First Term Project - Word Press

For this first project the brief requires work in word press using information, possibly logos and other things from an existing site to recreate an entirely new site for the brand, event, conference, person etc in the style of our choice showcasing a select list of requirements the site should have. Although my skills in both knowledge of and execution of web design are limited i feel my choice of exactly which website it is i choose to reinterpret in my own way will heavily impact the outcome and overall aesthetic appeal of my design and whether or not it actually works and makes sense with in both the medium and for the chosen company itself.
With that in mind my first thought was to do something i feel i'd actively enjoy in terms of content, therefore something based around the fantasy/sci fi genre, keeping my interest in the site high whilst enabling me to design to the best of my ability around something i already find engaging.

In that vein my first though was to approach the site that promotes MCM Comicon; a convention showcasing many of the film, tv and comic book writers, actors and artists as well as many others cosplaying annually in London and San Diego.
My thinking that the site itself would contain a plethora of content to sift through and re-catalogue, along with many other interesting design decisions contributing to the main look and feel of the site.

The site itself i feel has been designed very well, sticking to the theme of the convention and with a similarly fun and relatable colour scheme.

The most striking thing for me is the interactive banner, enabling fluid navigation whilst always having the solid foundational navigation that scrolls down with the page. The wrapped 4 column spread makes for easy navigation with the eye and really pins down topics and couples with using the 4 column lay out to introduce linked images to navigate to other sections of the site it makes it very fluid and easy to find a way around without trouble.

Again, the scrolling navigation bar makes it easy to navigate from mid page to perhaps a more significant one. The consistent column of images down the right hand side linking to other places on the site, whilst being useful, also change the further down the page you scroll, giving not only a static navigation at the top of the page, but other ways to navigate the side in the 4th column to the left.

In the below picture there is a revolving news feed with information about the main acts at Comicon this year, as seen below the main stage this year is host to Matt Smith of Doctor Who fame, this in itself revolving round with familiar faces would help to keep a viewer enticed that few seconds longer.

Looking at this site, i don't really feel my time would be well spent trying to recreate something this well put together in my opinion. To try and put something together half as well as this would be a challenge in itself,  let alone the fact that i have a brief to contend with. Many other sites of this magnitude have the same sort of lay out where in they have an information section laid out in a newspaper style in the middle showcasing acts or high profile news about the event, and if nothing else i feel if i were to pick some kind of conference or festival this would be the best way to attack the central section.

In terms of other sites i could approach, i feel that perhaps the most obvious way to go is to work within a site that includes a person of interest in my own life that already has a site whilst being accomplished in the field i wish to go in, for instance off the top of my head;

James White,

John Howe,

and Ryan Church,

All these sites have the some overall theme in terms of portfolio sites, but to apply this to an event i think sticking to this kind of theme would be an interesting way to go when recreating an event site.