Context 2 companies

Retrofuzz is one company I will use in my Context 2 assignment. They are a small company, based in Manchester, that work in the music industry, designing websites for Artists such as Arctic Monkeys, The Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney, amongst others. I decided to research this company because I share the same interests as them, Music and web design, and working for such a company would be the ultimate workplace for me.  

A second company I plan to use in my Context 2 essay is De Facto, a medium sized company, consisting of 15 designers and programmers, based in Lace Market, Nottingham. They have obtained work for The Specials, Fred Perry and Ted Baker, in addition to local projects. I decided to research this company because, like Retrofuzz, I share the same interests as them.

Map of the Internet

Dan Saffer: 'Interaction design is an applied art'

Task: Read and comment on the following content in your on-line journal:

Dan Saffer: 'Interaction design is an applied art' August 13 2008

Who is Dan Saffer? Dan Saffer is an experience design director at the design consultancy Adaptive Path, specializing in interaction design.

After reading this inspirational interview with Saffer, it is apparent that Interactive Design is more than just design, as he states “Knowing some programming/scripting is also important; it's like a sculptor knowing clay and stone”. He also states that many other skills are required within interaction design…“writing, especially technical writing, is another essential skill. You need to be able to write in order to convey clearly how a design works and why.”

Having read the interview, it obvious that Saffer is passionate about his job and how much his work varies from day to day. “One of the great things about my job is that only a percentage of my days are alike.” This, to me, is a positive aspect of the industry, as every day won’t be the same routine.

Towards the end of the interview, Saffer provides general information, such as what distracts him from work, and what drink he prefers to stimulate himself during the design workflow. Even though they are casual questions, he still responds in a professional manner.

Finally, two quotes that have made an impression on me…

'If it was easy, then everyone would do it.'

“The way to become a great designer is to learn as much as you can and put what you've learned into practice by designing a lot.“

Context 2: Company Analysis

Last week I received my first Context 2 assignment. At first I didn't understand it, but the more I read it, the easier it seems.

Task: You are to research and write a report discussing your place in multimedia in terms of your network and companies that you identify, that can be connected to that network and that you are interested in working with.

Your report should include a diagram of your network identifying contacts that you already have, both at home and through your university, as well as new contacts and companies that you discover during the course of the research for this report.

Progress: So far I have written my introduction and come up with several questions to ask potential design companies

Adventure World Website Review

Adventure World is another website, created in HTML, I have chosen to evaluate, however I am unable to find out who designed it.

Purpose: The purpose of this site is purely to provide information about the theme park: Adventure World.

Audience: The use of bright colours, mainly primary colours, cartoon images and a simple layout clearly indicate that the site and theme park are aimed at a young audience. At first glance, I’d say 8-12 years. However having looked further into the site, i.e. at the rides, it is clear that the majority of them aren’t suitable for 8 year olds. For that reason, I believe it is aimed at an 11+ audience.

Advantages: The site can be easily accessed, as it is listed in Google’s top 5 results. This will inevitably be a great advantage for the business, as Google is used by 90+% of users that search the internet. A website will have very little success if it isn’t displayed on the first page of results.

Again on this website, a consistent structure has been used throughout. The navigation is clearly displayed at the top of each page. Hover links have also been used to enhance usability - It is clear to the user what are links, and what aren’t. A simple, organised layout is the key to success. If the site is difficult to use, then this will lead to user frustration.

The site offers up to date news, events and offers which would be the main focus as to why users would re-visit it. Additionally, users would re-visit if they plan to purchase tickets or find out information on the theme park.

To engage the viewer in using the website, the designer has made use of simple language and cartoon images. The fact that the site is aimed at a young audience, if difficult language was used, then the viewer would immediately lose interest.

Arctic Monkeys Wesbite Review

Arctic Monkeys:

The first site I have decided to evaluate is the Arctic Monkeys, created by RETROFUZZ, purely because of my strong interest in music and they’re my favourite band at the minute.

Purpose: The purpose of this site is to update and promote music, tours and gigs in a cost effective manner. Additionally it is used to get in touch with their fans.

Advantages: The Home Page is displayed in a simple manner, for example, only a video, the latest news and gigs can be seen. This is effective as users tend to scan pages, not read them.

It is clear that the 'Keep it Simple' rule has been applied during the design stage of this website, which is important as users strive for simplicity instead of complexity.

The site has a clear, organised and consistent structure with easily recognisable links, shown at the top of every page, allowing users to find their path to their aim. Navigation, in my opinion, is the most important area to consider. If the site is difficult to use, then this will lead to user frustration.

Additionally, the site provides a forum for fans to chat and up to date gigs and news on the band, which will inevitably make the consumer, fans inparticular, revisit the site.

Disadvantages: There aren't that many disadvantages of the site! Apart from the fact I'd say the headings could be written in a slightly smaller font. Several of them are difficult to read, due to the large font.

Summer work

So, over the summer I decided to learn how to use Illustrator...