Design Critique

[Servo2000]

Working on a layout for a layout for a blog that I'm partially working on to start a blog / partially working on for credit / hours for my design and art class. I'm starting with the banner since, so far, that will be where the main focus of imagery is, unless I go for a second design, which, if none of these seem decent, I will use.

Photography is all creative commons - ideally I'll end up using my own mixed in with these, but that's all I've got right now. So consider these rough drafts?

I don't know, comments appreciated. I'm sort of feeling at a dead end for this, I think I might need to do my own typography. These are looking very generic to me right now, lettering by hand should break that up.

[wEstSidE]

what are you going for with these?? 2002 blogs just started getting big oh shit this is my xanga titlebar look at my emo selfportrait?

[Crillz]

You're doing it wrong:

[Servo2000]

what are you going for with these?? 2002 blogs just started getting big oh shit this is my xanga titlebar look at my emo selfportrait?

Yeah, that's exactly what they fucking look like and it's bugging the shit out of me. If I can somehow combine this, neu-rave, and japanese bondage pornography I think I might be onto something.

[Guest jmatsu]

You're doing it wrong:

that'd be copying supreme:mad:

servo- what's the blog really about??

[Servo2000]

design / art / fashion / mp3s. It's not a "personal" blog. It's one of those retarded projects that teachers dream up when they read about some thing on "the internet" about new "trends."

I'm thinking I might just do what I always do when I get lazy and mash-up art movements with pictures of space or some shit.

[wEstSidE]

Yeah, that's exactly what they fucking look like and it's bugging the shit out of me. If I can somehow combine this, neu-rave, and japanese bondage pornography I think I might be onto something.

hmm...well you're halfway there on the name "aesthete purturbed" but u need 2 add some REAVE...

honestly tho i think the name needs a rethink. "noun verbed" is far too overused...

oh shi-need to jam my F5 key more, neway if she's lookin 4 tht sort of thing then the design you have is certainly trendy enough.

...buuuut, if u want 2 do sumthin u can b proud of then u need 2 crack a lil more til ur happy.

[Crillz]

that'd be copying supreme:mad:

servo- what's the blog really about??

[Servo2000]

hmm...well you're halfway there on the name "aesthete purturbed" but u need 2 add some REAVE...

honestly tho i think the name needs a rethink. "noun verbed" is far too overused...

oh shi-need to jam my F5 key more, neway if she's lookin 4 tht sort of thing then the design you have is certainly trendy enough.

...buuuut, if u want 2 do sumthin u can b proud of then u need 2 crack a lil more til ur happy.

Yeah, I think that's the problem so far. I was thinking too much "blog" and not enough "make something half-decent."

"Aesthete Purturbed" was just a placeholder that balanced well when typed out, pretty much.

[Analog]

Some quick thoughts/comments :

– too symmetrical, too balanced vertically/horizontally; runs counter to "Perturbed"? Intentional?

– the balanced layout in conjunction with all-caps and choice of typeface lends a classical look – intentional?

– how will the content below the banner flow eg. 3 columns? 4? 2+1?

– opportunity to create visual interaction / spatial tension with some other element(s) on the page?

– hand-lettering could def. add some interest

– layering of image/text/coloured block all occur within the rectangular border; try breaking out of the box; collage and juxtoposition; superimposition

– introduce an angle, a slash, a stroke

– erode/compromise/rupture an edge

– try to create some spatial tension between 2-3 elements

– colour!

– if all else fails, tits and ass, baby!

[mr fluffernutter]

font iz badd man

[wEstSidE]

font iz badd man

shit aint badman...juzt bad...no h8 tho.

[transactionfee]

the first 2 are classy minus the colour blobs...remove those, they don't fit. also what analog said, figure out a layout for the actual content. just do quick sketches with a pen and paper or rip off one of dozen css/layout template sites out on the web.

below is one you removed that i am talking about, shift bird over to a side. remove box.

[Servo2000]

It's bugging me, because frankly, I much prefer a blog like that demonstrates good layout (admittedly not a great example, but it's definitely going more for function than form) as opposed to good imagery because by the nature of blogs it's simply a means to present what should be important: the actual content.

Unfortunately, I haven't coded anything in CSS in going on three years now so I'm trying to come up with a site that, visually, is more "appealing" and plays a bigger role than it honestly ought to.

Anyone see any decent looking blogs recently?

[wEstSidE]

i haven't seen a blog recently that doesn't have far more information than necessary.

[Analog]

westie, if you had a blog I'd make it my default homepage. No joke.

[Servo2000]

He's got that geocities site in his signature. It's a close second.

[transactionfee]

http://subtraction.com/ Servo, I've always liked this site. The only problem is I never wanted to read it. I find it to be an information overload. The entries compete with the right column and I find it very distracting. My eye doesn't know where to go. I think its amplified because its weight is all the way on the left of my screen. I need pictures to help pull my interest. Yea.

[wEstSidE]

He's got that geocities site in his signature. It's a close second.

this geocities is soon gonna have my musix on it as well...so stay tuned (i'll prolly start a thrad or post when it's up). suprfuture is my livejurnal.

[Analog]

http://showstudio.com/blog/

If you want to let the content do the talking...

[Charlie Delta]

Servo, both the top and the bird remind me of Firmament, wich is not bad thing at all, just something to think about.

[wEstSidE]

how about this one??? im still in the lab comin up with more...

[wEstSidE]

how bout this one???

[Servo2000]

The green + brown in the background juxtaposed with the pink lettering makes me feel like I should be listening to The Klaxons, playing a game of touch football on a summer day, lemonade glass sweating in the sun just an arms length away when all of a sudden Daft Punk comes out of my plain, white-picket fence suburban home and starts vomiting beats all over the lawn.

I approve.

[wEstSidE]

awesome. are you going to use it? i'd be very happy if you did. i actually wanted to invoke happy puke and shit but grass and dirt is fine.

[poly800rock]

wordpress + a predesigned css background with graphics of your choice/design.

next....

[wild_whiskey]

I think you should make some sketches of the whole layout first and work from there. Everything you've posted so far really seems very traditional in a web interface sense. I have a hard time imagining a tasteful yet creative way of implementing the current format into a blog.

The advice on page one is solid, too.

Your current design comes off as very royal to me. The feathers and font look purposefully elegant and kind of foppish. Do you want this?