Axiom of Web Design

The website that I chose for this assignment is from New York and Co and the link is http://www.nyandcompany.com/nyco/  I chose this because it is a website I come back to over and over to shop for clothes. One of the reasons I like it so much is because their business and communication objectives are very clear.  The home page has a lot of continuity because it is balanced throughout scrolling.  One example is the first two pictures.  Because it has a tall woman the letters on the opposite side match her height so that the balance is the same. In the second picture the two ladies are the same height while the words in the middle match their height.

This company also has intuitiveness and affordance because when I want to see what clothes look like before I buy them, all I have to do is put the mouse on the picture and it switches from back to front so I can see the clothes from both angles.  That makes the company more believable because they are showing me all of the shirt, pants, or dress.  I am able to see what I am buying in every angle because they made this feature.

Design Presentation - Packaging

Avon - City Rush Perfume

Form and lines - Sharp, square, Masculine, powerful, business-minded

Color - Male (gold, dark, larger) Female (smaller, silver, lighter)

Contrast - Design and lettering pop out because of the difference between the bottle and lettering

Size - The male cologne is large while the female perfume is small. 

Gestalt Principle - continuity because the lines feel like they will keep going around the square

When I see this bottle, it makes me feel like the perfume is focused on a masculine design more than feminine appeal.  If I open the women's perfume I am afraid it will smell more like a man. 

Melaleuca's Sei Bella - Bella Fiore

Melaleuca's Sei Bella - Mystique

Form and Lines - square but soft, rounded corners.  Feminine and soft

Color - pink and purple to show female 

Contrast - subtle but still contrasting between the bottle, the colored perfume and the label

Gestalt Principle - Continuity because the lines continue around the square. 

This design is brighter and more alluring.  It feels more feminine because of the color, the shape, the design of the cap, and even the small details.  I am expecting, when I open this, it will smell more like what a woman would wear. 

Contrast, Harmony and Balance

When I think of contrast, I think of city lights.  There is nothing more opposite than the bright lights of the city contrasting with the dark night sky.  This picture shows that very well, not only with the sky, but also with the water surrounding the city. The color is also opposite.  The city lights show a lot of warm color from the orange and yellow glow while the sky and water shows cool colors like blue and black.

This picture also feels balance to me because even though the city is alone in the middle of the picture, the lights reflecting off the water make me feel like city is continuing into the water. That make the picture have more symmetrical balance because of that mirror image.

Gestalt's Law of closure is also something I notice here.  To me, there are not many buildings together but one big city. The Law of Closure says that objects that are grouped together feel like a whole.

This picture is beautiful and it makes me want to sit and look at it forever.  My eyes are very drawn to the architecture and makes me wonder how we as people have developed an amazing skill for building such tall buildings and cities.

Visceral Response

This photograph shows the Red Hills Garden in Pioneer Park in St George, Utah. This photograph is art to me because it makes me feel peace, serenity, and makes me want to live there. 

The lines in the photograph are horizontal, which is meant to bring a feeling of peace and open space. 

The form in this picture shows a lot of geometric shapes in both natural and man-made form.  The plants, rocks, and water form both geometric and organic shapes. The man-made sidewalks are more geometric. the shapes make me feel interested in the garden.  

The color in this photograph is mild.  The background is dull so that more focus is on the garden. The colors in the front are brighter and warm, while the back is light and cool. The color makes me feel relaxed.  It isn't a strong, bright color but it is enough to draw me to the photograph.  It is very calming. 

The space here feels more positive. Most of the action takes up the whole picture. There isn't a lot of negative space. I enjoy that the positive space takes up most of the picture because it is not busy positive space. It is more focused on nature and the beauty that surrounds us.