Complex vs. Simple Layout
US Casino Site
- 777 Casino
The home page is dominated by a widescreen image of the Las Vegas cityscape. The web user’s point of view is that of someone on the Nevada road driving toward the city. The foreground is dominated by a barren desert, forcing the viewer’s eye to be drawn to a billboard. The billboard contains a cartoon Cleopatra waving a racing flag with a roulette wheel behind her. The border of the billboard is half a golden octagon, its edges gleaming with reflected sunlight. It is a gorgeous image that reflects the sense of glamour the company wants to convey.
Two speed racers are facing off against each other in the immediate foreground. They are blurred, keeping the viewer focused on the billboard. This elicits a sense of excitement from the action while still keeping primary focus on the golden billboard. A reader will have their eye move from left to right. Because of this the graphic designer has put the most important text (to be read first) on the left side of the frame. In this case the text is the company logo and an award for “BEST ONLINE CASINO OF THE YEAR 2015”.
In the very middle of the homepage is an ever increasing figure (in the millions) informing the user of the potential jackpot wins. Directly below this is a button in pink that allows the user to “JOIN NOW”. The entire page is very effective at establishing that the site is Las Vegas themed. The working graphic designer has used action iconography that creates excitement. The graphic design and user interface are perfectly combined thanks to the utilization of hyperlinks. All relevant information and links to casino game pages are available on this homepage. It is a useful example of how to properly create a casino homepage format and visual layout.
UK Casino Site
- NetBet
In contrast to 777 this web page design is more stripped back and simple. This does not necessarily mean it is less effective. The background color is dark and most of the text is in white. This draws the user’s eye to the logo, which is red. This technique is effective in creating brand emphasis. The lack of a colourful background image means the user is drawn to the casino game links. When designing an online casino page it is important to remember the primary purpose of the site: to get users to play the games. In this case the designer has created a simple, easy to use layout and interface. The games are presented in rows with colourful images for each game.
The images contain hyperlinks to take users to the game page. When the cursor hovers over the image it gives the user the choice to either play the demo or real version of the game. The rows of games are different sections such as “New Games”, “Most Popular” and “NetBet Selection”. Each game has its own individuality, giving users a sense of variety in their game choices. Each image is brightly shaded and look like video game covers. The page also contains a rolling banner with an airbrushed woman pointing to a deal sign.
A useful tip for graphic designers is that the human eye will follow wherever a finger points. This can be used to draw emphasis to important information the client wants to you to convey. There is also a row of hyperlinks with text in white at the top of the page. This allows users to access the different game types more easily. Simple, minimalist images are used to represent promotional deals and rewards club.