Form Follows Function

I've had a long journey with web design. It's no secret, if you know my design perspective, that I love print design. I love paper and ink and printing techniques. I fall in with groups of people who love to hold a book, grab a newspaper, write in a personal calendar. However, Graphic design, like many other professions, is ever evolving with technology. A good bit of our work and our education prepare us to become visual "stallions" (stealing from the SV season premier.) but also to keep our skills sharp in whatever area that means. This is the first fully responsive mobile-first website I've organized, designed and coded on my own (with a little coaching—shout out to Austin Davis—check out his UX work here.) and I'm pretty proud of the end result.

Designers learn how to be creative; how to expel, and sometimes repel the obvious ideas, while at the same time keeping in mind the above phrase... form follows function. If you haven't sat through endless art history lectures you may not follow this phrase. Basically, there are designs that will completely fall down if their function is not the primary goal. Being creative shouldn't compromise functionality and not every scenario warrants tons of ornamentation or "bells and whistles." I find myself repeating this phrase when I am developing and viewing web/digital designs. It was so nice to work with clients that shared these sentiments. Many times we went back to the simplicity and the functionality of the site with a few core questions. Who is the audience? What is the most important information they will access? How easy is it to access and understand? Once this criteria was established in the design, only then were specific visual addressed (typography, smooth scrolls, strong photos, etc.)

The result is a simple, clean, functional and undemanding restaurant website. Please check out the new Ganly's Irish Pub website—www.ganlysirishpub.com.

Below are some snippets.

prep work

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the final product! I'm also here to help you establish or redesign your own personal or business related web presence. 610-741-3345 / danabanksdesign@gmail.com