Month: December 2024

Online Video Advertising     In this section I will be creating two social media video advertisements that represent the Influent Hull brand, and discussing their features.       In this “Instagram Reel”,  I decided to use bigger, lighter text for the typography and the logo, which I brought in from illustrator, over into after effects, because it was easier to see over a video, than it is just static with a dark font. I used royalty free footage to create a high fashion style video which would inspire people to want to be styled by Influent Hull, with fashion house music, which fades out at the end to make it same less abrupt in ending, and make a static ending section which would have a link on that button which says “find out more”, which would take you through to the Influent Website.  The aim of this video was to highlight Influents colour analysis service, through the use of content in a high fashion style, but also with a lot of different colours, to catch people’s attention aesthetically, and intrigue them about their own colour palette. The end of the video also contains a button which would link through to  Influent’s services page, taking them to a section about colour analysis. It follows the style and of the banner I did for colour analysis, and I used that same fabric image to create a small banner at the bottom of the last frame, as well as the same colour scheme of pink and dark text. Harvard References Anna Nekrashevich (N.D.) Person looking at a color palette [Pexels Video Download] https://www.pexels.com/video/person-looking-at-color-palettes-7551965/  [Accessed 21/12/2024] Ben Scott (2020) woman in black and white long sleeve dress https://unsplash.com/photos/woman-in-black-and-white-long-sleeve-dress-bCnM5P0gcpY [Photograph] [Accessed 21/12/2024] cottonbro studio (N.D.) A woman in long sleeves sweatshirt posing for the camera [Pexels Video Download] https://www.pexels.com/video/a-woman-in-long-sleeves-sweatshirt-posing-for-the-camera-in-a-photo-shoot-3888253/ [Accessed 21/12/2024] cottonbro studio (N.D.) A woman in a suit and top standing in front of a building. [Pexels Video Download] https://www.pexels.com/video/a-woman-in-a-suit-and-top-standing-in-front-of-a-building-4937260/  [Accessed 21/12/2024] cottonbro studio (N.D.) A woman doing turns and poses for a photo shoot. [Pexels Video Download] https://www.pexels.com/video/a-woman-doing-turns-and-poses-for-a-photo-shoot-3403327/ [Accessed 21/12/2024] cottonbro studio (N.D.) Beautiful woman behind a red see through fabric. [Pexels Video Download] https://www.pexels.com/video/beautiful-woman-behind-red-see-through-fabric-8733248/ [Accessed 21/12/2024] Ekaterina Grosheva (2021) Multi coloured striped textile on brown wooden table photo [Photograph] https://unsplash.com/photos/multi-colored-striped-textile-on-brown-wooden-table-wcdHwuFJfn4 [Accessed 20/12/2024] KoolShooters (N.D.) A woman holding a super 8 video recorder. [Pexels Video Download] https://www.pexels.com/video/a-woman-holding-a-super-8-video-recorder-7346384/ [Accessed 21/12/2024] Mart Production (N.D.) A Person Modeling Orange Clothes. [Pexels Video Download] https://www.pexels.com/video/a-person-modeling-orange-clothes-8798366/ [Accessed 21/12/2024] Mart Production (N.D.) Close up of a person placing a flower in a bag. [Pexels Video Download]https://www.pexels.com/video/close-up-of-a-person-placing-a-flower-in-a-bag-8798364/ [Accessed 21/12/2024] Nver Avetyan (N.D.) R&B Vocals Royalty Free Music. Pixabay  [Download] https://pixabay.com/music/search/r%26b/ [Accessed 21/12/2024] Rockot (N.D.) High End Hustle- Fashion Luxury Disco. Pixabay. [Download] https://pixabay.com/music/upbeat-high-end-hustle-fashion-luxury-disco-253184/ [Accessed 21/12/2024] SHVETS production (N.D.) A person holding a bag [Pexels Video Download] https://www.pexels.com/video/a-person-holding-a-bag-8019934/ [Accessed 21/12/2024]

Banners Below I have designed three different styles and sizes of banners for Influent Hull; the reasoning behind this is that the first is catered to the female demographic, the second to the male demographic, and the third is both, in order for the company to be able to reach a wider demographic of customers, and hopefully, receiving a higher click rate and more appointments.  Skyscraper Banner This banner is catered with the female identifying demographic in mind and features a glamorous picture of a model, in really beautiful and unique clothing; partly this is because models are often portrayed as the height of beauty, and many women want to follow suit with the glamour, and following high fashion; secondly, it is to capture people’s eye, and those who are interested in fashion and models have a higher chance of being interested in something such as style consultancy and colour analysis. This image is to intrigue and inspire, as well as create curiosity about the company, and in turn, receive clicks.  