Looking for some thoughts and inspiration around? Maybe us as designers, looking for inspirations or ideas are for college or clients project. But living as a junior designer, sometimes we forget about ourselves, and most likely are become a machine, bounded in your own box. I've experienced this before, and i repeated it occasionally.
You'll feel uncomfortable and unhealthy. You wasted time and money on your so-so daily - monotonic life. Why don't we reflect ourselves and ask "Why did I become a designer?, will it be worth? to earn money as well as enjoy life?" One thing that i just realize is that we also need to understand ourselves for why the hell we are in this industry. I had bookmarked Drawar.com , it has a lot of great articles about designers, and its useful to take your time to visit their website, read the articles, critiques, and question sections.
Mostly are about web design. They linked a lot of great sites, presented from designer POV. After you spend some time reading their articles, you will think how important is web design in present and future. It's worth to spend sometime to read some text-only articles for 10-20 minutes rather than procrastinating on Facebook or babbling non-sense on Twitter. Right?
20 June 2010
14 June 2010
Baba & Nyonya : Famille Rose
Famille Rose is another name for their Nyonyaware or "Shanghai".
They called it as "Shanghai" is because the porcelains are once sold by the Chinese from Shanghai, or exported from Shanghai. In the olden days, these beautiful porcelains are brought by the Mainland Chinese from China, and some are made locally since after they settled and become a Baba. Through time, they adpat their lifestyle into the design & colors of the porcelain. The way of living of the Baba towards "refinement" drives them to create a beatiful porcelain, with a lot of complexity. The more complex the design, the more expensive they are. The Baba families, usually keep these Famille Rose inside their cabinet, to show to the guest, among with the silverwares.
I intended to do a research about this because, the nyonyaware designs are distinctive than any other porcelain design. The major influence of chinese porcelain for the shape and decorations, inspired from the victorian floral decors, and an authentic choice of colors from the Strait Chinese point of view.
The nyonyawares are distinct in terms of color usage, and the symbolisation of the illustration.
It is usually owned by middle to higher class of Baba family. These porcelains are considered rare and noble, therefore they are bought by local and foreign antique collectors.
Each of these porcelains have their own usage, such as the paso Shanghai (vase) which is used for deities altars,
nyolo (incense pot), tekoan (teapots) and so on...
The different colors resembles for different occasions, for example :
White and Blue : for funeral, worshipping ancestors during Ceng Beng & Ghost Festival.
The brightly colored "Shanghai" are meant to celebrate festive occasions such as birthdays and weddings.
Here are some difference of "Shanghai" and "China" porcelains:
With a brief conclusion, i think that the Famille Rose should be introduced more to public, although some people won't really interested to see forward it, but it is one of the distinctive possessions that the Baba ancestors inherit to their descendants.
They called it as "Shanghai" is because the porcelains are once sold by the Chinese from Shanghai, or exported from Shanghai. In the olden days, these beautiful porcelains are brought by the Mainland Chinese from China, and some are made locally since after they settled and become a Baba. Through time, they adpat their lifestyle into the design & colors of the porcelain. The way of living of the Baba towards "refinement" drives them to create a beatiful porcelain, with a lot of complexity. The more complex the design, the more expensive they are. The Baba families, usually keep these Famille Rose inside their cabinet, to show to the guest, among with the silverwares.
I intended to do a research about this because, the nyonyaware designs are distinctive than any other porcelain design. The major influence of chinese porcelain for the shape and decorations, inspired from the victorian floral decors, and an authentic choice of colors from the Strait Chinese point of view.
The nyonyawares are distinct in terms of color usage, and the symbolisation of the illustration.
It is usually owned by middle to higher class of Baba family. These porcelains are considered rare and noble, therefore they are bought by local and foreign antique collectors.
Each of these porcelains have their own usage, such as the paso Shanghai (vase) which is used for deities altars,
nyolo (incense pot), tekoan (teapots) and so on...
