New-Look Website Design

[mwpresentations]

Hi there,

Here's my new-look website design. Comments and feedback very much appreciated!

http://www.limefiresmedia.co.uk (http://www.limefiresmedia.co.uk/)

Mike.

[MagicToolbox]

It looks great!

However, you shouldn't build it all in Flash. Do it in HTML, CSS and images. With an all flash website you won't get many visits from search engines and it's not accessible to people with screen readers.

[ajcates]

Yea MagicToolbox is right, do it in html and css, the way you have it set up in flash is stupid, you don't even use any effects.

[Templarian]

Why did you make this in flash? There is absolutely not reason for it when everything is so static. I would def redo it in HTML and css shouldn't take too long its a rather simple layout when broken apart. Probably use simple JS for displaying your content.

Solid design, but poor use of flash.

[rumblesushi]

What the other guys say is true. If you're going to have a 100% flash site (which I have nothing against, I've built quite a few of them) at least actually have it as a flash showcase, have it all singing, all dancing, showing just what flash can do compared to HTML/CSS.

[haam]

instead of telling him to redo it in another language/program why don't we encourage him to make his flASH site better?

you have a great start here, the design is very approachable but the flash end is very lacking. add some transitions from section to section. in your portfolio, animate in the text that represents each project, then animate in the actual portfolio image.

also, when i click on a nav button the whole site disappears for a non-second in order for the next section to appear, that's disjointing.

everything is just so "off/on" and static use some fading or some movement or something. the whole point of using flash is that it can do things that HTML and CSS can't, so take advantage of it!!!

or else, the internet police will yell at you for using flash for no reason ;)

@ everyone - it's 100% possible to make a search-able flash site with deep links, so that is NO EXCUSE to not build a flash site.

[sekasi]

I would agree with almost everything that haam said tbh.

I do think there are sites that shouldn't be done in Flash though, for a variety of reasons. This one is NOT one of them however.

[chrisclick]

Add some fancy transitions or something, Make the reason why you used flash scream at people. Obviously, not to loud.

[mwpresentations]

Hi everyone, thanks for the comments.

I realise that the use of 100% flash is not everyone's cup of tea, but this is the format I like to work in. I have a motion graphics based background, and used to use flash a lot for animations.

CSS isn't my thing, but I agree that flash isn't suitable all of the time - and if you're going to use it, you need to use it well and actually flaunt some of the things you can do with it.

I agree with the previous comments re: animating things a bit more, and adding transitions. I will try and alter the design to take these into account.

I purposely wanted to break away from the whole "loading everything into the same site" scenario, which is why I put different parts of the site on separate pages. How I get over the "jump" from page to page, I don't really know. But surely you get that on every site, not just flash-based sites? Surely when you go off and view a different forum thread on this website, there'll be a quick "jump"?

Flash is great for loading in images and external text. This makes my site easily updatable, and means I can spend more time focussing on the actual design of the site.

Thanks for the comments and constructive criticism - that's why I posted the site here, and that's what I was after. Much appreciated.

Cheers, mwp =)

[rumblesushi]

instead of telling him to redo it in another language/program why don't we encourage him to make his flASH site better?

you have a great start here, the design is very approachable but the flash end is very lacking. add some transitions from section to section. in your portfolio, animate in the text that represents each project, then animate in the actual portfolio image.

also, when i click on a nav button the whole site disappears for a non-second in order for the next section to appear, that's disjointing.

everything is just so "off/on" and static use some fading or some movement or something. the whole point of using flash is that it can do things that HTML and CSS can't, so take advantage of it!!!

or else, the internet police will yell at you for using flash for no reason ;)

@ everyone - it's 100% possible to make a search-able flash site with deep links, so that is NO EXCUSE to not build a flash site.

I did, essentially.

[rumblesushi]

Hi everyone, thanks for the comments.

I realise that the use of 100% flash is not everyone's cup of tea, but this is the format I like to work in. I have a motion graphics based background, and used to use flash a lot for animations.

