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Barry once again I need to thank you for the newest sites you just listed above. I couldn't be any more impressed then I am. My system uses 2 monitors and new pages open in the "empty" one at 1024 x 768 and my wifi runs at 54 Mbps so that probably helps.
I think that you have to see different sites in different categories. Dvinfo is a great site but I wouldn't put it in my list of multimedia sites. There's a gigantic forum site for R1 riders that I belong to and on it you can post photos and all sorts of crap... right in your thread... but I don't even compare this one and that one 'cause they're totally different. Also I think with the advent of broadband/dsl that more and more people/companies will have sites mainly set up to be ambassadors to the world... or at the very least a (hopefully) effective advertisement... Barry, from what I'm seeing I think FP is a waste if I want anything cool, no? Yes? I can't believe Microsoft is just watching Macromedia trounce them in this department. Barry your site is much better then the site you said inspired it. Your dissolves are smoother and your site just looks and responds more professionally. I wonder what 2advanced gets for doing a site like the Mtv site? How much do you think a package like that runs? (No, I'm not giving up on doing my own work... I'm just curious) RKS... I'm just "some guy"... I'm 33 and I'm brand-new to the idea of making a website. Also on my own site I can tell you that it won't have a ton of content... it's mainly going to be a site to host sound/video clips and eventually offer DVDs for sale... So it will be a simple navigation for most people and it won't matter if the feel consumes space because there won't be anything to scroll down to! (lol) Rob/Barry... please forgive my ignorance, but I don't understand what you mean about the site Alfred mentioned. When I go there only a couple of the links work, but the main site, and the links that work still allow me to scale the window up or down... are you saying that some sites won't let you do that? Do they not use the "restore down" and "full screen" button in the upper right... or is it something that's built-in that won't let you grab a corner and scale it? I want to be sure I don't make that mistake. |
Matt- Go to my site, and click on the Digital Artistry link. It will open up pages like Rob and Barry mentioned. The default page will have all of the controls. You have to code a page to open without controls to resize, go back, etc.
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Thanks Keith! Now I get it. Obviously I must be having problems opening the other pages they were talking about 'cause I didn't see any like that.
Hey to everybody that's replied so far I REALLY want to thank you guys! There was a thread a while back that said something about everybody showing their websites and I went through most of that, but I was hoping to mainly focus on pages like we've been seeing here. This has been a big help to me... I'm also glad that we've had debate about what a site should and shouldn't be. Even though we may have differing opinions it's extremely helpful to know what everybody thinks about the internet experience. I'm hoping my site will be a conglomeration of the ideas that are being thrown about in this thread. |
Rob
I hate the FULL SCREEN sites. I've even had some open with no option to close unless you open the task manager. Drives me insane and I am running 1024 by 768. |
take a look at my site: www.scrambledvisual.com
i kept the design very simple, also have a nice little password protected page. what do you think? should i make it more flashy or keep it simple? |
Alfred,
I like your design ... simple is good. If you wanted to spice it up a bit, I could make a couple of small suggestions.... - On the directors page and the photos page I would like to see thumbnails along with the text links... images are always nice... - The logo and name actually lend themselves very nicely to some kind of Flash animation scambling up the letters... you could do that on the first page only, or make it really quick so that it didn't distract from the message but gave the page a little more zing and motion. - I think doing mouse-over underlining on the top menu would help give it a more dynamic feel - mouseovers help the site feel alive. - Not a flashy thing, but my personal preference for any site is to have a statement on the main page of what Scrambled Visual does... are you a video production company? A loose creative collective? A graphic design house? All of the above? I want to know when I look at the site... Overall it is a really good job. I like your video work as well. Your video stuff is so edgy that you could certainly get away with an edgy, dynamic web site... but I don't think that you need it. As it stands I think the site highlights the video work well and lets it stand on its own. Keep it up and good luck. |
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Since some of you definitely don't seem to like "too-flashy" Flash sites, I'm probably setting myself up here...but I'd like to get your feedback. I've made a new home for an old film, to go along with the new overall site I'm building, and it's all Flash.
I based the design on sort of a 60-ish, tabloid style (a bit chaotic, with multiple TV screens repeating). And since the film has a spy theme, I used spy game type sound effects throughout. In other words, it's cheesy...but it's supposed to be. ;) Anyway...please let me know what you think. You might want to NOT watch the film itself. I'm still trying to get the "quick start" QT feature to work right...but the point is to get your feedback on the site, not the film. Click here - http://sursumfilms.com/ladyx/ |
Very nice. The only thing I'd change is the "replay intro"/"close window" sample. It's not up to snuff with the rest of the site.
