VISUALBREED is the moniker I, Sharon Irish, use in relation to my creative life & journey.
A journey starting briefly in visual arts and photography, this was soon followed by a permanent detour into graphic design. With the rise of super mini-computers known as smartphones and the ensuing evolution in responsive web, I veered heavily towards the realm of digital, never to return.
My transformation into a digital designer with UX+UI focus was fully realised in Milan, Italy upon completion of a Masters in Web & Multimedia Design. I’ve been described as T-shaped, which is a hip way of saying I possess a rich versatility of experience and skills to draw upon. I also like to tinker and experiment as demonstrated by the variable font action happening in my intro and all powered by JavaScript – groovy eh!
After several years working in Italy and the UK, I've returned to Australia and I’m now looking to bring this versatility and daring to my next working opportunity. With increasing methods, technologies & approaches to enhance accessibility & interactivity to the ol’ WWW, I stand proud as a digital designer in this new era.
The List is an Edinburgh-based company providing entertainment listings, curated content and events data across the UK.
The opportunity to update legacy site’s header was presented late in my 4-year tenure, but I’d been wanting to crack this particular nut for quite a while, so to speak.
Much of site’s functionality resides in header with complex faceted site navigation and search function. A search returns results for 3 categories – events, articles and places. Each category presents different user options to refine results, so UX & UI challenge presented to keep interface consistent and logical for users.
Redesign instructed by mobile-first approach to ensure responsiveness across all screen sizes, but especially small to medium.
New interface design aims to highlight and facilitate ticket sales & bookings. Getting away from current boxy appearance and multiple nested lists to avoid ‘fat finger syndrome’ among main design goals.
Header redesign also presented an excellent opportunity to update The List’s branding for more digital-compatible future and to free the current identity from its magazine publishing legacy.
Early iteration of new logo design lends itself well to animation, is adaptable for small & large displays making it both screen & print-friendly. It is also flexible enough to better reflect when a user enters a list.co.uk subdomain ie: food.list.co.uk / film.list.co.uk / festival.list.co.uk
First major project delivered for The List – a digital archive created to preserve the publishing legacy of Scottish magazine upon its 30-year anniversary.
Led the wireframing process at initial stage of project. Much significance placed on devising an optimal user flow and intuitive interface design.
Fully responsive across all devices and optimised for tablet view. The archive is also fully searchable, making it a rich repository of information about the arts, popular culture and social history.
just stuck my head in the @thelistmagazine archive.... I only just managed to get out, its an incredible rabbit hole with so much social and cultural history, all documented. Amazing. Go see. but maybe only if you have a few hours to spare
— Sha Nazir Worldwide Inc. (@Sha_Nazir) September 11, 2018
This project was intense, but immensely satisfying to be part of. It involved extensive wireframing and interface design, which also incorporated 3D modeling, for a configurator web application.
Configurator allowed for comprehensive customisation of large range of products & accessories from Flou, an Italian luxury designer furniture company with European & international market presence. Retail component and preparation of videos for different international audiences also part of project.