PSDFan Extra

Week 69: Rogue Aviator

This week I will be redesigning: Rogue Aviator.

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 site is actually fairly well designed. A nice color palette, clean design and professional layout.
• The menu is clear and easy to use.
• This homepage uses the right amount of welcome text. The copy is just right, immediately explaining what the book does and drawing people’s interest.
• The logo is really engaging, and creates a nice visual centerpiece for the design.

WEAKNESSES:

• My main issue is that nothing really stands out about the site. There’s nothing terribly wrong, but it’s a little plain.
• The welcome text and homepage copy is spot on. However, there should be elements from some of the subpages on the homepage. For example, it would be good to highlight reviews on the homepage.
• It wasn’t actually immediately aware that the site concerned a book (until I began reading). There should be some kind of visual clue that the site concerns a book.
• The title area reading ‘Ace Abbot’ feels a little obsolete. It doesn’t really tell us anything about the site or who ‘Ace Abbot’ is. I would use either the logo or the start of the welcome text as a title area.

My Redesign

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

MY AIMS FOR THE REDESIGN:

• I made the site more visually interesting, by including engaging visual elements such as a plane soaring over the header section of the site.
• I added some content from the inner pages to the sidebar of the homepage, helping to draw readers in. These include a top rated review and ‘about the author’ section.
• I included some imagery of a book to give a visual clue to the theme of the site.
• I included a horizontal navigation, as personally I feel these are more user friendly.

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.

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.

Related Posts

• 30 Inspiring Examples of Perspective in Photography
• 30 Minute Redesign: Week 63 Vote
• 30 Minute Redesign: Week 51 Vote