And, if you miss the bullseye, the movie window shouldn't open! |
I did not like the scroll on the scroll bar of the information, about us pages. for some reason it did not stop at the places I expected it to stop.
Other than that it looks really good, excellent job! I don't mind flash sites as long as it is presented well, and is easy (ish) to navigate and the content keeps me interested. Ed |
John,
That is a very nice site... it has a great feel to match the movie... it is attractive and interesting without being distracting from the point.. many kudos... I love the actor video clips with the name... it is a really nice presentation of the data... I agree with Ed on the scroll bar issue... you have a dampened movement there which is attractive, and works well on the shorter text, but on the longer ones it is misleading... you move the scroll bar until the text is showing what you want, and then the text keeps going becuase it is catching up... you could dapen the motion less, or base it on the length of the text .... The only other thing for me was that when the actor information was open, it is positioned such that we can still see the other actor shots... That being the case, I would like to be able to click on one of them to bring them up... it is a hair cumbersome to have to close the window and choose another... Looks great, keep it up. |
I definitely agree with Barry. I had just read his post and I still tried to click on the actors pictures rather than close the window first. It wasn't a big distraction though. I like the site overall. Yes, it's a flashy Flash site, but it works to create the mood. As longs as it's helping you communicate then be as flashy as you want.
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Great feedback! Thanks a lot, guys!
Robert - I'm mulling over how to redo the "replay intro/close window" buttons now. Using a target comes to mind, but I'm worried that might be overdoing it with targets. I'll have to chew on that one a bit. As for the bullseye thing...that's originally what I'd planned on doing...making it more like a real game. I haven't had any luck figuring out how to do that, so finally I'd just given up and left it as is. I thought that it probably wouldn't matter to anyone. Then...first comment I receive...you mention it. Doh! I'm determined to figure it out now. Ed - Good point about the longer scroll pages having a bit too much play in the scroller. Barry, you hit the nail on the head as to why that's happening. I'll work on that today, too. Barry & Kris - You've also hit an issue that I tried to deal with. I also wanted people to be able to go from one actor to another without hitting the "Close Window"...but the way I set it up (the wrong way) made that impossible. I have an idea how to do it to fix that, but it'll take a whole different approach to what I have now. The fact that two of you have mentioned it tell me that I have to roll up my sleeves and just do it. Again...thanks a million! I've got some work to do now. |
John, I think it looks great... of course it's 10:35pm right now so maybe you made changes.
I can see how some people are bothered by Flash, but when you don't have a ton of information to convey I say "why not". Sure there are sites with SO much to see/read that Flash would be a pain in the ass, but for a site that basically wants to showcase a few works or ideas I think Flash only gives surfers one more reason to take the whole site in. That Chipotle site kept me busy for 10 minutes. Had it been just a text and photos site I never would have unintentionally learned everything about Chipotle. I like websites for a variety of reasons... a good "blog" site is great, news sites can be good, and Flash is just in another category. This thread has sold yet one more copy of MX 2004 for Macromedia... I'll get some crap on my site in the next few days... but once the Flash get's here I'm gonna' see what I can do. You guys are giving me some good inspiration. It's fun to be able to appreciate the nuances of a Flash design. Barry and John you guys ought to be happy that more people (at least ME) are appreciating your attention to detail. |
"I'm mulling over how to redo the 'replay intro'/'close window' buttons now. Using a target comes to mind, but I'm worried that might be overdoing it with targets."
Don't misunderstand me, I don't think anything's wrong with the buttons, it's the sound that plays when you mouseover them that strikes me as a tad gauche. |
Ahh...I see. You struck a nerve since I'd been debating about using the text "<<<" arrows. My thinking was that they're a bit bland. Thought that was what you meant. The sound, eh? Hadn't thought of that...but now that you mention it, it doesn't really match, does it?
