Date post: | 28-Jan-2015 |
Category: |
Design |
Upload: | elliotjaystocks |
View: | 115 times |
Download: | 0 times |
Close Your BrowserFinding Inspiration In The Offline World
by Elliot Jay Stockselliotjaystocks.com | twitter.com/elliotjaystocks
Where do we find inspiration online?
Personal sites, blogs, Twitter, etc.
Bookmarking sites
Photo-sharing sites
Where do we find inspiration online?
Personal sites, blogs, Twitter, etc.
Bookmarking sites
Photo-sharing sites
Gallery sites
What’s wrong with these galleries?
Most of the content is the same
There’s a low signal-to-noise ratio
What’s wrong with these galleries?
Most of the content is the same
There’s a low signal-to-noise ratio
Many exist purely for the sake of advertising
What’s wrong with these galleries?
Most of the content is the same
There’s a low signal-to-noise ratio
Many exist purely for the sake of advertising
But most importantly...
If you only get your inspiration from one place, your designs will grow stale.
Why should a website look like every other website?
Freedom
Large areas of whitespace
Unusual layout
Bold imagery / typography
Thinking outside the grid
Inseparable
Print design Web designPresent day
Birth of art
Design as a whole
Art as a whole
Birth of print
Jeff Croft:
“Flash speaks [a designer’s] language. It's visual in nature and has similar tools and UI to Photoshop, Illustrator, and their ilk.”
subtraction.com/archives/2008/0114_the_story_so.php
Two tangents
Print design
* Generally speaking, of course. You know I love Web Standards more than Flash ... so please don’t throw the tomatoes just yet!
XHTML / CSS(rigidity of layout*)
Flash (freedom of layout*)
Glitches... distortions...intentional breakages...what purpose do they serve?
To break the mould
To create a pleasant level of tension
Glitches... distortions...intentional breakages...what purpose do they serve?
To break the mould
To create a pleasant level of tension
To involve the user (attention / participation required)
Khoi Vinh:“My complaint, right now, is that the majority of storytelling that happens on the Web is based in the interactively rich environment made possible by Flash.”
“Not enough Web standards-minded designers are thinking narratively in the way that our Flash-fluent colleagues are.”
subtraction.com/archives/2008/0114_the_story_so.php
NarrativeNarrative is not just about backward and forward or next and previous. It is about an evolving structure, problems and solutions, and a continuous sense of movement.
NarrativeFreytag’s analysis of literary plot structure:
1. Exposition2. Rising action3. Climax (turning point)4. Falling action5. Denouement
Translating narrative theoryto web design1. Exposition2. Rising action
= Structure (the grid)= Tension (unusual layout)
Translating narrative theoryto web design1. Exposition2. Rising action3. Climax (turning point)
= Structure (the grid)= Tension (unusual layout)= Stand-out elements
Translating narrative theoryto web design1. Exposition2. Rising action3. Climax (turning point)4. Falling action
= Structure (the grid)= Tension (unusual layout)= Stand-out elements= Balance
Translating narrative theoryto web design1. Exposition2. Rising action3. Climax (turning point)4. Falling action5. Denouement
= Structure (the grid)= Tension (unusual layout)= Stand-out elements= Balance= The overall aesthetic
Your home page is notyour business card.
Neither is your contact page or site navigation.
Your design is your business card.
Conclusions
Print design aesthetics have split off into two (Flash and HTML / CSS) tangents in web design.
Conclusions
Print design aesthetics have split off into two (Flash and HTML / CSS) tangents in web design.
We need to unify these two branches by embracing design ‘freedoms’ from print design in the Web Standards world.
Conclusions
Print design aesthetics have split off into two (Flash and HTML / CSS) tangents in web design.
We need to unify these two branches by embracing design ‘freedoms’ from print design in the Web Standards world.
Narrative is lacking in non-Flash web design and we need to challenge our current aesthetics.
Conclusions
Print design aesthetics have split off into two (Flash and HTML / CSS) tangents in web design.
We need to unify these two branches by embracing design ‘freedoms’ from print design in the Web Standards world.
Narrative is lacking in non-Flash web design and we need to challenge our current aesthetics.
Impressing is not just done by good design; it’s done by brave design.
Again:
If you only get your inspiration from one place, your designs will grow stale.
Why should a website look like every other website?