Flash sites

I have started doing my site and it is very basic following in the design of companies like Pentagram, Strategy, Verlander, et el. Basically consisting of a gallery and a loader.

Some interesting things on sites

Underconsideration (on Speakup) has a nice article on long portfolio sites which you have to scroll down, up to 24,000 pixels!!! And that people like having everything on one page and not having to click and find things in catergories such as branding, print, advertising...which can become confusing

Found some sites that have a nice bit too it from that article like the scrolling drips on this site. And the fade in fade out of images on Verlander design's site. Cool.

Can't be bothered screen shooting (is that the correct term?) look at links

Blog

I realise that this blog is becoming a graphics blog so will not post anymore logo stuff here.

more (final draft?)

On of my English teachers told me "there's no such thing as a finished piece just a final draft" probably a famous quote, googled it quickly but didn't find much.


The previous post I had a triangular one which reminded me of a throwback to the '74 Commonwealth Games in Christchurch. But I don't want to push any further with the angles (I did do a little more but no need to upload).

I started to think of representation and looked an interesting article on left brain and right brain activity (that little gif is crazy). Other articles had more writing but this had the best image. Anyway I was thinking of incorporating that into the design.

more SoAaD

Didn't like the red, lighten it up (red black = canterbury colours, province not the university. Think they have Harry Potter colours)


Same idea done with triangles, still holds letter form shape with triangles and creates a much more grid/architectural look to the logo.
Reminds me of HSBC, the buttons of a stereo. Triangles are equilateral (if my shift is working) maybe if I have a colour change

School of Art and Design logo

I did some logo designs for SoAaD (CPIT School of art and design). The outcome that I got to people reacted with thats nice. I liked it but thought it was way too safe. It need to be pushed further.

inspired by Michael Bierut's Museum of Art and Design. Also some more Pentagram stuff, Angus Hyland's Brankspanking logo animated by Andy Foulds.

I started on marking it fit a style like that. You can see on the first link of this post that I tried to do that for the first one drawing up my own type. I like the skin tone reference, with the B S. Also the animations look and work really well. Anyway here's what I worked through to.



I wanted something more in a logo format rather than the more flat Brandspanking one. Wanted to use a semicirle with an extended box attached rather than just a semicircle. Did it in CPIT green (what I thought was a green is actually C=100 K=75).
This is using the same shape 4 times to create 3 letters. The interior letters 'o' and 'A' are smaller and less significant. I think it is too wide and although I like the shape which is created in the lower box of the 'S' The interior letters don't work.



I actually took me a while to click that a D reversed is a lower case a not that I didn't know but I was so focused on the upper case that it didn't cross my mind.





Final only thing is it reminds me of the computer arts little graphic they use throughout their magazine.

background

added in background. Problems with site so far, flatness...Not using ignition logo as main bit in prime real estate.

Web update

Something nice and clean like this, websites are suppose to have layers and gradients :P.Something like this.

Site structure

Someone told me that the site colours had changed, but here is what the basic structure is like

Massey

Massey University School of Design uses the same structure as the rest of the university, pretty similar to what the CPIT do with the branches and what not. The similar look is disorientating as are the menus (on both not just the Massey, but CPIT too). Colours are a little better and they have a much nice crest/ logo.

Website research D and A

looked at some of our local competition, their site. Firstly the D & A (design and arts college)
The first thing that I can't get over is the type, big clunky and italic type mixed with small thin type. The typography is all over the place. Actually if you look at the two logos there is no relation between the 25th and the D & A. Colour choices bit odd but still ok. The site runs nicely. Don't like the fact that a video loads up at the start.

Some nice work on here too. Nice illustration work, very pop and contemporary. In terms of logo's and body type layout not much on here, and what is isn't very strong.

Competition part of site has the same clunky italic san serifs, still too many different type faces featured here. Gradients are the new class!!! I'm surprised there's no glow and 3d reflections. Could've done the logo bar bit in reverse so sponsors logos didn't look odd. Pretty solid site though.

More logos for ignition

Only small so don't need to click on, think they the same size.

I think these are the website colours, I don't like the ignition orange with the black.

eight, 8, ei8ht

decided to look for logo's featuring the number 8, after talking to Hamish about it. here are a two.

first one is some company selling candles or something, ei8ht if you want to look

The second one is a New Zealand band (former, probably why the logo looks old) eight

London 2012

Block type used before, thinking now that AUT colours are the same as these orange, white and black.

