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FINAL WEBSITE LINK: https://emzxglover.wixsite.com/agcoverpage
This is the final design for our Andrew Grant 'Coverage' digital magazine, the site is formatted so that the images and text will adjust to a mobile screen and a wider screen, below are all the pages separately where I have analysed our decisions as a team stylistically and for the content on the page.
We created the final digital magazine design on Wix, as this CMS allowed us more creative freedom as two of the member of the group, one being me, had already got previous knowledge on the web developer and therefore we could use this to our advantage over no members of the team having used WordPress before. The designs on our team WordPress page we very simplistic and of a lower quality whereas Wix allowed us to flush these designs out, create the links between the pages and create a array of pages that are ready to be published on the internet and therefore it was more effective for us to use that CMS.
Cover Page
https://emzxglover.wixsite.com/agcoverpage
Our final cover page you can see below was created from my own concept design, the team liked the design and we carried it forward into the website. The background images puts across which season the magazine was issued in and also the photograph was purposely chosen to be of an item you most commonly find inside someones home, to reference the magazine being around lifestyle and further the main colour of the image is red so I thought this would be a good way of keeping the page on brand by not overusing the colour red. The title is set to the left so it is not dead centre in the page as w wanted the composition between the text and the image on this page to work well as they are both as important as one another. The font is also from my own concept ideas, it is a clean and professional looking font which is clear and easy to read, however in order for it to stand out against the background and give the page more dimension there is a black box with a lower opacity behind the text. Above this is the Andrew Grant logo, this is a much smaller box as the client wanted the magazine to focus on the customer not the brand, but they need to be informed on who has created the magazine, I think this also helps ot empathise the AG in the title so therefore it would be recognised in the future even when away from the logo. Then below the text is the explore button which is a link to the digital magazine itself, directly to the home/ information page. This button also has a lower opacity box so the image can still be seen through it and therefore the title and backgrounds blend well together and don't look chunky on the page, further I put a white outline to this button as I wanted it to be obvious that it is a button to be clicked and therefore it had to look slightly different to the title.
Information/Home Page
The first page of the Coverage digital magazine we create is the information/home page this page is an introduction to the magazine and a introduction to Andrew Grant. Elements of design we applied on this page is consistent across all of the other pages. The navigation bar at the top of the page, which chose to make it black so that it pairs nicely with the titles on the pages and does not look out of place, also due to each page having a header image the black will always be able to be seen. Further this allowed us to use a contrasting white text on the navigation bar, as that would be the clearest colour to read and then it is consistent with the white text we have used for the titles across the site. This navigation bar will follow through on all the pages as it links them all together, when each page title is clicked you will be taken to that page, we also decided to crate a AG symbol, in red to represent Andrew Grant and also to symbolise the red AG in the title of this page and therefore it acts as a back to home button. So anytime that button is clicked it will take you back to this page. The title on this page is set centre because that makes the site the most visually pleasing as the centre of the page is important for the layout of the articles and images further down the page. It is also again in a black lower opacity box so that it stands out against the imagery, but this time we put a white outline to the box as some of the images we used made it less clear and the design had to be across all the pages.
The header image we have chosen to use is for the same reasons we chose the image on the cover page, it is a clear indication that this is a winter issue of the magazine and it also has the splash of red that links it back with the brand. We do not want to use too much red on the page as the colour has some bad connotations with it such as anger, power and danger, and therefore this header image is not to overbearing at it links the colour red in at the top of the page and at the bottom. The first area of information on the page are about Andrew Grant themselves, at the top there is an article supported with an image, this puts the important information on the page but not everyone will be interested in reading it so with the article there is an option to read more so therefore there is not too much information on the page, as the home page needs to look inviting and interesting and too much text would put the user off. Secondly there is a map, which shows the user their most local Andrew Grant office, this information is something that the client suggested we include, it allows for someone who is reading the magazine and may become in need of an estate agent in the future they have all the information they need there to get in contact with Andrew Grant. We also wanted there to be the option of the map was clicked it would open in something such as google maps in order for the user to get directions.
The final section of the page links in with the other pages of the magazine, each page is represented by an image that should entice the reader to want to find out more and give them a first impression of the content that may be on those pages. This is supported by a title in the same style as the title at the top of the page, this also gives them an incite on what they are going to see when they open the page. All the title boxes work as button and link to that specific page when clicked. The footer at the bottom of the page is red because we needed to link the background back into the page, however we put a fade on this red so that it is not as powerful and in your face as the bold red would be. This provides a gentle buffer at the bottom of the page, with the location details of Andrew Grants main office, as a option for the reader if they want to find out more. Further there are the social media links which open up when clicked onto Andrew Grant's facebook, twitter and instagram. This will help the social media get more recognition as anyone who reads the magazine will have the option to open them up and it is also consistent across all the pages. The navigation bar and the footer are the same across all the pages in order to make consistency and for the user to know they are still on the same site and they haven't left, but they also provide relevant navigation information and links that are needed across all of the pages.
As you can see in the image on the right the navigation bar and the title are the same style as the pervious page, this will make the site more usr friendly as the functions on all the pages are the same and therefore they are easy to navigate. The header image on this page relates to the content of the page, we have a dog poking its head up, which may entice the reader too look further down the page as the image has a heartbeat and then audience may empathise more with that. Also the dog is sat in front of a Christmas tree, this linking to the theme of the winter issue of the magazine, but also included is the little red elements of the decor on the tree which links it again back to the Andrew Grant brand. We really thought about the content that we wanted to include on this page and we wanted to link dogs back to Andrew Grant, therefore the first article is about settling your dog into a new home, this shows that Andrew Grant cares about their client even after they have purchased a house from them, showing they care about their wellbeing and lifestyle. This is what the client wanted to push for in this magazine, to create a connection between the customer and the business. Then the second article links the dog theme back to the winter issue of the magazine, therefore this article is something that could be changed with the seasons, making ti very relevant information for the time that the user will be reading it and therefore this may also be something more likely to be found via enquiry on the search engine.
These two articles are laid out in a column design, supported by an image with a heading and a little description. The reader has the option to read more if they want to as not everything will be useful for everyone on the page. There is also an option with these articles if it is turned on, that the reader can leave a comment and give feedback and inform Andrew Grant wether this has helped them, this may help the magazine in the future to know what articles work and what can be improved for the best user experience. Looking back on the client meeting we had we picked up on the fact they wanted the magazine to also relate to the local area, this can also help the business if people are looking to move to places in the catchment area. It also helps customers who may have recently moved here, so this feature would expand the audience of the magazine further, therefore for the dogs page we chose to include local areas to walk your dog. This tiled grid of images allows the user to see what that area looks like and wether they want to visit these areas with their dogs. The footer at the bottom of the page also is the same as it was on the pervious page, bringing the brand red back into the magazine and also making it consistent with the rest of the pages.
Worcestershire Page
Again as you can see the top of the Worcestershire page also shares the same layout, this time the header image we have used is an image of the city of Worcester, during the winter, to link with the winter issue of the magazine. It is a very scenic image as we wanted this page to encourage people to visit Worcestershire and show them all the things they can do. This page is solely based on imagery, we did this because we think that the area itself is beautiful enough and the images should be enough to make the user think about if they want to visit. The image on the left hand side of the page would open into a gallery of attractions in Worcestershire such as landmarks and castles ect, and the image on the right would open with a map and guide around Worcestershire is, showing these attractions on a map so the user can work out how close or far away they are from them. The second area of the page consists of two slideshows, one on places to visit, this could be family days out such as the safari park or go ape, and the second slide show is places to eat around Worcestershire, with images of the food or the restaurants.
All of these images are labelled so that you can see what the image is representing, but also the can be clicked to open a link to the website of the business or tourist attraction we are talking about. Therefore it is much easier for the user to click something that they make be interested in and find out more information first hadn't from their website and not receive second hand information from our magazine. This will make the digital magazine more commercial and this also clears up the space on the page as we have no need for text, this white space we have filled with imagery makes the website look clean and professional and the lack of text and clutter makes it look more organised and clear which will increase the user experience.
