b a r l o u n g e+rifecta t

VERTIGO SKY LOUNGEVERTIGO SKY LOUNGE{ vertigoskylounge.com }

ROOF ON THEWITROOF ON THEWIT{ roofonthewit.com }

THE VIOLET HOURTHE VIOLET HOUR{ theviolethour.com }

THE AVIARYTHE AVIARY{ theaviary.com }

The website of Vertigo Sky Lounge in Chicago leaves me with a fair first impression. The design has a nice long banner image of some well-dressed people hanging out at the lounge during the day after work and the blue and pink colors lends itself to a nice airy daytime feel. Not entirely noticeable at first, there is a switch that can be clicked and turn the website into “Vertigo by Night” which changes the color scheme to mainly black and blue. The top navigation has some problems with its functionality and design. Only 3 out of the 7 links stay on their website, and the rest are external links. There’s also a secondary navigation above the main navigation seems unorganized. There were a few bugs in the site, with the banner and 7 thumbnails that remained visable when

they should’ve been hidden.

ROOF at theWit claims to be a great place to be all year round and is “above it all”. Their website features options of viewing imagery and information about being at the ROOF night and day of any season by toggling between different tabs. Their navigation is vertically displayed on the left side which features another new large image and content based on the page you’re on. The design of the website as a whole is a fixed square in the center of the page that expands vertically depending on the amount of content per page. It’s modern and the photography is its best feature. I do not like how they display their social media, email list, and VIP buttons at the top of the website. They are practically floating and don’t seem cohesive with the whole site. The social media buttons should have been

designed to fit in more.

The only thing working well on The Violet Hour’s website is the large prominent imagery showing pictures of their drinks and atmosphere. As a first impression, these large images seem very pleasant and inviting. It makes them seem like they have quality food and drink and a beautiful bar, but they lack any human quality in their images which makes it seem like an empty, unpopular bar. They also use a plain serif font, making them seem less modern. And their top navigation in italic caps is not a good look. I appreciate the simplicity of the design as a whole, but it is not a site I would’ve been proud to publish. It also seems like it isn’t edited normally, because on the homepage it says “Please note, The Violet Hour will be closed on Tuesday, Sept 3rd. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Normal hours resume on the 4th.”

The Aviary made a noticeably simple website that features a quick-changing jQuery image slideshow. Their logo is featured centered at the top with their navigation horizontally below the image slideshow. Each link in their navigation pops up overlaid on the image slideshow with a dark opaque background so the text can be read. I would say there is a heavy lack in content on the website, but maybe that was their goal. I think the image slideshow being active while you read the pages is very jarring, and I think it transitions to fast in the first place. Their font choice for the content isn’t great either… Verdana is overused. Their social media icons are horrible too, they needed to customize them to fit their web design. I do appreciate their simplicity, but I think they

could improve their website.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

After finding four lounge & bars in Chicago as competition for the company I am making a website for, I am motivated to take what I found to be most effective and least effective and make my website even better than the competition. What I found most effective from all four of the websites were their use of beautiful imagery in order to reflect what their atmosphere, food, drink, and social scene looks like (or how they want others to think it looks like). They each found a way to provide basic information about their locations and market their business as visually as they could while still staying simple in the design. Some of the least effective parts of the competitions’ websites were some of the cliché fonts they used, their either lack of content or too much content, unorganized navigation, a jarring image slideshow, poor use of social media icons, their lack of troubleshooting

bugs and content maintenance.

From this comparison, I can start to piece together what a user expects from a lounge & bar website from Chicago. I can also start to brainstorm what I want to do in my design to make it stand out from the competition.

OVERALL COMPARISONOVERALL COMPARISON

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

COMPETITOR RESEARCHCOMPETITOR RESEARCH I am designing a website for Trifecta Bar + Lounge, a hip, quasi-dive bar located in Chicago, IL. But in order to attract an audience to the site, I need to know what I am up against. So I analized and compared 4 other lounge/bar websites in Chicago.

PERSONA: Alli PetersonPERSONA: Alli Peterson “I love connecting with my girlfriends on Facebook; we always talk about where to go for the night after work or on the weekends.”

Age: 24-32 Location: Chicago, ILSales Representative for Liberty Mutual Insurance $60,000 per year

Alli moved to Chicago after she graduated from the University of Michigan and she has been in the city for five years. She works busy hours at her job and always looks to relax or have some fun on her time off.

She has a boyfriend whom she met in the city and they have been together for three years. They like to go out at least once a week to share a few drinks together at a bar or with their close group of friends. Alli also enjoys spending quality time with just her girlfriends and having a few cocktails.

She likes to dress up and go out but not to go watch sports. She has a charming personality and knows how to entertain and enjoy the company around her. Her greatest anxieties are losing her friends and not living life to the fullest.

