Web Design Critique #48: Klokkerent
Every week we take a look at a new website and analyze the design. We’ll point out both the areas that are done well in addition to those that could use some work. Finally, we’ll finish by asking you to provide your own feedback.
Today’s site is Klokkerent, a company that sells some awesomely designed watches and sunglasses.
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About Klokkerent
A webstore that sells unique designer watches. Handpicked designer watches of the highest quality.
Here is a screenshot of the homepage:
Initial Impression
Klokkerent obviously has a strong focus on minimal watch design. These aren’t your typical Wal-Mart timepieces but rather high end fashion items. As you can see from the image above, the overall theme for the watch designs is mirrored in the website design. Here we see strong use of minimalist trends in graphics, layout and typography.
My initial impression is very positive. The products being sold on this site almost demand a certain design style and I think they’ve nailed it. If it weren’t well done, the site would feel cheap and plain, but instead it feels classy and sophisticated. Let’s jump in and see what we think of some of the different sections.
Headline
The main graphic on the homepage is a great-looking photo of a watch with the headline below. Here we see all caps Alternate Gothic with a nice mix of colors. The effect gives that sort of Swiss feel that is of course perfect for this site.
There’s another nice touch here as well. Notice the big graphic to the left of the headline. This shape mirrors the second “K” from the Klokkerent logo, a textbook example of the use of repetition in design. It also has the fortunate side effect of looking like an arrow and directing your attention to the navigation on the left.
Navigation
The left side of the page is occupied by one long vertical navigation column that pretty much gets you to every page on the site. The typography is equally attractive here and the links have a nice hover effect.
One thing I’d like to see here is a little more differentiation in the size of the type. For instance, the “Watches” header is the same size as the names of the watches within that section. I’d recommend doubling the size of the headers so that the long column of text isn’t so monotonous.
Product Pages
The place where I think this site really shines is on individual product pages. These areas are gorgeous and feature huge product photos next to a strong, left-aligned block of content. The design here really highlights the products in a big and effective way.
One thing that I would suggest here is to revisit the little arrows that allow you to go to the next and previous product. I really like this functionality, it makes for a good way to browse the products. However, I don’t think that it’s getting the attention it deserves with the controls so tiny and hidden over there on the right.
Browsing the Products
Near the bottom of the navigation there’s a link that takes you to a page containing either all of the watches or all of the sunglasses. I have mixed feelings about the design here. Aesthetically, it’s beautiful. The presentation of the watches with the text on top is just great.
However, I’m really not a fan of the single column that scrolls for days. This format just doesn’t feel very user-friendly and could perhaps be more effective if the watches were in more of a grid. Even just a double column would make for less scrolling. Interestingly enough, a horizontal scroll might work well here too. Normally I never recommend horizontal scrolling but the space just really feels like it would fit here.
Closing Thoughts
Overall, the changes I suggested above are fairly minor tweaks and not at all representative of large-scale conceptual shifts for the design. I think the designer behind this site did a really great job of translating the look of the watches to a flat page. Great work!
Your Turn!
Now that you’ve read my comments, pitch in and help out by giving the designer some further advice. Let us know what you think is great about the design and what you think could be stronger. As always, we ask that you also be respectful of the site’s designer and offer clear constructive advice void of any harsh insults.