Week 3 Part A: Aesthetics, Design, and Branding

     A good website attracts people to come back and interact with it. While the criteria for what a good website is may change depending on who you ask, they typically have a range of standards. One factor that impacts the ability to have a standout website is the budget allotted. While it doesn't take a huge budget to have a decent website, it does take someone with a certain set of skills. The budget comes into play because you can hire someone with that skill set, or you can attempt it yourself. Heads up, the latter will almost always look better, especially when one compares a small business to a large corporation.

    Two websites that are simply not great are Jami Lin's Passions and Gates N Fences. Jami Lin's Passions lacks a clear concept. As one opens the website, they will be bombarded with potential services offered, ranging from feng shui and chakras to anti-aging and interior design. None of these have to do with each other, therefore they all look out of place. The second issue is that there is no clear hierarchy on the page. While there are texts that are bolded or highlighted, that is because they include hyperlinks. This contributes to the issue of there being no clear point to the website. Finally, there is not much contrast as the background consists of different shades of beige, which doesn't scream exciting. All of these issues contribute to the lack of professionalism this website shows. As far as improvements go, I believe they would benefit from making use of the whole display area and structuring it with a clear hierarchy. By doing this, and adding some toned-down, but not shades of beige and brown, colors, the website would get a facelift.

    Gates N Fences has plenty of issues as well. Immediately, I noticed the typography for the website is too small. Specifically, the text is too small for the cramped area they decided to display it in. Second, their alignment is off within both the text and the photos. The photos, instead of complimenting any section, simply surround the paragraphs. They also put text boxes in different locations on a page, making the reader have to jump around to find information. Lastly, ease of use seems to be an issue here. While the main page lists plenty of links to go to other parts of the website, 65 links are too many and the user still has to scroll quite a bit. While there is an effort here, this website was definitely not made by a professional. The website would be a lot better if it was re-organized, specifically when it comes to navigation. All of the links are broken down into categories, which is good, but they also show all of the subcategories. If the company were to have the main link go to a different page where the subcategories were available, it would be a lot less scattered.[

    On the other hand, two websites that show professionalism are California Center of the Arts and National Park Service. These two websites display what a great budget can do for those who have it. California Center of the Arts has great contrast and clear concept. This is seen by their simple, but effective display of what they offer as well as how everything one could need just "pops." They also do a tremendous job with their depth of content by showing a clear call to action and where they can be followed on social media. Their website is clearly professional as it has answers for everything a visitor would need in a modern, creative aesthetic. I personally enjoy the monochromatic display of the whole website with the subtleness of the hyperlinks.

    National Parks Service is a government agency, so automatically it can be assumed that it is professionally done since they have the money to do so. Their "Find A Park" dropdown on their main page is great as it makes the website easy to use for visitors of any state. They also make use of great proximity as their photos related to their articles are placed directly above the writing. Lastly, there is a clear hierarchy shown as to where a user visiting the website would want to go. While I personally wouldn't mind more color and contrast on the website, it is a great government website that looks very clean. 

    While all companies and brands typically start off from one person with an idea, how they go about their development is reliant on a lot of factors. The best way to get known is by having a website that can tell people the information they want to hear. While this isn't always an easy job, it can be made easier by the privilege of having a great budget and having, or knowing someone who has the right skillset. While there are certain criteria that speaks to the professionalism of an individual website, I believe that an understanding of one's own brand is the catalyst that is needed to create a great website.