BAMBAMBAM.co.uk V2.6

[ollie-]

So, I've been debating for a while wether to release this current design for crit, or just to jump straight to building it. As some of the more astute of you may have noticed, I have decided to submit it for feedback.

The Layout (http://www.bambambam.co.uk/images/BBB.png)
(With Notes:here (http://www.bambambam.co.uk/images/BBBnotes.png) )
The "fixed" contact area on the right, scrolls with the page, if anyone could help me to implement some javascript easing, it would be greatly appreciated.

I would appreciate any ideas you may have, especially in relation to the layout. Also logo suggestions would be appreciated, you can see some of the ideas I have gone through in my dA gallery http://greyscar.deviantart.com/gallery

Cheers :)

[evildrummer]

I personally dont like the site, I dont like the unorganised messy-ness of it.

What is the site for, what product/information is going to be on there?

[AndyM103]

It doesn't do it for me...

Anything really...

It's a bit - dare I say it... "Windows For Workgroups 3.1"

[Pasquale]

waaaay too blocky. heh looks like a homebrand cereal packet :(

[ollie-]

None of you seem to realise, that the pixelated "retro OS" look is what I'm trying to achieve, I'm fed up of creating/ seeing sites with too many gradients, and large fonts. So I thought I would try and create something more original.

That said, what could I do to improve it? Bear in mind that I want to stay true to the original concept of blockyness.

[AndyM103]

None of you seem to realise, that the pixelated "retro OS" look is what I'm trying to achieve

That's commendable but there's a reason why Windows XP or MacOS or Fedora 5 look different from Windows 3.1.

There are different ways of being original.

[ollie-]

That's commendable but there's a reason why Windows XP or MacOS or Fedora 5 look different from Windows 3.1.

There are different ways of being original.


I don't see what you mean about being original. I have not in anyway copied an old school OS.

[evildrummer]

You dont have to go old OS, to be different and blocky, one way is too clear out all of that, and if done in flash, just have some text that mofe aroiund with a good navigation and great functionality that way the site is still classified as really good even though it is still empty and blocky.

[AndyM103]

I don't see what you mean about being original. I have not in anyway copied an old school OS.

I didn't mean that you had - I was merely trying to explain with something close to hand (as a programmer).

[ollie-]

I didn't mean that you had - I was merely trying to explain with something close to hand (as a programmer).

Oh, I see where your coming from now. Any ideas of some improvements?

[AndyM103]

Try some different colours - possibly go for some dithering if you want the pixelly effect,
grey and yellow look a bit construction site-ish,

Andrew

[Anogar]

I think it's pretty cool. Keep working with it. Innovative designs are often not real popular at first. Keep at it. :thumb:

[ollie-]

I think it's pretty cool. Keep working with it. Innovative designs are often not real popular at first. Keep at it. :thumb:

Cheers Ryan, that really means alot. But the whole point of me putting it up here is that I've run out of ideas. Any chance of a shove in the right direction? :tb:

[AndyM103]

What about a console?

[ollie-]

What about a console?

What do you mean?

[AndyM103]

It takes some getting used to - but it is quite good!

[GPP]

It's a very origanal look.. not like those 2 million carbon copyed sites out there, good job! :thumb:

The 'co' in 'co.uk' looks like [][] try fixing that ;)
If your doing this in flash make it look good with custom effects and a effective navigational system

[112am]

I get what you're going for ... here's where it misses for me. The content needs to be organized a little better. For instance, the content below the preview window seems to be just floating. Also, I don't like the black border around all the display areas. Instead, I'd use the same pixel background tile as the border for each area, only make it a shade of gray darker to differentiate from the actual background. I'd also work on the name tags for each display area, as it looks out of place with the rest of the style. Just food for thought.

[ollie-]

The 'co' in 'co.uk' looks like [][] try fixing that ;)
I see what you mean, just a simple kerning issue.


If your doing this in flash make it look good with custom effects and a effective navigational system

The whole idea is that the layout is simple and the flash effects add depth and character.

[Anogar]

I don't think you really need any more ideas, start making it functional now that you have the design pretty well hammered. You have every element that it required, I think that with content in there it will look great. During the process of getting it working, I imagine you'll iron out the little kinks.

You design reminds me of Roy Lichtenstein's work, it has a neat, retro comic-ish sort of style. Stick with it.

http://images.easyart.com/i/prints/rw/lg/1/3/Roy-Lichtenstein-Kiss-V-133905.jpg

[Frazer1]

No offence, but I heard this a LOT when I was at college, a long, long time ago, but it's a very simple rule that my final year lecturer drummed in to me and one that has stuck with me through my whole career. Just before he would tear up somebodies work in our daily crit sessions, he would make a very simple statement - - "If it looks sh*t, it is sh*t".

