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 A monthly review of Web design and resources. December 2001
Swamped by new technologies whose speed, volume, and complexity of information threaten to overwhelm us, it's tempting to believe the solution lies in such innovations as time-and-motion-based graphics that help make all that data readily understandable. 4D-Visual, a division of New York--based Unified Field, provides the kind of advanced multidimensional visualization and simulation systems that have existed in research environments for some time, but until now haven't been readily available. The site posts swell little Quicktime movies that demonstrate how some of these systems look and move, along with thumbnails of prototypes for intriguing but often arcane concepts. Centre for Sustainable Design (CSD) <www.cfsd.org.uk> In Britain, a small group at University College's Surrey Institute of Art and Design fosters much-needed discussion about the ecological aspects of product design and development, sponsoring to date roughly 30 conferences on green issues and copublishing the quarterly Journal of Sustainable Product Design. Although it's difficult to gauge the CSD's impact from its online presentation, the site posts word on the group's training programs, workshops, conferences, consultancy, and publication schedule, among other features. Of special interest is a resources section that links to a network of ecology think tanks. Volume5 <www.volume5.com> This online meeting ground for faculties and students of various design schools in the Los Angeles area reports on art, architecture, and construction. Providing a wide-ranging selection of feature articles, the site includes an up-to-date listing of events in and around Los Angeles, as well as links to a Building Trades Directory that's down with the nitty-gritty of the business, posting mortgage and construction loan information organized by state, and much more. The forum also hosts a lively chat room and archives in-depth interviews with a dozen leading architects. Highlights include a revealing conversation with Los Angeles--based Michael Maltzan, designer of the Museum of Modern Art's temporary quarters in Queens.
Animation film director Brian Taylor documents his futuristic work in progress, a years-in-the-making online opus about the surrealistic misadventures of Rustboy, a derelict robot. Part portfolio, part proof-of-process, his site shows the moonlighting auteur achieving cinematic effects worthy of Disney with modest, affordable home software--without the benefit of the high-end 3-D packages usually associated with this sort of filmmaking. Although unfinished, Rustboy already exhibits impressive dramatic flair and production values, evidenced by the mini-movies Taylor posts along with diaries, concept art, and storyboards that record his decision-making and explore his artistic strategies in crafting this modern gothic. Bubble <www.bubble.be> The trick to presenting a portfolio of design work online lies in providing a rewarding sensory experience that doesn't insult the user's intelligence. Bubble ("Put some in your media") obliges with a simple-as-can-be presentation set against an eye-pleasing palette that manages to be both luscious and tastefully subdued. As you move over relevant areas, the interface--composed of contiguous circles that morph on demand into amoebalike blobs--is constantly in motion, in an ingratiating display that lulls you with a soothing ambient audio loop. "Creativity rules," creative director Peter Dekens states. "So that kind of overrules our other rules." One rule Bubble flagrantly ignores is legibility--the tiny low-contrast type is a surefire prescription for eyestrain. Browse our Screen Space archives for even more reviews of Web design and resources. Ken Coupland can be reached at screenspace@metropolismag.com. |
