II. B+H (Bregman + Hamann Architects)

II. B+H (Bregman + Hamann Architects) http://www.bharchitects.com/

Navigation:
The website starts with a flash introduction of the company. Both clicking on “skip” or wait until it end, it will bring people to the home page of the website. The website has a simple and clear layout for people to see their choices. There are 7 different categories and each categories have sub-categories. There is no strong hierarchy. Nothing is really distracting nor has additional navigator. Everything seems have equal significance and move really smoothly. However, when click on the navigation links, the look of the link does not change. That is hard for some people to remember, which link had been visited and which have not. The heading and the home link are always on the left top corner, which allow people to go back to home page if needed.
Architecture:
B+H’s website is really well structured. From looking at the number of the category and sub-category that was given on the menu bar, people already have a sense of the complexity of the company. People can understand the company and know what kind of service the company offers. Every single piece of information is well design and structured to fit into the page. There is no additional link appearing throughout the whole navigation of the website. It is good to keep the website clean and comprehensible; however, it lacks some excitement and weak interaction with people.
Content / Typography:
The simplicity of the typography gives people good impression on the company. However, there is no hierarchy of the typography apparent to catch people’s attention. Since this is the website of an architecture firm, maybe the construction process of the most recent project could be the highlight of the website. It could appear as a diary, which is updated every few weeks. In that way the website could attract more potential clients. The heading is more prominent than anything else due to its simplicity. It is also the only location with white background; therefore it stands out. It contains the company logo and the menu bar, which is important for people to navigate around the site.
Grid / Structure:
The structure and the color of the site stayed consistent throughout. The consistency of the pages allows people to navigate throughout the site without any difficulties. The website is to promote an architecture firm; therefore, the focal point of the page always on images that is how people understand the projects, the style of the company, and the ability of the firm.
Iconography / Imagery:
For most cases, the images become the background of the site. It gives some texture and color to the site. The amount of the images is well controlled. There are more photos to help people visualize the project when the page is about a specific project. B + H is the icon and also the name of the company, but people won’t know what B and H stand for until they click on “who we are”. The color of the logo also plays an important role. It is the color scheme of the whole website. It almost becomes the identity of the company.
Color Palette:
This website also has a very precise color selection. Steel blue is the company logo color. Transparent teal is the overlay color on the top of the background image. On the top of the teal color, the texts are white, which stands out really obviously. The image behind the teal color does not distract the viewers; however, it gives some texture to the website. The teal color information strip could be closed when people want to see the whole view of the images. The movement makes the website even more interactive. Median grey tone color is an additional color that only appears on the project region maps and it becomes the menu background color, which still keeps the text in the contrast color, white. The clear graphic and color palette make the whole website and the company more welcoming for potential clients.
Site Focus:
The website is obviously an architecture firm with clear principle. The website is not design to sell anything beside their identity. It seems more self-centered; nothing on the website allows people to link to other websites. Perhaps under each project, the contractor or developer could be mentioned and linked; this would give even more depth to the website. Overall the website is really successful, especially the use and the significance of the icon/logo. It brings the whole website together to create a sense of entity.