This is a website that parallels the idea of my project:
http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/acrosstheuniverse/site/
What i like about this site is how each character is displayed differently. Each one has a different background, layout, font, and song reflecting on each character. I also like the way videos were incorporated into the site.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Flow Chart and Concept
I have finally landed the concept of my website. The general idea is to have four very different characters and convey their identity based on the lyrics of certain songs. The reason for this is that i believe that our ideas and thoughts about life define our identity, who we are. The way we view life is reflected on our actions, interaction with others and just everything we say or do; and since music is a way of expression, i think that our identities can be revealed through the music we choose to listen or produce.
The home page will have a box with an introduction to every character put it will be cut off with ellipsis so as to leave the viewer wanting to know more about that character. This will change to each and every character everytime the viewer clicks back on home. The main characters and the song that will described are:
1) The "Free Minded/free spirited"- Imagine by John Lennon
2) The "Materialistic girl"- Glamorous by Fergie
3) The ''Leader"- Revolution by The Beatles
4) The "Careless"- Wild Side by Motley Crue
As you can see in the flow chart within each character's main page you will be able to learn more about each. Some of the things that will be said about each character are things like their hobbies, most valuable person, what they do or wish to do.. this will vary from character to character. And these will be said through images as well as short texts. If its possible i would like to have the videos of each character's songs displayed.
Visually, i'm still not sure what the look is going to be like but im thinking of a combination of photographic elements, drawings and textures. Here is an example:
The home page will have a box with an introduction to every character put it will be cut off with ellipsis so as to leave the viewer wanting to know more about that character. This will change to each and every character everytime the viewer clicks back on home. The main characters and the song that will described are:
1) The "Free Minded/free spirited"- Imagine by John Lennon
2) The "Materialistic girl"- Glamorous by Fergie
3) The ''Leader"- Revolution by The Beatles
4) The "Careless"- Wild Side by Motley Crue
As you can see in the flow chart within each character's main page you will be able to learn more about each. Some of the things that will be said about each character are things like their hobbies, most valuable person, what they do or wish to do.. this will vary from character to character. And these will be said through images as well as short texts. If its possible i would like to have the videos of each character's songs displayed.
Visually, i'm still not sure what the look is going to be like but im thinking of a combination of photographic elements, drawings and textures. Here is an example:
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Critique Assignment
The website I have originally looked at and analysed in class was www.somazone.com.au, however I was going through the Mouchette website and I found it more interesting than the former one, so I will do my critique on that.
Regarding the somazone site, however, I do want to point out some elements that I found interesting and useful for my site.
As you can see from the image of the site, there is an orange box with an introductory quote about someone’s story… and everytime you go back to home this story changes. I thought it is a very clever way of engaging the audience, by providing the user with an introduction of someone’s story and cutting it with the ellipsis mark just right where it gets more interesting. It just leaves the user in suspense and wanting to know more about the story, thus engaging him/her into navigating the site. Since the stories told are very personal, it also creates this sort of “intimate” and “confidential” relationship between the person “speaking” in the site and the user. I would like to use some similar method to attract my audience’s attention and make them explore my site.
As I have been working on the concept for my site, I have come up with the idea of creating around five completely different characters, and here is where the idea taken from somazone comes into play. On my main page I would like to have some similar “hook” so as to make the audience explore each of my characters.
Now going back to the assignment, here comes my critique on www.mouchette.org.
a) This site definitely falls into the category of art rather than design. Although both concepts are very related, this site is not a “commercial” site, in fact is more of an artistic project, almost like an experiment that the anonymous author is doing with the audience as he/she engages them into the life of Mouchette. There is really no “commercial” or “persuading” purpose for which this site was created, rather it is only to involve the audience into Mouchette’s life and experience. Also it is important to notice that this website is based on Robert Bresson’s film, Mouchette; so it’s background is coming from another art form, film. Moreover, the way the site is visually constructed is very artistically, but then again this could fall into design as well, due to its very creative nature. But, in conclusion it is art based website.
b) This site relates to other art/design forms on the web, first of all for its interactive nature. Every day more and more sites, even commercial sites are trying to detach themselves from falling into the conventional layouts for their sites (the typical tabled structure websites). In fact, designers are looking for new ways of presenting information in more interactive and dynamic ways, not only to catch the attention of the users but also to engage the user with a product or a company. To make them directly interact with the “company/product” . Therefore, as this site, with its organic and random structure engages the user to navigate and explore the site, it can be said that it relates to other art/design forms on the web because of its interactive nature. In fact, “Mouchette” herself sort of guides you through her site. She directly speaks to the audience, and invites them to know more about her, she even asks for feedback from the users. For instance: in the section where it says she is thirteen she even asks you how for your name and email.
c) In terms of how I can relate this project to my own, well its easy. Since my goal in my project is to create five different characters with very different personalities or identities, I definitely need to find ways to engage the user into wanting to know each character and explore them. I got a few ideas as to how to do it with both Somazone and Mouchette’s websites. First of all, in the opening window of my site, I do want to have a board where a bit of each character story is told, sort of what they do in the Somazone website. This will be constantly alternating among the characters. Secondly, from Mouchette I like the idea that she speaks directly to the user, and how she tries to interact with the user by asking them questions as well, so maybe for some of my characters I will do the same. I also like how she creates a more personal relationship with the user by adding her voice: well, her yawning and her “singing”. Lastly, I like how she sort of tells the user about what she likes in very strange ways, rather than by saying it. Here is an example:
Regarding the somazone site, however, I do want to point out some elements that I found interesting and useful for my site.
