OK, so I'm re-doing ozonicLabs finally, I've decided that since jobs are so hard to come by, it's time once again to throw my hat into the "freelance webdesigner" ring, woo! This is not a working site linked above, just a GIF file sitting on a background, but this is the sketch I'm working on now. I've got a fun idea for the sidebar menu, the menu for "where you are" will change color slightly and try and remian big, but mousing over the others will have them try and open up also (minimzing the others). I think I can make that movement pretty smooth, and it'll leave me the option of writing another script to drop a small description in the revealed area. For the scrolling, I figure a DHTML scroller, and that'll be it, 5 pages, no more. I may have to add some additional "toy value" to the whole thing, I was thinking of making certain words "hot", and mousing over them would float a small window with a brief description of what you're over, could be neat. I'm going to build this whole site with PHP so I can try using the primitive publishing system I built last week for the www.larkan.a.se website (did I show that to anyone here? Just InI I believe. I'll make a "play" version using this site template and let people go do crazy things to it, you can see it then.)
What I'm hoping to get feedback on is this...
- How does the look/feel feel to you? Good, bad, ugly, bland?
- How about the color scheme? Again, good, bad, ugly, bland?
- I was planning on restricting the content area to the size you see here, is this too impossibly tiny for you? (Bear in mind, most people will be viewing this at 1024x768, hopefully not maximized. I may have to adjust it a bit, I'd like it to be viewable at 800x600 also.)
- Anything else you can think of, this is still "just a sketch", and I'm not locked into anything yet.
Once I get the layout up and working, I'll start writing my text content, including pictures and images, pricing and methodology, I'll probably be asking for more input when I get to this part, heh. (For those who can't wait, I'm going to be targetting template-only jobs with my primitive publishing system built in, possibly with logo design and possibly not, and shooting for contracts in the $3000-6000 range.) I'll keep my fingers crossed, Malin and I need the bucks!
(edit) I'll probably also have the "strip" it lives in float further down the screen on bigger browser windows, just in case anyone was about to say anything about that!
Your pal, -doc-
[This message has been edited by DocOzone (edited 02-24-2002).]
Doc: Well what can I say? It looks really clean and simple (which gets the thumbs up from me) but I suspect it won't come properly into its own until you sprinkle on a little bit of DHTML magic. Great start and I think we are all looking forward to seeing what you do with this.
Doc,
To me the colors seem rather neutral, but I don't think I can give it fare judgement seeing as you haven't worked the DHTML magic you always have. Other than that it looks clean and professional the only *nitch* I have with it is the drop shadow at the bottom seems kindof heavy for me taste. But I dig the use of the Bit Fonts and I don't mind the size much at all, rather homey feeling to it (if I can say that hehe).
-YoYoFREAK!
From: Somewhere over the rainbow Insane since: Mar 2001
posted 02-24-2002 16:49
The poster has demanded we remove all his contributions, less he takes legal action.
We have done so.
Now Tyberius Prime expects him to start complaining that we removed his 'free speech' since this message will replace all of his posts, past and future.
Don't follow his example - seek real life help first.
Personally I love the color scheme. But I've always been a fan of beige.
It's nice and clean, but I don't think it will be boring. It'll need certain accents punched up a little to ensure that though.
I would say that Ini breaches a very good point - although the toy value is needed, I would make it take a back seat to relevant functionality....at least on the front page.
Be much more to say with a working version =)
DocOzone
Maniac (V) Lord Mad Scientist Sovereign of all the lands Ozone and just beyond that little green line over there...
From: Stockholm, Sweden Insane since: Mar 1994
posted 02-24-2002 23:21
Coolness, these are all things I was thinking somewhere in the back of my head, good to get them out in the light! InI, that's a great observation, I've herad from a variety of folks over the years that instructors in this black art either praise my works to the skies, or use them as examples of "how not to do things", heh.
Hah! That www.erag.ch page just kept loading and loading and loading... it never stopped! Not exactly what I would've taught folks, heh heh. <g>
The shadow has been muted, and the background color dropped to a neutral grey (one of my old favorites, #737373, woo!) Funny thing about that reddish-brown I love so much, seems it just takes a *minor* adjustment on the monitor and it looks like baby poo! (I've heard that one too many times, but it always looks great on my monitor! Hmm...)
