LIFE WITH DOGS
Joe Bellyss, kennel site
Who are you and from which country, who took the pic?
I’m Joe from Switzerland. I had my first chihuahua in 2004 when I was 14 years old. Now I’m 28 and I still love this breed. Showing around Europe and breeding in a very small scale. My homepage’s cover is a picture of my female “Penelope” playing with her yellow toy. Next to this portrait I added my logo : a chihuahua’s silhouette I drew.
Why do you think that the cover of the kennel site is important?
The cover is important as much as the content. Having a nice cover, simple and clear could helps the visitor and could develops his interest. It’s an important part of the identity of the website and the kennel.
How did you start planning it?
It came quite intuitively. I have chosen this picture because of the subject, the angle and the colors. The subject is “Penelope” with a typical saucy expression of the breed. She is really candid and malicious.
I like her dark eyes and nose. These 3 dark points contrast with the light turquoise and yellow background. The angle gives depth to the picture and a proximity with the Chihuahua.
The free space on the left was perfect for adding the logo. As my website, the logo is very simple and pure. In each breeds I draw on my computer I try to capt the essential lines of the breed.
These outlines are the same we like to see on a dog standing in a main ring representing his breed. But beware; on logos, collages, or others I really often exaggerate some lines to stylized the drawing. I don’t pretend to draw the “picture-perfect”.
Have you changed it often trying to find your style?
I have never changed my cover for the moment, but i drew several logos before approving the one I posted.
What else do you want to share?
My website is very simple and I must admit that sometimes I’m a bit lazy to update it. I really appreciate some breeder’s websites because of the rich content they published. Some websites are very passionate because of the articles, links, pictures and all the effort made to keep it updated.
When I was 14 years old, anyone was on Facebook, Forums or others; websites were the only way to stay informed about each other’s news. Trust me or not, I remember all the websites I visited when I was younger. Some were very sober, other rather “kitsch”, with or without music and animated gifs. All these sites gave me a positive contribution, I’ve learn a lot by myself, reading online pedigrees, following litters and results, etc…
