Ems vs Pixels: what's the best for web fonts??

What I reckon...

I'm gonna go with ems. 

Why? 

Because as far as users go, everyone is different... and legibility is completely subjective. 

If someone has gone to the trouble of creating or having a website created, they've obviously got something to say.  That means words are vitally important & there is nothing more disappointing & frustrating to a user than crucial text not being legible.  

Lets not forget, there's old folks out there that can't see what's on their dinner plate let alone what some designer has fixed at a squintworthy sizing for the sake of aesthetics.

Sure, people appreciate cool design, but it has to be subservient to content & usability and let it complement not distract from content.

So I reckon, make your font size a em / percentage.. and ensure your user can appreciate your design at same time as get what they've come for in the first place...

Marketing Website Mock Up

My Marketing Website work in progress ..
.. so what do yas reckon??

Foxtel flash banner

I created this last semester & am pretty happy with it.. though the Alice in Wonderland references aren't quite as 'of the moment' as they were back then.  I think I will redesign the arrow at the end - it just looks a little scrappy.

Uncanny Resemblance

Wow.. I just realised how much my monkey in logo looks like Tony bloody Abbott...  That's quite disturbing!  Hopefully no one will remember who he is in the not-too-distant future..

My Logo!

Here's my logo for Heaps Good Design..

It is a carry-over from last semester & I look forward to working on it a bit more & animating it soon.

Check Magazine - homepage redesign

My redesign of the Check Magazine homepage:

Design feedback from Elizabeth:

• likes black seperator bars - noted how they compliment the models belt & tie
• likes the typography used - works well with fashion & lifestyle magazine
• complimented the text box in main image & gradient used - clean & classy
• commented on good use of colour - repetition of balck & whites as well as red & yellow

Was the brief followed?
Need to:

• links need to be added to text paragraphs
• the plus symbol needs to be added adjacent to main image text box
• consider overall size of homepage - make sure its acceptable

Creating Client Website... 3rd draft of webpage

Ok .. the blog entries may be a little out of order..

You should have a view of my classmate feedback of my 2nd draft webpage design.  Overall they thought it was visually appealing and captured the spirit of my client's company well.  I did get some very useful feedback about the white content boxes feling a little to harsh and not blending into the design enough.

Below is my further update in light of that feedback..

I also like the hand now holding the whole webpage - kind of cheeky play on the navbar and also reinforces the home/ community made aspect which is at the heart of the company.

I've shown the design to Naomi and she's stoked with it.. reckons it has really come together!

I've created a few little Flash animations too that are tricky to show you here..

Well it's time now for me to start working from this base and creating the other webpages.

I'm so glad Naomi really likes what we have come up with together - I say together because it definitely feels like it has been a very collaborative process.. It's been up to me to actually make the visuals but what they consist of has been an ongoing organic process as we've bounced ideas off each other.  It's been an opportune way to work and I know not all clients will want to work with such regular spontaneous contact but that's suited Naomi.  Regardless, I have definitely learned that listening hard, reading for deeper meaning, being perceptive and identifying motifs that visually convey the emotions of the clients company and the work they do has been invaluable in coming up with a design the client is really happy with - I'm sure that would go for any client!

Well that's enoght for now.. I've got a heap of work to do so see you in a bit as I roll up the sleeves and churn it out!