Responses by AVA Digital.
Background: AVA SRG is an educational project on digital art and design from us here at AVA Digital. In the few years of its existence, its scale has grown; we have improved the program and developed a systematic approach to learning. The old site was imbued with the rebellious spirit of AVA, but it lacked important information for students. The positioning has also changed: we have moved from a pure wow effect to a more serious approach that emphasizes the value of learning. We created a new design that combines expertise with the punk atmosphere of AVA Digital.
Design core: The design is based on the hand in the SRG logo. The inverted R resembles the peace gesture—we decided to develop this idea and make gestures the main visual image of the site. The gestures supplement the content: they talk about the progress of their studies, introduce the teachers and boast about the students’ cases. This supplementation helped to personalize the training regimen and build trust in the team’s expertise. We did not forget about the spirit of SRG in small things: we animated the logo when scrolling; revived the curators’ photos; and added cursor coordinates, as on the layout.
Favorite details: The gesture with which SRG greets is peace, referring to the inverted R on the logo. The 3-D model of the hand has become a visual guide throughout the site. She interacts with different screens in a unique way: she puts her fingers into the “goat horns” symbol like heavy metal fans, demonstrates the logos of contests and counts the stages of training—and, of course, she shows someone the middle finger.
The hand never remains static. It rotates following the movements of the cursor, changes position and shows off different hand signs. It was not easy to make the hand lifelike: four people were involved in the development and animation, who eventually managed to make the hand obey.
We combined boldness and rigor in the design. The interactive hand and a user-friendly menu on each screen support visual unity. The projects section was moved to the very center. This is how we show what we are most proud of: our students and their work.
We collected and structured all the information useful for the future student: we talked about the team, described the stages of training and answered questions of concern. This shows SRG as a serious project with reviews, awards and case studies.
Navigation structure: A website for designers cannot do without cool solutions. Where, if not here, could we demonstrate our skills? We have added several Easter eggs: for example, the SRG logo is constantly reassembled when scrolling, and the letters are rearranged. This metaphor reflects the transformation of our students during their studies. The cursor coordinates around the perimeter of the site help the visitor feel like a designer.
In addition, we used nonclassical navigation. The menu on the site is not fixed in the header but exists as an independent element right in the center of the screen.
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