Logo: Fixcom - by Sergey
This
logo is a good study in depth. Like the last logo I talked about,
Teletoon's branding emphasized shape to create boldness. This one, is
much more subtle, and uses the technique of creating dimension for a
subdued textural feel rather than to make a visual statement. Subtle
shadows and thick type dominate this logo, and allow for a clever play,
albeit a bit cliched in terms of how it's used, in using the 'O' as a
power button. I find it particularly interesting that the 'M' is skewed
in a way that directs the eye upon first glance, it's clever how it
orients the interest to the power button more-so. The achievement is a
proper indication to this brand--it's definitely a technology-oriented
company
Again, lighting plays a good part into establishing the
visual depth--the slight gradient gives off that feeling that it has a
three-dimensional shape. It almost has a paper quality. Personally, I
enjoy logos that go out of the comfort zone of purely flat and
two-dimensional design and into something with more texture and depth.
Just because our eyes are used to three-dimensions, using techniques
that offer that illusion are instantly a pleasurable visual image.
Website:
Scribd
I like what Scribd has done to handle their content, it's a really enjoyable experience for the user. The thing is, if you were going to go Scribd, it's usually for the purpose of sharing, uploading, and finding specific documents. It's another case where a site's structure has to appeal to the content and have the user situated first in the planning stages. Scribd acts like a library, handling vast amounts of user-generated content in a categorical way that's rigid for ease of access, but provides heavy use of thumbnails and visual elements so as to not make a dull and static user experience, which is great.
The header is enormously simple, with the logo, an upload link, a search bar, and a prompt to explore that brings the user to a vast drop-down of all the possible content. The site knows that the user's here to do either uploading or searching, so there's really no additional parts necessary. Everything you need is then below, and you can browse at your own pace. I talk about sites being inviting, and that's because the ones that appeal to me are the ones I want to stay inside, and come to knowing that I'll get a assured experience. That's a result of knowing how to structure sites to your purpose and piece it together concisely and intuitively. Scribd's a functional site, with tons of functionality and searchability.
