No. 9 Park’s site is relatively static and not balanced based on the amount color-choices and image at the top of the home page. While navigating through this website, the only thing that changes is the top-right div that houses an image and some text. While this makes navigation easy to examine, the sites balance remains poor. There is plenty of black in the background, and the div appears floating because it has a lighter value. This value is sitting on the right side of the page, so I do not look at the bottom-left of the site at all.
Like before, the only content that changes are text and images on different pages; the site is unified because of its static approach to displaying content. Every page has black, gray, a splash of the accent colors and similar footer and sidebar content. The emphasis is drawn on the new text on each page. Where there is a stark contrast between the background and div containing the image and text, there is an emphasis on what the audience should look at. The layout is lacking any differentiation. There are two columns, one for navigation and another for images. There is a footer at the bottom with some more information on the company, reservations, photography credit and site design.
The site is identified by the logo at the top left corner, something that is found in many sites created today. The user knows they are No. 9 Park’s site because of the logo and consistent color scheme carried throughout. This identification serves as a primary indicator of current page viewing and a home button to bring the user back from the rabbit hole of links on this site. As previously stated, the logo is a primary way to go back home. There are no breadcrumbs on this site, so an additional home button is not found. The browser’s back and forward buttons are simple ways to get back, but there is no way back home other than clicking the logo.
There is no option to search on this site. I looked for search bar and came up with nil; however, there is a small site map located in the footer and a menu of pages along the side of the page. This site has some ancillary pages to describe how-to’s and other information you may need when visiting the restaurant. Sections are divided by layout and column work delegated by the web designer.
Primanti’s, in relation to No. 9 Park’s website, has more balance, unity and emphasis because of the division of content, images and colors used, typography and visual interest. To start, balance is even because Primanti’s uses right and left justification/float of text to express balance. The cover image has left alignment of text, while the navigation buttons are right floated. There is balance when scrolling down the page because of the dark background, imagery that copies the style of neon signs, chunked segments in terms of divs and analogous colors. This site is unified because the navigation bar and footer match on each page, as they should. Textures are implemented across the board to give a feeling of unification, especially when used more than once. Fonts are consistent and imagery feels the same on different pages.
As previously stated, emphasis is placed on neon sign skeuomorphism found throughout the site. This draws in the eye to the food or images that are near these icons. Every page, other than the home page, follows the unification of explaining the page with one of these icons that have a great amount of emphasis due to size and color. Layout consists of horizontal divisions with differing backgrounds and emphasis on different sections of the website. It works well to show an image for each page; this image describes what is going on before the user scrolls.
Primanti’s logo is based in the top left corner and provides a way to identify what site the user is on and also a way to go back home by clicking on it. As said before, the logo is a great way to go back home. As with No. 9, the information architecture is hierarchical and does not require a breadcrumb, because most pages are only one page deep.
Like No. 9, there is no dedicated search bar, but a small site map at the bottom. These utilities are found in the footer along with the site map. There are different sections in the site that are accessed from the navigation bar.
Primanti’s’ draws my attention because it has bold, big icons, imagery, dynamism and similar typography throughout the site. The attention to detail and interactivity are more fun and make me want to use the site longer and find more information on it. Although I did not read much, the imagery gave me the idea of where I was and what I was doing.
No. 9 Park (http://no9park.com/)
Primanti Bros. (https://www.primantibros.com/)