Abby's Comments

SVA:
Pros:
I like that they integrate the student work right on the undergraduate “department” pages.
I like the About SVA section because it shows the interaction between the city, the school, the faculty and the staff.
Cons:
The front page is too busy; I like the idea of the background but when you combine it with the changing images it becomes too much.
Their portfolio guide, for example, are a little wordy; even the shorter version of the guide is hard to take in at once.
The whole site is wordy, when you get down to it.
It is easy to navigate but there is a lot of info so if you’re just browsing it can be overwhelming.

MassArt:
Pros:
Easy navigation at the top and bottom of the page
The online “campus tour”
Extensive faculty bios by each major
Their news page is actually relevant!
Cons:
I just don’t like their website design overall. The text is too small, the entire right hand side of the page is not being utilized, it’s too text heavy.
The online campus tour is a good idea but the actual video is cheesy!

SMFA
Pros:
Clean and easy to use navigation
Seems to have content that is updated frequently
Three different galleries of work to choose from
Cons:
A little boring.

RISD
Pros:
Their student videos are fantastic because they give a wide variety of viewpoints.
Overall it is easy to navigate but still text heavy.
Their student profiles.
Cons:
Their main navigation, with the floating links, is irritating.

Pratt:
Pro: They have student galleries.
They do a good job of matching the language on the site with their target audience.
Con: Ugly!
Their navigation doesn’t really work for me, doesn’t seem easy to use and I had a hard time finding certain information.
Not easy to use and not very attractive, including the galleries.

Parsons
Pro:
Navigation is easy to use
Their perspective student’s page is nice and would be very helpful to a visiting or interested student.
Con:
The design seems a little dated, a bit boring.

SCAD:
Pro: The first impression of this site was positive … until the image changed to something ugly.
The least amount of text on the sites I’ve seen so far which makes it easy to read and navigate.
Cons:
Too many options might be overwhelming to prospective students who just want to request a catalog, etc.

Montserrat
In general it has a dated design and isn’t engaging.
The information is clear and easy to read, on the portfolio page, for example.