CSS isn't my thing, but I agree that flash isn't suitable all of the time - and if you're going to use it, you need to use it well and actually flaunt some of the things you can do with it.

I agree with the previous comments re: animating things a bit more, and adding transitions. I will try and alter the design to take these into account.

I purposely wanted to break away from the whole "loading everything into the same site" scenario, which is why I put different parts of the site on separate pages. How I get over the "jump" from page to page, I don't really know. But surely you get that on every site, not just flash-based sites? Surely when you go off and view a different forum thread on this website, there'll be a quick "jump"?

Flash is great for loading in images and external text. This makes my site easily updatable, and means I can spend more time focussing on the actual design of the site.

Thanks for the comments and constructive criticism - that's why I posted the site here, and that's what I was after. Much appreciated.

Cheers, mwp =)

Hey mwp, actually that isn't the issue at all. I would say this is a predomininently Flash site, a lot of people here have 100% flash sites, a lot of people here love 100% Flash sites, including me. Personally I don't like looking at, developing HTML/CSS, I find it ever so boring.

The issue is more, if you're going to use Flash, really USE flash, show what it's capable of next to a HTML/CSS site.

For example, I could knock up an HTML/CSS/JS page that behaves just like your Flash site, that's not good, I shouldn't be able to do that.

You say you're from a motion graphics background, that's good, so make your bloody site move ;)

PS - one more thing I'm not sure if you're aware of, a couple of times randomly clicking through the sections, the site scaled itself to about 200%.

[fasterthanlight™]

For example, I could knock up an HTML/CSS/JS page that behaves just like your Flash site, that's not good, I shouldn't be able to do that.


Too true. Faster demands more tweens and slides and squeezes and elastics

[haam]

You say you're from a motion graphics background, that's good, so make your bloody site move ;)

AND HOW!

[Templarian]

How I get over the "jump" from page to page, I don't really know. But surely you get that on every site, not just flash-based sites? Surely when you go off and view a different forum thread on this website, there'll be a quick "jump"?
Its called Deep linking.

Basic idea is to use

#gallery:subpage

This will allow your site to still have a changing address while not leaving the page. When JS content changes people use it there also to remember the page exactly as it was.

Good luck, I agree with transitions and reworking how your pages are linked it could be a solid site, just needs a lot of work.

[ajcates]

I purposely wanted to break away from the whole "loading everything into the same site" scenario, which is why I put different parts of the site on separate pages. How I get over the "jump" from page to page, I don't really know. But surely you get that on every site, not just flash-based sites? Surely when you go off and view a different forum thread on this website, there'll be a quick "jump"?


You can set up a pre-loader for each page, this way there is a loading bar instead of a big long loading bar at the beginning or little jumps to each page. You do not get that jump on ajax sites or most flash sites, because it makes the http request live in current page, instead of loading a new one.

[fasterthanlight™]

Dude, to eliminate the page "jumps" just add exit transitions, and enter transitions to each page, and once the transition animation ends for each section you call up the new page.

[mwpresentations]

Hi everyone, thanks for the comments.

I'll try and tweak the site a bit, and post the link again when I'm done.

Cheers, mwp.

[Jeds]

the design is really damn good, nice colours, nice layout.
what i would do is just have the flash portion a fixed size, so 800x500 or whatever the dimensions of your main content area are, then have the background tile in css.

and as people have said, deep linking for sure, get that together with a simple transition and i think you will have a very nice site there my friend

[snickelfritz]

I like the layout, but the blank page transitions are kind of surprising for a Flash site.
Personally, I've always found this "accepted" website behavior to be annoying.

[mwpresentations]

the design is really damn good, nice colours, nice layout.
what i would do is just have the flash portion a fixed size, so 800x500 or whatever the dimensions of your main content area are, then have the background tile in css.

and as people have said, deep linking for sure, get that together with a simple transition and i think you will have a very nice site there my friend

thanks for that - I'll have a look at the deep-linking options and see what I can do :thumb: