I am very pleased with how my website came out as it is something I have never done or been interested in before. I thought I'd try a new design style for the website too and tried to make it more appealing and accessible to a wide audience by using more conventional computer generated design and digital photography.
This project was good for me as it took me out of my comfort zone. I'd usually avoid using programs such as Photoshop, Illustrator and Dreamweaver and lean more towards manual techniques and lo-fi techniques such as drawing and collaging. I think it was useful because I now have a basic knowledge in all these programs and go back to use them in future projects if I so wish. The video aspect was very helpful for me as it is an area that I've very much been looking forward to experimenting in for a while now, now with my basic knowledge of filming and video and sound editing I feel confident that I can do more video work in the future.
Because I changed the topic of my website fairly late on, I was originally doing it about vinyl records, the videos we shot in the sound booths were no use to me. I probably shouldn't have changed my mind so late on in the project because it meant that I had to redesign my website which didn't leave time to re-record videos which I feel effected my video as it would have made a much greater impact with people's personal opinions in the video.
I enjoyed researching the future of guitars as it is a topic I am very interested in and I could get a fair few ideas from different people because I post on a couple of guitar forums, Shortscale.org and Offsetguitars.com, and many people were willing to send me links and information about different types of guitars and their opinions. It was mostly these forums that encouraged me to write the 'Back to Basics' page. My only issue with this topic is that there wasn't that much information I could find about the future of the guitar and many searches often led to the same sources. It was difficult to theories on the guitar to support or challenge my arguments.
Overall I am pleased with my website and think it looks pretty professional for a first attempt at a website and although the video had no voiceovers or interviews I think that it still promoted the electric guitar. I don't think I will use websites to communicate ideas in the future as I don't feel comfortable with it and would much rather make a book or fanzine.
