How To Analyze Your Website?

Good web design may be a matter of taste. And taste varies, depending on the region and culture, as well as other factors. However, there are some standards that should always be considered. If you have only a minute to decide about the overall quality of a website, here are some guidelines to follow:

1. Don’t make me think.

When you enter a website, you should understand its purpose in two seconds. You should be able to navigate through it instantly. Does this apply to the website you have on your screen? Good. If you’re lost, leave the website. No need to continue.

2. WOW factor.

Is the website attractive? Does it make you think: “I like this idea?” You probably found a good website. Most of the websites today are a copy of a copy of a website, so when you find a website with a fresh design concept, give it an extra point.

3. White space.

This is the space which is NOT filled with images and text. When a website is completely covered with content, even into the tiniest corners, it is barely legible. The use of more “white space” drastically increases clarity.

4. Navigation.

As already mentioned above, a clear navigation system has to answer two questions instantly: ‘Where am I?’ and ‘Where can I go from here?’. If you get this information at a glance, the navigation is great.

5. Typography.

This is an area where inexperienced web designers make the most mistakes. Typography should be used to transport content to the reader. The way type is chosen (serif and sans serif) size and appearance, line length, line spacing, and kerning increases or decreases legibility. It is not about how many kinds of type in crammed in the smallest ≈available space, but about you, the reader. Less is more.

6. Grid.

How are the web pages organized? Are they organized at all? When text and images are aligned in a way that the overall impression translates into clarity, harmony, and comfort, the website gets credits. A well organized website has an invisible grid underneath it. If content is placed wildly all over the page, the designer probably had no idea where he was going with the design and now neither does the visitor.

7. Colors.

There is a science called Colorimetry that dictates the rules used for color theory in the graphic design industry. Despite such theory and science, it all comes down to a simple statement: there are colors that fit and others that don’t. Colors in web design should be used to emphasize or to support content. When the colors distract the visitor, the design has failed.

8. Consistency.

Is the overall visual impression of the website the same from page one to page “end?” Or does the design change drastically? Are text and images displayed differently? The design concept of a website mimics that of a book: it has to be consistent from the first to the last page.

9. Browser Compatibility.

All browsers are different, and—sorry, it’s true—they all allow different rules and code in websites. So sometimes websites look good in Firefox but look terrible, or won’t even show up, in Internet Explorer. Professional web designers know this and only use code that will be interpreted in the very same way in all browsers. Check a website in all browsers to see how it performs.

10. Speed.

If you can make yourself a cup of tea while you’re waiting for a website to open completely in your browser, there is something amiss. Either you have an extremely slow Internet connection or the website is way “too heavy”. Even today, with super high speed Internet, a website should be built light and fast. With today’s technology, it is possible to present even the largest images crisp and clear with almost no remarkable problems with file size and website loading times.

If you practice, you can analyze a website quickly by following the 10 points you read above. Practice and sharpen your analytical skills and have fun.

How to Analyze a Photograph PART 2

Understanding the basic composition of a photograph helps others gain a higher appreciation of the art form and can help photographers improve on their technique. It's not hard to learn what look for in a photograph and what makes one photograph more appealing than another.

Follow These Steps to Know How to Analyse a Photography

1. • 1
     Look for the photo's meaning. Ask yourself what is the photographer trying to achieve in a particular photograph. Look for hidden meanings, shapes, symbols or colors that may invoke certain emotions. Look for facial expressions in images that display emotions: nervous, angry or amusement.
   • 2
     Study the lighting of the photo. Was the photograph taken in a studio, outside right before the sun set or is the subject illuminated by window light? Photographers love to take photos during "golden hour," the hour before sunset or after sunrise where everything turns a golden color and elongates shadows. Also, look for colors and shapes in the photos. Sometimes the photographer uses those two aspects to project a deeper meaning.

     
     
   • 3
     Ask yourself why a photo appeals to you. You can look for certain tricks that photographers use. One is the rule of thirds, when the subject is slightly off center.