The different colors resembles for different occasions, for example :
White and Blue : for funeral, worshipping ancestors during Ceng Beng & Ghost Festival.
The brightly colored "Shanghai" are meant to celebrate festive occasions such as birthdays and weddings.
Here are some difference of "Shanghai" and "China" porcelains:
With a brief conclusion, i think that the Famille Rose should be introduced more to public, although some people won't really interested to see forward it, but it is one of the distinctive possessions that the Baba ancestors inherit to their descendants.
22 May 2010
11 March 2010
Web Design 2 - Online Website
Click here to see the online site of my redesigned Fullhouse website.
This project is only for college purpose :)
This project is only for college purpose :)
08 February 2010
Web Design 2 - Prototype User Testing
Splash Page
Main Page
Cafe
Petit Four
About Us
Events
Store & Shop
Contact Us
Here is the user testing form:
*All of the pictures and designs above are for educational purposes only, not for commercial purpose.
17 January 2010
Web Design 2 - Redesign Commercial Website
Project Proposal
This project is to redesign the website of Fullhouse Lifestyle Store and Cafe
to be more attractive in terms of the design and content.
By 2010, Fullhouse have 3 outlets in Malaysia cities. Fullhouse is a new place for the modern Malaysian to hang out. Through a family with 4 characters, Fullhouse have their own story to support their concept of "Home". Fullhouse serves alot of cuisine from hors d'oeuvres, soups, main course, beverages, and dessert, ranged in many kind of style, such as French, Italy, Japanese, Malaysian, Korean, or even a fusion of it. A fusion style of semi-victorian era house with clean minimalistic elements decorated each of their outlet.
Besides serving food, Fullhouse sells their own retail garment products, Fullhouse Fashion. Based on the on-going Asian fashion trend, Fullhouse Fashion successfully captured to both women and men attention. Fullhouse also offers a variety of unique souvenirs, which are imported from Korea, Japan and China. Fullhouse also provides an event management service to organize parties and meetings.
Potential audience: Teenagers from 14-19 years old.
(Most will attracts Chinese female, middle to high income rate.)
Gasoline is a conceptual restaurant that relies on the interior design and cuisine. It has a
total of 6 outlets around Malaysia, and each of them have different concept look of the interior.
Gasoline mainly targets teenagers to the audience. Unlike Fullhouse, Gasoline are available to be franchised, which enables to have more expanded network. Gasoline heavily relies on the their conceptual character designs. About the food and beverages they have a plenty of Chinese, Western, Hong Kong and Japanese cuisine to chose from.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
T-Bowl
T-Bowl was established on 18th Dec 2008, and it has a "bathroom" concept restaurant. They serves varieties of food range from Japan, Korean, Western, Hong Kong until oriental style. Similar to the Fullhouse and Gasoline, they have their own characters to build up the concept, they call it the T-Bros.
Currently they are located at QueensBay Mall, Penang. They had a vision to franchise their business to Kuala Lumpur and other states in Malaysia in the near future.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
YO! Sushi
YO! Sushi was founded in 1997 by Simon Woodroffe. At that time, YO! Sushi introduced a modern concept of eating sushi, by using a sushi bar with convenyor belt that rotates the sushi around the bar. YO! Sushi targets a young adults ranged from 21-26 years old office workers, so they branded themselves to have a creative, modern and youth looking identity.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analysis:
Fullhouse Cafe is a Lifestyle Store and Cafe.
It serves Western food and sells a lot of fancy and unique stuff.
The Interior of the cafe is something like a vintage + victorian era + minimalistic syle.
In contrast with that, the store sells a range of modern Zakka clothes, fancy accessories, ceramics, stationeries, etc..
Its a lot of fusion that's why it made this unique.
Corporate color of the website is white, with some light RGB colors.
