Task one | Research Interactive media
Interactive media is a type of media that is used by a wide variety of people on a daily basis and can appear in many different forms, For example around 87% of the UK's population own a form of mobile device and that alone can provide you with unlimited access to any website of your choice.
But it was not always like this, this is because a couple of years ago the only forms of media available were found in the likes of magazines, films and tv which were all just in a watch or read format. Where as now in the modern day of media everyone has access to interactive media which allows the audience to be apart of what's going which can involve anything from clicking icons, typing things into a search bar or choosing what film to watch on Netflix or YouTube.
Or for example, most interactive you can get with this form of media would probably be with video games as they are deliberately designed for users to have complete control over what happens. One example of this is GTA where the user has free reign over a virtual recreation of Los Angeles and are able to do whatever they want whether that's living a life of a criminal and causing havoc or being a law abiding citizen.
Instagram.com
From personal experience myself I have used multiple forms of interactive media in my day to day life, one example of this is my Instagram page which I set up to advertise my photography and general media, as it is an easy and accessible way for users to see my work on a tidy interface. I use this website nearly everyday as either a pass time or to update my page with new posts of photographs I have taken.
Asos.com
To add to this evidence of me using interactive media I also have previously ordered myself some new trainers which required me to go online and open up "Asos.com" where I used their website to purchase the shoes. Their interface was really easy to use and I had no difficulty ordering and paying of the item I wanted.
I use this website quite often when I am in need of new clothes, I would usually spend around ten to twenty minutes looking around the page in search for items of clothing to order and purchase.
Compare and contrast
Banksy.co.uk - (His official Website)
Banksy is a England-based street artist and political activist whose real name and identity remain unconfirmed and the subject of speculation. Active since the 1990s, his street art and dark humour with graffiti executed in a distinctive stencilling technique. His works of political and social commentary have appeared on streets, walls and bridges throughout the world.
Here shown on the left is the official home screen of Banksy's website where you are able to explore and find information about the graffiti artist weather that be images of his work, information on his tour dates and an catalogue to buy tickets from.
The target audience for this website are people who follow things such as street graffiti or just Banksy in general and want to keep up with his projects when they want online. His website overall is quite empty as a large majority of it is white space, but there are a few little details that suit his public image such as having the font of his dropdown box have a hand writing style to it contrasting to his famous graffiti style seen across the world.
The website features many interactive features from things to an interactive gallery full of the artists work and portfolio to locations of his hotels which are just a simple click away from accessing. As well as this when you first open the page you are introduced to a video which talks about his line of clothing that he has set up in order to raise money for a charity that the artist supports. The website itself is quite plain but it fulfils its main purpose of promoting his work and agendas to the world. A large percentage of the website consists of blank, white space but in an odd way it kind of works, as it is straight to the point in showing you the things that people typically come onto his website for.
His font styles vary from what looks like drawn handwriting to subtle sleek wording for the descriptions of his work which also come across as quite formal when read.
Overall, I think for its purpose its a good website that is considerably easy to operate and I think I can take some inspiration from this website and I think that this research will benefit my own website as I look into making changes and improving my "wix website" so that it looks appealing to future clients.
IKON FILMS
Konstantin is a popular British photographer and videographer who is mostly known for being the main guy in the production crew of the famous British YouTube group called "The sidemen". He regularly films and edits their videos as well as capturing on set, action shots of them too. He has been a professional since 2008 to present day and also runs a website titled "Ikon Films" which he has created himself, which is why I will be looking into it and taking notes to potentially use myself in my website of my own.
The target audience for his website is mostly potential clients as well as other photographers and videographers, this is noticeable as he pays huge attention to his portfolio making it one of his main assets of his page. Which he achieves by having a variety of neat galleries set out for viewers of is site to see. Things such as his music videos to short films are all presented neatly in an almost list format so that you are able to effortlessly scroll through wether that be on a computer or your mobile device. The overall website gives off a modern kind of feel to it and I feel it fits perfectly with his own kind of style. Almost the whole site is taken up full go his images whether that be in his gallery or even for the background of his site pages. His font style is very professional looking while his wording comes across as quite personal as in his "About me" section he goes onto talk about how he began as a film maker and photographer through lensing fashion, which he states gave him a unique aesthetic when creating his pieces. Overall I think his website is clean and unique and shows off his achievements highly through his use of spacing on his interface.
To view his website in full click here : https://www.ikonfilms.co.uk/
Task Two - Website building
When I first set up my Wix website at the beginning of my course it was full of default Wix presets including images I did not own and a homepage that did not have many interactive features on it. To begin making changes of my website I first began planning what I want it to look like as I feel it is an important factor to winning over potential clients who may be interested in my work. I decided that for my website to look clean and sleek I would need to limit myself with what colours I were to include so that everything looks organised and under control. I decided on different shades of a blue-ish grey that I would also later decide to use in my logo creating.
I then incorporated them colours into my homepage and chose where everything will go, and I really enjoyed the outcome of the design, I feel like its not too overcrowded and looks ascetically pleasing due to the simplicity of the design. And now that my main home page was designed it was now tie for me to begin adding interactive media.
The first thing I did was use the instagram feature where I am able to link my account up to my website and have a live view of my Instagram feed up on my website and when you hover over an image it shows its caption that I gave it on instagram. I really like this feature as it is a way of having change to my website constantly as the feed shown changes every time I post an image to my Instagram account.
I then looked at what looked plain on my website and realised that my unit work was without thumbnails making them look poorly done and not paid attention to so in response to this I opened up canva and began making each unit its own unique thumbnail, each consisting of a relevant image to the source itself as well as a title to let the viewer know what these units consisted of.
Before
After
Now at this point my Wix upgrade was starting to come together but it wasn't quite done yet, this is because it was without some more personal details. Things like an "About me" page as well as a gallery and a feedback form were all things I wanted to include into my website to create a more personal touch.
My about me section featured things such as how I got into photography and media in genral. I also made sure to include important information such as what course I am currently studying and what I aim to achieve in the future. And finally I added a feedback page so that I was able to know what people thought of my projects if they wished to let me know it was just a simple form away.
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