30 Minute Redesign: PDF n Manual

Saturday, 28 August 2010 13:56

Week 23: PDF n Manual

PDF n Manual.

In the space of 5 minutes I can identify some of the key strengths and weaknesses of this design, and sketch out a mockup.

STRENGTHS:

• A bold and clear color-scheme gives plenty of impact to this design
• There is very relevant imagery, with standard PDF icons helping display the theme of the site
• Content is fairly readable and clear

WEAKNESSES:

• No logo, this makes the site seem unprofessional
• Typography is too small, and the font choice is not particularly engaging
• There is some unnecessary content, including headers with no actual content beneath them.
• There is a distinct lack of call to action buttons. And it’s not totally clear exactly what the site does.

My Redesign

As always, I was limited by the 30 minute time-frame, but I tried to improve upon several of CAMASEJ’s features, adding a few design flourishes and a clearer layout that promoted content over wasted space:

WHAT I TRIED TO DO:

• Add clearer, more legible typography
• Make the great color-scheme more site wide, continuing it through headlines and call to action buttons.
• Simplified the amount of content, reducing it to just what is necessary for the homepage.

Comparing the 2 Designs:

Here is a quick comparison between the original design and my 30 minute redesign. Sure, my design could be more polished, but I believe that a lot of the basic elements have been improved upon, creating a more pleasant browsing experience.

How and Why To Enter Redesign Saturdays

You can have the chance to have your website redesigned in next weeks post. All you need to do is leave a comment to this post with your website address and why you think it needs a redesign.

*NOTE: I can only accept sites with English content, as foreign language websites are simply too hard for me to work with.

The Benefits of Getting Your Site Redesigned Include:

• Most obviously – a FREE redesign job!
• Your website gets exposure to PSDFAN’s thousands of readers
• You understand how to improve your website. This isn’t just a redesign, it’s a lesson in design.
• You will get emailed the .psd of your redesign and can do whatever you want with it!

So please, leave a comment today for a chance to have your website redesigned next week!