Website Research : Peter Zumthor and Tadao Ando

I will research two websites, compare them, and contrast them while we build our own website. I will take into account the general design, colors, and font, navigation, accessibility, links, and mobile view in order to better learn how to build my own website.

I will be looking at Peter Zumthor and Tadao Ando as these are the two architects I will be doing further research in detailed as it will be fascinating to see how their work is presented in their individual website. These architects website are controlled by a foundation yet they can be compared based on the review of their architecture pieces. 

I will start looking at Peter Zumthor's website and see the homepage below;

Although there doesn't appear to be a menu, there are buttons on the homepage that can be clicked to view the different sections of his website. I find the homepage to be quite crowded. Parts of the artist's works surround the page because of the layout and design's order. The homepage is covered by the buttons that lead to the sections. The artist's name is nicely formatted in a sans serif font in black so that it stands out against the busy backdrop. The font is rounded and is very easy to read. Again, the black titles on the buttons contrast nicely with the light grey background.

I now accessed the artworks section to see the artists' works; kindly refer to this page's design;

It is apparent that the page has a light grey background, and the menu for the artist's projects, map, and about this site are located on the right-hand upper side of the page. These menu items use black titled buttons to match the homepage. With a title, date, and an informative and well-written introduction to the artist work, it is simple to click into the works that appear big when clicked.

On this website, there is a map of Zumthor's project. This is beneficial because the viewer can clearly understand the artist and his work as they are located throughout Europe in various nations.

I will look at the contact page, which essentially contains both the About this site and the contact information, is the last page. It has a clear, straightforward design with black text in a consistent sans serif typeface against a light grey background. Although the foundation managing the website's email addresses and support links are included on this page, it would have been more user-friendly to add these as icons since many people wouldn't immediately click to this page, copy the links, and then click them. Since this website is an unofficial collection of works by the famous Swiss architect Peter Zumthor, the copyright is not included on this page.

Finally, I looked at Zumthor's website on my smartphone's mobile display. The artworks are easy to click into and are clearly defined as you scroll through the work, but there are still no social links appearing as icons, and this really is a mistake here as this would establish a clearer presence online of the artist and also the copyright is not there. I believe this website works better and is laid out better for mobile as it has a menu button on the homepage with clear links to every page.

I'll now talk about Tadao Ando's website, which is truly the Tadao Ando Architect & Associates website where his work is displayed.

On the right side of the screen, the homepage of this website features a picture of Ando with a navigation menu above it in white sans serif text against a dark grey background. The homepage is user-friendly, functional, and straightforward. The entire Ando website is only available in Japanese, so before conducting my research, I had to use software to translate the website into English so that I could comprehend everything. The user can click on the clear square image boxes containing the news and the movie to learn more information. The copyright notification is located in the footer of every page.

I then looked at Tadao Ando's profile because it will be very helpful when I think about writing my own about me page for my own website. The biography is easy to read, clear, and informative, and it includes a reasonably thorough summary of Ando's accomplishments. There is a picture of him for the page, and it functions really well as a biography page.

Next to his projects, I click and this is simple to use, and each picture has a title that explains the factors he takes into account when creating an architectural piece. The menu and the name of the artist are set against a dark grey background on each page, maintaining the sites' consistency and usability.

There was no contact page on Tadao Ando's website as a result, their work would not be able to promoted and advertised on a larger, global stage. The website's mobile view is excellent; it maintains consistency and looks very similar to the desktop version while also being clear to use.

Comparing the two websites, it appears that the Peter Zumthor site is more mobile-friendly and functions better on mobile devices. However, the website can appear a little busy on the homepage, and you may find yourself clicking on buttons without being entirely sure if they are what you want before returning to the homepage. The Ando website is disorganised, consistent, and highly ordered. Both sites' social media platforms could be greatly improved, and this could be done by increasing and promoting it so that these artists can truly spread the word about their work. Zumthor's makes it simpler to select and view the information and work for both artists, but it's possible that the site could be more engaging and feature more events. For instance, the artist could have made note of their artwork exhibitions and taken the contact page more seriously. Looking at these overall makes me realise that I need a centre way between the two, something that is organised but exciting, current news and events on the homepage, and a variety of social media that truly contribute and enhance content and connectivity to the audience.

References

Bjorkan, T. (no date) Built projects by Peter Zumthor, Peter Zumthor - projects. Available at: https://zumthor.org/ (Accessed: February 27, 2023).

(2011) 安藤忠雄建築研究所 Tadao Ando. Available at: http://www.tadao-ando.com/ (Accessed: February 27, 2023).