DXB301 - Caitlin Ryan

Final Website Design + Navigation

In order to combat deforestation, one of the key methods implemented by environmental organisations is the ability to donate to the cause. An example is to donate to save an acre, or donate to save certain species that are affected by deforestation. I would have loved to implement something so personal for the site but the project scope didn’t really allow for it. Furthermore, many of the ways an individual can help are very simple, so it was hard to present the solution for the user. 

I also wish I had developed more of a personal connection with this issue but I just seemed to take it on a subjective level even though I believe it is very important. This also reiterates my willingness to choose a more interesting issue, BUT I stuck with my guns and I am still pretty pleased with the finished product. 

I decided to completely reimagine the ‘Call to help’ aspect of the site in order to present a journey the user can take. Information follows a path displaying information on how they can help fight this issue. 

Furthermore, it was decided that the following would section would expand on this loss of forests - highlighting that 93,000 squared kilometres are lost every year. However, the 93,000 will be animated as a counter starting from 0 

I decided to revise this section as it seemed much to bland and boring. The icons are much more lively and have small intricate animations as well. This is just a mockup, the finished product looks a bit different now. 

As previously noted, I made the decision to make my site much more interactive - therefore, a redesign of certain elements was necessary. In order to highlight the importance of forests to the user, and introduce the issue of deforestation I decided to create a section that took advantage of scrolling elements. Instead of the time lapse idea, this was implemented instead, in order for information to be highlighted simply with aspects of flat design. 

Furthermore, any feedback so far on my initial mock up and designs would be amazing! 

Initial sketches of proposed wireframes showing interactivity and ideas of designs. I thought I would have the wireframes look as simple as possible so I can add to each section if necessary - I would rather start off with small features and add features if necessary. The final wireframes will of course be constructed in Illustrator. 

After deciding which tree I liked the best I decided to start playing around with different font types and colour palettes.

The development of the initial logo design wasn’t too difficult as I had an idea in in mind that I wanted to play around with - a tree that is half alive and half dead. The concept of the logo is very quite simple and I believe, along with the project name, it will work well. After sketching out a few rough versions I did several mock ups in Illustrator to get a feel of what tree would suit best. I have favoured the tree in the middle in order to further develop the logo. 

At first the idea of a cursive/script-like font was very appealing, as my initial sketches portray, yet I felt that for the logo design a cursive font wouldn’t be as suitable. As seen, two font types have really stood out for me as they seem somewhat strong yet more rustic and hand drawn which I believe gives a closer feeling of nature. As I continue to develop the logo/branding for ThirtyOne I shall choose the type face that harmonises the best with the icon. 

Initial development of section layout for the website - as the site will be one page scrollable then the different sections need to flow and convey information in a logical manner. Mainly, the website will unfold a narrative about deforestation - what it is, how much forest we lose (i.e. statistics etc.), what this affects and what the user can do to prevent (take action). 

Once this was decided, I started to sketch out simple ideas for the logo and main screen of the site.