The names of sites on this page link to the actual sites. The screenshots enlarge into a lightbox view.
Hinduism is a religion of imagery and symbolism. It seemed natural to incorporate these symbols as design elements on a site dedicated to the study of the Vedic traditions.
In stumbling upon the graphics available on the Himalayan Academy web site, we immediately found a set of images that fit well with the needs of our web site. The site design is built around this series of images.
Each page is built around a single graphic which is tiled across the background at a very small resolution, then centered at thumbnail size below the text of the page. This creates a raw and colorful effect reflective of Indian culture, balanced with a text layout applying a serif font and paragraph indentations to convey a scholarly atmosphere. The varied colors of the tiled graphics make each page a new color experience. The menu hover colors were selected to coordinate with the colors of each page to intensify the effect.
The site uses two sheets in two layers over a black background. The first sheet consists of the tiled graphic, while the second sheet has a khaki color overlayed with a transparent graphic of a sadhu in meditation, topped off with the text of the page.
Future expansion of the site will include a membership form with the option of an online payment service, as well as downloadable documents and forms. Interfaces will be programmed for frequent update of the home page and the Upcoming Events page.
This is a casual but professional web site which conveys professionalism without resorting to the typical "template look" and cheapening its appearance. A professional atmosphere was achieved by using a serif font, indentations, and the effective use of italics with quotations interspersed within the text. The casual side was brought out by use of a box-shaped drop-down menu and a bold Oriental styling. The site currently consists of six pages navigable by the corresponding six primary menu buttons, with scrolling links on each drop-down menu per primary button.
Layout was done by use of a "double sheet" effect with a "business card" added at the bottom of each page. A rather busy background graphic (bamboo) was used, but the original was graphically edited to recede rather than compete with the content. An informative approach was taken with the content of the site. We worked with the client to provide background information on Chinese medicine to inform and educate the potential patient.
Upon completion, the site will have a client interface to provide current events and information on the home page and to provide a tool for the writing of ongoing blogs. Many additional photographs will eventually be added.
For this Mediterranean deli's web site, a direct approach was taken, focusing on the online order form provided. It consists of one primary page, a second page as order form, and two additional pages for processing orders. Scrolling links provides most of the navigation through the site. The content is driven by a database which provides the food items, descriptions, and prices.
We used the previously-designed company logo as the focus of the home page. We also selected a red, upbeat color for the background, conveying the personality of our clients, the atmosphere of their deli, and the spicy seasoning of their food. A music file was provided by the clients, keeping the tone upbeat, but we made the music optional for viewing in an office or other quiet setting by providing an audio start button and a volume control.
We opted for a very plain menu on the left side of the pages, in a fixed position, and consisting simply of black text over the red background.
The order form provides a quick and easy alternative to phone calls for placing orders. Quantities are selected from a drop-down list per item. Contact information is required. Prices are added and a total given on a Results page, prior to the order being submitted. A field for comments and special requests is included on the form. The form sends an email with the order information to the deli workers.
A special interface allows administrators to edit the food information. The administrator logs in then has three screens to change the database.
Only three pages were needed for this site because we effectively condensed the content through the use of animated graphics and hover effects. An animated graphic on the home page provides views of both the interior and exterior of restaurant. Another animation on the Foods page provides views of foods served. A hover effect on menu items reduces the amount of print confronting the viewer at any given time.
Further revisions were made to put contact information "up front" on the home page and to showcase the beauty of the restaurant building. A new Photos page conveys the restaurant's quality atmosphere, with a lightbox effect to enlarge photos.
As with the Pitahouse site, this one is driven by a database which provides the food items, descriptions, and prices.
This design provides information about the business and gives auction participants access to downloadable forms and applications. The special feature of the site is a Run List page, automatically listing autos for auction each week. This feature required additional programming to the legacy filePro-based auction software used by our clients in the daily operations of their business. Because this was legacy software, we were unable to use SQL commands to extract data, and were forced to work with manual output from the existing software.
As a result, the run list is derived from a file manually output from the auction software after auction vehicles are entered into the system. UNIX scripts automatically update the website within ten minutes of the file being saved by auction employees.
A counter showing the number of cars to be auctioned is on the bottom of the page. An update record shows the time of the last update of the information.
Potential buyers are now able to stay informed in real time through the web.
Additional photos will certainly brighten up the site and provide a means of constructing a banner in the absence of a company logo.
A clean, military-inspired design gives a direct presentation of content. It currently serves as a "business card" site, but is designed to be expandable as the project progresses, relying on text-based menus rather than graphical rollovers.
Future revisions will rely heavily upon photos and updated information.
Our own web site is intentionally designed to go against the trends of today, and bears little resemblance to the "downloadable template" approach currently used by many.
The site is designed using a dusty blue theme with light text on a dark, non-black and non-gray background. We avoided the currently-trendy use of sheets and opted for the plainer but bolder look of older web sites. We even use older-style "previous" and "next" navigation through the site, while using updated CSS techniques throughout, and an animation on our home page.
Hover effects are used in connection with navigation menus on both the home page and the other pages of the web site. We selected a lengthy menu on our home page to list the services our company offers at a single glance, something not possible using drop-down menus.
Our site is simply an eighteen-page "business card" site with no use of photographs up to this point. We attempt to present with clarity the services we provide, and have gone with a basic no-frills approach.