For my first peer review, I was asked to review the development of fellow classmates. Specifically to review the development of the digital, published ‘self.’
I dawn a mining helmet and descend into the mysterious depths of Emerson Steer’s
What does a first glance suggest?
Emerson’s site is a self-reflective space about art and personal experience. Its aesthetics are minimal yet give a coherent impression of fun, art, and friendships, all clarified through a moodiness reminiscent of the late 90s–early 00s LiveJournal. The landing page image is an analogue picture of Emerson at night in the rain. The noise of the picture gives the viewer an impression of something raw, blemished, and perhaps more real than a typical ‘filtered’ experience with other content.
The about section guides us with a poem, which supports the first impressions I receive, plus a little more:
dripowensonline is a multimedia experience
dripowensonline is a way to get away from it all
dripowensonline is the cherry on top of the cake
dripowensonline is getting rejected for a loan
dripowensonline is finding $20 on the ground
dripowensonline is hitting a deer with your car
dripowensonline is the next big thing
dripowensonline is anything, and everything, you want it to beSo come stay a while.
It’s a little this, a little that. It’s whatever you want it to be—whatever you need it to be. You are meant to justify it rather than it justifying itself to you. It’s a coy and cool approach but strategic because the ambiguity allows for exploring different styles and methods. So far, the aesthetics and content are working together, and Emerson appears to be on brand with his self-portrayal. I don’t have any specific suggestions at this time. There are some design thoughts I have, but I believe I’m meant to save my design critique for the next round of reviews.
I will say one thing, because I just can’t help myself. I like the monotype font for headers/nav and as a display font. It isn’t exactly beautiful, but that’s part of the charm. It subverts the expectation for something flashy that is usually associated with a display font. I think there is a delightful irony in subverting the viewer’s expectations. However, I am not a fan of the monotype used for paragraph text. The reason is that the longer the string of words, the harder it becomes to read. I would recommend more than one font for Emerson’s blog.
Overall, I think the progress is great over on Emerson’s blog. I plan on following his lead by adding more pictures to give my own blog a more personal touch.
