After updating my Sortfolio entry and browsing around a bit, I noticed that thumbnails for Sortfolio listings looked a whole lot like my Google Chrome home screen. Just better. Here are some screenshots:
Sortfolio
Chrome
The 4-column layouts echo each other. There is more information in the Sortfolio thumbs, which would seem like a greater challenge for the designer.
But this section of Sortfolio still reads lighter and richer than the similar Chrome screenshot. The use of white space, shadow and rounded corners in Sortfolio’s layout creates more shape and legibility for the eye. Comparing the two, Chrome looks more like a quilt made up of tightly bordering tiles. Sortfolio’s thumbs actually read like individual objects.
At first, the two layouts seem remarkably similar. But Sortfolio’s design shows what can happen with some very subtle additions that actually serve to simplify the layout and lighten the cognitive load. Subtraction by addition.
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I likes Sortfolio! Much better name. :)
by Emily D. Crews on July 18, 2010 at 10:42 pm