An interview on page layout design

Design | page 1. What kind of Web layout is your favorite?

Alistair Beattie:
I will not like a website alone, nor will anyone else. The only criterion I want to judge a website is whether it is useful or not. However, the way this site is successful is not necessarily applicable to another website. If the purpose of a website is to provide me with information or online shopping, I am not just attracted to the gorgeous or interesting surface design. I think Google is a typical example of a practical and efficient website. Similarly, Amazon is a site that offers a better shopping experience, and I bought a lot of books. Everyone has different metrics. My interest in the site is mostly focused on the information it provides, and I don't really think it exists just for fun.

But you'll find lots of interesting things to do by looking for a general convention about how a website should look and how it works. There will be a lot of change and a lot of exciting ideas.

Here are two good examples: hi-res!, I move U, though a commercial site, still retains a sense of independence and humour. Seemingly casual and meaningless, but quietly exudes the charm, exquisite design. The entire interface is its content.

If an interface design can quickly convey what it wants to express, it is successful. I think Philip Glass's new music interface is great.

He combines the beauty of music with a lot of writing materials. The interface is practical, and very good embodies the glass music expression of things.

Amy Franceschini:
Now my favorite site with the smart and practical layout is newstoday. Its navigation is very good for browsing, clean interface, easy to maintain and upgrade. At the same time, I still like Netbaby. It has added dynamic content while preserving the image interface of height.

Andrew Sinn:
Habbo Hotel is one of my favorite website designs. It's an online community where you can play roles and talk to people around you. You can even buy some good things for your own house and furniture. The houses are made up of representative items that are very figurative and have very lovely details. Many interface elements are well designed and you can easily use a variety of system functions. This is a worthwhile site to go to.

Anthony Rowe:
In my opinion, a good site navigation and menu is in the background or is not visible, the user can perceive and notice only content. Or when navigation becomes all.

Arnaud Le Ouedec:
When I conceive and design a website, I often use two tools. The corresponding entire design divides into two stages, one stage is relatively free, mainly uses Macromedia Company's director, another stage is the concrete picture creation, mainly uses the Adobe Company's illustrator for me, The tool is used more largely by the work to be done. But the need for innovative ingredients more time, director used more, and the completion of some more stable, formatted work, illustrator used more. Both of these tools are different. Director need to have lingo programming knowledge, as long as you can make your ideas to achieve, but for the illustrator is different.

2. Talk about your views on the layout of the Web page.

Alistair Beattie:
The interface design changes with the trend, which is accompanied by the change of picture design. The performance and bandwidth of the machine determines what you should do. The things that are successful are often the things that are necessary.

Amy Franceschini:
For the moment, I think many designers who started web design in the 95 are not particularly interested in the style of the page, they are more concerned about the nature of the page and the interaction between the page and the viewer. I think that for the layout, how to better contact and convey content than simple aesthetic more important.

Andrew Sinn:
I think different styles in web design can be developed in many ways. One of the big classes will be MacOS-style, because designers often use MAC systems that are bound to be affected. I think it's ugly, and many other designers think so, but maybe we're too old to see things. I think Apple should be experimenting with a lot of users, and I guess especially those users who first use the computer will like it. They gradually mastered the simple method of using the computer, because there are image icons, dynamic effects, shaded jelly-style buttons that will say "you-can-push-me" even if you are three meters away from the monitor. It has less theoretical stuff. What makes it difficult for me to see is the design of the base and pixel, especially the anti-aliasing font, which makes the text ambiguous to the eyes, and perhaps some day our resolution to the 4000x3000 pixel, the situation will be better ...

Anthony Rowe:
I suspect that people will have more satisfaction as the conditions improve. With fewer compression rates, more intoxicating experiences are great (especially virtual reality and three-dimensional). Web design may also have to seek a response to such rapid changes: bandwidth may not be a problem. Applying more interactive and dynamic 3D to content and navigation will become more interesting. Interactive video, multi-user space makes you truly feel like someone else is with you.

Arnaud Le Ouedec:
Ici La Lune started writing in director in 1994, when we used more Adobe Photoshop, but as our autonomy and lingo knowledge increased, Many of the projects are conceived by director and illustrator. We are mainly interested in director in real time and different effects from other software, especially its function in imaging lingo and 3D. Ici La Lune is at the edge of the real-time design.

3. Please recommend the site that you think is helpful to understand the layout of the Web page.

Alistair Beattie:
Linkdup: I like this site, there are always many interesting things.

Amy Franceschini:
The picture used by Newstoday:newstoday is very simple, but it is very innovative. It is exciting to visit such a site. It makes the concept of "network Magazine" become a reality. Although the use of dynamic pictures in some places to attract people's attention, but this does not damage the entire site's intentions, such a layout is very conducive to the release of the news.

The virtual showroom: This is a highly image-like interface that provides interactivity and connectivity.

Andrew Sinn:
Google Image Search: Before you start your work, it's good to have a rough look in your head. If you understand what you need to do, the special city you are going to make a note, you will find a picture that can be used as a description to start. I always remind myself to focus on the main ideas, because they are simplified.
ORG.OPN.SRC: The next generation is suitable for flash pixel fonts.

Anthony Rowe:
Linkdup: Resource site. There are a lot of wonderful ideas and things to tap people's inspirations.

Arnaud Le Ouedec:
We often adore websites and designers (Delaware, futurefarmers, Habitat ...) in fact, the things that can ignite inspiration are everywhere: architecture, design, photography, music, movies ...

Background Information

Alistair Beattie: London Me company website planning/design.
The founder of Amy Franceschini:futurefarmers, the site specializes in new work.
Andrew Sinn: Freelance designer/flash designer from the Hamburg ALRT website.
Anthony Rowe: Create and head squid Soup (London leads the interactive design team)
Arnaud Le Ouedec: Designer, now living in Paris. Four years ago and two friends founded ICI La Lune.