This Sunday I bring Critique Sunday which I showcase all the wonderful designs sent in to us. It’s important to mention not all make the cut, I try to select the most inspirational ones or the ones I have something useful to critique on.
MarianaOnate.com
Mairiana Onate
This site uses CSS in a very creative manner, merging easy-to-use navigation with some nice bold typefaces. Lovely design.
VladGeorgescu.com
This is a very unique site. It uses pure copy and typography along side a hint of green. It’s interesting and the copy is very strong because you read it, it draws you in and you like it. However, after reading all that I’ll be honest – where’s the portfolio? Show potential clients why you’re expensive.
If I was a client or looking for a designer I most likely wouldn’t contact this designer. The reason I wouldn’t is because I believe portfolio should do the talking in our industry. Nothing else! That’s just my opinion. Nevertheless, it’s interesting.
52KDesign.com
52K Design
Nice use of texture, clean, simple and elegant. Portfolio of this design is great. The one thing I have to say is that the text can be bigger, bolder and more typographic. There’s enough space going around to do something quite interesting with the type. I’d like to also see DesignersCouch where DeviantArt is but that’s a very personal comment that you should laugh at.
Flayks.com
Flayks
This design is obviously simple but I think it shows great attention to detail. The mouse-over on navigation is nicely animated. I think what we can learn from this design is subtle but effective use of gradients, bevel, emboss, inner glow, etc. There are lots of those effects in the design but it doesn’t become tacky, silly or unprofessional.
Yodaa.com
Yodaa
I love this design. It shows great compositional skills because art and content is perfectly integrated with each other without content getting overpowered. Everything just fits. I enjoy the depth of hue effect – that really helps in terms of protecting the design from being cluttered. Where it says ’services and cms design’ the copy on the cloth looks flat. It needs maybe an engraved effect; still, cute design.
SheldonFarmBaskets.com
Sheldon Farm Baskets
Sheldon Farm Baskets is another design that shows how you can bring elements of the product to create an atmosphere that’s relevant. You’ve gotta love the entire basket feel of the design communicated through the navigation, background and the basket themselves.
It almost feels like you’re walking in the store itself and that’s ideal. The one flaw is that the logo gets lost. I wouldn’t put it directly on the background but rather give it some background element that makes it contrast with every other element.
CloudiaCMS.cz
CloudiaCMS
All I know about CloudiaCMS is that it’s some CMS type application but from a visual standpoint, I know it’s attractive. This is one of those designs that really integrates illustration with content well.
FahadKhalid.com
FahadKhalid
I like the photo-manipulation on this site and the tagline it uses ‘addicted to creativity’. Nicely done, great smoke effect and overall a simple design.
EKSRTD.com
EKSRTD
EKSRTD is an art inspired clothing initiative from Sweden. What will happen is that designers in the stab will design and produce both high and street fashion t-shirts. Uniquely printed by hand with screen print.
I did not care for the loud intro upon entering this site but once I got past that, it’s an elegant site design. I believe there are some usability issues. For example, it took me a while to figure out how to navigate the collection. There’s no indication on what to do so I had to figure it out. If the indication is that the pointer is a hand, that’s not enough really because it’s small and chances are people are not looking at their pointers.
The other little detail to look at is that the navigation link should have some kind of active state to let users know where they are.
The contact page didn’t work for me so I’m assuming that’s a bug. That can be a problem since there’s no other apparent way to purchase a t-shirt if I’m interested. Obviously this is only a showcase site but what IF someone is interested in buying?
Aside from all that, I like this site.
That’s all for this edition of CritiqueSunday. Feel free to leave your comments on your favourite of this edition.
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Mikal Morello
