http://www.chinese-soul.com/
Cool animated site based around a countour-line drawing style. It's not all that interactive, but in the bottom left corner is a really interesting form of persistant, yet evolving navigation. At any point in the animation you're able to click the button in the bottom right of the screen and it cuts away from the current animation and branches to the menu. It's not too informative, but it most likely took a good chunk of work (and masking!)
http://www.google.com/chromeos/demolab/
Funny website based around google chrome. The whole idea is that they need your help finding new ways to destroy computers and see if a new one can still pull up the workspace. It's some sort of intelligent command-based video feed. Here's an example:
Lab Tech: your idea for the next destruction?
me: explosion
Lab Tech: perf
Lab Tech: one explosion
Lab Tech: coming right up
Lab Tech: ka-boooooom!
Good integration of interactive immersion and video.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
Website Critique
http://www.nike.com/jumpman23/balltalk/
Cool basketball site with an intro screen resembling tickets as options. Interesting to see how websites are evolving, as more and more have 3-D, video, and 2-D design. It's got a cool "choose-your-own" adventure feel, which makes the user interact with the video. I don't care about basketball, but it feels a bit more personal than just watching TV. My only issue with the navigation is that the bottom seems hidden when it's a really big aspect of the site. I'm surprised Nike didn't push harder to place their brand all over the site.
http://www.toyotapriusprojects.com/
Very contemporary website highlighting Toyota's projects. Sort of reminds me of a less-thought out Good infograph. The best part is the video for no. 6, really creative. Largest problem with the site is that it doesn't feel very interactive. It's a bunch of information that I feel like I'm seeing from far away, rather than being within it.
Cool basketball site with an intro screen resembling tickets as options. Interesting to see how websites are evolving, as more and more have 3-D, video, and 2-D design. It's got a cool "choose-your-own" adventure feel, which makes the user interact with the video. I don't care about basketball, but it feels a bit more personal than just watching TV. My only issue with the navigation is that the bottom seems hidden when it's a really big aspect of the site. I'm surprised Nike didn't push harder to place their brand all over the site.
http://www.toyotapriusprojects.com/
Very contemporary website highlighting Toyota's projects. Sort of reminds me of a less-thought out Good infograph. The best part is the video for no. 6, really creative. Largest problem with the site is that it doesn't feel very interactive. It's a bunch of information that I feel like I'm seeing from far away, rather than being within it.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Website Critiques
http://www.nissan.co.uk/#vehicles/crossovers/juke/experience/presentation
Decent car website, mixing video and buttons. Interesting having the roll-overs play a video feed, but I'm not sure how convincing it is. Each car has it's own page, which is fairly clean. Main problem is the first page is a survey, something I'd rather not look at. Overall, it's nothing innovative and sticks to most conventions safely.
http://www.attraction-lemanga.fr/site/index.php
Cool loading "crystal," but there are almost too many options at the beginning of the site. It's more animation heavy, pretty much a movie rather than a site. It's unclear in what it's intention is, but it is interactive enough to keep the viewer interested. Most likely specific to a very niche target market.
Decent car website, mixing video and buttons. Interesting having the roll-overs play a video feed, but I'm not sure how convincing it is. Each car has it's own page, which is fairly clean. Main problem is the first page is a survey, something I'd rather not look at. Overall, it's nothing innovative and sticks to most conventions safely.
http://www.attraction-lemanga.fr/site/index.php
Cool loading "crystal," but there are almost too many options at the beginning of the site. It's more animation heavy, pretty much a movie rather than a site. It's unclear in what it's intention is, but it is interactive enough to keep the viewer interested. Most likely specific to a very niche target market.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Website Critique 2
http://www.monet2010.com/
Stunningly beautiful site, my jaw was dropped the moment I got past the typographically rich loading system. The perfect meeting point between gestural painting and sleek modernity. The ability to merge Monet's color pallets to the black and white system couldn't work better. I dig the type choices, and the website is pretty straight forward.
My main complaint is in the "journey," where we are required to perform some gimmicky performances to view paintings. It's not very intuitive, nor is it particularly enjoyable.
http://www.diesel.com/freshandbright/
A novelty site for a Diesel product. Some interesting juxtoposition between video/photo and a cartoon-like style. Art direction works pretty well, but it's annoying that a new tab opens when you click many of the buttons. Some pretty funny concepts, but there's little depth and merely surface thought. No reason to come back, but I suppose they just want you to laugh and pull out the credit card. There are options to send it to your friends, but I don't see the incentive. No "rewards"
Stunningly beautiful site, my jaw was dropped the moment I got past the typographically rich loading system. The perfect meeting point between gestural painting and sleek modernity. The ability to merge Monet's color pallets to the black and white system couldn't work better. I dig the type choices, and the website is pretty straight forward.
