Kingston City: The Soul of Jamaica
Before Kingston, Jamaica, there was Port Royal, the pirate stronghold of the English empire that was known as the “Wickedest City on Earth”. A devastating earthquake sunk a third of the city and its inhabitants in 1692. This design project will draw on elements of Port Royal to highlight the tenacity, the restless ambitions and bold energy of today’s Kingston.
Project Scope and Rationale
The project will celebrate Kingston’s authenticity, providing a unique perspective on the spirit of the city. The design is meant to attract like-minded sojourners, irrespective of age, race or income, that are interested in experiencing the culture of the destination.
Design Inception Worksheet
Moodboard
It was challenging to find quality photos that captures the essence of the project. My objective was to identify rustic and eclectic images that were enchanting but not nefarious.
The design inception wheel provided a solid point of reference throughout the research. I avoided the ubiquitous “sun, sand and sea” theme that is synonymous with island destination. However, some oceanic visual was critical to connect the story of Port Royal. Interestingly, it was the portraits of the people that resonated the most.
Style Guide
Colour Scheme
Using a complementary scheme, I played with red/green combination to create sharp contrast. These colours best convey the vibrancy of the culture and the inherent tension in the narrative of Kingston city. Other accent colours and shades were select to enhance the design.
Typography
Rockwell and Roboto pairing were chosen due to the contrasting personas of these two fonts.
Logo
The logo was designed in Adobe Photoshop. The grungy mask on the typeface gives the logo an edginess reminiscent of Kingston City and Port Royal of old.
Buttons and Icons
A combination of ghost buttons, solid colours and navigation icons with nautical feel compliments the overarching theme of the site. Colours are used to signify the success or failure of when a CTA was pressed.
Wireframes
I created a minimalist responsive layout for laptop, tablet and mobile to ensure a contemporary look and legibility, given the bright colour scheme and bold text.
Project Design
The project showcases Kingston City as a destination for kindred spirits. A grey background elegantly pulls the contrasting elements together and the simplicity of the layout enhances the user’s experience. See breakpoints for mobile, tablet and laptop outlined, respectively.
Now that I have ceative direction, I will continue to design the other pages of this website, applying the UI principles learned in the course. Please review the prototype at the link below. https://www.figma.com/file/aDk2WsrWpSIIpTABF4piEQxj/Untitled?node-id=0%3A1
