Wonder Wall

Wonder wall is a web site for an interior design firm that is based in Japan. Masamichi Katayamais the founder of this firm and the firm is known for it’s ability to break boundaries associated with design. The firm has won accolades including 'Interior Design Firm of the Year' through The Great Indoors Award.
The web site for this company also breaks conventional design boundaries. The site has a store front, downloadable screen savers, dual language support and a google map with the locations of notable projects displayed. I noticed that many items in the online store were sold out, this indicates to me that people like the merchandise.
The homepage of the web site is built with photographs from stores, offices, galleries, malls and products in a way that is interesting and interactive. When a user mouses over the images the grid becomes three-dimensional and the item that the user is hovering over is enlarged in a non-symmetrical way.

Clicking on the imagery brings up a colorful page with cool animated effects and a showcase of imagery highlighting their wonderful work.

Sexperience

This is an interesting site I found called Sexperience. Its a Flash based web survey that started in the UK and basically asks you questions about your sexual life and depicts the overall results of the current poll though different graphs made up of the little figures that all run onto screen and animate into place to give you an idea of whats the norm for people across the board. There are options to break up the data in all different ways to hone in on a specific demographics contribution to the stats. Its just an interesting site that gives you an idea of what the normal sexual experiences and preferences are for most people. God knows what the action script must look like for a site like this.

http://sexperienceuk.channel4.com/the-sexperience-1000#

http://www.tokyoplastic.com/

The Website i chose is http://www.tokyoplastic.com. The animation was very very cool! I really liked all the effects that they did with the Japanese flag--especially when the red circle in the middle ate up a mess of plants, and how that same red circle turned into a person's head. Very interesting ideas they had there. I dislike the fact that the animation had to come up in a popup though. I would've liked it more if it had just stayed in the same window--much easier to deal with.

Joel’s blog about the flash website: bardel.ca

The website I chose is http:/bardel.ca which stands for Bardel Entertainment Inc.

It is useful for students or professionals who are interested in the field of animation.

I like this website because this site is user friendly.

The website for Bardel Entertainment uses flash animation for both video and movie clips.

It also features a filmography for Bardel Entertainment, which shows you the list of films, TV shows, and CD rom games they’ve done throughout twenty years.

This website has a careers page which shows possible careers with Bardel.

The last page on this site has a contact page where you can submit your work or you want to plan your visit.

Bardel Entertainment Inc. is located in Vancouver, British Columbia in Canada.

I had the opportunity to meet the owner of Bardel Entertainment and tour their office. He talked to me about the projects he has done using flash animation and 3D animation. There are many possibilities in the field of animation.

This website shows you what great final products can be made using flash.

This is a caricature I've made of the owner of this studio, Barry Ward.

Animation Artist Hayao Miyazaki

Miyazaki is one of Japan's greatest animators. He is know for giving special attentention to detail and background and his animations and drawings are absolutely beautiful.
My favorite of his animations is the movie Spirited Away. I find it amazing how every scene is drawn with so much detail.

Mini Biography

Hayao Miyazaki is one of Japan's greatest animation directors. The entertaining plots, compelling characters, and breathtaking animation in his films have earned him international renown from critics as well as public recognition within Japan. The Walt Disney Company's commitment to introduce the films to the rest of the world will let more people appreciate the high-quality works he has given the movie-going public.

Hayao Miyazaki was born in Tôkyô on January 5, 1941. He started his career in 1963 as an animator at the studio Toei Douga studio, and was subsequently involved in many early classics of Japanese animation. From the beginning, he commanded attention with his incredible drawing ability and the seemingly endless stream of movie ideas he proposed.

