I decided to look online and try and find some websites that push conventions. This will allow me to see the possibilities open to me with web design but also the limitations.
One of the first sites that I came across that caught my attention was a website called 'Welcome to Paradise.' The site was designed by Oli Kellett, a London based advertising photographer. The opening line of the project caption for 'Welcome to Paradise' reads “Paradise is on the edge of an industrial estate just north of the M25. It’s also behind a Jobcentre in Manchester. By the bins.”
The site is essentially a collection of locations throughout the UK with the word paradise in the title. There is no real purpose to the website but regardless the project is fun and interesting. The 'paradises' are not what you expect. They are from any idealistic image of a beautiful beach with blue water, golden sand and palm trees lining the water. Instead we see a rather unflattering collection of photographs of the UK.
The idea behind this project caught my attention, I like the sense of humour behind it. This isn't why I have decided to document it though. I can see the functionality of this project linking with the collection of images I collected over summer. My photographs document tacky souvenirs in various places around wester Europe and the use of Google Maps to pinpoint the location of Kelletts photographs is definitely something that I could apply to my project.
It's Nice That recently posted about the website for Ty Segall's new album 'Manipulator.'
Ty Segall is one of, if not my favourite band so this album release was something that I was hugely looking forward to. I wasn't dissapointed by a single track on the album and when I came across this website that accompanies it I was thoroughly impressed. The site is an interactive page depicting Ty Segall himself in various environments. It allows you to click on and alter objects within the frame and quite literally 'manipulate' his environment. The screen shots don't do the website justice, the only way to experience it is to go onto the website, listen to the song and have a play around. The lo-fi style of the graphics really compliment Ty Segall's sound and personality.
Grandpa's Photos is an incredible project. Set up by Dave Tomkins when he uncovered a collection of Photographs in his Grandfather's home. His Grandpa was unable to remember where the large majority of these pictures came from and Tomkins took it upon himself to find out. Through a beautifully designed website and with help from the online community Tomkins has been able to discover the location of a huge amount of these photographs. I personally think it is amazing what can be achieved with the help of the web and I think this collaborative project is an outstanding example of this. Since the website has been launched Tomkins has used the new information he has received to actually go and visit some of these places. In an interview with Complex magazine he says 'I thought it would be great to go to all of the places and stand right where Grandpa was.'
The way that Tomkins has made his website so interactive and got such a great response from the online community has inspired me to maybe attempt something similar with my website.