This second banner is catered to the male identifying demographic, and due to the high-end style of the company, the advertising is also catering towards more affluent males, specifically those who work in offices or business, as the picture is of very classy office wear, leather shoes, watches, ties. My reasoning for using this photo is to attract men who might want colour analysis for things such as shirts, and ties, as well as speaking to a consultant about different types of suits, and fabrics.   Thirdly, the rectangle banner is catered to all demographics, as it displays a large amount of pretty rainbow coloured fabrics, intended to catch the eye, and intrigue the ego, leaving people with the question of “i wonder what colours suit me best?”, “have i been wearing the wrong colour palette?”, and hopefully, encouraging people to get in touch and click through to the website and book an appointment. Harvard References Ben Scott (2020) Woman in black and white long sleeve dress photo [Photograph] https://unsplash.com/photos/woman-in-black-and-white-long-sleeve-dress-bCnM5P0gcpY [Accessed 20/12/2024] David Lezcano (2017) Pair of brown leather dress shoes with box photo [Photograph] https://unsplash.com/photos/pair-of-brown-leather-dress-shoes-with-box-NfZiOJzZgcg [Accessed 20/12/2024] Ekaterina Grosheva (2021) Multi coloured striped textile on brown wooden table photo [Photograph] https://unsplash.com/photos/multi-colored-striped-textile-on-brown-wooden-table-wcdHwuFJfn4 [Accessed 20/12/2024] Iconify (N.D.) Iconify Design: All popular icon sets, one framework. https://iconify.design/ [Accessed 20/12/2024]

Home Page Wireframes Low Fidelity Sketches Here are some sketches for two different home page layouts for Influent; the main differences are the way the nav bar sits, and the hero image clipping mask shape, however the UX/UI is simple and easy to use on both versions, and contains an aesthetic parallax feature in which the information scrolls over the hero to make the page feel fun and modern.    In the first design, the nav bar lies on the left which is a bit more unique and strays from the norm a little bit, whereas the second design has the standard nav bar on the top, which I think is a good option if the company wants to follow Jakob’s Law.   According to South Downs Web Designs, Jakob’s Law is defined as;   “Jakob’s Law of the Web User Experience is a fundamental principle of UX user experience design that states that users prefer familiar design conventions. In other words, users are more likely to engage with a website that follows established design patterns and conventions.”   (South Downs Web Design  (2024) Jakob’s Law: What Is It And How To Use It In Web Design https://www.southdownswebdesign.co.uk/articles/jakobs-law-what-it-is-and-how-to-use-it-in-website-design#:~:text=Jakob’s%20Law%20states%20that%20users%20prefer%20websites%20that%20look%20and,usability%2C%20and%20increase%20user%20engagement. [Accessed 18/12/2024])   Mid Fidelity Two Variants This design uses a soft pink colour, and a slightly different typography logo from the grey designs, as well as a different icon logo. The nav bar will sit on the left hand side which is a bit different from what people are used to when using a desktop web page. The reason for these variants is to give the company a chance to pick the designs they like best, instead of all the designs having the same layout.  This design features an angular hero image, and a grey colour scheme from the ice cream palette i chose earlier; it uses the standard style of navigation bar at the top of the page, but still features parallax scrolling. Beyond the fold it will continue in this style but have all the additional page features I outlined in my low fidelity pencil sketches. Final Wireframe Homepage Design This is the final design of the Influent Hull website; it has a very classy and minimalist aesthetic which I found was common for style consultancy businesses in my research, and wanted to replicate this, to create a professional and high-end fashion business website. The use of the sans serif font shows that the business holds itself in high regard and connotes luxury; the colours are bordering between any gender stereotypes, being quite muted, and therefore appropriate for either gender to book with this business.    