I'm involved in the coding of this right now, it may give some errors for the next few hours as I fire up all the fun functions.
Heh, I was poking around the old ozonicLabs site just the other day actualy. I still can't seem to get that site to work. Is there actuly anything there yet?
You have a thing for rulers don't you Doc? To be honest, I've never really liked the ruler thing. Kinda sits in the same place as 45% lines with arrows but that's just me.
I'm loving the colours though. I also like the general aspect of how the site sits on the page at higher resolutions. I Espically like the it's not "centered" horozintally per say, just a little above center like you'd frame a painting. The use of gradiants is also very nice but you get some harsh colour banding artifacts when viewed in 16bit colour.
As I said before, I love the colours but It'd be nice to see some other colour schemes with that layout. Maybe you could add some skinning options down the track?
Appart from that, I'm very impressed. Solid, clean, simple, fun, and attractive.
DocOzone
Maniac (V) Lord Mad Scientist Sovereign of all the lands Ozone and just beyond that little green line over there...
From: Stockholm, Sweden Insane since: Mar 1994
posted 02-25-2002 01:45
Yow, that's banding all right! I've become such a hardware bigot, how did that happen? I totally missed the fact that 16bit color still was out there, this is one of the reasons I avoided beige and pale greys for so long, the browsers never quite figured what to do with them at 16bit, they almost look better at 8 bit, hrmph.
Oh, I'm on some kind of rulers "thing" these last few months, the first incarnation of ozonicLabs was the start of it, and I'm planning on just running them into the ground for a while, (at least till they start to get old for me too, heh heh.)
As for skinning, I see that as a definite down the line a bit, but first I'll just make the darn thing work, that'd make me happiest right now. I've got the "swoopy" function implemented on the buttons now, that looks good to me, but the 'active link' color is really harsh, I think I'll tone that down a bit, yuck!
From: there...no..there..... Insane since: May 2001
posted 02-25-2002 02:23
Man I LOVE those colors! That's a groovy menu you got going on there.
I have one suggestion. You see how the background is that light beige color? How 'bout on the mouseovers changing the menu item selected to that color and changing the others to the darker color beige?
Know what I mean? It's late and I just built a 10' pond in my backyard.
<edit>Oh, wait it does that when you click the items. hehehe....</edit>
Later,
C:\
~Binary is best~
[This message has been edited by CPrompt (edited 02-25-2002).]
Sweeet!
Love the colors! I've been trying to get beige and brown to work on two of my own sites, but, well...
Let's just say it didn't work like this one.
Mee to are getting the banding (crappy 16 bit color notebook in high res).
The menus are cool, but I think you might trigger some "where did the link go" kind of feeling with ppl that are not so web-savvy. Why?
Well, usually you click on text, here the text runs away as I mouse over it, the bg is clickable, but it doesn't feel natural that you should click there.
Maybe it's just me, but what if there is "not so well web-versed" clients out there?
A thought might be to welcome them with a no-toy front and then have sections for script-toys/graphics/combined. That way you know what you will get when you enter as a client.
Anyways, very nice, and I like the rulers, they add very much detail to an otherwise very clean design.
/Dan
-{ a vibration is a movement that doesn't know which way to go }-
From: Somewhere over the rainbow Insane since: Mar 2001
posted 02-25-2002 14:14
The poster has demanded we remove all his contributions, less he takes legal action.
We have done so.
Now Tyberius Prime expects him to start complaining that we removed his 'free speech' since this message will replace all of his posts, past and future.
Don't follow his example - seek real life help first.
that's super cool, as usual. I love your newer work Doc. I love your older work as well, you are usually a man for the times, breaking new ground. I'm watching closely where you go with this cuz the dilema is one that I can't quite get over: fun factor or corporate? What Ini says about the 'common people' I've found to be very true, the more movement the richer their experience. Seems just the opposite for the high ranking corporate types, they want to get at the information, quick, and the other stuff just slows them down, and almost, if not always, makes them giggle like the superior would at the inferior. When designing the site, as always I guess: who are you talking to? Clearly there's the common folks and the corporate money guys.
