I love building websites! I have prior experience using Wix, Weebly, Smore, Google Sites, and even my own website designed from scratch in Photoshop and assembled in Dreamweaver. Right now, I am leaning towards using Weebly because although I know how to design a web page from scratch, I have time constraints that, as a professional, I have to deal with. My free time is limited, so I need to be efficient with my choices.
Lord Selkirk School Library
This library connects a school-wide adventure theme into the library as well as the library's website. The greenery in the header matches the library photo, which is a display of African safari animals and books. I thought the background of this website was particularly effective at matching a theme without being over-the-top. This website is designed for both parents and students, so while the elements are fun, there is enough white space to make the site clear and useful. The font colors match the other colors used in the website. The fonts, however, are from different families, which seems to be an oversight rather than a design choice. I am not a huge fan of the two columns underneath the picture. I don't know if there is enough information that necessitates two columns of equal size. I wonder how this would look with a big/small combination.
Lamoille Union Middle and High School
While I don't care for the overall "look" of this website, I have to applaud the librarians' creative ideas and social media integration. Many of the websites I've looked at today are very static and boring, but this one is dynamic and full of life. When I read this Wix website, I wanted to visit this library and meet these librarians. For me, this is a great place to let my creativity explode, and for my website, I would like to use similar ideas but different visual techniques.
Hey Janet, I love the idea of creating some type of theme for the website. I did not consider that before, but I think it would be a great way to tie the librarian page to the school website. I have to agree with you about the use of columns in the first page you discussed. I think it also makes the page look a little stuffy, which is something we definitely do not want as librarians trying to get young kids to come check out and read books. The second blog is certainly creative. I think, for me, the vast variety of font choices the librarian at Lamoille Union uses almost takes away from the message and is a bit busy and distracting. Thanks for the critical feedback about each website, it helps me formulate my ideas!
ReplyDeleteLove the Book Face photos they have done on the Lamoille site. That is all the rage in publishing book covers now.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed looking at the two sites you chose. They seem almost opposite in their presentation. As you mentioned, the Lamoille Union Middle and High School website is full of creative ideas. I imagine the students like to check it frequently to see themselves, their friends, or check out the featured events and activities.
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