I chose to review two local restaurant’s websites: Meat and Potatoes (http://meatandpotatoespgh.com/index.html) and Butcher and the Rye (http://butcherandtherye.com/#) They are not only similar in cuisine, style, and atmosphere, but the two restaurants are actually in collaboration, so I felt it would be interesting to compare the two.
I first looked at the website for Meat and Potatoes. Upon first visiting the website the viewer is immediately drawn to a butcher chart in which is labeled the different parts of the website which can be navigated: Menu, About, Gallery, Contact, etc. Upon clicking on one of these panels takes you to a simple webpage that minimally addresses the information. The viewer can then visit other parts of the website through a navigation bar at the top of the page. The website has a good sense of unity by using consistent color scheme, texture, and illustrations. The only disruption in this was the “The Chef” tab, which takes you to a bland, mediocre website belonging to the owner, which distracts from the otherwise persistent theme. Nonetheless, this website does a good job to create a brand for themselves and convey a sophisticated, yet rough around the edges, attitude. While the emphasis of these webpages is of course on the information selected, the restaurant’s logo, address, and number are consistently repeated on each page, which is convenient.
Next I visited the Butcher and the Rye website, which had a one-page layout. While the website seemed to mimic Meat and Potato’s monochromatic color palette and heavy use of texture, this website seemed to portray a more whimsical mood. At the top of the webpage is clickable typography and corresponding illustrated decals. Upon clicking on the words, for instance “The Menu”, the page automatically scrolls down to an image of the menu. The viewer also has the ability to scroll manually through all of the information. There is an evident consistency in the imagery of the page, relying on a bitmap texture and vintage collage technique. While the Butcher and Rye website is a bit busy, it’s certainly unique and attention grabbing.
Regarding Krug’s list of essential aspects of a website, I’ve tried to determine how the webpages implemented these. As far as creating a clear visual hierarchy on every page, I feel that the Meat and Potatoes website does a better job. Each category is featured very directly by importance, whereas the Butcher and the Rye webpage is a bit all over the place and everything seems to flow together. I feel that the Meat and Potatoes website also does a better job at utilizing conventions, for instance it implements headlines in a more prominent way, where as the Butcher and the Rye is presented in more unconventional way. I think both pages do a good job at creating clearly defined areas through page breaks, borders, and titles labeling each section. Both websites clearly define what is a clickable link very well. Meat and Potatoes implements underlined text and text that changes color when hovered. Catcher and the Rye relies on a bold red color when hovered at the beginning of the webpage, which really grabs the viewer’s attention and urges them to click. Lastly, I think both websites did a fairly good job at minimizing noise. If anything, the Butcher and the Rye website is a bit busy and slightly distracting, but I think it works well to suggest the desired feeling of the restaurant.
Overall, while the Meat and Potatoes website is definitely clean and well organized, the Butcher and the Rye personally draws my attention more. The one-page scroll is unconventional and interactive, and there is immense interest in the visuals of the webpage. The webpage is fun and a bit offbeat, suggesting that the restaurant would be a unique and unordinary dining experience.