(+)
Competitors' Site Analysis:
Gasoline(Flash website)
Analysis:
(+)
T-Bowl
Analysis:
(+)
YO! Sushi
Analysis:
(+)
Rainforest Cafe
Analysis:
(+)
Gantt Chart, Site Map and Mood Board:
*All of the items,images and designs above are for education purposes only.
Project Definition:
to be more attractive in terms of the design and content.
Executive Summary:
As a new Malaysian based concept restaurant, Fullhouse Lifestyle Store and Cafe is favourited by its customer for a great place to hang out, dining and events. The uniqueness of its style reflected on the interior design, the food and the store. Therefore, the website should be able to provide both interesting and supportive content that can attract its target audience to interact, which are mainly teenagers and young adults.Current Site's Analysis Goal:
- Show their unique concept via text and photos
- Provides abundant information about the events
- Showcasing interactivity medias that are attractive to the users (Photos, Comic, Characters)
- Provides a clear location information for the users to visit
Client's Analysis:
Fullhouse Lifestyle Store and Cafe was established in 2008. It serves a unique concept restaurant, delivering fusion cuisine, eye-pleasing interior design, and their own retail store. Fullhouse was originally founded by Mr.Adam Swee. He started from a retail item seller until he managed to build a conceptual restaurant and store with his own branding.Background:
By 2010, Fullhouse have 3 outlets in Malaysia cities. Fullhouse is a new place for the modern Malaysian to hang out. Through a family with 4 characters, Fullhouse have their own story to support their concept of "Home". Fullhouse serves alot of cuisine from hors d'oeuvres, soups, main course, beverages, and dessert, ranged in many kind of style, such as French, Italy, Japanese, Malaysian, Korean, or even a fusion of it. A fusion style of semi-victorian era house with clean minimalistic elements decorated each of their outlet.
Besides serving food, Fullhouse sells their own retail garment products, Fullhouse Fashion. Based on the on-going Asian fashion trend, Fullhouse Fashion successfully captured to both women and men attention. Fullhouse also offers a variety of unique souvenirs, which are imported from Korea, Japan and China. Fullhouse also provides an event management service to organize parties and meetings.
Unique Selling Point:
Their most unique selling point is the packaging of their concept of "Home" The concept was packaged in a different way from any other concept restaurants, which successfully captured the target audience's interest.Mission and Vision:
Mission:- To serve a satisfying Customer Service experience
- Being a memorable hanging out place for modern Malaysian
- Provides a novel experience of the interior design to the customer
- Spread the network to its neighbouring countries without franchising
Position and Cultural Value:
Positioned on the new market of concept restaurants, Fullhouse succeed to grab their target audience's interest. The flexibility of taking pictures in the restaurant helps Fullhouse to be spread by the internet easily, this made Fullhouse is both eye and ear-catching to those who never heard of it. Therefore, Fullhouse created a cultural trend for youths and young adults to hangout in Fullhouse for dining or other events.Short and Long Term Site Goals:
Short:
Serves abundant and interesting information for users to keep visiting the website.Long:
Building a relationship to the customer through interactive medias and events going on.Target Audience:
Mainly Young adults aged from 20-25 years old, Most are couples.Potential audience: Teenagers from 14-19 years old.
(Most will attracts Chinese female, middle to high income rate.)
Gasoline is a conceptual restaurant that relies on the interior design and cuisine. It has a
total of 6 outlets around Malaysia, and each of them have different concept look of the interior.
Gasoline mainly targets teenagers to the audience. Unlike Fullhouse, Gasoline are available to be franchised, which enables to have more expanded network. Gasoline heavily relies on the their conceptual character designs. About the food and beverages they have a plenty of Chinese, Western, Hong Kong and Japanese cuisine to chose from.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
T-Bowl
T-Bowl was established on 18th Dec 2008, and it has a "bathroom" concept restaurant. They serves varieties of food range from Japan, Korean, Western, Hong Kong until oriental style. Similar to the Fullhouse and Gasoline, they have their own characters to build up the concept, they call it the T-Bros.