My main complaint is in the "journey," where we are required to perform some gimmicky performances to view paintings. It's not very intuitive, nor is it particularly enjoyable.
http://www.diesel.com/freshandbright/
A novelty site for a Diesel product. Some interesting juxtoposition between video/photo and a cartoon-like style. Art direction works pretty well, but it's annoying that a new tab opens when you click many of the buttons. Some pretty funny concepts, but there's little depth and merely surface thought. No reason to come back, but I suppose they just want you to laugh and pull out the credit card. There are options to send it to your friends, but I don't see the incentive. No "rewards"
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Website critiques
http://www.levislaundry.com.hk/
Interesting website from levi's in Hong Kong. It's music-driven, and focused around a little set. Personally, I think it's a little hard to understand, and even though it's from a different culture it should still be intuitive and easy to navigate. Everything is flickering, and I suppose it's an interesting balance of noise. The website isn't intended to keep people visiting for long, as it's more of a novelty. The integration of video and animation is actually pretty cool. It's a little difficult to understand what the main point of the site is, and what they're really trying to get across.
http://ecodazoo.com/
Wow, this site is amazing. It connects with it's target audience, educates through a very unique medium (using traditional pop-up and illustrations in a 3-D rendered world). Some strong forced connections, as the characters are animals representing the things they are teaching (light conservation is an angler fish, bag recycling is a kangaroo
An amazing perseption of depth, and the fact that you can scroll up, down and around the scene creates a very interactive learning enviornment. Without this sense of interaction, people get bored and don't feel like they're learning- this is the future of education. No longer would kids be day-dreaming in their desks, as they are launched into an interesting world that they could speak about and return to without dread.
My only issue is that there's no sense of reward, and there's a large opportunity to educate further, rather than simply reinforcing ideas we hear daily. As such, it's a little less memorable. Cool art direction none-the less.
Interesting website from levi's in Hong Kong. It's music-driven, and focused around a little set. Personally, I think it's a little hard to understand, and even though it's from a different culture it should still be intuitive and easy to navigate. Everything is flickering, and I suppose it's an interesting balance of noise. The website isn't intended to keep people visiting for long, as it's more of a novelty. The integration of video and animation is actually pretty cool. It's a little difficult to understand what the main point of the site is, and what they're really trying to get across.
http://ecodazoo.com/
Wow, this site is amazing. It connects with it's target audience, educates through a very unique medium (using traditional pop-up and illustrations in a 3-D rendered world). Some strong forced connections, as the characters are animals representing the things they are teaching (light conservation is an angler fish, bag recycling is a kangaroo
An amazing perseption of depth, and the fact that you can scroll up, down and around the scene creates a very interactive learning enviornment. Without this sense of interaction, people get bored and don't feel like they're learning- this is the future of education. No longer would kids be day-dreaming in their desks, as they are launched into an interesting world that they could speak about and return to without dread.
My only issue is that there's no sense of reward, and there's a large opportunity to educate further, rather than simply reinforcing ideas we hear daily. As such, it's a little less memorable. Cool art direction none-the less.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Semester troubles
For the last blog, I've been requested to post a summary of main issues I've encountered over the semester.
First, I think it's extremely important that everyone gets a place-holder voice as soon as the project is started. You don't need to do anything fancy, just record yourself in the way your actor will present the text and you'll avoid A TON of revisions a few weeks into the project.
When it comes to drawings, pen is much, much more forgiving than pencil. I wasted an entire week of work and drawing because of the grainy aspects of pencil. Made me want to rip my hair out!
Your storyboard shouldn't be 5x as long as the rest of the class, as the animation is much easier said than done.
File management is extremely important, and I regret not taking account for this earlier because you end up with exponentially more files than any other process of design I've worked with.
Transitions are the stitching of animation, without them your work will fall apart at the seam and be very unappealing. This is mostly important because many students felt it was alright to leave transitions until they actually animated and found themselves SOL.
Accept evolution, the finished result is usually unlike anything you started with.
Staring at a computer screen for so long gave me pretty bad headaches (especially when masking frame by frame)...not sure what you can do about that, but it makes it hard to work on other homework.
Unlike most, I never had too many issues rendering.
First, I think it's extremely important that everyone gets a place-holder voice as soon as the project is started. You don't need to do anything fancy, just record yourself in the way your actor will present the text and you'll avoid A TON of revisions a few weeks into the project.
When it comes to drawings, pen is much, much more forgiving than pencil. I wasted an entire week of work and drawing because of the grainy aspects of pencil. Made me want to rip my hair out!
Your storyboard shouldn't be 5x as long as the rest of the class, as the animation is much easier said than done.
File management is extremely important, and I regret not taking account for this earlier because you end up with exponentially more files than any other process of design I've worked with.
Transitions are the stitching of animation, without them your work will fall apart at the seam and be very unappealing. This is mostly important because many students felt it was alright to leave transitions until they actually animated and found themselves SOL.
Accept evolution, the finished result is usually unlike anything you started with.
Staring at a computer screen for so long gave me pretty bad headaches (especially when masking frame by frame)...not sure what you can do about that, but it makes it hard to work on other homework.
Unlike most, I never had too many issues rendering.
Video Critique 14
Cool after effects project of simple forms and vectors. Lots of stroke effects, and apparently a usage of “shine and form?” Not sure what the is, but the pacing suffers from the fact that it’s merely a study. It leaves me wondering why he didn’t try to piece together a concept instead of just making things look cool. There’s a consistent usage of natural things in a vector setting (leaves, fish, birds, strokes), but it doesn’t really say anything.
Hierarchy and scale works well, he’s obviously got a keen eye for composition. Music isn’t too exciting, but it works alright with the pacing of the piece. Some transitions leave my mouth a little dry and I find myself bored after a couple of views.
In summary, it’s pretty, but not much more.
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