Name: Figueroa Hotel
URL: http://figueroahotel.com/

Who is the target audience?
Celebrities/people who finish an event from Staples Center and looking for an the closest ultimate, laid-back environment to hang out
Organizations - pre and post-concert parties, fashion show with specific concept
Guest/tourist who needs to stay in a small but vibrant Moroccan style hotel in a city of Los Angeles

What works and does not work with the design of the current website?
The look of the main photo on the homepage is stunning. The logo design is unique, the color scheme identifies the site conceptual. This site also shows a lot of beautiful photos that fascinate visitors.

But the downside is too many warm color with huge black background and no white space at all. All these elements make my eyes hurt, and I can feel its intense with no breathing air around. Also the site doesn’t provide enough content information for the visitors or hotel guests, which is important for hotel business.

What did I learn from my competitive analysis and how did this impact my re-design?
In the hotel business website, this website’s design is striking than some big franchise hotel website. The presentation and concept are strong, but lack of professional appearance and most information that most their competitors are provided. So I combined both advantage of the site I re-design and their competitors to make it more accessible and more functional.

The Critique of the Website

The Grid - It seems the use of grid system is not consistency, I sometimes feel like is no use of grid at all.

Color Palette - No color palette uses, the only effective colors in this site are from photos.

Navigation - There is only one primary main navigation on the site which is clear and stand out, but it’s not enough for these kind of website business.

Design Principles

• Identity - there is a logo on every page and the same position, but not stand out enough. I took a little time to find it.
• Whitespace - no whitespace for making the website breathing. I felt uncomfortable look at the site after 5 minutes.
• Balance - the website uses symmetry balance which not create much visually attraction.
• Proximity - no use of this method.
• Emphasis - only big photo of the page that make its emphasis and proportion contrast. It might helpful if the site has headline and more content information, these elements can show the vary of scale proportion and make more contrast and emphasis.

Typography - Only one uses of typeface (serif) and white color on black background for entire website. No uses of total difference sizes of the font. No hierarchy method uses because there is no any headline, sub-headline appears in all the pages.

http://www.mamounia.com/uk/index.php

This site appearance is modern, sophisticated, and well-organized. I like the color palette, clear and easy-located main navigation, also the sub-sections footer menu. The way main nav presents and functions is interesting. The layout design is nice and clean. Everything makes this site looks luxury as they claimed. But the landing page is a little annoying me, because the full screen photo makes the separate from the site, the music is not loop which cause it stop before the flash shows all random photos. And because the site made by Flash, most the information contents are a little difficult to read, it shows as the image, beautiful font but burly.

http://www.ohotelgroup.com/

This site mood and tone similar to the above website. Main navigation on the right sidebar, fixed width and block (I don’t know what it called exactly) with only scroll bar inside the content block, which I like it. No scrolling down the page. The content text shows clear and nicely. The problem is the logo is not that stand out and the links under reservation look messy, I thought they are a part of reservation menu. Also the main navigation is look to me like sub-sections menu.

http://www.millenniumhotels.com/millenniumlosangeles/index.html

This site has many information going on the home page area. By accessibility is good for user to goes around easily, but the look is a little messy, but still clean. The way content appears on the page is not look luxury as their interior and exterior. Too advertise for me like they just put their flyer or brochure into the page. This hotel got the best of downtown winner award of 2011, but it’s not the website award. The fact is the functionality is good, which I think because they didn’t willing to focus on the look or design, but content system management.

• What is “Grid Theory” and why is it important to Web design?

It is the concept of dividing the elements of a composition extends back to the mathematical ideas. It is important to Web design because the divine proportion gives the designer logical guidelines for producing appealing layouts, rather than relying on artistic notion.

• In addition to “balance,” what are the other design principles important also to Web design?

Unity is the way in which different elements of a composition interact with one another. A unified layout is one that works as a whole rather than being identified as separate pieces. In this design theory, also included proximity and repetition which can help to achieve unity in a layout.

Emphasis is closely related to the idea and concept of unity. Rather than focusing on getting the various elements of a design to fit together, emphasis is about making a particular element draw the viewer’s attention. One method of achieving such emphasis is by making that element into a focal point. As with unity, there are a few true methods of reaching a focal point which included placement, continuance, isolation, contrast and proportion.

• What are the “Bread and Butter Layouts” in Web design?

The most common layouts use in Web design:

Left-column Navigation - the left-column navigation format is the de facto standard. The navigation is along to the top left column of the page and might be with expansive navigation schemes that be contains a simple top navigation. But the use of this design can lack creativity. They’ve been done so many times, and in so many ways, that they tend to look the same.

Right-column Navigation - speaking of different from the average Website, this column design use the right layout. The main site navigation along the right-hand side of the layout. Most Websites use this side for sub-navigation, advertising, or sub-content. But without any navigation on the left-side, this right-column navigation would stand out and catch the users’ eyes easily.

Three-column Navigation - has a wide center column flanked by two diminutive navigation columns. Most use on Web page that have a ton of navigation, short bits of content, or advertising to display.

I acutally don’t have any most favorite website or I might like too many sites and it’s too difficult for me to pick just three. But these are the three I can think of now.

1. starbucks.com

• Type: Commercial
• Audience: Everyone who love coffee and members who need to participate in the company activities
• Goal: Provide information about products and company activities

2. fa-d.com

• Type: Commercial
• Audience: The clients who need to develop Branding, advertise their company or product by using print or web design   
• Goal: Solving clients’ problems through understanding both their needs and their audience to create effective communication between the business and end user

3. urbandictionary.com

• Type: Information/Educational
• Audience: Most are young people who live in US and use American English slang words   
• Goal: Provides space for user to write and share the definition of the urban vocabulary which most are not available in the regular dictionary