Moods in Unseen Studio

Unseen Studio is a website that features a variety of web projects. This unique, interactive site uses an array of colors, movements, textures and interactive elements to engage users. Overall, the site provides a sleek, elegant, luxurious, whimsical aesthetic and provides a sense of wonder.

Besides the interactive and audio elements of the design, the color scheme, visual effects, fonts and scenery make the user want to dive deeper into the website. The feel and ambiance of the visuals are compelling, minimalistic, clean, mysterious, trippy and slightly ominous. The user is transported into a whimsical experience.

The Mood Board

When creating my mood board for Unseen Studio, I wanted to maintain a bubbly, feminine, trippy and elegant aesthetic. To do this, I used the pastel pink and purple color scheme. I also used images to inspire a sense of movement, such as pool water and a ripple effect.

To create a majestic, mysterious feel I added a picture of a unicorn standing on it's hind legs in front of clouds. I also added bubbles to match the bubbles on the home screen, which also creates a light and bouncy feel to the site as well as clouds. The Greek inspired columns and the picture of silk are there to provide a feeling of luxury and elegance.

Not only do colors and photos add a sense of feeling and emotion to a visual, but typography also plays a big role. In fact, a Wichita State University study has shown the following fonts invoke the following emotions:

• Serif fonts were rated as “stable,” “practical,” and “mature.”
• Sans serif fonts didn’t receive any particularly positive or negative personality associations.
• Script fonts were perceived as “feminine,” “funny,” and “casual.”
• Modern fonts were categorized as “masculine,” “assertive,” and “coarse.”
• Monospaced fonts were called “dull,” “plain,” and “unimaginative.”

The Maharlika font I used in the mood board is under the serif typeface family. It is a modern, sleek, mature font that makes a good match for a luxury brand. The second font I used is Canva Sans, which is also a sleek and modern font that is easy to read.

Organizing Through the Gestalt Principles

In the article, "Using Gestalt Principles for Natural Interactions" by Carolann Bonner, the term Gestalt is defined as, "...a term used in psychology which expresses the idea that the whole of something is more important to our understanding than the individual parts."

Some of the Gestalt principles I noticed when looking at the Unseen Studio website include similarity, continuation and symmetry.

Symmetry in the context of Gestalt principles means to unify objects. On the home screen, images are reflected by water on the bottom of the screen. On the projects page, a hallway is shown with symmetrical columns on each side. This makes the page easy on the eye and gives a finished feel to the site.

Similarity is used throughout the site. Between the color scheme, textures, fonts and motion, the pattern also helps to unify the website.

Continuity is another theme I noticed is prevalent throughout the site. The ux design of scrolling through the projects in a forward motion (instead of a downward direction like most websites) provides a feeling of continuity. According to Bonnen, "The eye creates momentum as it is compelled to move through one object and continue to another." The movement in the website and the overall design makes a user wants to keep clicking through the links and explore the web page further.

The visuals on a website are the most important part of creating a webpage. Finding a theme that is captivating and matches the goal of the site will engage users. Using colors, fonts, space, imagery, motion and other effects is what can make or break a website and the mood of the brand. Simple changes to a font or color can impact the whole aesthetic of a brand and therefore change the audience's perception. It is important for all websites to have a thoughtful design that truly demonstrates the feel of the brand and convey certain emotions toward viewers.