Overall I think this website does what it set out to do, which is to be a professional,  high end fashion consultancy business group, in Hull. Harvard References   Brooke Cagle (2018) Woman wearing gray and and black dress photo [Photograph] https://unsplash.com/photos/woman-wearing-gray-and-black-dress-soBGIhTb0jU [Accessed 20/12/2024] Dan Gold (2018) Person Holding Knitted Textiles Photo [Photograph] https://unsplash.com/photos/person-holding-knitted-textiles-aJN-jjFLyCU [Accessed 18/12/2024] Haydn Golden (2018) Man wearing suit jacket and white painted wall photo [Photograph] https://unsplash.com/photos/man-wearing-suit-jacket-and-white-painted-wall-wcvuv00UDd4 [Accessed 20/12/2024] James Hollingworth (2020) Black flat screen tv on white wall photo [Photograph] https://unsplash.com/photos/black-flat-screen-tv-on-white-wall-uJd-18zz64I [Accessed 20/12/2024]   Lance Reis (2023) A man with a beard wearing a hat photo [Photograph] https://unsplash.com/photos/a-man-with-a-beard-wearing-a-hat-TTdJV-K1IUg [Accessed 20/12/2024] Priscilla Du Preez (2017) Assorted Clothes in wooden hangers [Photograph] https://unsplash.com/photos/assorted-clothes-in-wooden-hangers-dlxLGIy-2VU [Accessed 18/12/2024] Ronny Sison (2018) One unknown celebrity taking photo while leaning on brick wall [Photograph] https://unsplash.com/photos/one-unknown-celebrity-taking-photo-while-leaning-on-brown-wall-BnS-h6wEwNA [Accessed 20/12/2024]] (South Downs Web Design  (2024) Jakob’s Law: What Is It And How To Use It In Web Design https://www.southdownswebdesign.co.uk/articles/jakobs-law-what-it-is-and-how-to-use-it-in-website-design#:~:text=Jakob’s%20Law%20states%20that%20users%20prefer%20websites%20that%20look%20and,usability%2C%20and%20increase%20user%20engagement. [Accessed 18/12/2024])

Logo Research In this section I will discuss my logo design decisions for Influent, and show some examples of logo styles that are commonly used for high-end style consultancy businesses, as opposed to logo styles used for smaller, or single person style consultant businesses. First i will show some examples of what I mean by high-end style consultancy business group logos, as they tend to look a bit more corporate, with sans serif typography logos, and using overlapping initials, not dissimilar to high end fashion labels such as Chanel, Louis Vouitton, Gucci, and Fendi.    House of Colours overlapping icon at the side encompasses both initials with the connecting “o” for a professional looking logo. Overlapping logo for House of Colour (House Of Colour (N.D.) Find Your Nearest House Of Colour Image Consultant. https://www.houseofcolour.co.uk/find-consultant [Accessed 16/12/2024])   Charlotte Loves’s logo is reminiscent of the Fendi symbol and evokes connotations of high fashion, affluence, and luxury. Charlotte Loves logo looks a lot like the Fendi Icon  (Charlotte Loves (N.D.) Personal Stylist, Shopper & Beauty Consultant/ Charlotte Loves. https://www.charlotteloves.co.uk/ [Accessed 16/12/204]) Penny Bennett uses a simple minimalist typography logo, and like the others, evokes feelings of luxury and professionalism, as well as high fashion and minimalism.   Penny Bennet simple typography font for minimalist high fashion look (Penny Bennet (N.D.) About Your Personal Stylist-Penny Bennet. https://penny-bennett.com/about-your-personal-stylist/ [Accessed 17/12/2024])           Smaller Business Consultancy Logos  Due to the differences in logo styles for high-end style consultancy businesses, and those of small business owners/ non corporate businesses, I will design some logos in each style and theoretically the client could choose their preferred style. Here is an example of a logo for a small, single person owned business style consultant. The style is a lot different from the sans serif, and overlapping styles; it uses colour and has some more personality to it, and is more approachable.    Kerrie Ellis’s Logo  (Kerrie Ellis Image Consultant And Personal Stylist (N.D.) Style Consultation-Image Consultant & Personal Stylist. https://www.kerrieellis.co.uk/product/style-consultation-2/. [Accessed 13/12/2024]) This logo is also fun and creative, with personality, and colour, and is conceptual which is an interesting style choice.  