Small Business Site Reflection
I created a small business website for a hypothetical cheese shop in Canary Wharf. In the creation of the project I started out with research. I researched other small business sites in the area and what was and was not working within them. Checking what information was usually included and where it was included on the page. From there I began my own sketches and design research on pinterest.
Within my research, I found that the simpler accessibility to the information the better. Adding both a footer and a header with clear navigation bar and constant accessibility for contact to the shop was something I found key in other small business sites.
Another vital piece of information I found on the forefront of my competitors’ sites was opening hours. I included the opening hours on both the home page and location page. I did not want to overwhelm the users with information, so I gave the option of reading more on the shop in the about page, however it is not necessary for the user to read it if they are not interested.
I went to pinterest for design inspiration and created a board that collected mainly bold hand-written fonts and some primary colors. I decided to solely use black, white, and a honey mustard yellow (#d19b06) on my site. These are very simple and the yellow is dark enough that it is still legible on the screen. I also chose this yellow as it is a cheese color and so it follows in theme with the site without being too on the nose. I also kept the palate this simple with only a bold but soft font for my header 1 in order to keep the site more modern. I wanted to modernize it while still keep it cozy and have. I also think that using helvetica for the rest of my fonts compliments the header font quite well. Making it modern and most of all accessible.
Font: Rock 3D from Google Fonts
#d19b06
While I did work with some people in the class on this project, I think that moving forward I am going to make a greater effort to work with my peers on future projects. At this moment we can all learn from one another in different concepts and it will lead to each of us being stronger web designers. My biggest takeaway in moving forward in creating sites is simply writing out the problems to be solved is key to creating a quality functioning site. And also being able to let go of some original design plans. As someone who comes from a design background letting some design layouts be fluid in another way is an adjustment but also exciting to work with in CSS. Attached are some illustrations included in my site!
