keeping it interesting
ux
Six people sitting at a large conference table, discussing at length the size, color and degree to which the corners are rounded of a button. They are informed by their past experience and also the results of surveys and tests where the various options have been alternated and the likelihood that the button will be clicked has been measured. The surveys have also been conducted in person with small groups as well as online with larger groups. The measurements include demographic information about the respondents. Branding must be respected. But so must be the speculated behavior of the twenty fictional personas created by the team. It seems a bit absurd. But it is important because dollars are at stake. Ads have been designed and placed on numerous platforms to attract people, who most closely match the most promising personas, to the button. The process is scientific. It is pure, efficient and straightforward.
The larger the resources of the company, individual or non-profit responsible for the button, the more data is available, and the more reliable the results will be. In general the more simple the process, with the least ornamentation and distraction, bringing the person through the site to the button, the more likely it will be clicked. The problem is that while this benefits the entity's business metrics and the productivity of the targeted people, it is now ubiquitous, and it is boring. UX (user experience) has to be part of the strategy. It just works. But it can't be all of the strategy. Finding the right balance between UX and art-directed content provides a more satisfactory, unique and genuine experience.
art direction
Art direction can mean a lot of different things, it is a Madmen-era term for the artsy half of the strictly hierarchical creative team. More recently it is the herding of the cats, keeping everyone on the same creative page. To me it is the counterbalance to strict user experience. It is pushing the boundaries with surprise, creativity, and risk. It distracts, draws attention to itself, all while subtly maintaining message, and consistent with, or establishing brand. It is all of the details that people rarely notice that they have noticed. It is mood, genre, a place in time.
Art directed content in conjunction with ux finds that sweet spot on the frontier between pure functionality and artistic expression. It isn't boring but it isn't a barrier to accomplishing the goals of the project.
Several highly-detailed illustrations based on unsplash photographs, curious typography, minimal javascript, and home-made background textures, incorporating other subtle illustrations. Animated, all work together to create interest and a more vibrant experience.