Website Launch – Grand Designs
Grand Designs is the name of a new clothing shop in East London. The business imports designer Islamic clothing for the U.A.E.
This post discusses the website and various aspects of it’s creation. If you would like to see the website itself please visit www.grand-designs.uk.com.
Below is a detailed discussion on design aspects, layout theories and CMS integration. If you would rather read the shorter version and/or have a look at a selection of screen shots then please visit my web design portfolio.
Design & Layout.
My client was very keen to have a website that felt as exclusive and high-end as the products he is selling. The website should also have an Arabic feel as the clothing and jewellery items on sale are imported from the U.A.E. Both of these design aspects will not only reflect the quality and origins of the goods, but appeal to the target audience for the website and the shop.
To achieve my clients requirements I created a design that is modern and stylish in appearance -
- A slim header containing the businesses logo and navigation links, including a smooth slide out menu under the “Products” link.
- A central box to house the content. Large images which fit snugly together fill most of the box and showcase the products and shop. I used a modern, san-serif font for the text. On the homepage the images fade in and out in a slideshow.
- A large footer containing contact details, the address for the shop and controls for the streamed “Arabic Radio” from Last.fm.
To this design I added some sourced images with an Arabian feel that would compliment the photographs of the products, and add to the Arabic atmosphere of the website. I also took an Arabic pattern, tweaked it in Fireworks, and then tiled it across the background of the website.
Content.
To go along side the usual information on the business I have added a PHP powered customer contact form, and integrated a Google Map into the website content.
All the content is editable by the client via CushyCMS, an excellent lightweight Content Management System. This allows the client to easily change the text and photographs on the website. I have also provided a template for the product and category pages so that the client can expand the website as his product range grows.
The client was very keen to use an MP3 file containing some Arabic music on the website. Due to unknown copyright issues we decided to play it safe and use a Last.fm widget to stream “radio” from their website.
Have a look at some website screen shots or visit the website itself at www.grand-designs.uk.com.
DA
