OUGD405 - Studio Brief 4 Taxidermy business research

To start off this project, I decided to look into existing taxidermy businesses to get an idea of what is already out there, and what I could do to improve. The first website I came across was Expert Animal Artistry by Chris Elliot - http://taxidermist.uk.com/home/1731594

Here is a screenshot of the website: 

Straight away when looking at this, the website already looks old and deflated. The layout isn't inspiring and makes you feel like his work wouldn't be the best on the market because of the way it has been reflected on his website. The colours are drab and boring, and there is no proper style within the text of this page. There are different typefaces and sizes, and it doesn't look like there has been much use of a grid system. Also, the logo to this business (top left corner) is quite small and not very easy to read. It's not memorable and won't spring to mind when you think of a taxidermist.

The next website I came across was Taxidermy by Mike Gadd -
http://www.taxidermy.co.uk/

This website is a lot better than the first one I looked at, the layout is easier to use and is more coherent with the rest of the design of the website. Saying that, the website is still quite boring, and has hardly any use of colour (apart from the images themselves). This keeps the focus on the taxidermy but makes the rest of the business look bland. The logo is okay but I think it could be better, playing around with the initials of the taxidermist and possibly using some negative space. 

Here is a website I found called Get Stuffed - 
http://www.thegetstuffed.co.uk/

Firstly, the use of a blackletter typeface in the logo makes the firm look old and dated already. This typeface doesn't match with anything else on the website and looks out of place. The rest of the website is a mixture of serif and subtle sans serif body. The layout is okay and easy to work but again, doesn't look inspiring. 

I came across a site called UK Taxidermy for Sale - 
http://www.uktaxidermy.co.uk/

Again, the website is uninspiring. The layout is functional but doesn't grab your attention. The logo is just the name of the site in a serif typeface that looks old fashioned in its self. 

The final website that I'm going to analyse is the weird & wonderful - 
http://www.theweirdandwonderful.com/

The logo is there straight away, and it's something that will stick in your mind. Although theres not a lot of use of colour here, you can tell some thought has gone into the design and layout of this brand. The website makes the products look more desirable, and even though it is quite similar to ones I have looked at, it makes you want to buy the product more because of the extra work they have put into the platform to showcase their products. Overall I think this is the best example I have found so far, even though it doesn't really come close to what I want to do.

I'm going to re-brand Get Stuffed, as I really like the play on words and I think it has a lot of potential as a brand.