Collins College is based in Phoenix and Tempe, Arizona, and offers Associates and Bachelors degrees in video production, interactive media, and visual arts. Upon viewing the home page, I was impressed by the way they present the choice of degree options. However, I'm not sure I like the choice of background music or the sound that plays when I roll over the three path options. The music sounds almost mystical to the point where it belongs in a role playing game, and the rollover sound gives me the impression that choosing whichever path is going to be the most important thing I can possibly do while visiting that site. And after having the home page open for a few minutes now, I find the music to be very annoying and want to turn the volume on my computer off.
Once I entered the site, the first thing that caught my attention was the layout. (There is a different layout for each category, by the way.) I like the layout for each path very much. They are pleasing to the eye and the background music seems to change according to the category chosen. The colors chosen for the three main layouts are soothing colors (blue, green, and red) and there is nothing boring about the layouts themselves. They seem edgy, yet fitting for an art college website. Each page also has a video demonstrating what each major does and I think this is a great way to sell their school to people looking to become students there.
In fact, I think this site does a very good job at selling the school in general. Information is easily accessible and the site is very easy to navigate. Also, on the first page of every category they let the user know some of the well known companies that have hired graduates from that school, in the hopes of further enticing a potential student. I gather. Very good choice, from a marketing standpoint.
There's also a page to view student work, which is handy for potential students and students from competing schools alike. It gives them the chance to see what's being produced.
So, did I like the website? Yes. Would the website make me want to apply there if I were a potential student? Most likely. Did I dislike the music? Yes, but then again I suppose the music does fit with the overall feel of the website itself.
