octoberland — Work
Web Typography and You
Written by craig coffman
Danger Graphics just posted a link to an article on typography I have in my bookmarks, but had not read in over a year. I adore type, and think it is a widely misunderstood and often abused element of design. Type has the ability to create drama in a layout. Good type will convey tension, ease of reading, and style. Bad type will just be words, hopefully legible, on a page. To forsake the importance of type, especially on the web, is a mistake that really no one should make.
Add a commentThe Problem with Web 2.0
Written by craig coffman
Here is a confession: I hate visiting most web sites. There, I said it. I find them overwhelming and typically they just add more tension and nervousness to my day. Even the really good content sites. I have stopped looking at sites with 'good design' (as mentioned in another post). I am not really too interested in seeing the advertising. I simply feel like most sites cram their pages full of useless crap. I suppose this is the part where I shoot myself in the foot, as I hope to gain a readership to octoberland. Anyway, forward with my rant.
Add a commentInteractive Design? Really?
Written by craig coffman
Okay, perhaps it is just me but has anyone working in the interactive field really thought about that idea? Interactive. Perhaps that is accurate, but it is more so about isolation. Really, let us think about this.
Add a commentWeb Design Inspriations
Written by craig coffman
Yesterday a colleague of mine asked me what sites I liked. At first I told him google and all music guide. My answer was based on sites that I think are useful and return information I am interested in without really mucking-up the works. But this was not the question he meant.
He then asked from a design point-of-view, which sites do I like. Offhandedly I said my site (this referes to a previous design). Then I thought about it. I could not really think of a site that I like the aesthetic of. Scary thought for a web designer. Or is it?
Add a commentCSS Universal Selector Trick
Written by craig coffman
Okay, I am going to try and not just re-link to other people's posts without adding my own two cents, but this one does not have much room to expand (short of in its' uses). It is, however, an extremely awesome tip for you .css coders out there. The universal selector '*'. NOTE: you do not need the quotes, just the asterisk.
As this brief article shows, this little addition to your .css opens up a myriad of opportunities, and even fix some things that you used to have to 'hack.'
Not too shabby for a simple one character addition.
Add a commentNebraska Shakespeare
Written by craig coffman
Nebraska Shakespeare wanted a site to allow them to give more information to their fans, sponsors and volunteers. Joomla CMS came to the rescue and gave them an easy tool to reach all of their goals. I provided the template and styling.
Role: Concept, oversee design, code, style. Some of the site graphics have been updated since I worked on this project.
Visit Nebraska Shakespeare
Sliced Bread Design
Written by craig coffman
Sliced Bread Design had a great design, but no way to put it online. I created their xHTML and CSS to make their vision a reality.
Role: HTML, CSS.
Visit Sliced Bread Design
Bozell Interactive Timeline
Written by craig coffman
Bozell wanted to do something special to recognize thier 70th year of existance. I thought of an interactive timeline, pulling the highlights of their decades of experience. The resulting Flash site allows the user to display a thumbnail, or a larger image if interested, as well as read any accompanying text. The other peice was a lightbox I built allowing the visitor to drag a year of interest and keep it in the lightbox while they were on the site.
Many tricks were put in place, including lots of Flash physics and interactive elements. On top of it all, all content was controlled via a text file which allowed anyone updating abilities whether they knew Flash or not.
Role: Concept, design, code.
Visit Bozell Interactive Timeline
Michael Homes
Written by craig coffman
Michael Homes needed a simple and classy site to reinforce their brand. The resulting hybrid site pulled warm, rich color and texture combined with a Flash element which moved and shifted to get you attention with out making a mess of itself. The organic addition this brought tied in Michael Homes' approach to building the home to the physical dimensions of the occupants.
Role: Concept, oversee design, code, partial style.
Visit Michael Homes
Tnemec Microsite
Written by craig coffman
Tnemec wanted a microsite to promote their new product of exterior paint called Premiere Finishes. Since their product is aimed at architectural structures, it made since to pull a clean lined site together. I used Flash to pull in external files, both images and content, and gave the client the ability to update elements from an external text file.
Role: Concept, design, code.
Visit Tnemec Microsite
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