For my “One Page Love” monthly review, I chose to analyze a one page wedding website from http://nobodybabybutyouand.me/. Though I am not typically a fan of wedding websites (I’ve always viewed them as a little pointless), this one stood out to me. It was tasteful, simple, and cute, with the personality of the couple reflected from every possible angle, from color to texture.
The color palette of the website is somewhat limited. The main color is an off white canvas color, with lots of yellow and black thrown into the mix to add a little dimension and contrast. Yellow is a very visible and energizing color that often symbolizes happiness. Because of its attention drawing qualities, yellow was the first color that I noticed when I opened the web page, and is used in the majority of heading information in one way or another. For example, the initial heading of the web page is “Sarah Butsch + Sean Collins Are Getting Married.” Though there is not any yellow incorporated into the initial heading, two yellow arrows draw the viewer’s eye towards the black text heading, with sub headings sitting along each arrow. Yellow is also used to highlight the second heading of the webpage in the “We’re Getting Married” section. There is also a small yellow heart between an animation of Sarah and Sean that draws the viewer’s eye towards the couple, confirming that the site is, indeed, all about Sarah and Sean. Yellow is also used as a background color, seemingly painted on the canvas as a watercolor (most of the paintings are hearts, with the occasional tree thrown in.
Black is also used throughout the website, mostly in text and in a heading that appears as the viewer scrolls down through the site. Black symbolizes strength and elegance (and seems to “go” well with the off white canvas background and bright yellow accents).
The final color used in Sarah and Sean’s website is an off white grayish beige color (I’m not sure how else to describe it). Because white symbolizes cleanliness, perfection, and purity, one could concur that off white symbolizes slight uncleanliness, imperfection, and impurity (just a guess). This could inadvertently be pointing to the fact that no couple is perfect. Every couple has their ups and downs, their imperfections and their uncleanly corners. But what truly matters is their happiness together (symbolized by the color yellow) and the strength that they find in each other (symbolized by the color black).
Another important element used in this one page site is texture. There are so many awesome textures happening on this one page. The first texture I noticed as the canvas like texture background of the page. This texture could symbolize a multitude of things, such as: the couple’s artistic nature or the idea of the couple’s relationship being a masterpiece that is still being “painted” (so to speak). Thought I do not know if these of these ideas are true, they are very relevant possibilities.
The second texture I noticed in this web page is the watercolor texture that seems to be “painted” on the canvas. Everything on the page has a very artsy, corky feel, including the use of watercolors. There are two main items depicted with the watercolors: hearts and trees. One small tree towards the middle, one large tree at the bottom, and a multitude of hearts in between. There is also a large blot of yellow watercolor texture used to group the photos and accommodations sections of the website, which does not really make any sense. The photos and accommodations sections do not seem to be related in any way, so I’m not sure why the designer chose to group them. Maybe they connect in the mind of the bride and groom or in the mind of the designer.. but in my mind, I definitely do not see the connection.
As a whole, the canvas texture unites the website while the watercolor texture breaks it up into various sections (except for the photos and accommodation sections). Both the use of color and texture work together to create different sections and headers that have unity.
As far as site content and navigation is concerned, the site is very easy to navigate and content was fairly easy to find. There is a header at the top of the page that remains at the top of the page as the viewer scrolls down the site, with categories that correspond to those seen on the site, including our story, the wedding, photos, accommodations, register, and RSVP. My favorite part about this site is the fact that friends and family who were invited to the wedding can RSVP on the website. How cool is that! What a unique and orderly way to get people to respond to a wedding information. The RSVP portion asks for the guest’s name, email, number of guests, names of guests, with a section for a private message to the bride and groom. All in all, I was able to navigate this site without much thought and now have an understanding of who the couple is.
This one page website’s use of color, texture, content, and navigation all work together to create a very aesthetically appealing site that gives the viewer an idea of the couple’s personality and tastes without overloading on information. As a whole, I would deem it very successful not only in style, but also in navigation.