gather a larger range of options when combined with Iona’s work.

I made sure to have a variety of colour palettes, I included warm, cool and neutral palettes that all create a different tone to one another. Even within just the cool palettes I still found that I could make many variations of colour palettes just by changing the contrasting colours or changing the shades of the blues to slightly more vibrant or dull ones.

The palettes that worked best had one very dark colour and one light colour which was usually white or cream to be used as a background. This enables a larger audience to read it more clearly which then makes it more accessible.

When on the call we found that the neutral colour palettes were preferred, particularly the more earthy ones that had a welcoming feel which linked more to the message the community is trying to portray. The feedback from the call helped give me an insight into the preparations needed on a call where ideas are to presented and allowed me to understand the various ways feedback can be given in response to the work that was shown.

23/02/2024

This week I worked in partnership with Iona to produce final options of colour palettes that will be used for the brand identity. We used my colours I had accumulated from the previous week and combined them with the illustrations and type from Iona’s work.

We featured three different colour palettes, one was very earthy in tones, another had a few cool tones, and the other was a combination of warm and cool tones together. We created the various colour tones to allow a larger range of choice for the brand to choose from which did not constrict them to any particular warm or cool tones. Once we had decided on the colours that would be included we then used some of Iona’s illustrations to see if the fine details would show up well on the various backgrounds.

After sending our work over earlier in the week we received feedback where it was decided that the brand would like to combine the three colour palettes we had refined and create a brighter and more colourful palette. These colours fit more with the type of message and energy they were trying to get across to the community. The brand also wanted to move away from the tree illustrations and prefers a more simplistic and modern style that is often found with blocky shapes and patterns.

I learned the importance of preparation and ensuring work is complete to allow others and myself to move onto the next steps in complete if the website. Much like in a real word situation, a small section that is not completed by someone can impact various areas within a project.

01/03/2024

This week we were tasked with designing the overall website skeleton, we had the next couple of weeks to modify how it would be structured. My main focus was researching the various layouts and options that are possible on the Squarespace site to prepare for the next week where I will make sketches.

This week had significantly less feedback than the last which encouraged me to quickly adapt to ensuring I did my work efficiently and made an effort to request feedback when needed over messages. This was an important realisation as within a project feedback is only given at certain stages and I would need to be accountable for myself to check if what I was doing is correct.

08/03/2024

This week was a continuation of the week before, I made multiple sketches of various options for how the home page could be structured. The main area I focused on was the home page that was the first area of contact for visitors to the site. I made sure to include the many areas of the site on the home page to ensure they receive further traction. I created various sketches to have options that could be considered when deciding on the layout. This week I also discussed the layout design with Iona where we decided on the best layout for the home page and looked slightly further into the separate pages that spam off from the home page itself.

From this week I gained more insight into collaborative projects as I worked alongside Iona to decide on what features we each preferred. I had to learn what features mattered significantly more than others and how to compromise to allow the final design to be equal parts of everyone who worked on it but also created a well designed website overall.

15/03/2024

This week I began to focus more on the visuals for the site by designing illustrative patterns that could be used in the background as a separation from text and different topics. They all featured the new colour palettes which will visually bring all sections of the site into one section, showing the links and the brands visual style.

This week was more independent, I decided upon the types of illustrations that worked with the brand and had links to previous designs available. I decided to create many variations that would give options to decide upon when next receiving feedback. This week I learned the significance of creating various options, when I received feedback I was able to pull positives and negatives from the many designs to create more designs that better suited the website. If I had a minimal amount of illustrations I would have been lacking in feedback and would have most likely had to start again.

22/03/2024

This week we began constructing a test site that was a separate domain to the main and running/live website. This allowed us to use a different visual style and freely edit features without disrupting the current site that is still being used by the public. We began with the home page as it is the center for the entire site and is the most visited. It is used primarily for navigation so an effort was made to make it clear and easy to use. At first the lighter colour within the chosen colour palette was used as a background but the yellow did not provide a sleek look and also clashed with other images. White was decide on as a background due to it being the easiest to read and it does not clash with other imagery, it also had a professional aspect to it. We also decided on black text as to allow a larger audience the ability to read the text which may be inaccessible if it were coloured text. One of the main focuses of the brand is diversity and inclusivity so it was important to be welcoming and considerate of certain reading disabilities.

