worcester website idea 1

This is the first idea that i put together and is one that i think can work for the worcester website. The drop down menu is simple and common however it is the easiest type to use for accessibility. An aspect which is putting me off this idea is that it is slightly similar to the current university website at a glance which is not a problem however I aim to take a different route as i feel this design is "too safe" and common.

Key elements I need to include

Key elements i need to include in my final project

- Balance between target audience
Dont be to upper class and too corporate when creating the website design, make sure it reaches out to younger students in an efficient and appropriate way but still imply its       university and its a privilege to be part of the experience

- Include unique history/landmarks related to the town/city
Like the William and Mary website including the colours and its old fashioned style maybe something similar can be used such as the cathedral in worcester, or also an old fashioned style as worcester is a small peaceful town, any elements relating to this can be used in a creative way and incorporated into the design effectively.

- Easy accessibility
If a website looks great but is extremely difficult to understand and navigate/switch from page to page then it isn't a good design. One way to enhance the accessibility is maybe having two navigation bars. This could lead to having two different themed versions depending who is using the site - students who are exploring the perspective of joining the uni and student users who are already at the uni. The two nav bars can also be on the same page as an alternative both ideas can be used in different creative ways to add a different and new element to the website.

- Colour scheme
Worcester university has a trademark colour it uses for sports teams and societies aswell as the city uses in various other events and competitions. This is common with most universities and is an element students like to be apart of especially to show their support and how proud they are of their university lifestyle. I need to use the colours effectively and Worcester colour is mainly white and blue however the blue can be used on other colours such as black/grey. The amount of blue i intend to use will be minimum however I will include enough of the colour so it is clearly represented as the trademark university colour.

- Homepage pictures
homepages in the past tend to only have one picture but a feature that is very popular in modern web design is the use of sliders and other similar web layouts. I plan to use a slide as I believe it is a very effective way of advertising and portraying more than one message in a small space. I know that personally myself when I am on a website and i see a slider with 3 or 4 images i tend to scroll through each one before leaving the page so purely down to personal experience I plan to use this in my design.

Research - uni/college websites

Depauw 

- Depauw is an American College and the site is a fairly new and modern rendition.

- The logo/title is big BOLD and clear. straight away you know what website/college your on as it almost "slaps you in the face" with its unique yet simple and majestic typeface used for the logo.

- The nav bar is aligned perfectly and the website layout in general seems like it is meant to be there and fits like a jigsaw.

- Variation is also a key element of this site as it ticks all boxes of a typical university target audience. It has the modern design aspect along with being easy for students to use and appealing to lectures/postgraduates and also businesses 

- Use of a slider adds to its modern outlook

- colour scheme - appropriate colours used splash of yellow and pictures brings it to life otherwise would be fairly dull            

Vanderbilt University

- Another American University with an updated but traditional type of layout and design

- use of header and nav bar is good and "old school" gives effect that it is a higher status university and adds elegance

- colour scheme - quite dull, boring, however its a university website not a nursery one so its appropriate within context.

- nav bar is simple and the website as a whole looks good and put together well however in my opinion it looks too safe and needs a bite more of an edge to it.

- looks cheap but not in a bad way, looks like someone has only put half their effort into it.

- ticks less boxes when it comes to target audience, wouldn't grab younger students attention as much 

Boston University - Boston USA
- looks more like a college/sixth form site than a university site 
- colour scheme isnt awful but needs more use of trademark colour, cant tell what colour represents boston clearly
- target audience - only really attempts to reach young students as opposed to business clients
- nav bar used is same as others but positioning isnt as good as it looks as if the nav bar may disappear when you change page.

William and Mary University - in Virginia USA

- Personally in my opinion the best university website on the web as it almost has everything

- classic elegant layout with colours being different but bold and effective and represent the uni trademark colours

- looks more like a club/way of life than a uni and when a user goes onto the page its like you have a taste of the lifestyle

- easy navigation. main nav bar stays at the top with simple tools - 5 drop down menus and a search bar and second nav bar on picture helps for easy navigation

- detail paid attention to everywhere, even the blank spaces dont seem to be blank unlike the other websites.