Now, this statement is not as nasty as it sounds. As designers, sometimes when we try to create something cutting edge or different or against the streem, we believe we are creating something worthwile, but you have to admit - somewhere in the back of your mind, you've asked yourself, "does this look sh*t"? I find that when I start asking myself that question, whatever I'm creating generally is sh*t.

Now take that simple rule of design and go forth and multiply ;)

[ollie-]

I don't think you really need any more ideas, start making it functional now that you have the design pretty well hammered. You have every element that it required, I think that with content in there it will look great. During the process of getting it working, I imagine you'll iron out the little kinks.

You design reminds me of Roy Lichtenstein's work, it has a neat, retro comic-ish sort of style. Stick with it.

http://images.easyart.com/i/prints/rw/lg/1/3/Roy-Lichtenstein-Kiss-V-133905.jpg

Roy Lichtenstein eh? I'm honoured.

I've already started to put the site together here (http://www.bambambam.co.uk/Server/index.html), I'm not very pleased with the image on the right though, ideally I want to to ease with the page scroll. Would this be achieveable with flash, or is JS the only way to do it?

[Anogar]

Anything is doable in Flash. Do you want the entire page to be in Flash, or a mix of HTML and Flash?

[AndyM103]

easing in JS to scroll position is hard! I like it now I can see it in practise.

[ollie-]

No offence, but I heard this a LOT when I was at college, a long, long time ago, but it's a very simple rule that my final year lecturer drummed in to me and one that has stuck with me through my whole career. Just before he would tear up somebodies work in our daily crit sessions, he would make a very simple statement - - "If it looks sh*t, it is sh*t".

Now, this statement is not as nasty as it sounds. As designers, sometimes when we try to create something cutting edge or different or against the streem, we believe we are creating something worthwile, but you have to admit - somewhere in the back of your mind, you've asked yourself, "does this look sh*t"? I find that when I start asking myself that question, whatever I'm creating generally is sh*t.

Now take that simple rule of design and go forth and multiply ;)

I know exactly what you mean, but if I was forever dumping everything that I created on a whim, I would never get anything done, infact, I would still be trying to draw a the perfect 2 up 2 down house, with a snaking path, using only crayons. :pa:

[Anogar]

I like to try to see any idea, however bad it me, to completion (at least at some point in the next year or so, I don't have time to do them all the second I have them) and just see how they turn out.

[ollie-]

Anything is doable in Flash. Do you want the entire page to be in Flash, or a mix of HTML and Flash?

I'm happy for full page flash, if thats what is required. It's only half and half now because I was trying to write some JS for the right image, but that failed. So I'm open to suggestions :P

[Anogar]

Check out Anova - Jasper Bentzen's page - he's got a cool scrolling page thing going on with full page Flash.

http://anovadesign.com/

[Frazer1]

I know exactly what you mean, but if I was forever dumping everything that I created on a whim, I would never get anything done, infact, I would still be trying to draw a the perfect 2 up 2 down house, with a snaking path, using only crayons. :pa:

Dude, I've got about 100+ personal designs on my hard drive that will never see the light of day. I guess I'm hypercrytical of myself, but after not having anything but a simple image on my landing page for about 4 years, I can gladly say that I am in the final stages of my own site.

[ollie-]

Check out Anova - Jasper Bentzen's page - he's got a cool scrolling page thing going on with full page Flash.

http://anovadesign.com/

Thats great and all, but how would I implement such a thing? I'm guessing I would put all of the content except the right image into the scrollbox. But other than that, I'm clueless

[Anogar]

There's lots of ways to make a scroll box, search Kirupa, I think there's a few tutorials. You just need to put the content into an MC and move that around.

[Zimmermann]

I really really like some of it - the logo, load/scroll bar, tiles - and I really really dislike other parts of it - the stipled borders, font aint the best and the arrows are ugly.

Some people already mentioned the messyness. It's okay, it's a part of the style IMO. But you should work more on it.

[ollie-]

There's lots of ways to make a scroll box, search Kirupa, I think there's a few tutorials. You just need to put the content into an MC and move that around.

So it would just be a normal scrollbox? Nothing special? If so... thats easy :)

[Anogar]

Yeah, a normal scrollbox (not the component, but the normal Flash method) can scroll the whole page around.

[ollie-]

Yeah, a normal scrollbox (not the component, but the normal Flash method) can scroll the whole page around.

Cool. How would I get it so that the scrollbox resizes to the size of the window but the contents don't?

[112am]

Courtesy of the fine folks from www.oringe.com (http://www.oringe.com) :P
You need flash 8, but this should get you started in the right direction.

[ollie-]

Courtesy of the fine folks from www.oringe.com (http://www.oringe.com) :P
You need flash 8, but this should get you started in the right direction.


Wow, thanks alot. That should help no end :party: