Aesthetics, Design, and Branding

 

Part 1: Websites that need work

https://jamilin.com/

This website is one that needs A LOT of work. The most glaring issue is the proximity between different groups of content. Everything is so close together that text and images become overbearing and confusing to the reader. I can see that the site isn't utilizing much of the webpage real estate. Simply organizing the content into specific pages could do a lot in terms of ease of use.

Another prominent overshadow is the lack of Hierarchy. This issue is exacerbated by the lack of grouping and creates a website that has no clear direction. Upon landing on this homepage, I was blasted with many different pictures, graphics, groups of text that was all over the place. The content didn't seem like it was consistent with the other content on the same page. 

The fundamental problem of this site stems from its concept. Looking at the site, it is a mishmash of different interests and companies that this woman associates with. This idea by itself isn't a bad one. A well put together website that showcases many different talents or services you provide is an excellent way to get business. The overall lack of presentation and direction of the site is a big turnoff, however. The navigation at the top all links to different sites that look equally unprofessional. Not only that, but some of them look like its made by the same person. Dedicating a separate page on the current site would have made the experience a lot cleaner, instead of having to jump to different websites and tabs with every click. It seems to me that this was just a website solely created to promote other sites, which will result in a drastically lower return user %. 

To answer the question, yes this is an unprofessional site. The design choices, the layout of the page, the overall lack of organic content all add up to a website that just isn't fun or interesting to use. 

Things this site can do to improve:

Use full real estate on webpage - the site is confined to the middle of the screen, which condenses the info further

Make different pages for different types of content- make it easier for the user to find specific bits of content instead of blasting all info all at once

Create organic new content, instead of linking to other sites - this is simple. The site is simply linking to other sites on the navbar. This is an issue considering most sites will lead you to a different page of the site when clicking on the navbar buttons.

Work on creating a uniform color scheme. The colors used here are so ugly. - There are so many colors here that it looks disgusting. Having a uniform color scheme will make the site easier to navigate and read, while also providing a much cleaner and pleasing aesthetic

Many of the other pages (not the home page) don't load correctly - fix it

http://gatesnfences.com/

This site is very reminiscent of the one above. Proximity issues are even more apparent here. There is very little of the screen that is not taken up by information. This is troubling because too much info at once makes it very hard to digest and appropriately discern where you want to go on the website. The navigation is so very close to a list of hyperlinks, which is close to massive bodies of text. I just can't see any sort of direction I'm supposed to take here, and the overwhelming amount of information would make it immensely difficult to find a particular part of the site.

Ease of use problems out the wazoo here. There are 64 buttons on the navigation menu... Not only that, but the categories aren't in alphabetical order, making the placement of these buttons COMPLETELY random and unorganized. The immense amount of searching one would have to do to find any specific information is insane. Grouping some of these menu buttons together and having a drop-down menu or a search field would go a long way in terms of navigating the website.  

Hierarchy plagues this site heavily for multiple reasons. Much of the text is very small tiny print, taking up much of the real estate of the page. This leaves not much space for pictures, having to make them smaller and in more peculiar locations. An overall lack of big bold content for a wordier unorganized page concludes why this site is so bad. 

This site is not professional, there are so many ease of use issues that are so glaring that it would need a whole redesign to bring it up to par with today's standards

Some things that need to be ironed out:

Stop blasting me with text on the home page. Make easily digestible tidbits of info that will inform the viewer of how to continue their journey on the site

Make the pictures bigger and more prominent. Possibly having a gallery slideshow instead of having a million pictures would be helpful.. 

The navbar is terrible. Create one that is alphabetized, and has a good branching menu system. This can reduce the number of, and would, in turn, make it much more navigatable. 

http://www.roverp6cars.com/

Sadly I'd say this is the best one out of the three I've viewed so far. Though that is not to say that this site is good in any way, because to be frank, it is just awful. The lack of ease of use is screaming at me. I counted 32 buttons on the navbar, which has the added element of having a repeating graphic of a random car behind each of the buttons. The aesthetic of this is one thing, but the design and useability of it are just as bad. The homepage is so incredibly long as well. This isn't a huge problem for all webpages, but with this sort of all laid out presentation has a lot to be desired. 

This is the first site that alignment was a prominent issue. Much of the text on this homepage is centered, which looks janky and unprofessional. Though this is an easy fix for this site. The homepage seems to be the only page affected, with other pages having alignment on the left.  

Repetition is something that this site needs to work on. Most of the other pages don't offer the same aesthetic and layout as the homepage. The homepage should dictate what the rest of the site should follow. On this site, the menu is completely stripped away, along with the name/logo of the company. These are two things that should stay consistent among the various pages your site has. Creating a consistent and uniform experience is vital to creating a professional site.

This site is not professional. From the big red scrolling text, the car graphic on menu buttons, and other questionable design choices, there are many reasons to deem this site unprofessional.

Things to work on: 

The home page sucks. This is not an inviting way to hook a user in. I am bombarded with pictures, text, different colors and shapes. This is just a cluster of everything and it seems like no thought was put into what content should be most important on the site. 

An overall lack of uniformity makes the site look disjointed and not connected to other parts of the site. 

An abundance of crappy unprofessional graphics makes the site a joy to use for all the wrong reasons. 

 

Part 2: Website design to strive for

apple.com

Apple has always had one of my favorite websites. They are constantly updating the visuals, making it always worth a visit. Fundamentally, the Apple website does everything right. Everything is easily findable, with even a search field available for specific requests. Its layout makes sense, with bold text headings and vibrant pictures, with the small text being brief and then linking to a dedicated page explaining more. All the different pages on this site look relatable and clearly have a uniform design aesthetic. Continuity between all the different pages will really set apart those with mediocre and excellent websites. Apple does a fantastic job in this aspect.

Obviously, this page is professional. Apple has a team with many professionals that dedicate themselves to creating a site that will drive sales. This requires a very tight and precise design philosophy, with every button placement and picture a calculated decision. There is nothing on this site that shouldn't belong there, everything displayed serves a specific purpose. 

Usually, the Apple website will go through many iterations throughout the year. Right now Apple has a more conservative aesthetic, with no fancy scripts adding to the presentation. Around when the new iPhone comes out is when Apple gets really fancy with its website. With special flashy but classy animations that will allow text and images to appear as the user scrolls. All this eye candy would add up to the overall stellar presentation of the website.

nps.gov

This site sets out what it needs to accomplish, nothing more and nothing less. The goal of this website is to inform the viewer about the various national parks, and does a great job of it. The homepage is a simple but clean one. Big vibrant images with bold text headers should always be apparent, as it is with this one. The navbar is a dropdown style with great categorization. They even have a search function for even greater ease of use. All of the different pages of the site reflect the same design and is all a uniform experience. There is great use of space, with not too much info but enough to get the viewer started and engaged.

As I mentioned above, the design and aesthetics of this site screams quality information. I see the different articles posted on the site, and they replicate everything they should do according to  C.R.A.P.H.T.E.D. The thing I appreciate most about the design on this site is the pictures/graphics. They are understated, but add a sense of liveness to this site that it so desperately needs. Most images on this site are vibrant, big, placed well, and bring the information together

This page is very professional, looking like many of the other government websites I've seen before. This understated simple design is what is needed for a informational site like this. Too many animations, fancy graphics would have taken away from its very formal and professional feel that it should have. Though not the most groundbreaking and interesting website, it is without a doubt a well put-together one.