My Final Design

My Final Design

Throughout the creative making process of this assignment, I tweaked a couple of features from my designs. These small changes are very evident on my final outcome, and create a more professional appearance and organised structure.

Here you can see my full design (above). You can see the master file basically contains the features which stay on every page, for example, the header, footer and navigation bar. Each file looks neat and organised apart from the three galleries, because in order to see the photographs full screen after clicking the thumbnails they have to over-ride the neatness of the design and fill the screen.

Some advice I got given during the creative process was to add more colour to my design, because it looked boring and plain. So, I decided to add a slanted rectangle to remove some of the structure and add some creative artistic elements on the website not just the photographs. The colour of the rectangle is actually the lightest colour on the image with the location photography blog post. Also, by adding a working form people who want to purchase my book can just fill out the form and send off for one. 

These three pages (above) show my literacy skills and teaching skills. This will be an ongoing blog updated every week with a new lesson on each three themes. This shows I am more than just a blogger or just a photographer. I am a teacher. I am providing more materials for young aspirational photographers who would visit my website every week to learn something new.

From my original design this about page has changed a lot. There is less writing and the images are a lot bigger. They fill the space. They fill the page.

My gallery design is basically the same. It is very simple yet does its job. Its clear and easy to work.

These are the galleries when you click on one of the yellow flower images on the main gallery page. When you click on the thumbnail of a picture then it appears full screen in a slide show format.

If I could change anything on my designs I would create social media pages also to link up to this website using the social media thumbnails in the bottom left corner.

Using Adobe Muse

Using Adobe Muse

The software I will be using to create my three page website is called Adobe Muse. Adobe Muse was first released May 7, 2012, but it's most stable release was June 15, 2015. It is described as a visual design editor. It can create websites perfect for desktops, tablets and mobile devices.

I used this book to help me use Adobe Muse. "Adobe Muse Classroom In A Book". This helped me, because it worked through creating the website in simple stages, which I find an easy way of learning. From creating the master layout to placing little widgets and special assets on to my website.

Changing My Designs

Changing My Designs

In order to now create my three page website I will have to update my designs from the feedback I received from my first project.

These three images (above) show my original designs, which I submitted for my previous assignment. The feedback I received stated that there was too much literacy and not enough visuals for a photography focused website. Also, this web design is quite dark for floral photography, because flowers are quite colourful and the blackness contrasts the colours. Finally, the last piece of feedback was that my social networking signs are too large suggesting they have the same importance as my logo, which was unintentional.

Looking at these new designs in contrast to the former ones; quite a bit has changed. the homepage alone is a lot brighter and instead of christmas packages I have decided to promote and sell my new book. There a bit more interactivity on the homepage now, because a reader can fill out the form to order my book. On the about page the block of writing in the centre of the page is a mixture of both descriptions; my companies and mine. The gallery really proves that less is more, because by sticking with three pictures of yellow flowers there is a strong theme, which is clear and easy to follow.

Final Three Web Page Designs

Final Three Web Page Designs

From my previous post on the basic web design for all my pages it is clear that my three pages are a home page, an about page, and a gallery page. Some of the designs have changed from the initial designs, which is progress. So here they are...

The Home Page

I have decided to create the home page in the style of an up to date professional blog. After looking at one blog post in more detail, (by clicking continue reading,) there will be links to further blog posts related to the one the viewer just read. I have decided to put the three most up to date blog posts in sections of the three types of photography, which my company focuses on, studio and location photography, and the editing processes I go through. As well as these blog posts I have added a banner towards the bottom of the page advertising my products during the festive season, with the hope that people who like my work will purchase some of my photographs for themselves or other people for christmas. I have presented details where people can make enquiries on my home page also, because my company specialises in creating the image you want to see as well as in my own point of view.

The About Page

My about page is very simple yet informative. It explains the journey I have been through from my hobby of photography through education to setting up the company. I have placed some quick important information before writing about the company and I, because due to high demand and no patience in the modern world people need answers to their questions quickly, so I placed the most commonly asked questions' answers first in a biographical format. Then I have spoke about the company and I in further detail explaining my journey and informing the viewer about myself. At first I faced the challenge of knowing what information to put on the internet about myself without giving away too many details. i have overcome this by stating general information like the city I live in and not my address, and I decided that my date of birth may be important, however, on a Facebook account that information will be evident anyway. Also, I was thinking about every year having a special deal on my photographic works on my birthday, so this information is able to be displayed.

The Gallery Page

The gallery page is the final web design out of my three pages. My initial design showed several albums of my work on my website. However, I have decided that a simpler layout was needed, because the page became to full that the viewer didn't know where to look. I have decided to have my gallery page as links into albums containing all my photographs taken at different times in these three sections, which are studio photographs, location photographs and edited photographs. I have chosen two photographs to represent each section to give more of a varied selection in the attempt to have the viewer know where they're going and what they are able to find. The Myriad Pro regular font is used on each section for clarity and legibility. I have used two simple roses from my logo design to fill them empty space on the page, for recognisability and to fill the blank spaces, like my photography does.

Just to clarify...

My Company

My company name is Shauna Richards Photography. My logo design is my initials with black and red roses on them and the word photography in an indented font to act like thorns from a rose. I have created a recognisable brand identity of detailed, dainty photographs of flowers, and my company ethos is to present my photography in my point of view and to construct personalised photographs  to represent what other people would like to see.

