Article research

​https://onmilwaukee.com/
A lotta white space, simple header. Simple playful typeface and logo in primary colors. Easy to use single bar menu. Large image advertising top story of the day. Wrap around ribbons help select stories pop from the page, by breaking the uniform border. This ribbon helps to add dimension to what seems like a fairly flat page. Not sure of the purpose of such a large side margin but with the large number of articles per page, combined with the mass of white space, it feels like scrolling through advertisements. I suppose this simple layout may be convenient for a casual reader. As a new viewer it doesn’t feel engaging. Part of the excessive and irregular negative space seems to be from an attempt to maintain a grid system, while compromising with varying article preview sizes. The page ends with a large colorful collage of Milwaukee icons. This footer is the best part of the page, and probably the least seen.
 
https://urbanmilwaukee.com/
This site remedies some of the previous ailments my reducing the side margin size and adhering to a formula for article previews. The implementation of hierarchy follows this simple formula as well, with a dominant main story, followed by subdominant, and finally submissive articles. Unfortunately, the size change is the only technique implemented to achieve this, and thus leaves the page lacking any visual interest. Finally, it’s a shame that the publications own title is submissive to an advertisement placed in the header.
 
https://shepherdexpress.com/#/questions/
Simple and recognizable header and menu. Although black and white, it seems to stand out more than the others. Possibly the care put into the logo design, placement and sizing. They do not rely on a color to do that work for them. Meaningful and contained advertisements precede the articles in a way that isn’t imposing. Starts with large window, that cycles biggest stories. I think this is a nice way to prevent clutter. Secondary articles are vertical along the side of main articles. This flows nicely and presents a lot of information in an easy to digest manner. There is a sub menu that intersects the page in a clean and decisive manner. This makes it easy to move between segments of the page. This is like a visual “click” to change slides, but with the benefit of a continuous flow. This is followed by a change in format to a grid of evenly sized article previews. In this format it is understood that the reader has moved on and would like to sift the miscellaneous section for something of their own personal interest. The page goes begin to fall apart the further down you go. Preview sizes, advertisements, and other bits of information become inconstant and seemingly “slapped” onto the page.
 
https://milwaukeenns.org/
Very clean and organized layout. Purposeful use of brand color throughout the page. Informative footer. The use of a grey margin space prevents a feeling of empty space. The contrast brings out it’s function as a border as well as keeps a focal point on the articles. This seems to be the most successful at hierarchy and organization without losing visual interest.