SoAaD

This is the SoAad stuff I did. Looking at other schools, AUT, Massey, Unitec, D & A, even Natcoll have more advertising and generally Design schools have their own logo so I thought I'd do one in conjunction with a website (before I decided to do ignition one). First image is nice and clean and safe, CPIT logo as the graphic rotated, copied and opacity turned down.

Second one is just SoAaD in a blocky pen drawn type face, much less safe. More to do with design school than the safe 'walkway' sans-serif.

patterns

Did this pattern by making a random shape and rotating it, similar to the SoAaD stuff I started doing. The last bit isn't really applicable, more a magazine/book cover.

Little Friends of Printmaking

On my other blog "stuff" I already talked a little about them but their website is done in flash, but has side scrolling which is less intuitive than downward scrolling. I think there is overall not enough contrast on the site, in comparison to the amazing print posters they do.

Further year development

Here are some options for future magazines, using the same type, with slight variations. Added a back to the "n" in the 2010 one. Obviously the 8 becomes a 9. I not sure if I like the idea of continuing use of these characters though, someone should redesign the whole thing every year.

Orange vs. Yellow orange

M=30 Y=100 vs. M=50 Y=100

the later is CPIT colour used last year and maybe before that too.

More logos

Simple site

Still in my comfort zone in terms of program use, this is done in indesign, but basic any way. Indesign is the program I use most and probably will be using most in terms of future jobs, but I went through high school using freehand, unlike everyone else who use photoshop

Less safe ignition logo

Less safe version, blocky type is what I'm liking now. Last few years types like these have been used a lot. Seems more appropriate that in creative fields something more alternative is used.

But definitely not as nice as previous logo. Maybe try to develop more

ignition

Think I will try and do the ignition site for Martin. Since I've already done the magazine, posters for NASDA (and flyer). Really need to re design of logo type, we are representing contemporary creative fields.

Here are my first tries at a new logo type for ignition 08. All done with pen tool, so no type used.
Maybe a little on the safe side cos it is suppose to represent all different creative fields.

Stuff

started another blog to keep track of nice design sites that I have visited, so I have a set of bookmarks that I can view wherever I am. here

JK Rowling

JK Rowling site has the same idea as what I was going to do, although hers has intense flash and rounded images and I was thinking much more flat and less movement. Eh plenty of ideas to still think of

html

Notes on html

Web site development is between two people

Web developer - someone who slaps in code, no need for thinking about design and function.

Web designer - working on ergonomics and functionality and design.

So using Cascading Style sheets (CSS) is what web designers should be learning. Web developer tells you to fill space. Div tags are what use to divide pages up with.

Images - jpeg compressed for web. gif = png, png2 can have transparent parts

ly design

Started to develop logo a while ago, tried various different types from more organic to using an existing types and combining. Got to this point here, but I suppose I could use various different outcomes at different points but keep one overall one that I use.

Maybe a changing gif to show versatility of my design....eh don't know

Simple L combined with a y. Not sure about the design, just used pen tool to draw it up.

Thinking of doing something similar to arctic monkeys website with a main menu page and divisions. Maybe a desktop (not computer actual) which features pieces of paper, a print out and a cellphone and they would have a roll over on each where you could click on each part.
eg. cellphone = contact, paper = portfolio, a wallet = CV or bio.

Not sure about the limitations of html though so it may not be possible to do this

Self Promo sites

Since I am doing a self promo site thought I would look at some more people's/collective's sites.

My favourite Iranian designer/printmaker Reza Abedini. I don't like his site It seems to dark and there is no dynamic contrast or contrast at all that his posters have. Although some of the layout is good the lack of 'website' feel and intuitive use is lacking, that is ok for the first page but it doesn't work when continued through. Also the imagery is rather small, maybe protecting his work? There are a few dead end...."Currently under development"

Nice to see area's
Autobiography
Works
Texts
Publications
Extras
Exhibits
Clients
Teachings

Another site I looked at was for "The Wilderness". A New Zealand design company. This site is completely different to other sites it only features a slide display of their works photographed with peoples hands holding the work wearing odd gloves. The only thing you can click on is a mail to for enquires at the top left.