     Also look for lines that will lead into a subject. Sometimes that may break the rule of thirds for a photographer because the subject could be centered. An example of this is the effect of a subject standing in the middle of train tracks or a tree line can make the photo more appealing.
   • 4
     Figure out where the image was taken. Sometimes you can see where it was taken because of foreground framing. Foreground framing takes a piece of the environment and puts it on the edge of the photograph, while still showing the action going on. For example, the photographer could use a fire hydrant in the city while showing fire fighters rushing to a burning building. The possibilities are endless.
   • 5
     Examine the depth of field and pay attention to the small details. What are people wearing? Does the photograph show a busy street or does it allow you to see a lone man standing beside a wall? Remember photographs show pieces of life and there are times when the art is giving an overarching story. Examine the facial expressions and body language if applicable.
   • 6
     Look at the photograph's title and step back one more time to look at it from a distance. You can miss bigger things when looking at the small stuff and overlook small things by looking at the big picture. Find the overarching action and soak in the emotion of the photo before moving along.

Symbolism of Colors

Colors

    According to Henry Dreyfus, Japanese, in contrast with Westerners, grasp colors on an intuitively horizontal plane, and pay little heed to the influences of light. Colors whether intense of soft, are identified not so much on the basis of reflected light or shadow, but in terms of the meaning or feeling associated with them. 

    Color symbolism can vary dramatically between cultures.  Research has also shown that most colors have more positive associations with them then negative.  So, although some colors do have negative connotations (such as Black for a funeral or for evil), these negative elements are usually triggered by specific circumstances.  Peoples age also has an effect on how colors are perceived.  For example, children tend to like bright, happy colors.  I've included some of the meanings that each color can represent. 

Black

Black is the color of the night, and of "evil."  Black can also be a color of elegance or class (such as a black-tie only event, and black evening gowns.)  Black can also represent ideas such as power, sexuality, sophistication, formality, wealth, mystery, fear, evil, unhappiness, depth, style, sadness, remorse, anger, and mourning.  Black can also represent a lack of color, the primordial void, emptiness. It can also mean sorrow or mourning, in the Christian tradition of wearing black to funerals.According to Henry Dreyfus, Black, sumi, is the color of mystery and solemnity; the color of the night. Black expresses the depths of the unknown, and encourages the imagination of a different world from that of daylight realities. Used by itself, black can represent bad luck or misfortune.

Black/White

Black and white stands for mourning and cheerless occasions.  For example, traditional garb for a funeral is black and white.  Black for the loss, and white for their passing onto the heavens.

Blue

Blue is the color of the Virgin Mary, and is associated with girls who have similar pure qualities. In addition, it is the color of water and the sea, with all the symbolic references already discussed for that element - that is, blue usually indicates femininity, life, purity, etc., just as water does.Blue can also symbolize peace, calm, stability, security, loyalty, sky, water, cold, technology, and depression.
According to Henry Dreyfus, indigo blue, ai, mirrors the color of the vast ocean surrounding the Japanese islands. This shade of blue is very commonly seen in Japanese art and clothing.

Brown

Brown represents the ideas of earth, hearth, home, the outdoors, comfort, endurance, simplicity, and comfort.

Gold

According to Henry Dreyfus, gold, kin, can evoke the sensation of looking upon waving fields of ripened rice stalks. Gold is also associated with royalty. It represents the color of the heavens, and is used to decorate statues of the Buddha and religious temples.

Green

Green can represent nature, the environment, good luck, youth, vigor, jealousy, envy, and misfortune.According to Henry Dreyfus, green, midori is regarded as the color of eternal life, as seen in evergreens which never change their color from season to season. In the word midori, both trees and vegetation are implied. One characteristic of Japanese culture can be found in the fusion of life and nature.

Orange

Orange can represent energy, balance, warmth, enthusiasm, flamboyant, and demanding of attention.

