August 6, 2013

LAYOUT

The layout I have selected for my blog is clean, streamlined and simple. I adore the layout of magazines such as RUSSH and Oyster and I suppose that it where the ‘inspiration’ for my blog layout came from. These magazines have very distinct ‘looks’ incorporating particular fonts, colours and layouts that have become synonymous with the publications.


RUSSH magazine

Oyster magazine

Given that the reader’s eye is first drawn to the top left of the screen, this is where I have placed the name of my blog. Although it seems like a fairly obvious placement, the top left of a webpage has become the ‘accepted’ place for a title, name or cover line because it is where the viewer’s eye is naturally drawn.
 
It was a personal preference to place navigation on the right-column of the page, but looking at the results of Eyetrack III I found that although it tended to be less common, right-column navigation reported better usage than top of the page or left-column, enough to convince me that the decision I had made was a viable one.
 
I have a strong interest in the arts, in particular the music industry, an area that lends itself well to the use of images. I also enjoy photography, so I’d like to use my own images as well where it fits. For this reason, I have used a basic black-and-white palate because I want the images I use to be selected so they have impact and add something to what I’m writing about. The simple colour scheme will let the images take centre stage with no bright distractions.

Oyster magazine

I prefer to use high quality images that fit with the ‘sleek’ feel of the blog, especially because it is preferable to use large images to hold viewer’s attention more consistently and for longer. 

Until next time,

Eliza

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