In 1971, he moved to the A Pro studio with Isao Takahata, then to Nippon Animation in 1973, where he was heavily involved in the World Masterpiece Theater TV animation series for the next five years. In 1978, he directed his first TV series, "Future Boy Conan" (1978) (Conan, The Boy in Future), then moved to Tôkyô Movie Shinsha in 1979 to direct his first movie, the classic Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro (1979). In 1984, he released Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984), based on the manga (comic) of the same title he had started two years before. The success of the film led to the establishment of a new animation studio, Studio Ghibli (Sutajio Jiburi), at which Miyazaki has since directed, written, and produced many other films with Takahata and, more recently, Toshio Suzuki. All of these films enjoyed critical and box office successes. In particular, Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke (1997) received the Japanese equivalent of the Academy Award for Best Film and was the highest-grossing (about USD$150 million) domestic film in Japan's history at the time of its release.

In addition to animation, Miyazaki also draws manga. His major work was the Nausicaä manga, an epic tale he worked on intermittently from 1982 to 1984 while he was busy making animated films. Another manga, Hikoutei Jidai, was later evolved into his 1992 film Porco Rosso (1992).

Miyazaki's latest film is Howl's Moving Castle (2004), based on the novel by Diana Wynne Jones. Even though he has said this would be at last film, a statement he has said before after the completion of some of his earlier films, one hopes that additions to his extraordinary body of work will continue to be produced as he remains alive.

Here are some of his quotes:

“When I think

 about the way the computer has taken over and eliminated a certain experience of life, that makes me sad. When we were animating fire some staff said they had never seen wood burning. I said, "Go watch!" It has disappeared from their daily lives. Japanese baths used to be made by burning firewood. Now you press a button. I don't think you can become an animator if you don't have any experience.

I think 2-D animation disappeared from Disney because they made so many uninteresting films. They became very conservative in the way they created them. It's too bad. I thought 2-D and 3-D could coexist happily.

[on the future of hand-drawn animation] I'm actually not that worried. I wouldn't give up on it completely. Once in a while there are strange, rich people who like to invest in odd things. You're going to have people in the corners of garages making cartoons to please themselves. And I'm more interested in those people than I am in big business.

Do everything by hand, even when using the computer.

My process is thinking... thinking... and thinking. If you have a better way, please let me know.”

A link to one of my favorites of his: SPIRITED AWAY www.youtube.com/watch?v=6az9wGfeSgMas
here is another link to his studio/work: http://wwwnausicaa.net/miyazaki/

Design Process

One:

http://www.idesignstudios.com/blog/web-design/phases-web-design-development-process/

Two:

http://www.idesignstudios.com/blog/web-design/phases-web-design-development-process/

Three:

http://www.studiointeractive.net/studio-interactive-web-design-and-development-process/

Four:

http://www.noupe.com/design/creative-brainstorming-50-examples-of-the-logo-design-process.html

Analyzing the four above web sites on how they tackle their developmental process proved to be an interesting study. Sites one, two and three had similar processes and site four shows the process of creative brainstorming, a valuable tool for the initial phase.

The first three sites compile the phases their company follows when they develop a web site.

1. Information Gathering and internet strategy
2. Planning
3. Design
4. Development, content and web
5. Testing, training and Delivery
6. Maintenance

Information gathering and internet strategy

The questions asked are:

Who is your target audience and what’s the purpose?

What’s the objective for the site?

What kind of information is needed?

This is a basic, fact finding session. We’ve all done it a dozen times if you have been around the MAT classes for any length of time. After gathering your facts, the next phase falls into place.

A goal with out a plan is just a wish

The outcome of planning stage will be the road map used for the journey. It’s a vital ingredient to know what you need and when you need it. It explains to the team how to execute the project, (even if that team is only one person). The goal is have a good plan so you can arrive at the goal quickly and efficiently. Plan out what you are going to need in every category and sub category and what approach will you be using.

Design

After having a plan, the next step is design. What is the look and feel of the web site? Bring in the company’s branding and make it work with the message you take to the target audience. Having it look appealing, telling the story, getting a good flow and rhythm is all part of design.

Development

By now the project is in the flow. Designs have just been approved by the client and you are ready to make it happen. How will it happen, what coding will be used. How are you going to divide that page and how will it navigate. These questions should have been answered in your plan! Designing the site and developing the site, two jobs on opposite sides of the scale. One is creative the other is logical. Development is all about making your design work.