I've been in meetings a few times where some unsuspecting rube whips out his Power Point presentation full of animated points flying in from the left onclick and the directors and vps make that noise, you know the one where air escapes the nose when stifling a hard belly laugh? It's just distracting to them. The unsuspecting rube though it was cool and would emphasize the point cuz after all, they don't allow unsuspecting rubes laser pointers.
Your design, I'd like a nice highlight color, it is a little bland in the color regard. Extremely cool though, balanced, easy nav, and I'm big gradient fan. On the nav though, when you travel downward to click text, the link actually runs *away* from you. That may be just enough frustration to make a corporate big-whig snap
Doc: Its coming along nicely. I see where DmS is coming from on the menu front but I think it works fine. I was thinking of a way to make it more obvious what should be done and perhaps the expanding bit should reveal just a brief sentence about the section while something like title (or overlib) could be used to inform people that they should click for that section. The last thing you want is a client getting confused in your website. Also making the doc@bugtown.com link clickable might be a good idea.
Just make sure you put some content in those things that change size. It looked to me like they were drop down menus that you hadn't put content in yet - it didn't ever occur to me to click them until I read someone here mention it.
yeah, izzay (pronounced: slime) is right, although i doubt you intended to put content in the slidey things.
..and although it is very smooth and cool, well doc, it's unnecessary and confusing at the moment.
the only use i can think for them at the moment is if you wanted to put the first sentence of each in each, but that would screw with the balance...
get what i mean though?
you mouseover, and the other bits slide away to show the first line or two of text in that site...
woo! that sneaky little 'home' link is cute!
doc, i've been playing with this nav for ages now, i love watching it move around! but still... i'm not convinced.
-and i'm glad you love malin.
oh, and IMHO, the gray looks a little dark.
looks very nice and tidy all up though doc.
niiiiicce.
- - r e i t s m a - -
(tifkab)
--edit-- sorry izzay, somehow thought slime's post was you. whoops! --tide--
[This message has been edited by reitsma (edited 02-26-2002).]
However, I was going to ask if you were planning on putting anything in all of that 'hidden' space you've got in there. It may be that some people are finding the menu a little confusing as it is similar to a drop down menu but so completly not at the same time.
Someone doesn't like the menu? Stone him! I played with it for about 3 minutes and decided it felt like rubber. I like rubber. I also think the colors work well, and wonder how you got the gradient in there. The rulers thing is cool, you'll move on when your'e ready
A little snag in the CSS that doesn't seem to be hurting anything:
From: Somewhere over the rainbow Insane since: Mar 2001
posted 02-26-2002 20:32
The poster has demanded we remove all his contributions, less he takes legal action.
We have done so.
Now Tyberius Prime expects him to start complaining that we removed his 'free speech' since this message will replace all of his posts, past and future.
Don't follow his example - seek real life help first.
From: The Land of one Headlight on. Insane since: May 2001
posted 02-27-2002 03:59
I have a question... one of my *dumber* ones for sure.
So I'm looking at the Doc's page and then 'view source' via notepad. With notepad 'active' on top of the page and positioned so I can still see the menu I then move the cursor over the menu and the menu's still expand even tho' I've not made IE 'active.' How does that work? I thought if a 'window' wasn't 'active'... well it wasn't active. More confusing by the minute. <bg>
WHat is that little editor thing at the bottom right under your email address?
Are you making like a PHP editor for your site or something?
Iono just something I noticed and wanted to know "What the Doc was up to" hehe.
Thanks
-YoYoFREAK!
Ok, have to b clearer methinks if I'm not going to be stoned here "ducks"...
I do like the menu, a lot!
It's one of a kind, super smooth and very cool!
(As well as the site)
What I was aiming at was the potential customers, if you want corporate customers with big bucks, show them what they think is professional first, before you pull out the fancy stuff, otherwise there is a risk that they just see the fancy stuff, and if they don't want that, they are gone... That would be a shame!
That's all I meant, not to scrap it or that it's unusable or anything.
laters/Dan
-{ a vibration is a movement that doesn't know which way to go }-
Man, I absolutely love it! As well as ozones.com, checked it out the other day and got me on the edge of my seat. Your stuff's superneat and very user friendly, Doc. Genious!
posted 02-24-2002 15:54
