Interesting Links to Explore for Week 1

Here are a variety of sites related to Week 1 topics that you might enjoy exploring. Please note: the links will open in a new browser window.

Sites That Make Good Use of the Web Medium

A site with a huge variety of resources on web design
http://www.alistapart.com/

SRJC: updated info on class schedule!
A perfect use of the web medium: available weeks before printed booklet, classes can be updated/added (changes of class, instructor, room, time), students can check class availability etc.
http://www.santarosa.edu

Entertainment and information
A web site dedicated to kitty litter (what a concept!). In addition to information, there is also an entertainment/interactive aspect (you can use the interactive Tidy Cats litter selector).
http://www.tidycat.com/

Tickets online
Find listings for shows, concerts, museums and sports events. Purchase tickets online. How convenient!
http://tickets.com/

Instant maps and directions
Customized maps at your fingertips. Allows you to zoom and also gives written directions. There's nothing this accessible in print!
http://www.mapquest.com

Selling one’s skills worldwide
This site is very effective at showcasing the web developer's skills.
http://www.4guys.com/

Product information at your fingertips when you want it
Highly interactive site. Look at a camera from different angles or click on different camera parts to get more information.
http://www.olympus.com/

Trade journals
E-magazines give direct access to numerous articles rather than the ones in just one issue. Don't forget instant access to classifieds and job searches
http://www.commarts.com/

Personal interests: fonts
Find a font you love and download it instantly!
http://www.donbarnett.com/type/

Sites That Demonstrate Design Principles: Contrast, Alignment, Repetition and Proximity

Contrast
http://www.gnu.com/
There are strong contrasts throughout this site... type, angle, color, texture...

http://www.crateandbarrel.com/
What makes this page look so dynamic? Which contrasts did the designers use?

http://www.pbs.org/flw/
Contrasts in direction?

http://www.giraffe.net/
This is visually very interesting. There is plenty of contrast. However, is there too much contrast? Would it be better if only select items were emphasized?

Alignment
http://www.asianart.org/
Is the alignment strong in this example?

http://www.mauicoffee.com/
Does the alignment in this example help organize the information?

http://www.healthaxis.com/
How successful are the alignments on this page? Do they create a sense of visual relationship between elements?.

Repetition
http://www.mosaic-tile-art.com/index.html
Good example of repetition of specific graphic elements (mosaic tiles).

http://www.faelaw.com/
Repetition of ampersand theme in several places helps unite the design and web pages.

Proximity
http://www.alt-design.net/us/index.html
The organization of content on this page is a good example of the proximity rule. Notice the use of negative space to separate different groups of text and image.

http://secondandpark.com/
Can you see good logical grouping of information on this page? Notice the use of white space to separate and shaded blocks to organize.

http://www.foodincmovie.com/about-the-issues.php
Notice how this site uses colored rectangles to organize content. The headings are in close proximity to the boxed content below them.