http://www.tessadstonefest.netau.net/home.html

Sooo the website is slowly coming together…very…very….slowly

It still looks a bit odd though because that margins/divs stuff doesent seem to like me much at the moment.

But…I put in a Google Map, except it has all these red balloons all over it because it wouldnt give me the code unless I searched for a loaction first, which is a bit silly but whatever, hopefully balloons dont matter….

I still have NO idea how to do a search feild though, so hopefully the text book (which is mildly useful) will help me :-)

And I should probably sort out my web hosting sometime soon hmmm.

Also this blog is looking a bit special at the moment, because I was experimenting with background image codes, so I’m very aware that the repeated palace looks RIDICULOUSLY tacky.

the end.

I found this lecture really helpful :) especially since he explained it using tumblr….and im using tumblr. Tumblr is awsome.

Im not really sure if I should use the custom HTML code or just go to my blog and use the source code…hmmm. Also the custom HTML code for my theme is such a mess…I need to go through and put some tabs and spaces between the lines in, before I even attempt to change the CSS stuff…

CSS is always harder then you expect, like I think I understand it, then when I actually try to go do something it doesent work…and I swear after playing around with codes for a few hours my brain stops functioning -_-

I’m really pleased with the design for my stonefest website, and I did all my text in HTML and linked all the pages really quickly, but now my attemt to do the css stuff has been a bit of a disaster…though now im slowly getting the hang of it :-)

the next few weeks are going to busy busy busy

this is my final design for the website…

The five websites that I chose for my Design Reference are:

http://www.thisisgrow.com/

http://www.splendourinthegrass.com/

http://www.flashgamingsummit.com/

http://www.futuremusicfestival.com.au/

http://www.nylonmag.com/

One: Bold Type
My favourite thing about this selection of websites was the bold type that they all use. They each have a very simple typeface, that stands out easily against the background, for example – Future Music Festival’s type is white on black, and Nylon’s type is black on white. The simple yet bold typeface means that the text doesn’t compete with the illustrations and imagery, instead it complements it.

Two: Bright Colours
I love websites that use bright colours. I think that the use of bright colours, makes whatever the website is advertising, LOOK FUN! Bright colours make you want to read the magazine or go to the music festival etc because then you believe you will have fun. I also really love how the This Is Grow and Nylon websites contrast bright imagery with black and white text.

Three: Easy Navigation
The navigation on these pages is quite simple and organised. All of the navigation bars are in orderly rows or columns along the top or bottom of the webpage. The navigation throughout these sites is very organised, so it is easy to find what you are looking for, rather than searching through a cluttered home page.

Four: Illustration
I love how all these websites involve illustration or some sort. My favourite picture would have to be the one on the Future Music Festival page (pictured below), the picture is really out there and original, and also quite strange but it definitely grabs your attention straight away. I also really like how Nylon has subtle lines across the pictures and text, and they have drawn a TV around one of the photos, as you can see in the image below. Its also really effective how the illustrations are overlapping the headings on the Splendour in the Grass and Flash Gaming Summit websites as it ties the whole design of the home page together.

Five: Layout is designed in columns
Designing a website in columns makes it simple to read, and can also create a hierarchy, for example the information in the larger green/blue section of the Flash Gaming Summit website is more important than what is in the smaller grey column to the side.

Six: Minimal writing on the homepage
None of these web pages have large bodies of text on there main pages. Since they are all aimed at a younger audience I think it is important not to have too much text which many people will find boring. It also makes it easier to find the information that you want, for example for Splendour in the Grass and the Future Music Festival there are different links that will take you too things like tickets and set times quickly. Also since the Nylon web site would have a lot of information on it (since it’s the website for a magazine) it is good that all of the different articles are organised into different links, so the viewer can find what they want quickly for example “fashion” or “beauty”.

Seven: Main logo/heading isn’t centred
It wasn’t until I looked at all of the web pages at the same time on my desktop, that I noticed that none of there headings are centred. They are all either left or right aligned. I think this is a really effective design element, as it keeps the page from looking too formal and boring. Another thing I noticed is that all of the main bodies of text on these pages are left aligned.

i just switched my blog over from wordpress to tumblr, and this one is definetly easier!!

ive been looking at alot of websites for the design reference and i kind of have an idea of what im going to do for my stonefest website, but im having trouble trying to find all of the similar characteristics that we need :\

This is the first time I’ve made a blog so hopefully all is working well :-)
Just like everyone else in the class I’ve decided on Stonefest for my web site to re-design, which should be fun…..