I felt like revisiting Douglas Bowman’s Stopdesign since my previous critique was premature. Douglas did a fine job on many fronts. The architecture is a three column joy. Strategic attention was given to the front page where a great deal of content is displayed without overloading your eye. The subtle use of color to distinguish a hierarchy makes this possible. As you dig deeper content expands to a two column layout. The right bar is like a companion at your side always informing you of relevant and/or alternate links.
I’ve always been a fan of iconography. Douglas does a fine job at paying close attention to icons that not only add detail but inform. It’s very important to have a method or reason behind everything and his icons express whether you’re about to view a document, comment, click away or click into the site.
With each section there is a drastically different look utilizing blurred images and color, however the structure stays consistent. I’ve heard some say this is too drastic and it’s hard for me to decide. I enjoy the distinct difference between the portfolio and the log. It bluntly informs you these are completely different sections and could act alone. This shows versatility and it’s something you don’t expect which can be startling but in the long run, effective.
Well done Mr. Bowman. Take a bow.