need guidance with my first website cover page

[susan maher]

This assignment entails designing two pages for a website called The Gourmet Cyclist.
It is to promote the town of Bright and that region; scenically stunning in every season but especially Autumn; historical and quaint; town dates back to goldmining days....is in Victoria Australia.
The objective is to promote a cycling / gourmet food holiday...
I dont want to go with photos of cyclists and scenery etc...
I know the typography will be important but for the moment I am wondering if i could receive some input regarding my choices so far...

-Should I leave background white? or keep the muted scenery?
- Use black and yellow bicycle over the pink and white? ( other suggestions re colour welcome )
-is 4 better then 3. ie. without the black bar on top where I was going to place sites, eg home, reviews...etc.the usual...or should I not have a black bar on top and stay with simple hamburger icon?

Any suggestions welcome, except those that suggest I scrap the penny farthing

ps I also had to design a logo ( the leaves)...should I emphasise it more. Have I too much going on in this?

 

[Paul Murray]

Without being rude I think what you currently have is far from ideal. Are these rough ideas or something? I think it's too early to give feedback in this current form as it seems like you're starting at the top of the site and working down, when ideally you'd have all the content set out already and design around it.

A couple of points I will make:

1.Why would you not use photos of cycling/the scenery when you've already said the location is scenically stunning and the aim is to promote a cycling holiday there. Read up on 'UX user profiles', then create a few of your own detailing what you imagine these fictional user will want from the cycling/gourmet holiday and how the site should appeal to their needs. This will give you a clearer idea of how the site should look and the content it should include (and its priority).

2. Hamburger menus are not recommended, especially on desktop sites. They hide important information away, and not all users understand what they are. Try not to blindly imitate what you've seen elsewhere. Some good sites with information on UX and usability are Baymard Institute and Nielsen Norman Group.

 

[susan maher]

Thanks for having a look .
my thinking:
1. Every student has used the same photos for this assignment. I am ' imaged out' from looking at them. I will use a few photos on the other page to show gourmet food display, comfy bed and heritage building for accommodation. I think photos of cyclists is 'stating the obvious'?
My impression is the target audience is people like me, who could handle a few hours cycling a day and are easily bored by millions of photos showing cyclists with helmets. Also for me the hint of mountains in the background; the fact there is a retro cinema, and gourmet chefs in the area tells enough of a story.
We have not been told much about the target audience or the client except the local city council wants to promote cycling there because there is an abandoned railroad which cuts straight thru'the mountains and is ideal for non hilly cycling.

2. I actually read a lot about not underestimating the hamburger ( for a previous assignment ) and a few fabulous award winning minimalist designers use it. I don't really understand why it would hide information when it will link people to everything they need...but then i have a lot to learn with all this.

and yes these are rough ideas. I haven't even finished the last assignment yet but wanted a break from theory so began the design part of the next assignment.
I had hoped they were okay to run with so I don't end up going down the usual rabbit holes, But again I am putting the cart before the horse. Need to learn more theory first.

But again thanks Paul. Appreciate it...will read more on 'UX user profiles'

And I have more design ideas now , even from responding to this. Wish i had people I could brainstorm with.

 

[Paul Murray]

1. I see what you're saying, I wouldn't completely rule out photography though, really good photography sells products.

2. Hamburger menus serve a purpose for responsive designs, but hiding a menu on a desktop device is counter-intuitive because it requires a user to hunt around for the information that normally is available on screen straight away (https://www.nngroup.com/articles/hamburger-menus). Basically, the user has to know that the hamburger icon represents a menu link, click on it, then navigate to the link they want. That's 2 additional steps that can be completely avoided. It's like adding a splash page to a site with a "Click to enter" button. It's a pointless barrier that everyone used to implement 15 years ago until trends changed and they all stopped (although I'm noticing more and more people using them again – please don't ever do this!).

I see a lot of studios using hamburgers on their own sites, I suspect mainly because it keeps the space cleaner and is one less thing to worry about designing around, but this doesn't mean it's acceptable to use in every instance. There's still a lot of people who don't know what a hamburger icon represents, so your job as a designer is to accommodate their needs too. Navigation is one of the most important elements on a page, it makes no sense to hide it away on desktop screens. If you must use a hamburger, be sure to include "Menu" alongside as a reference point, but my advice would be not to hide the nav on desktops at all.

 

[susan maher]

Okay. Thanks for explaining, and for the link. I will drop the hamburger It does seem to be the favourite for minimalist design , but in all honesty I am a long way off being able to pull minimalism off. I think it is a thing where you have to come full circle...know everything first, then judiciously discard the dross.
I will focus on learning navigation first, then the design.

Regarding using photos: I agree, a beautiful photo would be a great solution. I have seen one only in the 100's I have looked at. Perhaps , as a student I could use it ( contact the guy etc...). it would certainly give me more time to learn about website design .
or I might get off my ass and take my own photograph; of handlebars or the chain or something. A bicycle has fabulous shapes and bits 'n pieces. The humans with helmets are the spoilers
Appreciate your input and your taking the time to answer.

 

[PistolPete]

There's some nice (free to use without attribution) shots of bikes on Pexels & some fine ones mixed in with the dross on Pixabay if you did want to go down the photo route.

I know very little about web design, but shots like this one do make me want to go cycling!

 

[susan maher]

Thanks for that!
I have done a cartoon type graphic with focus on gourmet chef and cyclists speeding downhill to get to his food, but think I will scrap it and go for photos. I am not sure such a graphic will tie in with the follow up pages which will have to be photos of food, wine, etc..
I can't relax into the theory until I have the design sorted, although I know this is not the ideal approach.
Those photos look great!