Building a Site Pt. 3: Team feedback and tweaks

 

    I presented my site to the team this week to get feedback on the site. We went over some general details, such as color scheme, layout, and site name, then moved onto discussing what features should be included on the site, additional pages to add, aim of the site, and items that still need work. The meeting was helpful in that we were able to define what the purpose of the site should be, which of course will effect what needs to be on the site (versus what we want on the site). I was also able to gain insight on the design details they liked and the details they did not. I enjoyed the critiques and suggestions because it mimics what I will face building sites for clients in the future. It highlighted the important balance between producing a site that a client is happy with, and, on my end, creating a site that serves the overarching goal of the site. 

    At the conclusion of the meeting I was able to make a list of the items I needed to fix, add, move, and create. Some of the general items that needed to be attended to: logo change, white background on pages, name of site, and tweaks to page locations. Pages need to be added that display biotechnology AAS courses (with links and descriptions) and how to register for classes. 

    The first thing I was asked to attend to this week was creating a logo. There was some conversation on what the logo should look like, and ideas thrown around. Some wanted to include instruments that are often used in a biology lab, others wanted to use something that was more unique to the research lab (a reference to the bacteria they are working with perhaps). The original logo I created was a microscope looking at a petri dish with bacteria in it. It also had the words, "Glendale Biology," next to the microscope. However, microscopes are not a main tool used and they wished to use something more relevant to the work they do in the lab. The choice was made to create something with the word, "Biotech." All logo creations should include that word, or wordmark. One suggestion was to use a micropipette in the wordmark and position the instrument to take place of one of the letters. This was the first logo I focused on creating. I searched for pictograms, or logomarks, of a micropipette that when scaled, larger or smaller, retained its composition. Meaning, the pictogram should look like a pipette when the logo is smaller or big, and it should also look like the letter it is replacing during the same instances. I opted for an icon that contained some detail because those with too much detail lost their composition when made small, and the icons with very little detail became difficult to make out when large. Having found the correct pictogram of a micropipette, my logomark was complete. I then had to choose a font that would work well with the logomark. The font had to fulfill a few functions in order to be appropriate. One of the letters would have to be replaced by the logomark, therefore, the font would have to able to incorporate the logomark and help the icon look like letter. Second, the font had to reflect the brand identity of the biology lab. For instance, if you where choosing a font for children's toy store, a good option would be a font that is playful and/or fun. A bad option would be a font that was for horror, or an elegant. See the difference below? The top font gives the viewer the best idea of the brand identity for "Dino Children's Toys," one that is fun and playful.

During the meeting, some attributes the lab wanted to highlight was clean, neat, and science. To help identify some fonts that could help display these attributes I did research on biotechnology company's and the logo used. I narrowed down a few of the fonts that would exemplify the lab's brand identity. After having the logomark and wordmark picked, I then had to choose a color scheme. The colors I choose reflect the colors of GCC; red, white, and black. I then began crafting my first logo using the suggested micropipette option. 

  

The logo was created to be able to be displayed on either a white or black background, which are the current background colors of the site. I created two more logos, using the same logic and thought as used for the previous logo. For the second logo, I highlighted a different tool that is used in the lab. I chose test tubes for the logomark, used a more computer-looking font, and superimposed the font to the test tubes. 

For the final logo I created, I wanted to showcase what biotechnology is, the manipulation of biological processes for production of a specific service or product. Genetic manipulation of microorganisms is a huge factor in the field of biotechnology, where attempts are made, for example, to have recombinant plasmid DNA taken up by a bacterium. A process, which essentially, amounts to inserting genes into organisms. To showcase this aspect of biotechnology I created a pictogram of recombinant plasmid, and used it to make the letter 'O' and 'C' in, "BioTech."

    I submitted the logos to the lab and await feedback. Next week I will turn my focus back to the website and start on the tweaks specified in the meeting.