Suppose they think "If you like what we do email us" rather than them having to pitch, but maybe they will do that later.

Just found out that brief/proposal was due last week will upload one.

Topic

Not sure if I was suppose to decide what I am doing for my site but since I think it is necessary to have a site for myself, so thats what I'm doing. Started doing some drawings will scan and upload soon.

Things to have on site...Portfolio, Contact, Bio/CV...what else

Forums

The Liverpool FC official website has a similar design to the previous YahooSports post. But there is much more clutter and for a first time viewer, it is hard to find where to click. But there is a strong style guide and there is a similar hierachy to many sites. The advertising for products (online viewing of games, new kits, betting) overshadow the real information, even though it is at the top. If they cut back on the jpegs and gifs or toned down the colour then the actual information would stand out better. But really profit is the one of the main aims for sites so thats probably why the ads stand out most.


I try to post and read to keep up with sports teams I follow, so forums are good for this. Here are two I saw and thought that the 'yellow fever' forum was much easier to use in terms of general viewing compared to the liverpool fc forum.

The general function of both is pretty similar and the main reason the YF one is much more readable is the type used the smaller type and smaller bounding box, makes it much easier to use.

The hierachy of the text within is also much better, much more page numbers are visible for the posts.

YF page has some bad design on it though, the logo type is pretty horrible and hard to read, the grass background is unnecessary, but other than that its a tight design.

Doodles

This is a cool site done in conjunction with semi permanent, reminded me of that sheep site that John showed. It's similar to a drawing game/exercise that I did when I was younger (but with head, body, legs). Cool site, not for information, not for buying or selling anything, just Doodles!!!!

Very good concept, solid execution too. Very easy to do just by entering a name and email address you can draw away and keep a record of what you've done. Drawing tools good as well, maybe colours would add another dimension too.

Just did the crown on 503/503. pretty crap, but still fun to do.

Danny Yount

Tv and movie credits designer Danny Yount site functions well. although with drop down menus its a bit hard finding the menu's. Site is white and all text is light (which maybe difficult to see for people with poor eyes and/or low contrast screens. But I think that is done so that the imagery is the major feature and text and navigation is secondary.

Movie sites

Saw Nolans 'the dark knight' on Thursday when it came out, fairly impressed, best new movie I've seen in a while. Thought they would have a nice site . Other than a long intro bit (I HATE SPLASH PAGES) and playing the trailer as you load...don't they think of people you pay by the meg (didn't finish looking because of this.

Another superhero movie that I thought was quite good was Ironman, same thinking..big budget movie big budget site. has some nice features, the loading of the heart core reactor thing. Design wise nothing is impressive again. I suppose flash and technique is over style (much like the movie, although the site doesn't have Downey Jr. to make it better)

D and AD site

After Rick suggested that we (professional practice class) join up to DINZ, I had a look round at alternatives. There were a few in the local area (asia) but I decided to join up to D and AD (they got sweet annual and magazine plus lots of discounts on books, I know it doesn't really help with networking, but you only get a subscription to Prodesign at DINZ)

Anyway you'd expect their site to be really good here are a few pages. The site is clean and tight, modernist. Sticks to its 3 colours. Although I find it kind of hard to navigate. Like the second image which ditches all buttons and it makes it very to get back to the home pages. As well as the classification of areas of design, which bit can you just see the best design work. It should be more visual, because it is for designers.

They said it changes when the page goes down, round here

arctic monkeys site

I know these are done in flash but you could something similar in html. The use of an urban landscapes and kind of graffiti as the 'buttons'. This site goes against almost all the rules of ergonomic site. the logo is kind of in the right place and I suppose the links to different parts of the site are in order of importance from L to R.

The use of vector graphics around the outside, look like too much until a page comes up and the index page falls to the background and the information pops up (shown in the second pic). The opacity is not at 100% so you can still see the index page. This helps create, one of Rob's favourite things.....depth.

There is a eclectic mix of typography that is reminiscent of different music genres. Each little part on the menu has corresponding imagery to do with that bit. The poster for gigs, the phones for contact, the retro tv's for video, speech bubbles for forum...

The site functions well, no moving bits and when you move to a page the menu moves to the top and the logo goes to top left and the bits are just like a regular site.