Web Watch
www.thedieline.com
A tribute to the art of package design. Known as “the world’s number one package design website”, the Dieline serves as a gallery, employment resource, and directory for professionals, as well as students, involved in the package design industry. Founded in 2007 by Andrew Gibbs, this organization provides a home for international package designers to critique and review brand packaging while staying current on industry trends. The designs that are showcased on the website are an elite few, for the team at this establishment hold a very high standard when screening through the thousands of entries. Since 2009, The Dieline Awards have been conducted to acknowledge innovative designers across 13 different categories. Winners of this competition are given a cool custom trophy by ESTABLISHED and are showered with exposure on The Dieline website. Being that they “strive for excellence and exclusivity”, the collection of package design art on The Dieline is truly one to admire.
+ Pros
The articles presented on this website are fun and feature prominent leaders in the industry. Also, student work appears to be a priority.
- Cons
Banner ads take up quite a bit of space on the right side of the interface.
www.noupe.com
Constantly on the lookout for the “new & better”. Since 2007, Noupe has been keeping its followers in the know when it comes to advertising, typography, web development, and just about any topic in the design world. Noupe is a member of the Smashing Media GmbH family, but was originally founded by Egyptian blogger Noura Yehia. The staff members of this site are frequently on a search for interesting tutorials, templates, styling techniques, and inspiration to share with their readers. Main topics for information include AJAX, CSS, Design, Photoshop, Tutorials, and WordPress. New posts are added several times a week across the various categories of design. With the simple layout, attention-grabbing subject matter, and straight-forward language used in the articles, readers can easily be persuaded to lose track of time while browsing through this website.
+ Pros
Articles are engaging and concentrate on varying topics to keep the reader curious to check back often.
- Cons
A lot of real estate is reserved for advertisements, but it is not too distracting from all the sections of the website.
www.fashionising.com
No-nonsense fashion insight. For those of you searching for an easy source of daily style inspiration, look no further. With contributing writers from across the globe, Fashionising.com is dedicated to providing new and interesting fashion inspiration to its fans. Everything from hair, shoes, accessories, beauty products, and other trends are covered. One of the coolest sections of the site is the Pictures section where everyday fashionistas, as well as off-duty models, are photographed while walking down the street. Photos are taken to showcase a sharp pair of shoes, a chic single article of clothing, or a striking ensemble. What is unique about this site is that the writers focus on emerging trends, conversation topics, and business news rather than the juicy gossip that saturates the industry. Visitors can also create a free account and exchange their ideas with the community. Fashionising.com allows models, photographers and stylists to create portfolios at no cost. New articles and photos are posted nearly every day, so check back frequently.
+ Pros
It is very entertaining to browse through the street style photos because the collections are eclectic. Blogs are informative and fun.
- Cons
The overall design of the site is on the plain side, but it helps to emphasize the fashion photographs.
www.googleartproject.com
The world’s most famous museums and masterpieces at your fingertips. Ever wanted to stroll down the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles during your lunch break? The Art Project powered by Google lets users virtually walk through halls of internationally renowned museums and admire well-known artwork in detail. Some of the museums featured on this site include the National Gallery in London, the Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Gemäldegalerie in Berlin, and The State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. When visiting a museum, the user can explore the interior of the building using a method that is similar to the “street view” feature available in Google Maps. Each step offers a near 360˚ view of the room, allowing you to absorb the architecture of the space and study remarkable paintings on the ceilings (depending on the museum). Some of the artwork is available for you to examine at a more personal level as well. By clicking on work that has a plus symbol on it, one can view it at high resolution and learn about its history. Since this project is still green, there is a limited assemblage of museums and restricted access inside the buildings. However, it is worth your time to investigate what they have to offer.
+ Pros
The zooming feature for the artwork is very well done. You can narrow in on the little cracks of the paintings.
- Cons
The navigation tools feel very awkward. Information for history of the artwork is limited.
Lucille Moon-Michel
Web Design & Development Faculty