Styled By Susie Logo  (Styled By Susie (N.D.) Award Winning Personal Styling/ Styled By Suzie. https://styledbysusie.co.uk/ [Accessed 16/12/2024]) Logo Rough Sketches I tried lots of different shapes with Influent Hull’s initials, trying to make a logo that would be similar to the high end fashion logos, which led me to come up with a couple of different design ideas to carry through into Illustrator. I wanted to create a sans serif typography logo that would look professional, as well as having a smaller logo just using the initials of the brand; in addition to this, i also decided to design a couple of more informal and fun looking designs that could give the consultant brand the feel of a smaller business, making it feel more personal and less intimidating to clients. It will therefore be up to Influent to decide which style of logo they would prefer best for their business. Internet Logos I played around with the name initials for a long time; i wanted something that overlapped and could be used as a smaller brand icon, which is common for a lot of style consultancy businesses, as well as a regular typography logo which could be used in the nav bar for the website, and ended up coming up with these variations. I think the grey looks really classy and professional, with lots of spacing in the typography for a minimalist effect which is what I wanted to go for. The palette works really well as it still has some colour, but again is muted for a minimalist effect, and connoting to high fashion brands, as well as other popular style consultancy businesses such as House of Colour and the Penny Bennett logo. For these next designs i created something that is much more informal and fun, that would give off the effect of approachability that the smaller businesses have with their logos, in order to create a look that encourages people to not feel intimidated by the seriousness of the logo, therefore resulting in the company being able to cater for less formal sessions such as families who have bought sessions as a fun bonding activity e.g. mother, grandmother and granddaughter (as is common in this sector), as well as those who are feeling unconfident about their wardrobe, and colour palette.    One of the common feedback quotes on the smaller business websites is the clients feeling like they have “known the consultant forever” within minutes of meeting them; I want this logo to convey the warmth and personal relationship of a smaller business, with the logo having colour and personality in a similar way. I also wanted to convey old school hollywood glamour with the mannequin outline, as well as the use of feathers. Here are some other informal logos I played around with as a choice for the company. Finally, here is a concept logo using the initials to create the shape of the humber bridge Harvard References   (Charlotte Loves (N.D.) Personal Stylist, Shopper & Beauty Consultant/ Charlotte Loves. https://www.charlotteloves.co.uk/ [Accessed 16/12/204])   (House Of Colour (N.D.) Find Your Nearest House Of Colour Image Consultant. https://www.houseofcolour.co.uk/find-consultant [Accessed 16/12/2024])   (Kerrie Ellis Image Consultant And Personal Stylist (N.D.) Style Consultation-Image Consultant & Personal Stylist. https://www.kerrieellis.co.uk/product/style-consultation-2/. [Accessed 13/12/2024])   (Penny Bennet (N.D.) About Your Personal Stylist-Penny Bennet. https://penny-bennett.com/about-your-personal-stylist/ [Accessed 17/12/2024]) (Styled By Susie (N.D.) Award Winning Personal Styling/ Styled By Suzie. https://styledbysusie.co.uk/ [Accessed 16/12/2024])

Early Design Prototyping In this assignment, I will present research for three different company examples and what their home pages could look like; please find Figjam research board below. Eco Future   Good Energy has a really nice hero with a curvature, making the website memorable, out of the  other green energy websites, and could encourage users to find out more.   Example of interesting curved hero showing home with solar panels GoodEnergy (2024) Renewable Energy Supplier Renewable Energy UK. https://www.goodenergy.co.uk [Accessed 9/12/2024] It was common on most green energy websites to have a short video with nice visuals, to explain a little bit about the company, their ethics, and about green energy.  Screenshot showing a video on 100 Green’s website with nice visuals. 100Green (2024) 100Green UK’S Only 100% Green Gas & Electricity Supplier. https://www.greenenergyuk.com [Accessed 9/12/24]   Ecotricity also has a video on their website doing a similar thing, showing strong visuals of the environment, and wind turbines, showing people a little bit about green energy.   Video on Ecotricity’s website with visuals of wind turbines, and lots of green landscapes, plus a call to action button to the left.   I also like the use of the bright green as a highlighting colour for their branding as it is soft and eye-catching at the same time. Below is an example of it being used for a button leading users to find out about how the company generated their energy.     Screenshot of Ecotricity’s “see our energy generation” button, which is wide and encouraging to click on, and uses a nice highlighting colour to catch attention.   