[Project Complete] $700 to design an ideas web site – deadline May 26th

[Eirik]

(Admin code added by Michael - 4A0492156+GS371894X)

Hi guys,

I need a web site designed for one of our clients. Here’s the brief:

Prize: $700 (updated)
Deadline: 2005-05-26 (updated)
Material: PSD


About client

The client is a group of the city council of one of Norway’s political parties called Det Norske Arbeiderparti (The Norwegian Labour Party).


About web site

The client wants to create a somewhat untraditional web site. In stead of creating a web site about the party and its members (which already exists at http://www.dna.no/), they are looking to create a web site to promote and discuss social democratic ideas. The party will be presented loosly as the web site publisher, but will not be in focus.


Existing design material

We have run a design contest in the logo forum earlier, and the winning contribution is attached, both as a JPEG and AI. As you can see, the symbol appears over the text in one version, and to the left in the other. Use whichever goes better with your design.

When it comes to colors, look to the party site at http://www.dna.no/


The client says...

The client wants the site to encourage creativity and good ideas. The client likes the following web sites:

http://www.ungehoyre.no/ - The site of the youth group of another Norwegian Party. The client likes the colors and use of pictures (browse the site).

http://www.sigarett.com/ - The client likes the fact that the web site doesn’t appear with a squared frame like most web sites.


User interface

Please use the attached user interface as the basis of your designs.


Please let me know if you require any additional information to get started.

[Aliska]

Cool topic :)
I will definitly join to you contest. Will create some versions in 2-3 days

[Aliska]

Hello
Here's my first version. What do you think? Waiting for your comments.
I'm working on quite another version, will upload it in 1-2 days.

[IDarwish]

Here's the beginning of my entry. Nothing really corporate, you said untraditional and untraditional it is. If you like this start tell me and I'll keep going with it, if not I'll be happy to start over. Just LMK what you think. I'm looking forward to your feedback.

http://hostvibe.net/DesignOutpost.gif

[BrianDove]

here is my entry. This view is a 1024x800 pixel view ( in a 1024x800 screen ), in a 800x600 screen, the box will be obviously bigger :)

Looking forward to hearing from you,
Brian

[Anne]

Here's my entry

Anne

[Eirik]

Thanks for some great first contributions, guys! I have sent them off to the client, and I'm awaiting her feedback.

[Maleika]

Hi Eirik,

I shall have a concept for this project within the next few days. :)

Regards,

Maleika

[Eirik]

Hi Maleika,

Looking forward to it!

[Eirik]

Hi guys,

I've just finished a meeting with the client, and here are her thoughts:

All the contributions so far are in general too corporate. We are looking for something that inspires creativity and ideas, and I do not feel that any of the current contributions do this.

Furthermore, there can't be any blue (or at least not any significant amount) since this is associated with right-wing parties. Please see http://www.1mai.no/ and http://www.dna.no/ for basic color schemes, but other colors may also be used.

The design shouldn't be to boxy. The header in Brians contribution (with the light bulb) is currently the only element that complies with this. There doesn't need to be a rigid, square frame surrounding the page.


In addition to the clients comments, I have a few of my own:

There will only be one blogger (one person) and only one blog message be featured at a time.

Also, please respect the user interface draft in greater detail when it comes to the size alloted for the various sections. In addition sections 5, 5.1, 6 and 7 make our the content area (which will change when the site is browsed) and that should be more visible in the design.

If you require additional information, please let me know.

Looking forward to your revisions !

[BrianDove]

The design shouldn't be to boxy. The header in Brians contribution (with the light bulb) is currently the only element that complies with this. There doesn't need to be a rigid, square frame surrounding the page.

:cool:


Ill try something else..
Brian

[Aliska]

Hello
Another idea from me. What do you think?

[janice171]

hi,
i might have a go at this one, but just have a couple of questions...

what technology do they want to use? as the favoured design 'http://www.ungehoyre.no' is Flash based and depending on whether they want a Flash or html site, this could dictate the overall design.

Also is there any more imagery the client might want on the site?
as it seems they favour a more graphical representation.

thanks

[janice171]

Ok here's my first attempt at a layout...
the header and footer will stretch while the content remains within the centre of the screen making the layout appear less 'boxy'.

[Squad]

i have an idea, but i can't finish it until monday... can you extend the deadline with couple of days?
Thanks.
George.

[Anne]

Here's a new suggestion from me

ET BEDRE FORSLAG (http://www.annesdesign.net/do/)

Anne

[Maleika]

Hi Eirik. I will have my concept submitted in ca. 5 hours from now (8pm GMT +2 = 7pm board time). Hope this is still within the deadline.

[Maleika]

Hi Eirik,

here is my concept. :)

The image within the header is a sketch of a person sitting with his hands folded. It is drawn with pencils/rough to convey creativity while the folded hands depict a sense of thoughtfulness , confidence as well as competence ... that was my idea behind it. :)

Thanks and regards,

Maleika

[Eirik]

Hi guys,

Thanks for your latest contributions. They have been forwarded to the client for commenting.

