2nd Ancillary task: Research and planning a website

I researched into a number of different band websites before beginning my own, particularly focusing on ones in which bands are similar to Delphic themselves. These included, the Klaxons website, the Prodigy and the Courteeners, all of which made use of a black background with white writing. The majority of the sites i looked at kept it simple with little information, focusing on the tour dates of the band as being the most important and obvious information. Most sites also included a style of posts in which the members of the band post themselves, keeping the fans updated in this way, with whatever they wish to inform them with. Although i thought that this was a successful element to include on a website, the one i am creating will be from myself and not the band members themselves, which will prevent me from achieving this. However, i will ensure tour dates are made obvious and the style and success of the band is portrayed, along with including the songs and images of them to allow some interaction to some extent and advertise Delphic efficiently. A comment box will be included in aim of making up for there being no posts from the members of the band, allowing for conversations between fans to take place. Although i found the websites all used black and white colours, i wanted to deviate away from this, looking to make the website noticeable, appealing and unique. I chose to create my website using a piece of software named Moonfruit, after working with this programme and learning what it was able to do, i then went on to design my desired website. I aimed to create a website to educate and promote the Band Delphic to new audiences and fans, rather than those which already existed. Because of this, i chose not to go into to much depth about the band members themselves, as when attracting new audiences, it is important that they are constantly entertained and not overloaded with information. As well as included a page named 'about the band' i also wished to add one or two 'music' pages, depending on how much i was able to fit on to one page, knowing i was using a limited web designing software. I will also add a 'pictures' page, a 'tours' page and a 'contact information' page. There will be a home page used to introduce the sight, which will then take you to the following pages with the use of a link. Once on these pages there will be a menu allowing the audience to navigate between the pages easily. Here is a diagram below, showing the aim at which i wanted these pages to connect with one another and what i wish to be included. I chose the most interesting information to include on the sight, alone with some quotations spoken by the band members themselves. This will give viewers an in site into the band members personalities and exaggerate the closeness they are at with them, making the sight much more personal. The pictures page will be used simply as a gallery, including many photographs which have previously been taken of the band, whether this be of them at tours, gigs or ones of them when they are not working, this helps promote the singers, along with showing their fame and adding some importance to the band. This page could also be used as a method of voyeurism, if relating to Goodwin's Theory. The music and tour dates present on this website are the most important features as this is what is aimed at being sold and downloaded, increasing the popularity of Delphic. Including the videos here will also make them more recognisable, providing a further way of accessing them, along with the other types of media which are used. The lyrics will be included to each of the songs, allowing the audiences to sing along, this will increase the enjoyment of the song, allowing them to interact and feel involved. I chose to add the contact details of how to get in touch with Delphic as having tried to reach them previously, i had real difficulty in finding a way to achieve this. Therefore, including this information will ensure my website is helpful within this scenario. I will also add my own email address, as choosing to base my A2 Media on this band, i found i have learnt an awful lot about them, meaning i may be able to help with some of their audiences questions. A comment box will also be included somewhere on the site, allowing visitors to write and leave openly what they wished. After deciding what will be included within the website, i then had to consider the layout and overall look of the site, as making it look appealing is just as important as what is included, in my belief. Creating a dull, miserable and overloading looking website could cause viewers to loose interest almost immediately, which would make the site seemingly pointless. After much consideration, i chose to use the colour scheme of orange and green, believing that these were somewhat 'indie' looking colours and helped make the pages look unique, deviating away from colours typical of web designs. Although there is a page specifically there to show images of the band, i will include pictures throughout, ensuring all the pages look interesting. However, i will go for a more artistic look here, showing only one picture of the band on each page but perhaps showing more than one of that picture. This also relates to the video we are creating for the band, which uses a lot of repetitive techniques, both in which fit with the beet of the song i am focusing on, showing elements of hidden meanings within the site.