FEEDBACK
ROBOT MINIONS
-often updated-
barbelith.com
cooper.edu
fallingout.com
fireland.com
Maakies comic strip
maganda.org
marychen.com
maura.com
melty.com
prolific.org
rebecca.diaryland.com
riothero.com
weatherpattern
ROBOT REVOLUTION?
If you came to this page from somewhere other than another area of my web site, it might interest you to witness the full and utter adequecy of the rest of Oh Messy Life. Then again, it might not.
"Dlog"
-or-
Comments about the designs of various
web sites!
-or-
A
quick and easy way for me to make both friends and enemies!
If you haven't yet, please read the disclaimers. Thanks.
4/15/00
I'll get back to this eventually. For now: archive of posts.
posted by Andy Pressman 4/15/2000 3:15:56 PM
Precocious.org
Some people may accuse Misty of Precocious.org of hopping on the "orange web page" bandwagon, but they're missing the point. And by that I don't refer to Misty's "Choose the color scheme" feature (which offers green, red, and blue in addition to the default color palette), although that is a handy little option. What I mean is that the color of the page is more than just orange; it's orange, and its brown, and its graced with red.
This may seem like an incidental element of the page design, but it's actually integral. First impressions are everything, after all, and the first impression that the colors of Precocious give is lush and inviting. Even better, their presentation reinforces Misty's sunflower motif without making the image too literal and distracting. The orange/brown/red text and link colors are also used well.
The basic layout of Precocious is pretty standard: the main entries are presented in a wide column running down the center, while links and additional information run alongside. The logo/navigation bar running along top is fairly well-balanced, and keeps the page from feeling too tightly centered. Both the side column of information and the navigation bar are given a bit more life than the average blog would have them, however, with personal pictures and mouse-over details, respectively.
There are a couple loose ends in the page, though. Although Misty has worked to keep a particular ornamental image bar from interfering with the text, it still bleeds over in my browser. [Technical note: I use Netscape. When I checked the page again with Internet Explorer, the problem image was tucked neatly away to the side.] In addition, Precocious suffers from the same ailment that every blog with substantial entries suffers from: it's extremely long on the screen. That, in addition to the pictures on the side, can slow down loading time. Which isn't to say that the pictures are unnecessary, as they're extremely relevant. Choosing between images and loading time is difficult, at best, and in this case the images probably win out.
link to this post
posted by Andy Pressman 4/2/2000 6:48:54 PM
Apathy
ASCII design for the web has been done before, but, in my opinion, never this well. I can't say I've ever found courier text to be a pretty font, but today Apathy made me a believer. The page is clean, attractive, easy-to-load and well organized.
Apathy places each entry under a variety of topic headings according to content (my favorite: "This site smells like idiots."). The entries are sectioned off by vertical and horizontal lines, each with their own heading title. These titles are in red and, in conjunction with the use of sectioned text, allows for the reader to easily jump his or her eyes to the next topic covered on the page. The occasional comment on the links (or, occasionally, comment on the comments on the links) is kept off to the right to avoid clutter.
My favorite element of the page has to be in the logo, however, which is both clever and attractive. Against such a clean and open page, the use of a solid red jolts the reader awake, and makes him or her excited about reading on.
This page is fantastic - it kicks me in the head, and I like it.
link to this post
posted by Andy Pressman 3/30/2000 5:41:20 PM
Powazek.com
Why is the new Powazek.com design such a disappointment? I mean, Derek certainly knows his shit. The navigation is tight, the color use is attractive without being overwhelming (and oh-so up to the minute with those pastels), and the layout is clear and readable.
But where's the soul? The page looks nothing like the home of a talented writer and designer; this is the glossy, slick stuff of shareholder reports. Everything from the gigantic powazek logo down to the photos staggered on the left column just reeks of an advertising insert for some new communications corporation. Speaking of those images, they raise connotations that seem to conflict with the content. The impression they leave is one of economic prosperity and success - look at the hip, buzzing workplace! Look at the hip, hi-tech airplane!
The page is slick and clean, while the content is personal and very human. This is a nice design. It's a very safe design. But, I think, it's the wrong design for this page.
Post Script:
Everyone
else
seems
to
love
it,
though.
link to this post
posted by Andy Pressman 3/29/2000 4:35:46 PM
The 16-Color Controversy
"The 16-Color Controversy" probably isn't the real name of this collection of collage work; I made it up. In fact, I've never really bothered to ask Rebecca whether or not this site has any formal name. I was probably too busy admiring the artwork here to really care.
The phrase "16-Color Controversy" comes from what could be Rebecca's artistic manifesto, in which she describes the set backs she faces. See, Rebecca can only access the web through the pixellated field of her 16-color monitor. But damned if that's going to stop her. In her words, "If you play drums, but you don't have a drumset, you're going to have to make some changes. Like playing a telephone booth with a screwdriver! My point is, rock and roll with what you've got, even if it's a 16 color palette."
And, oh man, what great rock and roll she makes. Her collages are funny, vivid, and extremely well-composed. And, of course, they've viewable from almost any monitor. My favorite, by far, is "Pretty," which has a really killer composition, and makes good use of negative space. (It helps, of course, that the "leaning girl" in the collage is oh-so cute. Damn these heterosexual biases!)
