concept before design?

[j7]

hi... if you have time, can u check this site and give me comments and feedbacks if the flash detection is working on your browser etc...

thanks...
oh and also while making this site, i keep on thinking, i should focus on concept/idea before design... does that show through in my site? coz you know how when you're working on your own site, after awhile you can't really tell whether it works or not anymore coz you're saturated. so often you need a third party... to look at it with fresh eyes.


http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~schan/untitled

[Liquid]

Hey,

The redirect worked for me. I like your 3D approach, yet you may consider enlarging the actual content. Some of it is pretty hard to read when you get into some of the sub-sections.
You may want to better define the "main menu" button also; the font you chose seems to be too small when in the subsections. Otherwise, nice work.
Strangely, your site made me hungry for takeout :).
Best of Luck.

[Zarathusta]

j7 I loved it and the redirect worked for me as well.

The whole 3d concepts works great, though your sub menues do tend to get a bit small at least at high res. Also your atwork is tiny, couldnt make much out.

Great work!!!

P.s What did you use for the 3d ani.

[j7]

thanks for the reply...

been getting that remark about the font... hmmm might go and change that now... : )

i used 3d rhino for the takeaway box and the bowl i think was in rhino too...

didn't realise people really wanna view the artworks so i thought... hmmm if they want they can double click the image but i guess... i was wrong. bigger thumbnails then.

thanks again..

[olganunes]

Redirect was fine.

I was intrigued by the set up of the chinese takeout carton being drawn, although I don't necessarily like the way they end up, 4 side by side. It looks clunky and I would try to rework that frame.

HOWEVER conceptually I LOVE the carton opening up and the print on the inside of the panels. It seems very original and if you focus on that and try to bring that originality out to other parts of the navigation/layout I think you could have yourself a winner. (Literally and figuratively.)

[olganunes]

PS.. I don't like the bowl spinning intro either. Try something else.

[olganunes]

PPS.. sorry, my thinking is spastic.

But I had to say I loved ALL the boxes and the way the opened up and revealed. (The first post I'd only gone to the portfolio.

It's the initial 4 boxes (don't really like the type layout on them either) next to the barcode. IT seems, pardon the pun, boxy. Too compartmentalized. I'm not sure how to remedy this without breaking up the wonderful animations you have for each of the boxes.

and maybe that stems from concepting as you are designing.. the boxes unfolding are a wonderful idea but the initial layout with the boxes inactive is mediocre.

Also, on the portfolio section, I would make the pictures bigger.. maybe in the pop up window? the text size doesn't bother me.

ok. that's all. i promise.

[j7]

thanks olganunes for the detailed criticism... i guess coming from a fine art bg, i always had problem with design since i am more used to working with concept : )

i had a feeling that the layout is not quite right. you voiced out some of the concerns i had when i was working on this webpage.

but apart from that,

how come everyone keeps on telling me to make the images in the portfolio section bigger... is the "double click to view detail" instruction too inconspicuous? coz if you double click the image that pops up in the center of the box, it will open another small window showing a larger image of the artwork. hmmmm....

[olganunes]

Oh, I thought I double clicked and only a text description popped up on the image I was looking at??

I can have a short attention span so maybe I missed it.
~~~

Ok, I looked again and double-clicked everywhere that made sense a few places that didn't and only got a text description pop up window. (The particular one I was looking at was dislocation, with a gallery on the wall, I double clicked on the gallery and got a small icon of the image, double clicked the image and got the text pop up.

What size screen resolution are you using? Is it that the second small image in the flash is much bigger to you?? ;) (I would imagine not...) I'm on 1280x1024 and everything is teeny weeny.

Email me personally if you'd like, I'd love to talk about your fine arts background.. I actually have a background/degree in graphic design and always felt I was missing in concept... not necessarily that my pieces have none, just the general idea comes with the process of design to me, the way you described this project. :)

Olga