Regarding the deadline: I'm extending it with one week for now. It's important for this project that the design is spot-on, rather than having it finished in a hurry.

[BrianDove]

here is my new contribution :blush:

Rgds,

Brian

[Fabian]

Hi :)

[Eirik]

Thanks for your revisions, guys! Here is the feedback.

I thought I would put my own comments first this time, since my last comments don't seem to have been taken into account. :)

I have yet to see a contribution that complies with the user interface as attached to my intital post. As mentioned earlier, the design is intended to be a two column layout with the smaller column on the right. The left column will be devided into smaller portions on the main page, but it should still be evident that it is only one column.

OK, onto the client’s comments.


Aliska

We like that the design isn’t too square, but this also makes it hard to separate the various sections. There’s also too much text in the various sections (see the user interface for aprox size pr section).


Anne

This is our current favourite, although it is a little too pale. We would like to see some more colors used, preferably to mark of one or more section boxes (or perhaps the entire narrow column), and pictures as well. The white background looks good except for the gradient in the top and at the bottom, so please remove those.

Furthermore, please move the narrower column to the right (not moving it’s contents, though). Finally, the logo of the parent organization is a little too small. Try increasing it and putting the org name below the rose.


Janice

We like the idea of having a white background with background-colored section boxes, but apart from the upper right box, the background colors are too pale. Also, we don’t care much for the header, nor the use of black text on a red background in the section headings (too dark).


Maleika

The colors are too pale. You have, however, managed to combine sections 5 and 5.1 in a good manner. We also like the idea of using an illustration, but feel that the light bulb used in a previous contribution is better.


Brian

We do not like the menu row, mainly because it seems crowded due to the large font size, and the shadow effect. The font should also be replaced. Furthermore, all shadows and gradients should be removed, and there should be a more evident separation of the various section boxes.

Looking forward to your revisions, guys. And just to let you know – if the following set of contributions isn’t very close to what we’re after, we will increase the prize, so please hang in there. :)

[Maleika]

Thank you for the feedback Eirik. I will work on the design and submit a revision.

As for the light bulb, Brian has made use of that idea, so I do not feel it is legit for me to duplicate that idea.

Regards,

Maleika

[Eirik]

I Maleika,

I was not suggesting that you should use the light bulb in your design, I was merely pointing out that we liked it (the look) better.

[janice171]

hi,
thanks for the feedback, here is another submission based on your feedback.
thanks.

[Aliska]

Hello :)
Changes at my version per your feedback. What do you think?

[Lori]

Hi Erik,

Below is my entry for your consideration. I tried to think outside of the box as much as possible, but with the content you need displayed, it get's tough... blog, news, forum - such "boxy" content.

Anyway, I thought I would give it a go - let me know your thoughts and any changes you would like to see :)

http://www.zenfulcreations.com/client-files/do/idea/gui.jpg

[Anne]

Here are two revisions

#1

Anne

[Anne]

# 2

[Anne]

one more :)

[Maleika]

Here's a more bold concept. The header is a custom illustration.

Kind regards,

Maleika

http://www.attawel.com/designoutpost/etbedreforslag/etbedreforslag02.jpg

[Squad]

i'm sorry, but i don't know when i can come up with something. my hdd crashed tuesday, couple of seconds before to save your template. since then i'm trying to recover all my work and stuff. i just send it to the service today, probably wednesday i will get a new one. until then, i can't work.

George.

[Squad]

i started to finish what i didn't saved last week.

[Squad]

Here is my version, i know looks pretty boxy, but this is how i see it.
George.

[Eirik]

Thanks for your latest contributions, guys. They have been forwarded to the client, and I will get back to you when I hear from her, hopefully some time tomorrow.

[Eirik]

Hi guys,

Man, this is the longest template contest I've ever run. I've emailed DO about increasing the contest prize, so that we can keep the creative juices flowing until the very end. I'll let you know the new prize once I hear from them, so stick with me.

I think that part of the reason why this contest has dragged out is because of bad communication between us, the client, and you, the designers.

All the contributions so far have one thing in common: They are too ordinary/plain. We are looking for a design that's creative, out of the box, fun and so on. Something that pops out and says "Hi you! Got a good idea? Then come on in and share it?".

I can understand that this doesn't seem to be the case with regards to the web sites mentioned earlier, specifically www.dna.no and www.1mai.no, but these sites are not so much what we are looking for as they are sites built by the parent organization. The site we are builiding therefore needs to bare some resembelence to these, but we have intentionally chosen not to go with the design company who built this because we want something more fun and alive. And to date, no contribution has truely captured this.

That being said, there client currently holds these two favorites, but is still eager to see new contributions that are even more creative and fun.

Lori

We would like to see the following changes to your contribution:

In general, it looks too philosophic, both with regards to color and the main picture. We want something that says "idea!" rather than "thoughts". To improve, you could try spicing up the colors, and replacing the main picture with something more fun, perhaps a picture of a kid or something similar.