Pink

The color pink usually serves two purposes.  It can be used to show childish innocence, or a characters child-like personality.  For example, Mami (the girl at the top of the page with the pink hair), very much wants to remain a child.  She gets pleasure out of very simple, and 'childish' things.  So, her hair is pink.  Even so, Miho-chan also would like to grow up and become an adult woman… but she's also afraid of losing her childhood innocence.  It can also be used to show a more flirtatious personality.  Pink is normally a color associated with girls and femininity.Pink is considered a color of good health and life - we speak of people being "in the pink" or the "freshness" of a newborn babe.
Lastly, pink is associated with sexuality, and purity.  That is, a girl who is a virgin in heart and body. Pink is symbolic of pure love, for example.  It is also the color used for sexual advertisements and such, to indicate the purity of the girls.

Purple

Purple can represent royalty, spirituality, nobility, ceremony, mysterious, wisdom, enlightenment, cruelty, arrogance, and mourning.

Red

Red can symbolize many things; from blood, to love, to infatuation.  Basically red symbolizes strong emotions, or things of strong emotions rather than intellectual ideas.  For example, red can symbolize excitement, energy, speed, strength, danger, passion, and aggression.According to Henry Dreyfus, it is popularly felt that red, the color of blood and fire, represents life and vitality. Red also signifies the color of the sun: a symbol of energy, radiating its vitalizing life-force into human beings. Red is also looked upon as a sensual color, and can be associated with man's most profound urges and impulses.  Ironically, red cats symbolize bad luck.

Red/White

According to Henry Dreyfus, the word for red and white, Kohaku, is pronounced as one word in Japanese. Ko means red, while haku translates as white. Their use together immediately signifies happiness and celebration to the Japanese viewer. The combination of red and white in the decorative ornaments used on wedding or engagement presents -noshi or kaishi- has a compelling quality that suggests man's urge to create a bond between his own life and that of the gods.  Red and white are also the colors of the uniforms that shrine maidens wear (denoting these colors divine nature.)Red and white are the colors of the Japanese flag; the red signifies the sun.

Silver/Grey

Silver/Grey symbolizes security, reliability, intelligence, staid, modesty, maturity, conservative, old age, sadness, and boring.

White

White is a sacred and pure color.  It's the color of angles and gods, as the color reflects that which is sacred and pure.   It is also the color of doctors, nurses, and others in the health profession, as well as cleanliness. In fact, the Japanese refer to nurses as "Angels in White".White can also represent reverence, purity, simplicity, peach, humility, youth, winter, snow, good, cold, clinical, and sterile.

Yellow

Yellow can symbolize joy, happiness, optimism, idealism, gold, dishonesty, cowardice, deceit, illness, and hazard.

For more information

    About.com has more information at this link  It includes information such as specific colors having specific meanings and feelings associated with them in different cultures and in different parts of the world, as well as more general meanings that colors have:http://webdesign.about.com/compute/webdesign/library/weekly/aa070400b.htm

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How to Analyze a Photography PART 1

Photographs are everywhere in today's society. From news articles to advertisements, we see photographs used in many forms of media. It can be argued that a photograph isn't simply a moment captured in time, but that it also has an intended meaning and hopes of an effect on its audience. 

When most of us look at a photograph, we simply see the meaning on the surface. But photographs can have deeper meanings. Photographers, just like writers and other artists, use a set of rules to convey meaning in their work. They use the tricks of their trade to mean one thing on the surface, and mean something completely different upon closer examination. As the saying goes, a photograph says a thousand words.

Below are some things to consider when analyzing a photograph.

1. What does the camera angle tell us about the photograph? A low angle might make the subject seem larger than reality, while a high angle makes the subject look very small.

2. What does the framing tell us about the photograph? What is the main focal point of the photograph? How is the subject framed within the photo? A close-up might convey more power than a wide shot might. What is in the background of the photograph, and does that background add to the photo's overall message?

3. What does the lighting tell us about the photograph? Is the subject lit very brightly, giving the impression of clarity and openness, or is the subject darkly lit, giving the impression of something mischievous or devious going on? Is the lighting soft with barely any shadows, or hard with sharp shadows.

