Welcome to my "Website Evaluation" webpage. This page contains an exploration of two great websites as well as an evaluation of one of these sites. Click on the screenshots to view the sites.
WEBSITES
AxisofJustice.net
This is a great site because of it's simple and professional design. It is also very organized and easy to navigate through. Some of the site's simple features that I can emulate are the two horizontal menus on the top and bottom of the site's main banner. These menus include the hover feature where menu items are highlighted when the cursor is over them. This can be easily done by assigning different style elements for hovering links using CSS. The Axis of Justice banner looks like it can be made in photoshop and linked to the page. Also, another main feature is the page being divided into columns which can be easily done using div containers. One column serves as the main, wider column with the pages's more important content while the second, less wide column contain additional content and information. Another nice looking feature is the main content area of the page being white while the background outlining the page is red. This can be done by setting a div container around the page's body, making it less wide the background and then setting the background color of the overall background and the background of the body of the page. Elements that I don't know how to emulate include an embedded search bar, the flash-style main animation/picture on the home page, and expandable menus.
SublimeSTP.com
Unlike AxisofJustice.net, this site is fan-made but still proves to be effective and visually appealing in it simple, aesthetic design. This site also features a horizontal menu with highlight menu items made using the link hover style in CSS. The site also features two columns made using div containers. Below the two columns, there is an alternative navigation menu which in more detail outlines the pages and content of the site. A significant aspect contributing to the sites appeal is the main banner/graphic which takes up much of the page and well compliments the sites color scheme. Also this graphic changes as you navigate through the site's main pages and image is always visually appealing and consistent with the site's graphic theme. This images can be easily created with photoshop. Another cool feature is including a Twitter widget in the right column that contains site updates as well as other information. This can be added by embedding the Twitter widget code provided by Twitter.com. Elements that I would like to learn how to emulate would be embedded music players and the overall professional looking background/color scheme of the site.
EVALUATION
Evaluation of AxisofJustice.net
Simplicity
Simple and effective design for optimum functionality.
Consistency
Pages within the site follow the same design/template with content changing in left column while all other aspects (menus, banner, right column, etc.) remaining consistent.
Identity
Red color theme, empowering graphics, and political images well encompass the rebellious, politcal nature of the site.
Content
Site contains significant amount of content including news, articles, politics, pictures, video, and references to books, music, film, activism, and much more.
Navigation
Has clear navigation making it easy to navigate through the site's links and content. Also, there are no broken links.
Visual Appeal
Has aesthetic, visually appealing design, great looking color scheme, and overall simple and professional look.
Compatibility
Site is viewable in full form with clear resolution in all internet browsers including Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Apple Safari.
Loading
Site loads quickly in all browsers.
Readability
San-serif, arial font with bold, colored, and highlighted headings make site's content very easy to read.