Intentions
We wanted to create a website for Sonia Cheadle that reflected the craft of her work, and brought her gorgeous creations to life, while conveying their unique character with a compelling and refined design. During research, we realised how crucial lighting was to the perception of the works, and started thinking about ways to integrate some sort of interactive lighting into the site, without compromising the luxury of the pieces themselves.
Execution
I realised that it was possible to create a radial gradient that followed the user’s mouse, and once the jewellery cutouts were placed over this, a subtle illusion of light moving across its surface emerged. We wanted the navigation to feel heightened and opulent, and this was achieved through the reduction of excess. For this reason, there is no traditional menu, and all links are incorporated into body text. Neuzeit was used for all type for its refined character. On many of the pages, users can click through a carousel of various works, though this is suggested with indistinct hairline arrows that emerge when the mouse moves to certain areas of the page. These change to navigational numbers when clicked to improve the accessibility of the site, and reduce repetition for viewers. The website is greyscale, to heighten the delicate colours of the works, and there are gradations in background and text shades between pages to provide novelty and emphasise certain works.