- hint of yellow for the arrows when navigating the pictures add importance and clarity however it isnt a bright yellow and suits the rest of the scheme

Worcester Website sitemap

EMI WEBSITE SITEMAP

EMI RESEARCH + IDEAS

Warner Brothers Website: This warner brothers website is the one that i prefer compared to the other sites that i have researched, it is fairly creative with a dark sleek design, font used is clear and easy to read and the layout is simple but effective. There isn't too much going on which allows the viewer to take in information easier compared to some of the sites below. this is the website that i have taken most tips from when creating my EMI webpages. Target audience for this website would probably be aimed at corporate clients as there isn't much obvious attention on advertising but more of a discreet approach of advertising is used and the dark look of the site helps make it look more professional.

Atlantic Records website: this site isn't to different from the warner brothers site in terms of design however the colour scheme is a lot more brighter and "in your face" which helps create a sense of urgency compared to a more chilled out sense you normally get off music record label websites. The screenshot above has a lot going on and at first I thought this was a terrible design due to the amount of colours and drawings on screen but then i realised that it was an advertisement "Simple Plan". However  when creating my website designs I will ensure I do not have any loud advertisements as i feel it can affect the impression you want to create. Target Audience of this website would be aimed towards customers as their is a massive focus on advertising on the homepage.

Interscope records website: This design is also one of my favourites as it has more of a professional element to it compared to other sites i have looked at. the colours all work well together and the design layout is good along with the design of simple buttons which add to the professionalism and final quality of the website. 

XL Recordings: this website took an alternative modern approach when creating a layout and design for the site. the way the font is used makes the website look almost like a festival lineup, however it is advertisements for latest tracks released by the record label. however one criticism i have for this is that it is hard to read the advert due to the size of the text. Even tho the artists are outlined in colour we are uncertain at what point the name of the songs ends and when the name of the artist begins.

OVERALL: after analysing these sites I can take some elements and incorporate them into my designs. I like the dark colour schemes the best with a neat layout and soft font, i feel the warner brothers site has the best overall design. The websites all use a same main focus for a target audience as they prioritise customers by advertising their products and using their website as a showcase of their artists and talents. It can also be argued that the target audience is for artists who are interested in becoming signed by the record label as the website is showing off everything that is good about their label/company.

History of EMI

History of EMI records

2007 

EMI Music leads the music industry launching DRM-free superior quality downloads across its entire digital repertoire

Katy Perry joins EMI

Lady Antebellum sign to EMI

EMI is acquired by private equity firm Terra Firm2008

‘Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends’ by Coldplay is the biggest selling album of the year globally with sales of nearly 7 million worldwide

Paul McCartney receives the Outstanding Contribution To Music award at the BRITs

Depeche Mode re-sign with EMI, including North America for the first time

2009

Coldplay is the first artist to sell more than one million digital albums in the US and two million worldwide

Pet Shop Boys win the Outstanding Contribution To Music award at the BRITs

EMI launches live music recording and instant production service Abbey Road Live

On release in September 2009 The Beatles‘ re-mastered catalogue sells more than 10 million albums in just four

months and the band are the biggest selling international act of the year in Japan

2010

Robbie Williams is awarded the Outstanding Contribution To Music award at the BRITs 

‘Stylo’ by Gorillaz is played more than 900,000 times in its first 24 hours on YouTube, beating the record previously held by U2

In the US, ’1′ by The Beatles is confirmed as the biggest selling album of the decade from 2000-2009. ‘Come Away With Me’ by Norah Jones is the third biggest selling album of the decade in America

EMI extends its successful exclusive licensing agreement with Walt Disney Records in Europe, the Middle East and Africa

Building on the success of Capitol Records Nashville, EMI forms EMI Records Nashville

Iron Maiden‘s ‘The Final Frontier’ album debuts at number one in over 20 countries

Japanese superstar Hikaru Utada and EMI agree new global recording deal

The Beatles‘ music is available for the first time on the iTunes Store

2011

EMI is aquired by Citigroup and announces successful capital restructuring.

Pink Floyd and EMI sign new global agreement

EMI’s family of artists and songwriters raise $940,000 to support Japanese Red Cross disaster relief effort

I.R.S. Records relaunched as a new frontline label

David Guetta is voted the world’s number one DJ

Peter Gabriel and EMI extend long running partnership

OpenEMI is launched to engage directly with the tech developer community around the world including a platform for developers to access EMI Music tracks and content to create innovative and exciting new apps and digital music concepts for EMI’s artists

2012

Van Morrison returns to Blue Note Records

David Guetta extends his long-term partnership with EMI