Never stop testing and your project will never stop improving

Testing as everyone knows is a vital ingredient in development. One wants to know sooner then later if there is a problem. Checking the site to make sure all links work, navigation, images, etc… (the list seems endless). Checking the hosting site, and finally testing it with your client, who will most likely need training.

Maintenance

Someone’s got to be paying attention! Did I mention never stop testing?

Brainstorming

The last web site I added was a study on brainstorming. Even though it’s a study for logo design, the process still works in other areas. It should be done right after the information gathering phase. One thought leads to another and you would be surprised how creative the sessions can be as a result of brainstorming

Design Exploration

http://waterlife.nfb.ca/

Waterlife is a showcase for the documentary film of the same name that offers its audience a wonderful preview of the lush cinematography and rich storytelling found in the film. The true genius of the site, however, is found in its fluid navigation that recalls the gentle motion of a lake.

I chose this website because it demonstrates beautiful flash and engages the user to interact with the scenery. It is educational, educating the audience about clean water advocation.

http://moodstream.gettyimages.com/

Moodstream is a hypnotic website brought to you by the folks at Getty Images that offers a brainstorming tool designed to help get your creative juices flowing. By simply tweaking the mood sliders you can adjust a stream of images, footage, & audio that can help inspire your creative direction.

This site is a combination of Pinterest and Stumbleupon. It is a fun and interactive way to experience music & imagery and gather ideas.

Thanks,

Rainah

ELIE SAAB

I chose this website because i like the way it incorporates video and images together and how easy it is to navigate. Another reason why i chose this page its because of its simplicity and because it conveys the meaning of the artist work in a very precise way.

2011.10.06 - Design Exploration - Monet 2010

Monet 2010

http://www.monet2010.com/

Introduction
Monet 2010 is an award winning Flash site that documents Monet's life and and works. The look and feel of the website imitates Monet's impression style, from everything to the splash screen right down to the loading animation. In addition to the standard interactive timeline, the site has an interactive gallery that asks the user to participate in altering Monet's works.


Principles & Techniques

The Loading Screen
In my opinion, the loading screen is one of the most subtle yet brilliant example of the principles and techniques we have discussed in class.  The designers wanted an compelling, interactive experience that would draw the user in undisturbed and uninterrupted. The loading screen in a flash site plays an important role because it gives feedback to the user that the site is loading and content is coming.  However, it can also be jarring for the user as it takes away from the 'wow' factor of many modern day flash sites, either by not providing enough information to the user or breaking the theme/feel of the site.

Monet 2010's loading screen does a brilliant job of conveying important information to the user while still retaining the impressionistic style.  It also contains many of the animation techniques we are learning in class. The leaves and their shadows give the illusion of 3D and the 'floating' animation gives a sense of movement and action.

The Interactive Gallery
Many of the design objectives - creating a mood or feeling, encouraging interaction, facilitating understanding, and solving a communication problem - are accomplished by this gallery. The designers create a feeling by displaying Monet's works on a moving canvas that and encourages interaction by having the user participate in the creation and altering of Monet's paintings.

All of this answers a vital communication question - How could the designers get users to actually view all Monet paintings in a gallery and also be enthralled by his work? The answer is the interactive design gallery.

MagneticNorth design company.

I found this site just surfing the old internet and came to some rather interesting findings
take a look!!! this flash website contains much interactivity to play with with along with many random things to learn and discover.



http://mnatwork.com/#/?state=3

Jim Carry Offical site

The Jim Carry Official Home page is a psychedelic journey through Jim's life and accomplishments, flying through time and space finding out every thing Jim carry has brought into the world his goofy antiks and ways portrays the behavior on the site.

Jim Carry Offical Site

Goblin Creative

Goblin Creative Inc specialized in "Web Design and Development".  I like this website since there are quite a few things to explore. 




http://www.goblincreative.com/en/