The slideshows add a interactive element to the site as the suer can use the arrows on each side to flick through the images until they find one they are interested in and then click for more information. On the published magazine there would be much more image options than the ones we have now as there hundreds of places to visit and eat in Worcestershire and this is just an example of the layout we would use. The bottom of the page again has footer the same as the other pages, bring the red back, as this page has the least amount of red included within it as the images were chosen as the best examples of locations and not chosen because of their red tones, so this footer is important to bring it back to the brand.
Busy Mums Page
The busy moms page follows the same layout as the other pages, the navigation bar giving the user easy and quick access to the other pages if they want ot read more or go back to something they have already looked at. The header image on this page is well thought out, as it fits the them of mothers and children in order to relate to the page, also the Santa hats links with the magazine being-a winter issue but they also bring the red tones into the page, which links with the Andrew Grant brand. However the position of this image is important, as we have chosen to put the children on the edge of the frame, as although a lot of the content is related to activities to do with your children, the page is actually about the mothers, and therefore we positioned her the centre of the images so she is focused on more than the children. We used articles on this page for the mothers, something they can have a light read of if they fancy some relaxing time or comedic relief. They are not meant to be serious articles they are meant to be a bit of fun and enjoyable to read, and hopefully the images that support these articles represent that as they are quite humorous and relatable images. There is also the option for the user to read more so not all the text and information is on the page at once.
We wanted to link the content back to the winter theme of the issue as since Christmas is a family time for the majority and the children break up from school and this may make moms busier as they have to keep them entertain or organise childcare for them while they are still working. This little grid gives options of activities to do with the children, things they can create but are easy to do and easy to tidy up! each of these images is labelled and if they are clicked they would open up with instructions on what you need and how to make it. These are just fun options that the mothers might want to do with the children over Christmas and also it make provide another link to a search engine if someone is looking for these kind of Christmas activities for the children and could increase the reach of the magazine.
We thought it would be fun to add a video into the bottom of this page, as we haven't used image slideshows or grids on this page. Due to not having a made video we didn't have one to add to the design, however these image represent the Christmas cookie decorating we thought would be the best to include. This would allow the moms to watch and follow what is going on, being able to bake and decorate their own biscuits. This adds a more interactive element to the website and also creates interesting content. The footer on the bottom of the page is the same as the other pages, although this page does have a lot of red tones within it due to the use of the Christmas themed images, the page needs to be consistent with the others and therefore still needs the footer at the end of the page.
Country Houses Page
The country homes is the final page we made for the digital magazine, as you can see on the left the layout of the title and the navigation bar is consistent and repetitive across all the pages. The header image represents what peoples first thoughts of a country home may be, a big open fireplace, and then links with the winter theme too with the stockings hung up around it. Also the amounts of stockings that are hung up also refers to the common perception that a country home is a family home as they are often bigger and spacious. This page was focused on Andrew Grant being able to advertise some of their country homes if they wanted to, and instead of having lists of house on the page, that would not be useful and would also put the user off as they would not want to look through them all. We decided hat it would be easier to just add the location of the houses. These are all supported with an image of the country house, but it allows the user to just click the location they are interested in moving to and then either a page will open with the country houses for sale in that area or it would link back to Andrew Grants business webpage, where they could have a list of houses in that area. This makes it more more user friendly as it is easy to navigate and also they will be able to find what they are looking for or something they are interested in quicker.
Next on the page is linking the page to the winter issue of the magazine, this would be an article on what is the most trendy this year for the Christmas interior decoration, each season could be different, such as kitchen interior design in the Autumn or something like garden renovation for the BBQs in the summer. The article can be read in full with the read more option and it should also have links to where the decor items can be brought from making the site again more commercial and gives the user all the information they need. Finally the footer on the page bringing the red back in, the social media links may be the most important or the most used on this page, as those who are interested in buying a country house or buying from Andrew Grant in general may follow their social media pages in hope of being updated when there are new houses on the market.
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