From this week I learned the significance of using certain attributes in designs to allow a larger array of people to access them. It also allowed me to learn that not everyone can be accommodated due to the many different disabilities people may have that can require opposite accomadtions to one another. Through this I discovered that there is only so much that one design can do and that all disabilities should be considered but some may be unable accommodated. This overall idea also bled into the idea that many people will have opposing views and a designer must do their best to do all they can but at some point they must decide when it is enough. I learnt that people opposing views and opinions are just a part of designing and not everyone is always heard.

29/03/2024

This week I continued adding into the site, the week prior was more heavily focused on usability and framework but this week focused more on the visual aspects of the site, I included more pages and created more illustrations for each individual page. For some of the main projects on the site, I designed various options for each, all had a different look but followed the simple and flat illustration style that is used throughout socials as well. The designs were slightly abstract and used the colours from the colour palette to tie in with the remainder of the website and also gave a pop of colour against the white background. The logos act as a representative/visualisation of a project and are displayed on the home page to make the pages more present and not hidden.

I learnt that due to the various screen sizes a logo design must be distinguishable when it is significantly large but also when it is profoundly small. Much like type, I found that the images needed to be visible no matter the screen size. This is week I noticed the significance in layout between desktop and phone when viewing the website which encouraged me to consider how I design future illustrations to fit and look well on both types of screens.

05/04/2024

This week was refining work form the other few weeks, I added a few more illustrations. I also added a few additional pages that were requested such as the ‘student placements 2024’ page. Another key change this week was adding drop down options for the header which simplified and organised the header which is shown on every page to help with navigation. It divided the various pages into categories which helped make it more visually appealing but allowed other pages to be discovered alongside the particular page a user is looking for. After this there were a few small tweaks to be made but we were reliant on the information that would be provided by others in the next while.

This week helped show me the benefits of simplifying something back into its foundational form. We simplified the navigation system which made the site look nicer but also made it easier to navigate through. Often my designs can end up very detail driven but after simplifying the design it showed me the strength of keeping something simple and straight forward that is easily understood by anyone using it for the first time.

12/04/2024

This week I focused on creating more illustrations/images that would create more options that can be used throughout the website or can be interchanged at a later date. All of the illustrations featured all of the colours from the colour palette to continue the link on every page. A very minimal amount of work was done on the actual site this week as it was transferred over to a different domain which required time before it could be edited further. This week we also worked on developing and creating a logo for ‘The Mix’, when creating it we focused on using the colour palette but also the geometric shapes that will be featured on the page itself. We used a typographic element to emphasise the name of the page but a logo was also included beside the name which can be used in the future as a symbol/representative of the page.

By continuing to create the same types of illustrations and patterns that were done a few weeks prior, I saw the significance of changing small details that would eventually fill in small gaps that were maybe missing from the final impact. It showed me that no matter how small or tedious the job appeared, even the small things can make a big impact on an outcome.

19/04/2024

Due to the high volume of text across the site, we began separating the paragraphs with my pattern illustrations that added more of the brands colours into the pages but also gave readers a break between text.

Since the project is coming to a close, the amount of work was beginning to decrease as we made small tweaks. This week we changed some of the body text across certain pages and ensured everything was layer out properly. We took the chance to start focusing on the layout for phone screens as the majority of the layout was focused on how it would show on desktop. By adding the patterns between text it made a significant difference on the layout for the phone as it complete cut off the next section of text. We then had to ensure that the paragraphs that were separated did not require to be closely linked to one another, and other small modifications and movements were made to ensure everything was setup properly on the phone screen.

While separating particular sections of text I found that some were better left alone while others worked well with the patterns. This showed me how there is not always one way that works better than another because sometimes one way of designing something can make a certain area better while also making another area worse. I took the feedback of adding in certain aspects but also trusted my decisions in certain areas to complete the section.

26/04/2024

For the final week we continued making small modifications to the layouts and some portions of text to make them more dynamic such as moving text. The most significant portion I modified was the typography as they were looking for something more linear to go along with the remaining look on the site. I tried many different text layouts to see what one worked best and then submitted images over message for feedback. We eventually decided upon the final typefaces that were then integrated across the entire site, this change made the entire design feel more complete and look more consistent against what we had completed in the previous weeks.

This week showed me that even at the end of a project small details can still be changed to finalise and complete the design. I found that over the course of the placement I slowly began to have an understanding that a project is not purely individual and actually requested many stages of feedback to become complete and an outside perspective can be more beneficial than someone who is more familiar with the projects.