Architecture Insights

March 5, 20100 Comments Tagged: board of architects, insights, nsw, Website

Architecture Insight is a new website from the NSW Architects Registration Board. The goal of the website is to "... promote a better understanding of architectural issues in the community by connecting the public, students, architects and others with information about architecture and associated events."

First up - I think this is a great site to have created and released, in terms of concept and content. It is great to see an organisational body pushing for discussion, and an understanding of the wider issues related to architecture. The range of articles and events is really great, and I would highly recommend taking a look.

Now, on to the design. The site was put together by Digital Eskimo and they have done a fantastic job.
The whole site is set on a lovely simple grid, giving it a clean and clear look. In fact the whole aesthetic is quite clean and simple, but in a way that is elegant rather than underdone.

The headings, set in Georgia, give the site an authoritative feel without feeling too overbearing or outdated. Greys are predominantly used, which allow black to be used as a highlighting colour, along with a crimson red. Great care has been taken with the typography, resulting in pages that are pleasant and easy to read. The whole site has a quite sophisticated feel due to the refined typography.

Large images are used throughout to punctuate events and articles. A single large image tends to be relied on rather than a number of smaller images. This allows for greater impact, and keeps the layout clean.

I love this design, it has to be said. This is an example of an aesthetic that works really well for architecture related sites. They stay mostly out of the way, and let the content and work speak for themselves. I think it would be great if more practices took this approach to their site rather than crazy flash behemoths that are hard to find your way around. This is the way it SHOULD be.