Succeeding in CareerSocializing

DrinkingStaying at Home

DancingSports

FashionMusic

TravelingTechnology

OVERALL IMPORTANCEOVERALL IMPORTANCE

LOW HIGHFriendlinessConfidence

BoringAdventurous

EnergeticIntrovertedAntisocialHumorousIntelligent

Comfortable

KEY ATTRIBUTESKEY ATTRIBUTES

LOW HIGH

HOME

ABOUTBAR LOUNGE MENU CONTACT

Description of TrifectaPlan Your Visit Info

Bar InfoDrinksBartendersMenu Link

Lounge InfoReservations Form

Menu InfoPhotosMenu Link Favorite Meals

Contact DetailsContact Form

CONTENT OUTLINECONTENT OUTLINE

SloganBackground ImageBottom Navigation

EVENTS

Events InfoSpecial Events

WEB DESIGN CONCEPTWEB DESIGN CONCEPT

“Trifecta Bar + Lounge is the perfect place to enjoy watching a skilled bartender practice their craft with the highest quality ingredients. It’s also great for an after work drink or quiet date. Located in Chicago in an area heavily dominated by sports bars, it serves as a needed hip, quasi-dive bar with class,

neighboring water hole. The constant experimentation and ever-changing drink menu keeps guests coming back. They also recently added a superb and selective bar food menu to pair with their drinks.”

> Large image that captures the essence of a pleasing atmosphere.

> All of the images on the website to make viewers want to check out this new bar and lounge.

> Dark colors to reflect the low-lit lounge aspect of Trifecta with a few bright colors to represent the colorful lights in a typical modern bar/lounge scene.

> Sleek, modern look that follows web-trends like flat graphics, simple icons, large images, parallax backgrounds, and social media incorporation.

> If this was a real-world business, Trifecta would be very active with their social media.

> The navigation will first be horizontally on the bottom of the homepage then will slide to the top of the page upon going to a secondary page.

> The structure will be simplistic, but not as simple as The Aviary or The Voilet Hour websites from my competitor research.

> The webfont will be Oxygen from Google Fonts since it is a simple and clean sans serif that will complement the modern look I am going for.

> I plan on writing the content myself which includes making up menu and drink items. The menu will be available in PDF format.

MOODBOARDMOODBOARDSocialLivelyHipChicEntertainingRelaxingComfortableFunAtmosphere

CoolQualityClassyNew-ageExperimentingEver-changingDelicious FoodTasty DrinksMature

Oxygen{ light & bold }

Fragments of imagery, descriptive words, type, colors and designs that inspire the Trifecta Bar + Lounge web design. (Oxygen is a Google Font with regular, light and bold variations.)

HOME

ABOUTBAR LOUNGE MENU CONTACT

SITEMAPSITEMAP

EVENTS

WIREFRAME SKETCHESWIREFRAME SKETCHES

catchy tagline goes herelocation

arrowdown

logonav item 1 nav item 2 nav item 3 nav item 4 nav item 5 nav item 6

logonav item 1 nav item 2 nav item 3 nav item 4 nav item 5 nav item 6

page title

paragraph

content div

WIREFRAMESWIREFRAMES

HOMEPAGE SECONDARY PAGE

TRIFECTABAR LOUNGE+

BAR LOUNGETRIFECTA +

TR CTAIBAR LOUNGE+

TRIFECTABAR + LOUNGE

TRIFECTBAR + LOUNGE

TRI CTA+BAR LOUNGE

F ETRIFECTA

+B A R L O U N G E

trifectatrifectab a r l o u n g e+

trifectb a r l o u n g e+

trifectb a r l o u n g e+

b a r l o u n g e+rifecta t

LOGO PROCESSLOGO PROCESS

IDENTITY SYSTEMIDENTITY SYSTEM

Oxygen{ light regular bold }

canter{ light outline bold bold 3d bold shadows bold stripes }

b a r l o u n g e+rifecta t

live for today, plan for tomorrow,party tonight. with us.

in downtown chicago

bar lounge menu contactaboutevents

b a r l o u n g e+rifecta t

bar lounge menu contactaboutevents

b a r l o u n g e+rifecta t

bar

Trifecta Bar + Lounge is the perfect place to enjoy watching a skilled bartender practice their craft with the highest quality ingredients. It’s also great for an after work drink or quiet date. Located in Chicago in an area heavily dominated by sports bars, it serves as a needed hip, quasi-dive bar with class, neighboring water hole. The constant experimentation and ever-changing drink menu keeps guests coming back. They also recently added a superb and selective bar food menu to pair

have a drink

SEE OUR FULL SELECTION OF UNIQUE DRINKS

our bartendersAll of our bartenders are TIPS certified. Additionally, our bartenders are well-versed in current cocktail practices

and strongly believe in the art of fresh mixology.

Matt is a skilled bartender born and

raised in Chicago. His love of

experimenting with the drink menu has

made Trifecta a place everyone wants to

come back to.

Eric is a Southern boy who loves his cat, photography,

Levis, Breaking Bad and wet t-shirt contests. Eric's dislikes include anchovy stuffed

olives and spiders.

