This morning I had an interesting conversation with my classmates, Catharine Coll and Emily Mancuso, on the topic of web banners. We had arrived to web media 2 equipped with two examples of web banners we found interesting and/or effective. We concluded that the strategy of digging up somewhat dynamic and non-cheesy banners derived from a few of our most commonly visited sites. There was a struggle; however, to find dynamic, well designed banner that didn’t appear with flashing messages or scrolling texts…yuck. In my own experience the banners mostly consisted of advertisements and sponsors, but the most tasteful and digestible were those that took a simplistic approach.
Two examples of banners I found to be appropriately designed for the given sites they derived from are pictured here. The AIGA banner utilized a clean designerly approach (not that I am in any way shocked of this), and provided a solid banner designed for the specific page. The copy advertised a specific book, upcoming event, etc. and the design varied depending on what page you may be viewing (as seen above). These designs are dynamic, easy on the eyes, and informative. Yes please. Also an interesting approach that I found to be clever is the placement of the AIGA logo in the upper left hand corner of the banner. It attaches the information provided by the banner directly to the organization.
The second banner I found to be attractive simply encompasses a common theme with my likenesses. The Lady GaGa advertisement is dominated by a single photo and simple copy. Generally, these types of advertisements and banners catch my attention due to the use of a bold, dynamic image, and in such, direct my attention to the easy and quick read of the copy. So in conclusion, flashy, scrolly, screaming web banners, stay away from me. I prefer to hang with the simple folks.








