OUGD504: Design Production - ISTD Existing Museum Websites

As I am creating a website for my ISTD brief I carried out a quick search of all the museums I could think of to see what information they had on the homepage and what other pages they had on the website. I have a rough idea of what I want to put on my website and I think that my search will confirm this.

National History Museum:

There is a clear grid on this page and the layout has cleverly been designed to show lots of information in subtle way. I think that it is very appealing as it draws in the eye, I also think that the proportions of image and type is very level which is good for the user.

National Science Museum:

The science museums website is much more minimal which is something which I want to achieve when I design my website. I think the use of a large image banner along the top of the page is very interesting and sets up the user for a visual experience rather than reels of text. 

Royal Armouries:

The Royal Armouries website is a mix up of the science and history museum, the image to text ratio is consistent and the page reflects the aesthetic of the museum. I think this is important with this kind of establishment and I will take this into consideration when designing my website.

The Design Museum:

The design museum website surprised me, I was expecting something a little more interesting that this. I think this type of design is for a specific type of museum and I do not think that Type Factory fits this aesthetic.

The V&A:

The V&A museum is one of my favourites, I think the use of more image than text is very pleasing. I want to try and achieve this kind of aesthetic when I design my website. 

Eureka:

The Eureka website is definatley designed for children, it is clear with the use of colour and images. I think that the colour of a website says a lot to the user as they make a snap judgement within a few seconds of being on the page. 

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OUGD504: Design Production - ISTD Print Research

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Now that I have put together a few ideas for my logo I can now look into different print options for my museum. I found this branding for a design company and really liked the laser cutout effect on the envelopes and business cards. I think I would like to try out this idea with my work as I think it could add a really nice effect to the museum. I also think it would be a great way to use stock as a colour instead of printing in multiple colours. 

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I also looked at other museum branding and print paraphernalia which I could produce. I know I want to create a web focused project but I need to produce some items for print as I think my project needs it. I looked on Behance for some examples of museum branding which is already being used in the industry. I think a small brochure is needed to give guests an idea of what are exhibitions are on at the time. I also want to propose the signage for the museum which will just be as simple as the other print products and consistent throughout the project. 

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I also need to think about creative ways to advertise the different exhibitions which are on at the time. This can be as simple as adding some text with a larger image behind it, I found this example on Behance and I think it is a great and simple way for me to add to my print section of my project and it also looks very professional.

OUGD504: Design Production - Design for Print and Web ISTD Initial Research

When I first chose the Type Factory brief I carried out some quick secondary research on the web of other museum branding and branding for non-museum establishments. 

Gardiner Museum

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