OUGD504 STUDIO BRIEF FOUR - PRODUCTION OF FRONT HOME PAGE

Experimentations were undertaken into the initial image home page for the website, such as the layout of the islands and water, whether it should be more abstract or as you imagine it initially. Experimentation was also done into the text that will be on the home page, as the band and album name should be on the front, and this wasn't recognised initially, and the album name then had to be added in with it still looking natural.

The circle water is just too abstract, and the islands are too close in colour for them to stand out effectively.

Explored having the islands larger and smaller on different sized horizontal water illustrations, as this water looks more understated and allows the islands to stand out more. Due to the complex nature of the colour of the water though the islands still get lost, even when scaled up.

The more simply coloured water was used instead, and this works better however the colours are still too similar so the islands still get lost in the water. An approach with the positioning of the water was explored with the water vertical, not fitting the width of the page to allow for white side borders, which helps to break up the space a bit. This could be a potentially very effective layout idea. The page was also split into half down the middle with the water on the left and islands on the right, which makes the islands very bold and clear, however the two sides look exactly like that, two separate aspects, and don't mix well at all.

Different flat coloured backgrounds were tried to see if a simpler approach is more effective however this just looks a bit dull, and the background looks too flat compared to the islands.

Using a watercolour brush on Illustrator, and choosing different shades of blue/green, this water pattern was created, as a still recognisable water pattern, but one which was more understated and allowed the islands to take focus. Different colours were explored to finally find the right one, here at the bottom.

Only the bands logo was applied, the logo that is on their ISLANDS album cover as opposed to on their website, as this is a bolder, more impactful logo, and is also more legible as well. Bigger and smaller sizes are shown here, experimenting with scale to test the appearances and effectiveness of each.

Enter text is placed below the band logo, as an indication as to where to click to enter the website itself. "discover" was a key word used in the above three examples as a lot of bear's den's songs are about discovery and exploring topics and ideas, and with the album title ISLANDS, I thought it an appropriate word, one which is more interesting than enter site. Scripted typefaces were tried, as this fits in well with the band logo text, which looks had drawn, but is also quite contemporary. I went with the lighter weighted typeface, as it doesn't look as feminine, and is lighter so doesn't take away from the title. It also doesn't have as many flicks, so is more simple.

The arrow on Snask's website to enter into the main content of the website works really effectively in being a simple icon which explains what the text could do. 

I created my own arrow inspired by Snask's arrow, and placed it on the home page to click on to enter the site, or perhaps to scroll down and the home page rolls up. The islands were also rotated, as with the website being very wide, I thought a wide island would be more appropriate and fit the space better, however it looks a bit weird on it's side.

Remembering to include the album name on the front entry page, initially it was included in the same scripted typeface as in previous experiments. On the album cover a traditional serif typeface was used, so here Baskerville is used, which adds an interesting contrast to the logo typeface which is much more free. Not sure about the arrow as it looks like it gets in the way, and I feel like people would know to click or scroll anyway.

Experimentation with the sizing and positioning of the two items of text. Felt as though the album name should be larger as this is what is being promoted, however bear's den looks odd being so small next to the large islands. Compromised with bear's den slightly larger than ISLANDS, but ISLANDS still a lot larger than originally, so the album name is clear.

This experimentation has produced a very clear aesthetic which will next be adapted for other pages within the website and on mobile version as well.