As you can see from the image of the site, there is an orange box with an introductory quote about someone’s story… and everytime you go back to home this story changes. I thought it is a very clever way of engaging the audience, by providing the user with an introduction of someone’s story and cutting it with the ellipsis mark just right where it gets more interesting. It just leaves the user in suspense and wanting to know more about the story, thus engaging him/her into navigating the site. Since the stories told are very personal, it also creates this sort of “intimate” and “confidential” relationship between the person “speaking” in the site and the user. I would like to use some similar method to attract my audience’s attention and make them explore my site.
As I have been working on the concept for my site, I have come up with the idea of creating around five completely different characters, and here is where the idea taken from somazone comes into play. On my main page I would like to have some similar “hook” so as to make the audience explore each of my characters.
Now going back to the assignment, here comes my critique on www.mouchette.org.
a) This site definitely falls into the category of art rather than design. Although both concepts are very related, this site is not a “commercial” site, in fact is more of an artistic project, almost like an experiment that the anonymous author is doing with the audience as he/she engages them into the life of Mouchette. There is really no “commercial” or “persuading” purpose for which this site was created, rather it is only to involve the audience into Mouchette’s life and experience. Also it is important to notice that this website is based on Robert Bresson’s film, Mouchette; so it’s background is coming from another art form, film. Moreover, the way the site is visually constructed is very artistically, but then again this could fall into design as well, due to its very creative nature. But, in conclusion it is art based website.
b) This site relates to other art/design forms on the web, first of all for its interactive nature. Every day more and more sites, even commercial sites are trying to detach themselves from falling into the conventional layouts for their sites (the typical tabled structure websites). In fact, designers are looking for new ways of presenting information in more interactive and dynamic ways, not only to catch the attention of the users but also to engage the user with a product or a company. To make them directly interact with the “company/product” . Therefore, as this site, with its organic and random structure engages the user to navigate and explore the site, it can be said that it relates to other art/design forms on the web because of its interactive nature. In fact, “Mouchette” herself sort of guides you through her site. She directly speaks to the audience, and invites them to know more about her, she even asks for feedback from the users. For instance: in the section where it says she is thirteen she even asks you how for your name and email.
c) In terms of how I can relate this project to my own, well its easy. Since my goal in my project is to create five different characters with very different personalities or identities, I definitely need to find ways to engage the user into wanting to know each character and explore them. I got a few ideas as to how to do it with both Somazone and Mouchette’s websites. First of all, in the opening window of my site, I do want to have a board where a bit of each character story is told, sort of what they do in the Somazone website. This will be constantly alternating among the characters. Secondly, from Mouchette I like the idea that she speaks directly to the user, and how she tries to interact with the user by asking them questions as well, so maybe for some of my characters I will do the same. I also like how she creates a more personal relationship with the user by adding her voice: well, her yawning and her “singing”. Lastly, I like how she sort of tells the user about what she likes in very strange ways, rather than by saying it. Here is an example:
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
I'm finally getting an idea of how im going to work in this project. I'm still not sure whether im going to create an indentity or im going to use my own, but i will be doing it through music. To many people music is way of expressing themselves, whether you listen to it or compose it, the music we listen too can reflect many aspects of a person, whether its their mood at the moment, but also deeper things such as how they view life. So through bits of songs i will construct an identity.
Here is an idea of how lyrics can be used in the images
Here is an idea of how lyrics can be used in the images
thoughts about identity
Still thinking about identity...
im studying graphic design in my home university, and thinking back of some lectures about identity.. i remember about a professor who really made it clear to us, that as designers our role is to provide a client or their products with an identity, by this he meant giving them a personality which will be reflected on everything related to it. For instance: the font, the colors, the style of images, the composition and so on should all speak the same language, they should all support that "identity". In that case, once i have figured out exactly what i want to say about identity in this project, i will make sure that every element of my site including its interactivity will reflect that identity.
im studying graphic design in my home university, and thinking back of some lectures about identity.. i remember about a professor who really made it clear to us, that as designers our role is to provide a client or their products with an identity, by this he meant giving them a personality which will be reflected on everything related to it. For instance: the font, the colors, the style of images, the composition and so on should all speak the same language, they should all support that "identity". In that case, once i have figured out exactly what i want to say about identity in this project, i will make sure that every element of my site including its interactivity will reflect that identity.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)