Krystal is most known for her

charming personality and "just having a

way" with our customers. She is a

skilled artist when it comes to creating

tasty drinks.

live for today, plan for tomorrow,party tonight. with us.

in downtown chicago

bar lounge menu contactabouteventsb a r l o u n g e+

rifecta t

bar

Trifecta Bar + Lounge is the perfect place to enjoy watching a skilled bartender practice their craft with the highest quality ingredients. It’s also great for an after work drink or quiet date. Located in Chicago in an area heavily dominated by sports bars, it serves as a needed hip, quasi-dive bar with class, neighboring water hole. The constant experimentation and ever-changing drink menu keeps guests coming back. They also recently added a superb and selective bar food menu to pair with their drinks.SEE OUR FULL SELECTION OF UNIQUE DRINKS (PDF)

our bartendersAll of our bartenders are TIPS certified. Additionally, our bartenders are well-versed in current cocktail practices

and strongly believe in the art of fresh mixology.

Matt is a skilled bartender born and

raised in Chicago. His love of

experimenting with the drink menu has

made Trifecta a place everyone wants to

come back to.

Eric is a Southern boy who loves his cat, photography,

Levis, Breaking Bad and wet t-shirt contests. Eric's dislikes include anchovy stuffed

olives and spiders.

Krystal is most known for her

charming personality and "just having a

way" with our customers. She is a

skilled artist when it comes to creating

tasty drinks.

bar lounge menu contactabouteventsb a r l o u n g e+

rifecta t

live for today, plan for tomorrow,party tonight. with us.live for today, plan for tomorrow,party tonight. with us.

in downtown chicagoin downtown chicago

bar lounge menu contactabouteventsb a r l o u n g e+

rifecta t

barbar

Trifecta Bar + Lounge is the perfect place to enjoy watching a skilled bartender practice their craft with the highest quality ingredients. It’s also great for an after work drink or quiet date. Located in Chicago in an area heavily dominated by sports bars, it serves as a needed hip, quasi-dive bar with class, neighboring water hole. The constant experimentation and ever-changing drink menu keeps guests coming back. They also recently added a superb and selective bar food menu to pair with their drinks.

FULL DRINK MENU

our bartendersAll of our bartenders are TIPS certified. Additionally, our bartenders are well-versed in current cocktail practices

and strongly believe in the art of fresh mixology.

Matt is a skilled bartender born and raised

in Chicago. His love of experimenting with the

drink menu has made Trifecta a place everyone

wants to come back to.

Eric is a Southern boy who loves his cat,

photography, Levis, Breaking Bad and wet t-shirt contests. Eric's

dislikes include anchovy stuffed olives and spiders.

Krystal is most known for her charming personality

and "just having a way" with our customers. She is

a skilled artist when it comes to creating tasty

drinks.

bar lounge menu contactabouteventsb a r l o u n g e+

rifecta t

our drinksHALANI COCKTAILBourbon, lemon,

orange, pineapple, and grenadine

DUVEL SINGLE, BELGIUM

Mildly hoppy with herbal aromas.

CELEBRATIONPyrat XO rum, grape fruit, Tanqueray 10 &

Groseille syrup

SASSARIGin, Campari,

vermouth, Coco Lopez and lime

DESIGN COMP VARIATIONSDESIGN COMP VARIATIONS

live for today, plan for tomorrow,party tonight. with us.

in downtown chicago

bar lounge menu contactabouteventsb a r l o u n g e+

rifecta t

barbar

Trifecta Bar + Lounge is the perfect place to enjoy watching a skilled bartender practice their craft with the highest quality ingredients. It’s also great for an after work drink or quiet date. Located in Chicago in an area heavily dominated by sports bars, it serves as a needed hip, quasi-dive bar with class, neighboring water hole. The constant experimentation and ever-changing drink menu keeps guests coming back. They also recently added a superb and selective bar food menu to pair with their drinks.

FULL DRINK MENU >

our bartendersAll of our bartenders are TIPS certified. Additionally, our bartenders are well-versed in current cocktail practices

and strongly believe in the art of fresh mixology.

Matt is a skilled bartender born and

raised in Chicago. His love of experimenting

with the drink menu has made Trifecta a place

everyone wants to come back to.

Eric is a Southern boy who loves his cat,

photography, Levis, Breaking Bad and wet t-shirt contests. Eric's

dislikes include anchovy stuffed olives and

spiders.

Krystal is most known for her charming personality

and "just having a way" with our customers. She is a skilled artist when it

comes to creating tasty drinks.

our drinksHALANI COCKTAILBourbon, lemon,

orange, pineapple, and grenadine

DUVEL SINGLE, BELGIUM

Mildly hoppy with herbal aromas.

CELEBRATIONPyrat XO rum, grape fruit, Tanqueray 10 &

Groseille syrup

SASSARIGin, Campari,

vermouth, Coco Lopez and lime

bar lounge menu contactabouteventsb a r l o u n g e+

rifecta t

FINAL DESIGN COMPFINAL DESIGN COMP

http://myweb.students.wwu.edu/~smiths73/dsgn360/project-1/

http://myweb.students.wwu.edu/~smiths73/dsgn360/project-1/