The website began in 2008, originally created by Marcroy Eccleston Smith, as a library of illustrators, designers and printers both creatively and commercially with the purpose of educating and inspiring.
From previous research and projects, I have identified that designing for print can be perceived to be in the shadow of design for screen.
The website is very static as the header is fixed the the top of the page. The header contains the logo, search bar and navigation bar which takes up a lot of the space on the page.
The content is centred in the page which leaves a lot of white space on either side - There is potential to take advantage of the size of the screen which allow room for larger more engaging imagery.
Scrolling down the home page reveals a range of projects from random disciplines of design such as editorial, poster, branding, interviews and educational videos. This is relevant for the home page as it should let the user specify what category they want to look at. However, the home page doesn't specify the discipline of design it covers. If this was specified it would make finding a specific category easier so the user can focus on a specific element of design they are looking for inspiration from.
The static header bar and narrow layout condenses and cramps the contents making the copy hard to read. The lack of white space doesn't allow each article to breath which can overwhelm the user.
The further information bar also gets in the way of the narrow and condensed content:
Categories section is in the lower bar which is hard to find. Isn't an easy or visually stimulating set up:
The category section should be a prominent area of the website because it will allow users to specify their search. The 'Category' section should be visible from the home page as it is time consuming to find.
Once a project is clicked on, the link sends the user to another page. This disrupts the flow of the site as the user has to wait for the loading screen to finish.
Evidence of the large header intruding on the content:
The large images can not be seen in full which is frustrating as the user has to constantly scroll up and down to see all elements of the composition. I am surprised the website hasn't changed this because it's primary source of material are predominantly high quality images of the work.
Considering the purpose of the website is to inspire and educate creatives interested in design for print, the user interface and experience don't communicate this. The large header make browsing and viewing the large images frustrating as it is impossible to see the full sized image. Giving the images white space will allow them to breath so the user can engage with the work with ease and immediacy.
People of Print provide a 'Submit' section where creatives can submit images of their own work in order to gain exposure from the website, however due to the static and obtrusive interface this may put creatives off submitting work as all the image can't be seen without scrolling up and down.
Problems:
- Large header intrudes the content
- Not user friendly
- Doesn't live up to the standard of work
- Doesn't communicate print pushing boundaries/tactility/texture/tradition
- Categories section is hard to find and isn't visually stimulating - Just a drop down menu
- A lot of specific categories
- Branding - What is the relevance of pink and blue
- Inconsistent - Clicking Store or Magazine takes you to a different website
- Clicking a link removes the audience from the home page, wait for link to load, then see it.
Mobile
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