My Web Design Features

I have included a home page in the style of a blog. I have a banner in the form of advertisements. After experimenting with buttons I found that a navigation bar would work better as it was simple and easy to use for the viewer. I have posted a variety of content on my web designs such as, a blog of my up to date work, some information on myself (the photographer) and the company, and a full archive of all my best pieces of work in the layout of a gallery. The colour scheme for my website follows the colour scheme of my logo, which is black, white and red. However in some circumstances pink is used instead of red, for example the five images which represent my company are black, white and pink, to create a prettier atmosphere. I have used several graphics e.g. links to other work, social network icon to take viewers straight to my social network pages, and a search bar. Many fonts such as Papyrus regular, Myriad Pro regular and Pristina regular have been applied to my we page designs.

Web Page Basic Designs

Web Page Basic Design

After a lot of editing on Adobe Photoshop, I have made my decision to stick with this design for all my web pages. This basic design will be evident on all three web page designs, because it is simple, and will be effective with a variety of content. I will add the content for the three web pages; the home page, the about page and the gallery page, at a later date after I have written up some academic blog posts for my home page, some decent information about my company and I, and chose suitable photographs for my gallery page.

My web page begins at the top with a search bar on the header of the page. I think that this is important on my page, because if there is a specific image the viewer is trying to find they can search any information about it and find links to it straight away, such as the name, date published, and labels.

Next there is my fictional media company's logo on the left and social networking icons, which will become links in the future to share my company around and get viewers who like my work to keep up to date on everything I do on social networking websites, like Facebook and Twitter.

Then I have shown 5 of my favourite photographs which I have taken and I am very proud of to represent my company. I believe that these 5 photographs show all the areas of photography I work in and act like an enigma to what else I have created. I have thought about having more of my images on this bar rotating on my active web page. However, I feel that these 5 photographs are enough, because they represent my company ethos well, which is beauty, focus, flowers, and variety. I have arranged these photographs to be displayed with even amount of space between each other and they are in an order of black and white then pink then back to black and white for a symmetrical and tidy home page display.

After that there is my navigation bar, which displays links to the home page, the about page and the gallery page. For this font I have used Papyrus regular, which is the same font as I have used in my company logo for the word "Photography". Again, I believe that this will create a recognisable brand for my company. It is amazing how something so small like the typeface can effect the viewer's thoughts on the website and the company.

Lastly there is the footer which displays that the copyright belongs to myself as the owner of the company. For the font here and the search bar, I have used Pristina regular, because it has the elegance I intend my company to have.

Experimenting with Fonts

Experimenting with Fonts


This post I will show you my progress through font design.

My initial idea was to stick with the default of "Myriad Pro". However, this font was too plain and bold, and didn't reflect my company's image at all.


My second design was "Curlz MT Regular", because it is the font I have used for my initials in my logo design. It is very recognisable, but the curly serifs are too complex for a navigation bar, because it could be difficult to read. On a pc, which is what I am designing my web page on, it is quite clear, but slightly illegible, but on a mobile or tablet, I feel it will be to illegible and will not be easy to read, which is definitely not what I intend to create.


My third design was "Pristina Regular". I chose this font, because it had a few creative serifs, but it was also quite clear and legible. It has no resemblance of my company, but it does have a handwritten look to it, which I find quite creative, which could link into my photography. One imperfection is does have, however, is the slightly messy appearance, which in my opinion, looks creative and imaginative, but to others who I have asked it looks untidy and doesn't work well with my ideas.


My final typeface, and the one I have chose to use is called "Papyrus Regular". This is the same font that the word photography is written in on my logo, so it is recognisable. It isn't that bold, but the pattern on the font is still noticeable on a big screen, which is my intention, because it reminds me of ingrowing thorns, not thorns poking out. This represents my photography, in my opinion, because I feel that my photographs allow the viewer too look further/deeper and explore my images, rather than explode on the canvas and show them boldly what my work is about. I believe my work grows on the viewer and that is what this writing represents. This font has no serifs, which makes it clear and easy to read on any screen. it still has the pattern though to show individuality.


To conclude this post, I have decided to use the font "Papyrus Regular", because it is very legible, it stands out, it is different to the norm, and it represents my work and/or company well.

Web Page Button Designs

Web Page Button Designs

Towards the end of my last blog post I suggested ways which I could improve my web page designs. In this post I am analysing my experimentations with button designs. Experimenting with buttons instead of a navigation bar is one of the ways which I intended to improve my work. My suggesting was adding the same roses from my logo design to the words on the navigation bar to create small buttons instead.

These were my results. I believe the roses add a sense of recognisability. However, when my logo will be above the navigation bar on the left this extra design may be unnecessary. The flowers make the other four corners of the buttons more pointy, which was not intended and I don't think it has worked very well. The simple capitalised font is plain and doesn't reflect my company ethos at all. So, perhaps, experimenting with font is another important experiment also.


After gathering feedback from various tutors and peers, I have decided not to use these button designs, because they are too complex for the simple web page I intend to design/create. Also, I found that many people said that the buttons were too varied, and it seemed like I didn't know what I wanted to get out of them.


   "The roses are very dainty, but then you have these sharp edges that poke out, and a plain font which uses capitals, which is very alerting. What are you trying to get from these?"

I heard these points many times, but one of my peers who wishes not to be named mentioned all of them. I use the same font on the navigation bar, so I feel that my next experiment should be to experiment with fonts.