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PSDFan Extra
Week 73: Yopler
This week I will be redesigning: OC Deaf.
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:
- The colors are bold and vibrant and the orange/white combination is sharp.
- The menu is fairly clear and prominent, and the links are easy to read.
- All of the necessary content is shown on the homepage.
- There isn’t actually a lot more that’s positive about this design.
WEAKNESSES:
- There is a lot of obsolete content on the homepage. The design feels crowded and messy as a result, with a lack of visual organization.
- There is no clear visual hierarchy, so your eye doesn’t know where to go. Various elements on the page pull your attention, so your eye isn’t moving in a linear motion down the page.
- There seem to be a variety of menus, which makes navigating the site very confusing. There should ideally be just one main menu.
- The typography is too small, and so doesn’t really attract your attention. There also isn’t a use of headings to establish different content areas.
My Redesign
As always, I was limited by the 30 minute time-frame, but I tried to improve upon several of OC Deaf’s features, adding a few design flourishes and a clearer layout that promoted content over wasted space:
MY AIMS FOR THE REDESIGN:
- I reduced the clutter on the homepage, stripping away all obsolete content, making it clearer and easier to browse.
- I reduced the navigation links to a single clear, simple menu.
- I created a better visual hierarchy for the page, integrating headings and larger typography.
- I used a cleaner content area, with a bright, prominent call to action button, drawing people further into the site.
Before/After:
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 30 Minute Redesigns
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.
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 principles.
- You will get emailed the .psd of your redesign and can do whatever you want with it!
NOTE: I can only accept sites with English content, as foreign language websites are simply too hard for me to work with.
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.
3 Comments:
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Very nice!
Bright coloured websites can sometimes look just too much, but this site, although using orange is really nice and a vast improvement on the original. The header is clear and precise and really draws the eye which is what you want when first looking at a webpage. The only thing is that once you scroll down the content area is lacking a bit so I think it would need more attention to this as its not just about getting people onto your website but keeping them there. I think that with the time limit though this is a really good start!
Thanks a lot guys! I agree the bottom area is a little bare, but it was just so cluttered in the original I had to try and strip it down. I’m sure if this design was used as a new template they could integrate a little more content into the homepage though.