The collages stumble a bit when placed floating on the page without a background, such as in "Bitte." Without any elements in to activate the background, this collage has a flat and somewhat tiredfeel to it (but even still, wow, look at how exciting the hair of the figures is!). This doesn't mean that every piece needs a background pattern in order to make it sucessful, but perhaps the background color of the page could be one which plays with the reds, blues and greens of the foreground.
All in all, an inspiring little collection of collages. So no more of this "But I don't have Photoshop/Painter/Illustrator/etc on my computer, how can I do any interesting graphics?" Whip out that Windows paint program, kid, and get to work.
link to this post
posted by Andy Pressman 3/27/2000 5:39:36 PM
BrainLog
It's sad how short this update is, especially considering how long it's been since the last DLog entry. But all I wanted to say was, hot damn, I really do dig the logo for BrainLog. It's attractive, intelligent, and creates a nice play between the image and text.
link to this post
posted by Andy Pressman 3/27/2000 2:36:30 AM
BenBrown.com
I met Ben Brown once, before I knew he was some kind of famous internet rockstar. It was at this nice little DC get-together of internet geeks. He talked a bit. I didn't talk too much. Later, I found out he thought I was gay. And that's where our friendship now stands - me saying "So he's famous, huh?" and him going "So he's gay, huh?" except I highly doubt any thought of my existence has crossed his mind since that magical, magical day. None of that has anything to do with web design, but it hopefully got your attention.
When I first saw the layout of benbrown.com, it took a few minutes for me to realize why I enjoyed it so much. Sure, the colors are nice, but nothing spectacular. I love cute little icons as much as the next kid, but not enough to make or break a page.
Then it hit me - negative space. Let this page be a lesson to all you kids out there (myself included, of course) that cram your pages so full of text and images that they have no room to breathe. This site is a great example of what happens when you back off, let your text exist in a comfortable area neither too big nor small, and have a background that's interesting without being a distraction.
link to this post
posted by Andy Pressman 3/21/2000 10:59:46 PM
Note for 3/21/00:
I've switched the main part of Oh Messy Life over to Blogger, because how could I resist? Sexiest damn interface ever. Also, I fixed the comment form on the left so that it includes a "submit" button, which I hear is all the rage these days. (...oops.) In addition, moved the disclaimers down to the bottom of the screen. If nobody wants to read them to begin with, might as well hide 'em from the public eye. Finally, I am currently obsessed with what just may be the best designed blog. Ever.
posted by Andy Pressman 3/21/2000 11:21:20 AM
Premium Polar
I'm guessing most of you haven't seen this weblog before, or so it would seem from a few of Les's comments. Which is a shame, actually, because just like the previously-mentioned maganda.org, this site is extremely effective at establishing a distinct environment. It's an environment that the reader enters every time he or she views this page, and it helps to brand the site with a specific visual connotation. PP's "icy" motif takes it in a slightly different direction, though, and establishes a direct corrolation between the design and the name and location - Les is from Alaska. (I'm such a tourist - the very mention of Alaska conjures up images of eskimos wrestling polar bears. Weird).
What's interesting is that he creates this environment with few graphics and a relatively simple layout. Look at the way he uses colors in the text, and in the main table of the page to create a clever transparency effect. No, it's not the first time I've seen the effect used, but it's not so cliched that it hurts the site. It fits nicely into the ice motif, and also gives the page a good spacial relationship between the foreground and background.
Some of the other elements of the page don't seem to fit as nicely, however. The title, in particular, seems cramped into a small space. The type that makes up the "premium polar" bit, in particular, seems somewhat shaky and obscured by the massive "BLOG". If the logo broke free from the triangular background, it would better anchor the top of the page, as well as provide for a more dynamic foreground/background play. In addition, the page seems to hold posts going back twenty days, which can just get weary to read, and causes a delay in loading time.
All in all, a very cool site. Hahah Hah! Heh. It's a joke, see? Cause the site is so icy, it's .. yeah. Okay. Never mind.
link to this post
posted by Andy Pressman 3/21/2000 2:36:07 AM
A few notes:
This is a "dlog," as it is a design log rather than a web log. Weblog = "blog," design log = "dlog." (Yes, I recognize that the natural analogy would be to make this an 'nlog,' but I don't like pronouncing things like that.) The primary subjects here are peronal pages and things of that nature: journals, web logs, and vanity pages. Other things may pop up from time to time, depending on where my curiousity lies at the moment.
I'm not an authority in the field of graphic design; I'm just a student, an amateur. I love design, and I'm basing my life (or what passes for it here at school) around it. What I say should not be taken as canon, though. It's just one kid's opinion, no more or less valid than anyone else's.
I 'm not really interested in reviewing "functional" designs, the home pages of people who have no real interest in design save to provide a slight visual context for their content. If the creators of the page have no clear interest in a unique design, it'd be pointless (and mean!) for me to include them here.
Which is not to say that the worth of a page should be judged by the design. A strong design, or a strong review below, does not mean that the page is "good" or "bad." Some of my favorite sites are almost entirely without any sense of design, and some of my least favorite pages are visually extremely attractive.My opinion (for what it's worth; please note that I'm not a professional critic, just a lowly student) is based off how effective the page packages its content. This can include such elements as aesthetics, navigation, ease of load, etc.
Got a complaint? There's a comment form to the left. Go wild. Now then! On with the show.
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