Uganda and good web design
A couple of days ago I was searching the web for ideas to help me create a logo for this site. Logo design is an important part of branding, and I want to make sure I get it right, or at the very least, not wrong.
I noticed that there are a lot of great sites out there that cater to Ugandans, both in the diaspora and back home. But none of them struck me as having what I would call great design. All the well-known news sites have great content but disenchanting layouts : New Vision, Monitor, The Observer. The pop culture sites are not much better: Music Uganda, UGPulse. These are all good sites, but not for design.
I will be the first to admit that innovative design is hard to create (this site will not win any design awards—not this year anyway) particularly if you are constantly immersed in cookie-cutter creations. But the web is an open space with lots of great examples in web and print designs; cultural isolation is a poor excuse for what we see out there. So if you see a great website designed in Uganda or by a Ugandan, or if you just have an opinion to share on this matter, post a comment.
For this site, I will be trying to create a look that is bold in its departure from the usual trends in Ugandan web designs (boxed logos with tons of black) and subtle in its identification with and celebration of Uganda. So no flags, no red, yellow, and black motifs, and no maps.
Reader comments
The Future of Web Design conference was held in New York this week, and featured some great speakers. Conferences of this nature are a valuable resource in learning about the latest trends and cliches in web design.
My friend Sameer Vasta attended the first day of the conference and summarized the key issues addressed by each speaker in a post on his blog.
The first thing that attracks visitors' attention browsing new web site is to create a perfect logo.
Hey, cool blog.
I have a possible candidate for you but they're not a social site or anything. Check it out www.ikandy.co.ug
It seems you have a thing about logos. Well i like the way these guys did their thing. It's bold, clean plus the reflection is a nice touch.
That is a nice site. I wonder though, if they can reallyback up the claim that they " offer an unmatched international service". Really? Really, really?
Copy is just as important as design.
Here is another candidate for you. I'm sure by now you have something up but its always good to have options available. The company is called VINAJ Websites Ltd. We are based in Uganda. We do logo and Identity design, website design and development... among other things. Take a look at the website http://www.vinajwebsites.com
You can always request for a sample so that you have an idea of what we are capable of. Cheers
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