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Just thought I’d do some analysis of exactly how a well-designed website is constructed. If you check out PartyPoker.com, I will now break-down just what makes this site an excellent one to study and emulate. To begin with, there is a solid color-based scheme that well-suits the theme of the site. The green background in the header resembles the felt color of most gambling tables and brings a decent reference color –but the main body of the site is actually black! Still, the text blocks have a white background and the rather large footer is two different shades of gray. These are subtle color choices that actually work very well to distinguish different areas of the site but not overpower the viewer. The iconic symbols and buttons on the site are large but not wasteful of the space and the salmon-red color stands out perfectly against the subdued background.
Additionally, the main photo on the site showing 3 people is just perfect! The lighting of the subjects is clearly professionally done, there is a subtle color gradient behind them so they stand out slightly, and their shirt colors are a perfect match to the color scheme of the site –a well considered photo that shows some clear vision for how a “color palette” should dominate the design considerations of a site. Notice how the woman in red coordinates with the red “Play Now” button to the left, the white shirt wearing man blends with the white background of the text box below him, and the man in black blends (but does not disappear) with the black background? Simply perfect execution!
Subtle touches like the accent of red and white color swaths in the header also adhere to the color palette of the site –an excellent example of keeping a site clean but not without artistic flair.
Lastly, the menu system is clear and easy to understand. This cannot be understated. Clear, thoughtful menu structure is not as simple to execute as it may seem. I suggest showing your site to someone that isn’t familiar with the product at all to see if they can understand what the site is trying to convey. You may be surprised at what you learn!