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Week 38: Artis Lane

Artis Lane.

In the space of 5 minutes I can identify some of the key strengths and weaknesses of this design, and sketch out a mockup.

STRENGTHS:

• Whilst the site is far too busy, at least it prominently displays the works of the artist, which after all are the key content for this site.
• The menu is fairly clear and easy to navigate.
• Honestly I’m not seeing a lot of other strengths. I want to be constructive but this website quite hard to view for reasons laid about below.

WEAKNESSES:

• The site is far too busy and everything feels disorganized and cramped. The homepage feels like a collection of random images and banners that have been thrown together, not fitting to any clear layout structure.
• The calls to action are very unclear. The banners at the side of the page feel like they should be clicked through for something, but I’m not sure what?
• There really need to be some clear content boxes.
• Despite the site being concerned with art and creativity, it doesn’t feel all that creative. This element of the design be highlighted.

My Redesign

As always, I was limited by the 30 minute time-frame, but I tried to improve upon several of Artis Lane’s features, adding a few design flourishes and a clearer layout that promoted content over wasted space:

WHAT I TRIED TO DO:

• My first change was to get rid of the cluttered feel of the original. I created a much more minimal, organized feel for the site.
• I made the menu even clearer than the original, integrating hover/active states to make navigating the site easier.
• I opted for a more ‘creative’ feel for the design, integrating various textures and other artistic elements.
• I created a clearer visual hierarchy, using larger headings, and text colors to draw the eye down the page.
• I only included key content, so that users only receive the essential content.

Comparing the 2 Designs:

Here is a quick comparison between the original design and my 30 minute redesign. Sure, my design could be more polished, but I believe that a lot of the basic elements have been improved upon, creating a more pleasant browsing experience.

How and Why To Enter Redesign Saturdays

You can have the chance to have your website redesigned in next weeks post. All you need to do is leave a comment to this post with your website address and why you think it needs a redesign.

*NOTE: I can only accept sites with English content, as foreign language websites are simply too hard for me to work with.

The Benefits of Getting Your Site Redesigned Include:

• Most obviously – a FREE redesign job!
• Your website gets exposure to PSDFAN’s thousands of readers
• You understand how to improve your website. This isn’t just a redesign, it’s a lesson in design.
• You will get emailed the .psd of your redesign and can do whatever you want with it!

So please, leave a comment today for a chance to have your website redesigned next week!

About the Author:

Tom is the founder of PSDFAN. He loves writing tutorials, learning more about design and interacting with the community. On a more interesting note he can also play guitar hero drunk with his teeth.

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