The Punk the Poachers homepage. The combination of the black and white photo, with the colors of the logo background and buttons ads contrast to the design and represents the angst that the punk rock culture is generally associated with.
A screenshot of the merchandise page on the website. Placement of the images and texture is purposely played out in a seemingly haphazard manner while adhering to the twelve column guidelines.
Acquiring Competencies
Web design requires many levels of competencies, from coding to layout there is much to be considered. Acquiring the skills required to create a working website with solid design elements required me to learn how to work with new tools, as well as research into what solid web design entails. The process began with training for Adobe Muse at Lynda.com.* The course not only helped to develop the skills to operate the tool itself, it was also saturated with relevant web design practices that were an introduction for me into the required elements of a website.
Responsive design was an element of design that remained new to me as well, this was another area of research that was required to design for the web at a proficient level. Muse offers designers many tools that allow for responsive elements to be incorporated into a website, without the need to learn advanced coding to achieve the end result.
While beginning to explore the features of Adobe Muse, I was introduced to the Library feature that is now a part of the Creative Cloud. The ability to work in programs such as Illustrator and Photoshop, then quickly adding them to a library set that is shared among all of the programs, reduces time when design across multiple platforms. Without having to close or refresh other programs to utilize graphics, colors, and imagery, the library had great impact on the entire process. The layer based design workspace is another part of Muse that makes the transition into web design more comfortable for designers. The operation of page elements, such as the header, content and footer, being controlled by a master page, is a helpful way to maintain continuity of design throughout the site.
Muse allowing for a master page to control the continuity of the website is a very powerful and appreciated tool.
Being able to work in layers visually allows designers to focus on the design instead of code.
The introduction to the Adobe CC Library functions greatly reduced time when working in multiple programs and designing for multiple platforms.
Working with columns in Muse allows designers to incorporate previous workflow habits into designing websites. Behaving in similar ways to InDesign and Illustrator, resulting layouts are cleaner and efficiently maintained. As is with print design, the columns provide visual reference that can prevent distracting placement of elements, imagery and text. Well formatted layouts that lead the eyes to the desired information keeps the end users from becoming frustrated and leaving the site early, resulting in a missed call to action.
The combination of designing through use of familiar tools that are shared with other programs, and Muse creating the code for the designer, has enabled me to provide clients and potential employers with a more complete skill set. The working website can be experienced at http://punkthepoachers.businesscatalyst.com
Clean and Efficient
Mastering Muse
Copywriting Competency
Another important competency that was acquired, came during the Effective Copywriting Course. Writing creatively has always been natural for me, however writing for the purpose of delivering a client's message was something I have had limited exposure to. This became apparent when having to write for testimonial ads. These would rely upon speaking to the core values of the target audience, as Craig Smallish describes this "core values are those important feelings or beliefs that a consumer may relate to a product or service**". Research and persona creation also aided in the design, however the ads were less than effective due to presenting the reader with too much to read, distracting from the message. There was also an issue of redundancy, repeating the same thought multiple times, this can insult a reader's intelligence or, at best, simply make them lose interest.
Though these advertisement contain the message. There is areas of redundancy, and the message is to wordy.
This advertisement represents the point of view of someone who is suffering due to a self inflicted pain that was the result of a damaging decision
A testimonial ad that expresses an improvement in life quality as a result of joining the SADD organization. The format and layout were adjusted after receiving and exploring ideas from feedback.
The testimonial in this advertisement is from a third person's view. Showing that some damaging decisions, though to late for the decision maker to feel the repercussions from, effect those who are left behind.
Saying More with Less
As research into copywriting continued, and feedback started to come into play, the realization that less is more became clear. The above ads are the result of considering the feedback, exploring ways to word the message using the fewest amount of words, and even adjusting the design elements, and layout in some areas. The center image was reiterated in a format designed to be displayed on digital billboards and serve as half-page ads in print. The messages provide more impact and generate the call to action more efficiently now that it is delivered more professionally. The entire message is delivered in just a few seconds, which is more often than not the amount of time a person gives their attention to an advertisement.
The process of writing an effective testimonial advertisement has elevated my design thinking to new levels. These practices prove to be useful for more than just testimonial ads as well.