Built Environment Description: Digital Environment

April 11, 2016April 11, 2016 dheitkamp1

The Atlanta Silverbacks are members of the National Premier Soccer League in the United States and hold home field matches near Spaghetti Junction and Pleasantdale Rd. They have been in existence since 1998 and are named in honor after Willie B. from the Atlanta Zoo. They reach out into the community to help foster the youth into an active and academia focused lifestyle.

Upon entering the website, I was immediately greeted with the above screenshot of smiling youth. On this scrolling image there were strategically placed links that would take you through the cycled images direct links. In general, the immediate homepage was busy in detail but it was still very easy to navigate. In a quick, swirl of the head, I was able to find information on the Silverbacks Park, Indoor League, Summer League and location of their stadium.

At the top was a row of additional drop down menus that were made up of the Atlanta Silverbacks team colors of: red, black and white. It was not frozen, so as you scrolled through the homepage, it would disappear if you traveled too low. This row had drop down information on the main pictures shown on the above screenshot; which seemed redundant. In all honesty, it was astonishing to me that the men and woman premier leagues were not the focal point of this digital environment.

After searching through the tabs above, I was able to finally navigate into the Atlanta Silverbacks Men homepage. This area was completely covered in Red and Black and consisted of a black and white frozen background image of their arena. It was very busy in nature and the running clock gearing up to the season opener was some of the smallest writing shown on the screen. Although, it’s random green color did bring it to the surface and more relevant than the multiple same color font ads and information.

All in all, I believe the digital environment lacked a sort of professionalism to its design. It seems that it could have used some direction is finding its target audience and appealing directly to them. I still am unsure of where they are intending to go from the website or who they are intending to attract. Let’s put it this way, the below Hype Video was the most fun I had and I could only find this link on YouTube.

Silverbacks Hype Video

Digital Environment – Digital Records

April 11, 2016 dheitkamp1

Digital Environment: Digital Record #1

Above is a screenshot from the home page for the Atlanta Silverbacks. Upon entering the website, you are immediately greeted with friendly faces from these kids and the ability to learn more about their after school program. They encourage kids from the Suwanee area to join their program and their want to help them exceed in academia as well as staying healthy and active. This homepage is easy to maneuver and intuitive. It gives you the idea that the Atlanta Silverbacks are community focused and an organization that appeals to the entire family.

Digital Environment: Digital Record #2

Above is the screenshot from the Atlanta Silverbacks about me page. The Atlanta Silverbacks are located near Spaghetti Junction in a multi-million dollar facility. They have a streaming photo gallery that appeals to your avid soccer fan and includes imagery from summer leagues, indoor leagues, and even kids camps. Also, it gives the ability for you to rent the field. I was shocked that going into this site it didn’t have more information in regards to the Atlanta Silverbacks football club. To reach information on their actual club teams, you must navigate through the tabs located near the top. Although, it is easy to navigate, I was expecting more of the focus to be directed to the men and woman’s teams rather than social clubs and camps for the youth.

Digital Environment: Digital Record #3

For my third digital record, I actually navigated into the Mens Football Club tab that I referenced in digital record #2. This is what I expected the Atlanta Silverbacks main page to consist of. This starts by showing the Silverbacks logo, slogan, “welcome to the jungle”, and most importantly a running clock on how much time is left until they are back in action. The website, to me, is a bit busy and I find it hard to stay focused on a certain section. It doesn’t seem that it is was created professionally and I feel that it could definitely use some sort of “pizzazz” to appeal to the everyday user in hopes of turning an Atlanta native into an actual Silverbacks fan.

Digital Records #6, #7, #8, #9, #10 and #11

March 4, 2016March 4, 2016 dheitkamp1

Digital Record #6

This was an interior painting inside the walls of El Myr. It was of a little village and it’s surroundings. The entire interior structure of this restaurant, I believe, was once a blank canvas for people to add their own drawings/piece of life for the world to see.

Digital Record #7

Above is an image of a Swordfish painted by an individual. If you notice, the small boy in the image, he is portrayed as significantly smaller than the swordfish. Almost an image showing “larger than life” recreation of a natural occurrence that this boy might face while fishing. Each wall is filled with paintings that are painted over another image and it seems to always have the option to change if someone decides they want to freshen up the spot.

Digital Record #8

This is an actual picture of El Myr. This is the name of the restaurant and oddly enough the only location in the restaurant where you find an image of him. At least as far as I could tell. It is nestled in the rafters and is not drawn to by any means. We actually had to ask our server the purpose of this picture set off by itself.

Digital Record #9

Here is an image of the bar as we were heading out of dinner. It encompasses quite the variety of individuals. From “hipsters” to “business-men”. It is in all ways a replica of what the restaurant felt like to me and my girlfriend. It was a place in the foothills of Decatur but still welcomes all types of people. The ambiance was nice, music selection was from all genres and the types of people ranged on a wide spectrum.

Digital Record #10

Above is an image of El Myr’s crest. As you walk thru the entrance to the Cantina it is directly in front of you. Established in 1997 during the tail-end of Grunge era, this is the most played music genre while eating there but a variety was still heard to appease all types of music taste. If you look in the distance past the crest, you can see the artistic level this restaurant/cantina has to offer.

Digital Record #11

Not much of an interior image but this is the sign you see walking into El Myr. It is very dark and doesn’t seem inviting, exact opposite of the feel you are overwhelmed by as you walk in. Inside, I felt a surge of comfort come over me. The service was impeccable and the prices were low. It was an exciting experience and allowed people to come in and be who they were. Paint what they wanted. Say what they wanted. All in all, it was a restaurant that welcome any and all people and gave that person the ability to “write there name” on the wall. Well, of course until someone wrote over it.