We belive that there's room for the menu horisontally at the top (perhaps right-aligned where the white blank area now is), so please try that.

Anne

Our favorite is the second of your three most recent contributions, but we still feel that it's too plain. We would first and foremost like to see more pictures, preferably represented by one, big, main picture (in the header, or in the content area).


Finally, here's a link to a site that's fun and out of the box (click the radio to the left): http://www.stigogstein.no/. Also the URL http://www.sigarett.com/ still applies with regards to creativety and out-of-the box thinking.

Looking forward to your new contributions !

[Lori]

Thanks for the feedback Eirik.
I will make some changes and should have it ready today :)

[Eirik]

I have now increased the prize money with $200, making it a total of $700 to the winner. A DO representative will post her shortly to confirm this.

[Michael]

As the DO representative I can confirm that $200 has been deposited and the funds now stands at $700 :D

[DesignGeneral]

Hi Eirik,

I'll try to have sometihing for you ASAP :)

Cheers,

Adrian

[Anne]

Here's a revision.

The photo is quite blurry etc. but I will purchase it if ....

I'll see if I can come up with another design/modification as well

Anne

[geofharries]

Eirik,

Seeing how you have increased the prize amount, are you also going to extend the entry deadline? I've got some time to work on a layout for you now and could deliver early next week.

regards,

geof

[Aliska]

Hello
I will make new version during weekends and upload on Monday

[Eirik]

Yes, we are extending the deadline. For now, the deadline is set to the 26th.

[Luc]

I'm trying to get an idea too for this contest.

[Luc]

Here's my entry.

[Huhhso]

Hi here's is my out of the box entry for your contest, it's not traditional... please let me know if this is the right direction.
Thanks!

:D

[Huhhso]

same design on white background.

[geofharries]

Eirik,

I'm not going to be able to make your deadline. Sorry. You've got some incredible entries here - good luck making a decision! :)

geof

[Lori]

My revisions have not been going as smooth as I like (finding the right photo) but I am working....

I have a new design coming.............

[Lori]

Eirik,

Here are changes to the orginal design... I STILL cannot find a photo that I feel works well in there, but will keep looking.

http://www.zenfulcreations.com/client-files/do/idea/guiR1.jpg

Now.... I found this super photo when I was looking for one for the above, and I just had to get it and give it a try.. this may be TOO dark and out of the box, but I sure had fun with it ;)

With that said, here is the rough beginnings of it in a showable form... I am still tweaking some things, and trying to "position" all elments that you need, while keeping the interface "not busy"...

This is linked from my server, so it will change in this post as I upload :)

Let me know if I went WAYY off, or if you think your client would be interested....

http://www.zenfulcreations.com/client-files/do/idea/gui2.jpg

[will]

Well, maybe I was thinking too out of the box but one never knows until the final idea is on the board. So here it is. "Ideas" is the name of the piece for obvious reasons. :D There is plenty space for sections and the site can always go down for more. I divided it in 6 sections but it can hold 1, 2 or the number necesary.

[Michael]

Nice Lori :)

[Eirik]

Thank you for some great contributions, guys. Why, I think you are starting to think out of the box. :)

I will get back to you once I hear from the client.

[Eirik]

Hi again,

Here's the latest update.

The client's favorite contribution is the one by Huhhso (with the gray background). We will most likely end up with this one, but would like to see the following modifications before a decision is reached.

1. We are a little concerned with regards to available space for content on the sub/content pages. How do you imagine this will be? Will you cut off the circle horizontally and make it into an oval (please show us an example)? We might even need to increase the size of the circle.
2. Try to make use of some warmer colors, mainly by replacing the blue border surrounding the circle.
3. Please replace the blog photo with the attached photo.
4. Please clean up the placement of the menu items in relation to each other.

Looking forward to your revision. Thanks in advance !

[Huhhso]

Hi thanks for the feedback. I will have those ready for you today or tomorrow morning.

Cheers!

[Huhhso]

Hi posting several revisions, let me know if you'd like to see additional color combinations.
Thanks!

[Eirik]

Thanks a lot. They have been forward to the client and I'll let you know.

[Eirik]

I've just spoken with the client, and we have decided to go for your latest contribution, Huhhso. Congrats! And thanks to all of you who participated in what has turned out to be a great contest.

Huhhso: Could you send me the PSD files ASAP (eirik at netmaking dot no), plus a short description of how to modify the color of the border surrounding the circle, as well as the background color (in Photoshop)? Thanks in advance !

Thanks in advance !

[Huhhso]

Hi Erik, I have emailed you a zip of the photoshop files, let me know if you have any questions or challenges with the files.

Thanks! :D

[Eirik]

Hi Huhhso,

Files are received - thanks a lot. However, could you also send me the PSD of the etbedreforslag_sub_02.jpg which is the sub page we'll probably end up using.

Thanks again !