4. What does the subject and its positioning tell us about the photograph? If there is more than one subject in the photo, how do the subjects relate to each other? Do we see the entire subject, or only a portion of it? If the subject is a person, is he/she looking at the camera or looking away? Is he/she serious, happy, sad, or mischievous?

How is the American flag used in each photograph? What does the flag represent in each photograph?

Colors

Touching, tasting, smelling, hearing, and seeing—these are the ways
we get our information about the world, about where we live and
where we work. But the world of humans is primarily a world of sights,
with 90 percent of what we know of the world coming to us through
our vision.

What we see is color. Objects, landscapes, faces all register in our
brains through the light that enters the eye, sent to us from a luminous
—or light-producing—object (such as a red-hot iron or a glowing
incandescent light) or as light reflects off a nonluminous object (such
as a tree or a table). The eye’s retina absorbs the light and sends
a signal, or sensation, to the brain. This sensation makes us aware of
a characteristic of light, which is color.
The visual equipment we use to see light and its characteristic color is
the same for everybody, and when it’s working, it works very well—
the National Bureau of Standards estimates that the human eye can
distinguish over 10 million different colors. However, color does more
than just give us objective information about our world: It affects
how we feel. To know this, we need only recall how a string of grey,
overcast days lowers our spirits or how working in a drab, dull room
leaves us listless.
With so much of what we know and feel coming from what we see,
you’d think we’d all be experts on color. In a way, we are. No one has
to tell you what you’re seeing or how you’re feeling as you sit in the
glow of a late summer sunset. But how would you describe the pink
of that sky? Dazzling? Fleshy? Glistening? Iridescent?
The qualities we assign to our perceptions of colors—to the way they
make us feel—are called indeterminate attributes. They cannot be
measured; rather, they arise from our intuitive experience of color.
These indeterminate attributes provide the mystery of color and range
from the poetic language we use to express our perceptions of color
to the psychological effects of color on our mood.

There are the functional and the non functional colors. The functional it is all about Attraction, Creating Atmosphere, Inform, Structuring, Teaching. Colors must have a communicative function and should attract through color strength. Create atmosphere with the help of cold or warm colors for example.
Inform, as in a hospital where yellow indicated infection. Structure, as in a newspaper where different sections are color coded. Teach for instance through tint blocks which emphasize and clarify certain parts of the materiel.

Natural Color Theory
The most common system of describing colors is the Natural Color System, which is based on research into how humans perceive color. This system is described in the color space, the color circle and the color triangle.

CMYK Color is short for Cyan-Magenta-Yellow-Black.

CMYK is a color model in which all colors are described as a mixture of these four process colors. CMYK is the standard color model used in offset printing for full-color documents. Because such printing uses inks of these four basic colors, it is often called four-color printing.

RGB Color which stands for Red-Green-Blue.

Display devices generally RGB as color model. RGB and CMYK have different color Gamuts (Gamuts simply means the range of colors which can be produced) RGB has larger gamut than CMYK.

Every visual presentation involves figure-ground relationships. This relationship between a subject (or figure) and its surrounding field (ground) will evidence a level of contrast; the more an object contrasts with its surrounds, the more visible it becomes.

When we create visuals that are intended to be read, offering the viewer enough contrast between the background (paper or screen) and the text is important. Text presentations ideally offer at least an 80% contrast between figure and ground. (Black text on a white background is ideal.) If there is not enough contrast between figure and ground, a viewer will squint to view the text, causing eye fatigue.

Color Combinations

Color combinations may pass unnoticed when pleasing, yet offend dramatically when compositions seem to clash. One outcome we seek in the final form or composition, is a successful use of color.

We determine whether or not we are successful by critically assessing the visual balance and harmony of the final composition—balance and harmony are achieved by the visual contrast that exists between color combinations. Planning a successful color combination begins with the investigation, and understanding, of color relationships.

Using a color wheel and a template, the relationships between colors are easy to identify.

Monochromatic Relationship Colors that are shade or tint variations of the same hue.
Complementary Relationship Those colors across from each other on a color wheel.

The Importance Of Colors

http://www.mariaclaudiacortes.com/colors/Colors.html