Animation and Web Design I'd lose the animation and develop a more friendly site for viewers under IE 5.5 and Netscape 6
Remember the KISS theory...Keep It Simple Stupid. Personally, "splash" pages bug me. I go to a website to get info or to buy something. If I have to wade through or wait...it makes it that less enjoyable and annoying. Why through up something that makes it more difficult to get the stuff they are looking for. That's me though. There are certainly lots of folks out there that flash over substance! :) How long does that animation take for someone using a 28.8 modem? Keep that in mind too. If it takes longer than 7 to 10 seconds, you are losing possible customers. Also, if you are determined to do a FLASH animation, make sure that you really use flash to its full potential and also include a "skip intro" button or "non-flash" splash. Always assume that everyone that is going to access the website will bitch at you because they cannot view your site using an 8 year old Amiga web browser...*grin* Graphics Unless you company is designing weird Roman/Viking/High Fantasy Products I would look over your choice of fonts and graphics...they also do not match the other site that does contain the information. Brand/Company identity! It is key. When we sat down and worked on our first project we determined what fonts, logos, and icons would be used. When we started another brand we varied the "banner/header" font to give it the feel we wanted but that was it, everything stayed the same. When you pick up one of our products you know we did it. You should consider the same thing. The "Dark Sigma" should have a good solid one, two, or three element design. The symbol you have that goes over the sword is a good start. Drop the sword and focus on the circular sigma design. THIS should be your design/logo/emblem company identity piece. Just some random/quick thoughts. Hope that helps! Richard -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Shandromand Sent: Sunday, February 24, 2002 2:21 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [Ogf-l] The darksigma.com website Hi gang! We are currently entering beta phase for Darksigma Studios, and I'd like to get a little feedback on the site's look and feel. We're using a flash intro, some javascript and a small amount of DHTML, so if I remember correctly, you'll need IE 5.5 or better to be able to see the site. To see the flash intro, go to www.darksigma.com - it's not terribly fancy, and it redirects to a page which has a link to our forum (at the bottom). To see the site itself (which we plan to release when we have enough solid material), click the link for www.darksigma.com/home.html Okay, with that out of the way, I can get into this a bit more. At this current point in time, most of the Darksigma Studios staff are wound up pretty tight with work and school, so that limits our time to work with the project. We are constantly looking for new talent, and while it isn't a paying job, it does have some rewards. We've been giving away free email addresses from the domain (courtesy of bluedomino.com), and the ability to shape a world. We feel that there is a lot of potential with this campaign setting, but we need more input! If it turns out to be a money-making venture, we might be able to do something more with it. I'm currently looking into publication from A to Z, and there's a possiblity that we could get this all the way to distribution. This is probably a long way off, but who knows? At any rate, I know I've done a shout-out to you folks once (under the heading of the Codex of Myndrallon). This time I'm serious - we have a domain for at least a year, but I intend to keep it running for as long as possible. We've got four very excellent writers, and one exceptional artist. The trouble is that we've all been so tied up that we're hitting this wall, and none of us wants it to stop there. So, if you're interested in the project, by all means, have a look around and share your ideas! I know some of you resent this kind of plugging on here, but most have something positive to say, or at least constructive, so if I'm bugging you, I apologise. Thanks for any help you offer. Shandromand Site Op of Darksigma Studios The distance between madness and genius is measured only by success. p.s. The forum is watched on a daily basis by myself and lonemage, so don't worry, if you have something for us, either I or lonemage will respond asap. _______________________________________________ Ogf-l mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.opengamingfoundation.org/mailman/listinfo/ogf-l
