Assignment 5 - Visual Principles

Assignment 5 - Visual Principles

Alan Wyatt

May 3, 2004

Assignment: Locate a visual (not a photograph) on a website and evaluate it using the guidelines/principles in this chapter. You should at a minimum discuss categories found in the Visual Design Checklist from page 135 of your book. Your discussion should be at least one page in length.

Material being evaluated: E.B. Stanley Middle School Website

The visual chosen for this assignment is the E.B. Stanley Middle School Website. This website is designed to provide information for students ages 11 – 15, their parents as well as interested members of the community. The overall pattern of the visual designs for this website is excellent. The alignment, shapes, balance and style of the visual designs are exemplary. It is appealing to the viewer’s eye and flows smoothly and consistently throughout the website.

The color scheme is somewhat dull and not appealing to the eye. The overall background is white with a black column running down the left side with gold links leading to areas of interest throughout the website. With white being the main color for the background the small visuals that are used throughout the website sometimes are lost or not as noticeable as they would be if a more contrasting color was used. The black column running down the left side is somewhat dull especially for a middle school website. The colors need to be brighter and more appealing to the students rather than to the parents or adults accessing the website.

The arrangements of the visual designs are excellent and appropriate for the information being delivered. I like the consistency found throughout the web page. The fonts used are also excellent and are pleasing to the eye. For example, the link leading to “Guidance” is a nice choice of fonts, colors and size. It is easy to read and follow. It especially accents the student photographs found at the end of the page. In some areas of the web page the fonts do need to be enlarged and a darker color used. For example: under the “Sports” section of the webpage, the links leading to the various sports are a pale gray on a white background. These links gets lost because there is no contrast of colors. Also, under the “clubs” link the clubs and descriptions are the same color and same font. It would be more user friendly or appealing to the eye if there was some contrast in the color of the fonts being used. Overall the information being delivered is easy to follow and access.

In closing, this website is an excellent example of the appropriate use of visual designs. The visuals used enhanced the information being provided and make the website enjoyable, interesting and easy to follow. It is very appealing to those who need to access information about the school.