centrepompidou



__**INTRODUCTION**__

This is the website for the Centre national d'art et de culture Georges Pompidou or Centre Pompidou for short. Open since 1977, Le Centre Pompidou is a unique cultural institution in Paris that focuses on contemporary and modern creation. It is a special building where exhibits of visual arts can take place beside theatre, music, cinema, literature and the spoken word; it also houses important museums, a reference library, cinemas, research facilities, cafes, and space open for public use.

Potential Audiences: Local visitors, international tourists, potential clients, and general public.

__**INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE**__

The website makes use of two navigation bars: one is the traditional stationary bar to the left with submenus; the second uses roll-over headings and "fancy" animation of floating stars.
 * Navigation**



The content does not operate under a strict grid system, and suffers from an overflow of text and space which results in excessive scrolling. Space for text and image is not specifically designated so there is a lack of consistency from page to page.
 * Content Structure**



__**VISUAL DESIGN**__

The website has two very distinct visual treatments for the intro page for the 30th anniversary of the institution and the index page. The anniversary page uses dark, moody colours complemented with high quality photography of the building and featured exhibits. The use of these colours and photography feels cinematic and uncluttered. The typography used is a clean sans serif, and the size of the letters suits the composition of the page well.

The index page is very bright and airy compared to the introduction page; it pairs acid green and bars of rainbow with mostly text and a few images. The typography is a clean sans serif which complements the colour scheme well but the letter size is a bit too small for the body text. It also suffers from a lack of distinct hierarchy, so that the exhibits highlighted for the month are difficult to distinguish.




 * __USABILITY__**


 * Accessibility:** This website is not totally accessible on all computers because it makes use of flash player and java attachments.


 * Effectiveness:** The rainbow colours, lack of grid system, and indistinct hierarchy make the website less effective because it appears amateur and difficult to read at times. The animated navigation bar at the bottom also does not improve usability because it does not offer anything different than the sidebar on the left.

__**REVIEW**__

I think the visual design of the website is experimental and bold, which suits the Centre Pompidou very well, as it is known for its unique architecture and forms. However, I have a few problems with its functionality and usability which detracts from the overall appeal of the website. The agenda is organized based on day, month, and upcoming exhibits but does not have strong hierarchy, so it is difficult to know distinguish one day from the next. I have a problem with the bottom navigation bar because I think it was created more for visual appeal than for usability since it offers the same thing as the sidebar, and the animation makes it less accessible for users. I think the website could be improved with greater use of grids which can help organize the information more clearly, provide more unity from page to page, and reduce the excessive amount of scrolling due to content overflow.

__**RESOURCE**__

http://www.centrepompidou.fr/home30ans/index.html