The Interactive Elements On Pharrell's Site Create A Customized User Experience
Humanitarian, musician, entrepreneur, visionary — these are the words that best describe hip-hop artist Pharrell Williams. His independent style and musical influence have gone from making people feel ‘Happy’ to ‘Beautiful’. One thing that Pharrell can also add to his list of talents is web design.
The official Pharrell Williams website is a tapestry of experimental UI and UX interfaces, colors and interactive components that truly speaks to his artistry. The homepage is a calendar that weaves together bright polka dots, known as fan cards, as a visionist reflection of human connectivity.
It’s an engaging and interactive platform that lets users scroll around at their own leisure and interact with the bubbly fan cards that pop into view.
This site is extremely interactive thanks to its dynamic and innovative scrolling effects that aren’t just limited to vertical and horizontal scrolling. No, instead users can go in every which way to discover more content in the form of clever and crafty blobs, each containing his music, his political works and his appearances.
A handy filter bar sits at the bottom left of the screen which allows you to eliminate certain themed cards so that you’re only interacting with the content you want to see. And when you click on these blocks, a brand new page slides in that gives your more textual and visual content to absorb.
It’s a fun and dynamic site that requires you to get involved and get scrolling and clicking. You can’t enjoy the site without diving right in.
A Smooth, Minimalist Web Design Allows Users Absorb Content At Their Own Leisure
While on the surface it looks like there’s a lot going on with this site, it’s actually a very simple, clean and minimal design. The bubbly content cards are bright and engaging, but there is definitely a rhythm to it all.
These cards are stacked and organized in a very straightforward and clean way. And the colorful pops are surrounded by plenty of negative white space to create a smooth and engaging atmosphere for users to interact with.
Everything has a purpose and everything has a place. The menu in the top left corner slides in to offer quick and easy navigation from content block to content block and the very streamlined, upfront layout of the design encourages easy interactivity.
There’s a simplicity here that is immediately compelling. What does it hurt to click a block and learn more?
But there is a comprehensiveness that is aided by this clean, minimal layout. And one instance where this is evident is the music page.
This page is worth a mention as it covers Pharrell’s entire catalog, including music that he’s produced during his career. The page is designed like a gallery, where users can deep scroll through the page and click on an album cover. Each image has a call to action button to purchase, giving them the option to purchase the album.
There’s an efficiency to this kind of layout, and it puts you in contact with everything you want to know and more.
Auto-Playing Music Creates An Upbeat Atmosphere That Encourages Exploration
The auditory elements of this design are upbeat and fun. They play Pharrell’s own music in instrumental form. It’s just enough to get you moving along to the beat, which puts you in the perfect mindset to start scrolling away.
This music plays automatically, and almost encourages you to start exploring. It’s fast-paced. It’s energetic. It’s full of life and happiness. And those positive vibes are certainly contagious.
This website plays with all of the senses, and that creates a more well-rounded experience that’s likely to be remembered long after you’ve left the page.
And the music here obviously makes perfect sense. Pharrell Williams is a music artist after all. And you don’t just want to read about his works, you want to experience them too. This auto-playing helps you to experience everything that Pharrell Williams is about. And it inspires you to action.
Bright Colors And Creative Patterns Excite And Engage Users Immediately
Right from the get-go, this page grabs your attention thanks to the bright colors that swirl and morph in each of the fan-made content cards. And this color is dynamic, popping from the screen and grabbing your attention on impact.
You’re entranced instantly, and you’re compelled to start searching through the site because you know there’s going to be something amazing around the next corner. These colors encourage action and do so swiftly and efficiently.
The colors also aid in navigation, with each color sitting as a subcategory of the site and its contents.
The subpages are categorized by color to help users navigate the sitemap. For example, the "int’l day of happiness" page falls under the category of social good because of the bright, purple backdrop. It’s a creative way to keep the viewers exploring the sitemap, without taking away from the thematic structure of the website.
The typography is playful as well, working in conjunction with the colorful backdrop and transparent image in the background. Every subpage combines deep and parallax scrolling for an easy transition into the next page. Content is kept to a minimum but also serves a great purpose.
And the colorful patterns that line each and every page aid in that exploratory journey.
Pharrell Williams' Website Uses Elaborate Fan Cards To Symbolize His Musical, Social & Political Works
A unique and innovative aspect of this design is the fan cards that differentiate the separate works of Williams’ career. Each of them represents a specific event or piece of work, but they are embodied by the fans which show Williams’ dedication and love for his fanbase.
Each bright color of the fan card represents a subject: art and design, music, TV and film, social good and fashion. The social construct depends on the UI and UX interface to allow visitors to create their own fan card based on the subject of their choice.
Interestingly, the pages throughout the website use a minimalist perspective to keep users engaged. For example, the “create a fan card” box is a simple black box with a light gray inline box. It has one call to action button and hardly uses content to keep the viewer interacting with the website.
These fan cards are a creative and simple way to divide the site into clever sections. And the fact that the fans get to create them is an added exciting bonus.
Who Is Pharrell Williams?
Pharrell Williams is an American singer, songwriter and philanthropist. Born In Virginia Beach, Virginia in 1973, Williams was interested in music from a young age. He played in bands growing up and started a four-piece band called The Neptunes in the 1990s. The band was quickly signed by Riley, and that’s where his musical career began.
Pharrell Williams and The Neptunes released a number of popular tracks and collaborations. And in 2006, Williams released his first solo album. It didn’t gain much traction, but later collaborations with movies like "Despicable Me" helped launch him to international acclaim.
But Pharrell Williams isn’t just a musical artist. He’s a philanthropist too. And he founded a non-profit called "From One Hand To AnOTHER" (FOHTA) which is an educational foundation. He is known for attended political events and rallying for change in at-risk communities.
And he’s also a businessman, with a number of successful business ventures, collaborations and more under his belt. Pharrell Williams is a man of many trades, and he rocks each and every one of them.
Pharrell Williams is married to Helen Lasichanh and has four children.
Williams is an eleven-time Grammy winner, and it shows in his music. He is also someone dedicated to creating change and inspiring people. And this website is a testament to that — it shows off his musical and political works while also letting his fans take center stage.
It’s a beautiful design with a heart and a vivacious personality. All artists can learn a thing or two from Williams when creating their next online portfolio.
This Online Portfolio Stands Out For Its Out-Of-The-Box Nature
This website is a stunning snapshot into the life of Pharrell Williams. It’s a creative destination that matches the robust and animated spirit of the artist himself. It pays homage to his dedicated fans and gives them insights into his life — in both music and social endeavors.
The UX is stunning, with interactive elements, minimal aesthetics and bright pops of color that make it interesting and fun to navigate from section to section, learning more about the artist in the process.
Pharrell’s website is an innovative design that uses advanced Javascript and CSS programming to enhance the UI and UX interface. Its visual theatrics and interactive software speak to the continuity of Pharrell Williams creativity. It goes far beyond the music and dives deep into the brilliant mind of an artist.
