Updatable spaces
Iron Design created
this site, www.ithaca-apartments.com, to
showcase a property
management
company’s residential
offerings. A Flash
presentation on the
home page makes a
splash, but since the
site is largely HTML,
key elements are easy
to update without disrupting
the rest.
One wayfinding
Within the site are
seven subsites, each
for a different apartment
location. Color
shifts in the left-hand
navigation bar signal
that the visitor has
entered a subsite for
a new location. But
consistent navigation
on every page makes
the various locations
easy to explore. “Our
primary goal is simple,
clean functionality,”
says Iron Design’s
creative director
Todd Edmonds.
Photo Galleries
A photo gallery for
each apartment location
gives potential
residents a virtual
tour of the property.
Clicking on any of
the photos opens a
pop-up window with
a slide show function.
Photo size formats
vary, making the galleries
easier to update.
Type
Iron Design selected a
classic web typeface,
Verdana, for body
text and the lesserknown
Plastizid for
headlines and display
applications. Because
of their dissimilarity,
the two sans serifs
work well together.
Plastizid is available at
www.t26.com.
Colors
The site’s web-safe
colors are warm and
inviting, as might
be found in interior
design. They reflect
the concept of spacious
living.
About the author Michelle Taute is a freelance writer and editor in Cincinnati who specializes in design topics.
Type
Colors