Currently they are located at QueensBay Mall, Penang. They had a vision to franchise their business to Kuala Lumpur and other states in Malaysia in the near future.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
YO! Sushi
YO! Sushi was founded in 1997 by Simon Woodroffe. At that time, YO! Sushi introduced a modern concept of eating sushi, by using a sushi bar with convenyor belt that rotates the sushi around the bar. YO! Sushi targets a young adults ranged from 21-26 years old office workers, so they branded themselves to have a creative, modern and youth looking identity.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Client's Site Analysis:
Analysis:
It serves Western food and sells a lot of fancy and unique stuff.
The Interior of the cafe is something like a vintage + victorian era + minimalistic syle.
In contrast with that, the store sells a range of modern Zakka clothes, fancy accessories, ceramics, stationeries, etc..
Its a lot of fusion that's why it made this unique.
Corporate color of the website is white, with some light RGB colors.
(+)
- Consitency in color, style and layout
- A lot of images
- Some informative images that thought to have a link through it are not linked.
- Main logo is not directing to home page
- No page indication
- Lack of information
- Not really attractive to navigate (needs more animation / interactivity)
Competitors' Site Analysis:
Gasoline(Flash website)
Analysis:
(+)
- Nice character designs as the buttons
- Feeling funky.
- Neat layout and typo
- Interesting transition of pages
- Page indication is quite hard to recognize
T-Bowl
Analysis:
(+)
- Consistent
- Cute Layout
- A lot of bright colored item/images.
- Letter spacings of the body text are too wide
- Page indication is not clear enough
YO! Sushi
Analysis:
(+)
- Consistent
- Lively with animations
- Interesting usage of the characters
- Clean and neat website, good finishing.
- The layout looks like a blog, easy too read
- The main content table color seems blends with the background.
- Page indication is not clear enough
- Information is all around everywhere.
Rainforest Cafe
Analysis:
(+)
- Consistent
- Lively with animations
- Using a darker color background for the content area,
in contrast with the body text
- Attractive to its target audience
- The main content table color seems blends with the background.
- Too simple background
Gantt Chart, Site Map and Mood Board:
*All of the items,images and designs above are for education purposes only.
11 January 2010
Web Design 2 - Inspirative Commercial Websites
Some Inspirative websites:
1.Big Cartel (Art and craft online shop provider service):
Analysis:
(+)
2.Gucci (Leather bags, fashion and accesories):
Analysis:
(+)
3.Wacom (Pen tablet provider):
Analysis:
(+)
4.Pocari Sweat (Isotonic drink):
Analysis:
(+)
5.Quiksilver (Clothin,Gear for sports):
Analysis:
(+)
Tutorials:
1.Big Cartel (Art and craft online shop provider service):
Analysis:
(+)
- Simple yet beautiful
- Neat typography treatment and layout hiearchy
- Consitent
- Information is direct, and friendly to the user's eye.
- Adding a favicon would be better
2.Gucci (Leather bags, fashion and accesories):
Analysis:
(+)
- Simple and artistic.
- The branding is relevant to its product
- Consitent on layout and navigation
- Interesting menu navigatin
3.Wacom (Pen tablet provider):
Analysis:
(+)
- Simple, which direct the user to the content.
- Neat typography treatment and layout hiearchy
- Random background color according to its logo color.
- Adding the graphical logo besides the text logo on the top left side will be much better.
4.Pocari Sweat (Isotonic drink):
Analysis:
(+)
- Interesting navigation
- Interesting content, supported with the good typo handling.
- Simple, attractive and have a great branding
- Simple rollover effects, but it is effective
5.Quiksilver (Clothin,Gear for sports):
Analysis:
(+)
- Good use of color
- Neat finishing of images for a grungy site.
- Layout can be neater even if it is grungy website.
Tutorials:
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