For the one page website review I chose www.jordancole.com which was on www.onepagelove.com. This was a portfolio created by freelance artist Jordan Cole. Upon entering the site, you simply see an image of a magazine page flipping. It is assumed that this is some of his work. Right at the first page there is the main image, a drop down menu on the side, arrows pointing in all four directions of the screen, and Jordan Cole’s name on the top and bottom of the screen. You can only physically scroll up and down even though there are arrows pointing in all four directions. You can’t scroll right to left. You must click on the arrows with your mouse to move the screen horizontally. By moving the screen, it moves to more of his work that has been shown in magazines. As you move down the website it breaks into a different color with a different main image. I am assuming that it is organized by each different project he created. So when you scroll to a new ‘page’ it is a different project that he created. If there are arrows pointing to the left and right, then there are more images of the project either on a different media device or different point of view. Throughout the website his name is placed at the top and bottom of each page continuously reminding you who created the work while being a page break as the colors change between pages.
Overall the design of the website is minimal. There is simply a colored background with the image of the project in front of it. Everything has a clean and simple look because his designs themselves often have the texture in them. Most of his designs tie in nature in some manner giving them texture. This texture contrasts with the clean technology and colored backgrounds. The only details other than the images themselves are the occasional use of shadows with the images. As explained in The Principles of Beautiful Web Design, “Light and shadow establish visual contrast, and help to create the illusion of three-dimensional depth with two-dimensional media, such as pencil on paper or pixels on your computer screen.” For example, he uses shadows to create the idea that these mediums in which his projects are on are sitting on a table or are located in front of a background. Allowing these subtle shadows into his images makes them more realistic to the viewer. He’s used it to show the width of magazine as well as the size of a computer against a table. Using these shadows also helps show the different sizes he designs for specifically in media. Showing the different forms of technology that art can be displayed on (phones, laptops, tablets, desktops) the shadows help create a more realistic and visual size difference.
The colors that Jordan Cole used within his website were a mix of warm and cool colors. He used colors to spark creativity and action which follow with his constant outdoors theme. He took into account the colors within his designs and the color he chose for the background. For example, If the image of his work had primarily cool colors within it, he would use a warm colored background to create contrast. The different colors helped to break up the webpage into smaller pages to represent the idea of looking at a new project. Also, the colors had a very similar tone allowing the transition between them easy for the eye.
Overall the site is well made. The navigation might take a second to think about it but after the user realizes they have to click on the arrows to move screens it is extremely easy to use. The different forms of navigation located on the webpage are very large making them easy to find. The organization can be a little confusing because I feel the user would someone question why Jordan Cole laid out the webpage the way he did. I still am not entirely sure if each individual panel is a new project or if they connect in some manner. So that could be more clear so the user understands what was a complete project. I believe that using his name as a page break was very smart as it continues to remind the user of the artist while easily covering the transition from one block color to another. He uses contrast intelligently throughout the webpage, especially on the about me and contact pages because he loses all color except his personal photo and everything is black and white. Contrast is definitely the element he relied on heavily for his entire webpage and I think it was used well. Overall the website is eye-catching and easy to follow along.