Matt...thanks a lot. I haven't had time to fix anything yet (still the work day over here). I agree with you completely... if it's simply a "show off" site, then show off. Sites that are heavy with information, though, should keep the use of Flash light...if needed at all. Take DVInfo.net for example... I love the fact that it's basically just text. Fast-loading. No nonsense. Just the facts. As for purchasing Flash MX 2004... Barry will have to verify this...but I think that the scripting help functions found in MX have been removed in the 2004 version. Is that right, Barry? I use MX, so I'm not entirely sure. But I've heard something to that effect, and if that's the case, I'll warn you that Flash actionscripting isn't as straightforward and easy to do as you might think. No problem with the basic stuff...but when you get into the advanced scripting, look out. I'd be lost without the scripting help function. |
John: I think flash can definitely be an asset, only not as the
main navigation due to usually a bad use of screenspace or just to show off. In my mind it can definitely add to things like what you are using it for. I once saw a link here on DVi to a site that also used flash as a sort of fast trailer for the movie. That can be very handy. I usually just don't like sites that are 100% flash or have used it in places that I think: why? what does it add. Anyway, I didn't like some of the loops you used on the actors. They basically where jump cuts and it looked very jarring to my eye. I would probably either when hitting the end go 100% in reverse to get back at the beginning or fade out / in or fade through to another scene. The skipping annoyed me <g> |
RKS, Barry, and Kris,
I put in fixes for the things you mentioned. Also added a "spinning reel" effect to the preloader based on a suggestion. Still working on a couple of other things. Rob...you know...I like the jump cuts for some reason. Chalk it up to bizarre taste. ;) |
Flash can be good and bad. For people on dialup connections ,which is still a large number of people, sitting and waiting for a flash page to load can take very long! It's better to have the option of a HTML or a Flash page on the main screen so the users can select which one they would like.
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you can check out my website...
www.motuspictures.com For some reason on my friend's computer, the images are all cut up, but on mine, it works fine... not sure how it will look for you. i know nothing about HTML or web design, so be patient with it. I'm still trying to figure out how to use Adobe GoLive. If you know anybody who has a passion for website design and will help out on one for free, let me know. i need help! |
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Gino,
I think you did a good job. It's simple, has a sort of retro art deco-ish or 60s look to it. Don't be so hard on yourself. I like it. The first thing I noticed though is that you are using a large graphic for the background image. I don't know if you know this, but you can tile a small background in a table as well. That would make your page load faster. Keep at it...you've got a good start. |
I want to second Jason's point about knowing what connection speeds your viewers have. You don't necessarily have to play to the lowest common denominator, but it's easier to know how much you want to accommodate them if you know how many of them there are. I recently went through all sorts of hoops with assorted IT folks to get a breakdown of my viewers' connection speeds to find that my percentage of broadband users was depressing, though not surprising and actually not all that bad compared to rumors I've heard about the larger world out there.
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one of the best sites i have ever come across was
www.delpadre.com no relation to myself (my usual online nickname is Padre) |
98% Completed.
www.rbravo.com
Nothing fancy, just some cool stuff and a whole lot of great memories! I hope to have it completed within the next week or so. RB |
99% Completed!
New additions, including links to DVInfo, if anyone cares!
www.rbravo.com I'll be adding a wider variety of links and some video clips in the near future. RB |
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John,
I really liked your site. Very visual with good graphic design. It had me wanting to see more. Regards, Mark |
hey thanks mark...i appreciate the comment! :D
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mine's under construction...
agencyb.com but is fun in the meantime... don't get caught. it should be fairly weird in a couple of weeks. |
<<<-- Originally posted by Yi Fong Yu : dunno if someone's mentioned this yet but:
http://2advanced.com -->>> WOW! Thats a pretty pimp site, nice portfolio too. |
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Nice site Corey, but the pop ups are a bad idea. My pop-up blocker pretty much makes you're site un-viewable. With the blocker off, it just becomes a big mess of browser windows.
Nice site though, I like the graphic design. |
Really nice site, Corey...design and content-wise.
Michael...I have to respectfully disagree with you. I'm all for blocking automated popups, but a popup window that's part of the site, holds content instead of ads, and is triggered only by a clicked link simply adds another dimension to the site. That's part of design, right? Operating outside the box? |
Yeah, you're right, I'll give it a chance, it could just be my pre-conceived notions at work :-)
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<<<-- Originally posted by John Locke : Really nice site, Corey...design and content-wise.
Michael...I have to respectfully disagree with you. I'm all for blocking automated popups, but a popup window that's part of the site, holds content instead of ads, and is triggered only by a clicked link simply adds another dimension to the site. That's part of design, right? Operating outside the box? -->>> yes, thinking "out of the box", litterally, but if he wants to capture viewers utilizing pop-up blockers, it's really not a good idea to have your content pop-up in a new window. it's all about best practices and accessibility. if youre willing to lose a few viewers due to inaccessibility, then so be it. id at least offer an alternative solution. nonetheless, nice job. |
It's just a matter of taste, John. Blocking all popups to me is like blocking all traffic on a street because some people speed. I'm looking forward to the next generation of the Net where we start developing not only in 2D, but in 3D (true 3D) and windows can be round, Apple-shaped, or whatever you want, show depth-of-field and perspective distortion, etc.
This current flat, catalogue-type Net will hopefully soon be a thing of the past. Corey...opening a new "making of" thread about one or more of your favorite videos you've made would be an interesting read. |
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