Another feature for Eco’s website includes the use of a scrollable customer review panel, towards the bottom of the website. I think this feature shows credibility and creates a foundation of trust for interested potential customers, Scrolling reviews from happy customers to build trust.  Ecotricity (2024) Britain’s Greenest Energy Company Ecotricity. https://www.ecotricity.co.uk [Accessed 9/12/2024]   I want to add sections to the home page for information on the different types of green energy for homes, to inform people on their options so they can narrow down on what they want from the company.  Modulated blocks of information accompanied by nice images, with bold subheadings to create info hierarchy   Eon Energy (2022) 7 Ways To Power Your Home With Renewable Energy. https://www.eonenergy.com/our-blog/ways-to-power-your-home-with-renewable-energy.html [Accessed 10/12/2024] Information For The Website   What is renewable energy? Types of renewable energy with info-graphics   Quote calculator Information Video Links to tariffs and their prices How the energy is generated QR to get the app Customer reviews Welcome and mission statements/Problem statements Cab- E During my competitor research, I found Uber to be the best website for an online taxi company, due to its great use of white space, and limited options, as well as compartmentalised information, which is not overwhelming, easy to understand, and encouraging to use.    I feel these features should be incorporated and considered when designing the Cab-E website.   Easy to use price calculator. Simple navigation bar with options for the different user profiles (business, driver, and rider), as well as language options (accessibility), log in and sign up. According to Medium on Hick’s Design Law:   “Hick’s Law was formulated on the assumption that the brain has a finite capacity for information processing. When the brain is confronted with too many options, it becomes overloaded, which can result in decision fatigue.”    (https://medium.com/@incharaprasad/hicks-law-the-psychology-of-decision-making-11bb52822a18)     Therefore I think this principle is most effective when designing a website, and is why the Uber UI/UX is so accessible and understandable. I would be undertaking this principle if i was designing a website for Cab-E.   Other design features I think are effective for the Cab- E website include the use of a QR code at the bottom of the page, to encourage users to download the app quickly and easily, by scanning it with their phone.  Another good UI/UX feature for the website, shown by Uber, is the use of vector graphics with small chunks of compartmentalised information to make info more digestible to users. Vector graphics are also better for the environment. Vector graphic with nice text hierarchy and small amounts of information, as well as a call to action button and link.  Uber (N.D.) Earn Money By Driving Or Get A Ride Now Uber United Kingdom. https://www.uber.com/gb/en/ [Accessed 12/12/2024] Designs To Avoid For Cab-E Image showing too many colours that don’t harmonize, and poor use of white space.  828282 Hull Cars (N.D.) Online Hull Cars. https://hull-cars.com/book-a-taxi/online [Accessed 12/12/2024] Therefore, for Cab-E i would suggest picking a limited colour palette using colours which harmonize well together, that aren’t overwhelming, and can be used for information hierarchy such as highlights to certain typography, and vector graphics. Information For The Website   Booking a taxi in advance Calculator tool for finding a car in the moment Calculator for businesses Log in Sign up Social media Contact information- phone, email A map to show where the car is How to apply to be a driver About Us Customer service- Email, phone, live chat QR for downloading the app Accepted payment types FAQ’s Influent Hull The company I will be carrying through into the next design tasks will be Influent Hull, as I have never done anything in this minimalist style before, and I would like to do something outside of my comfort zone to show the versatility of my designs.    I want to use parallax, lots of white space, soft edges on shapes, a single highlight colour, and clipping masks on Influent Hull’s home page because it looks professional, unique, and creates a memorable UI/UX, as can be seen below. In addition to this, I want the website to have a contact me section at the bottom of the page so clients can get in touch easily. Interesting clipping mask Styled By Urle (N.D.) Personal Stylist-Hull-Beverley. https://urte-personalstylist.co.uk/locations/hull [Accessed 16/12/2024]   Parllax Scrolling Feaure Styled By Urle (N.D.) Personal Stylist-Hull-Beverley. https://urte-personalstylist.co.uk/locations/hull [Accessed… Continue reading Early Design Prototyping