CSS Reboot Spring 2006 は、５月１日に皆で一斉にリ・デザインしようと言うイベントで、去年も行われ今年は２回目だそうです。僕が知ったのは２日ほど前ですが・・・。目にとまったサイトとか、気になったサイトを幾つかピックアップしてみました。Waviaei のデザインも僕の中ではヴァージョン０．５くらいなので、色々と参考にしたいと思います。
Rob Goodlatte
一番気に入ったのデザインです。色使いがすごく綺麗。レイアウトも定番ぽいけど、個別記事表示のときに本文が２段組になったりする。この記事に、このデザインにたどり着いたプロセスが書かれています。
Avalonstar
結構有名なサイトだと思います。最近よく見る黒をメインとした色使い。青とか緑とかは蛍光色っぽいのがちょうど良い感じ。それぞれのカテゴリにアニメの画像をくっつけるアイデアは面白いと思う。ただ画像の内容とカテゴリの内容に関連性がない様なので、一見なにがなんだか分からないのがちょっとマイナス。一度訪れた後、再度アクセスしてみてください。トップページに違うメッセージが表示されます。
blog.critical
１カラムのデザイン。銀色っぽいグレーと、ブルーの色がカッコイイ。僕なんかは到底作る事ができない透明っぽいサイトロゴとか部品なんかも色とよくマッチしていると思う。フォント・サイズが12pxなんだけど、すごく読みやすく感じる。同じフォント・サイズのRob Goodlatteと比べると、色、フォント、行の高さが微妙に違う。
snook.ca
ちょっとしたギミックにニヤッときたサイト。このサイトも流行のダークなサイト。でもヘッダーの左にある電球アイコンをクリックすると、記事の部分が明るくなる。
BureauBlumenberg
少し和風っぽいデザインで気になった３つの内の１つ。全体のデザインもシンプルだし、ナビゲーションの線なんかは面白いと思います。でもそれ以上に好きなのはロゴです。ドイツの方のようなので、どう言ったコンセプトでこうなったかはしりませんが、「富士山＋桜」っぽいのが妙に気になる。
kogakure.de
またまた「ドイツ＋和風っぽい」と言う意味不明な組み合わせですが、笹の画像が気に入りました。全体的にシンプルだし、記事の上の方に透かした紙を置いた感じもグッド。
nemu-nemu
自作のコミック（４コマ漫画？）を紹介しているサイトのようです。なにがどう気に入ったわけではないですが、もっとこういう感じで漫画とか、アニメを活かしたサイト・デザインってないのかなと思い。日本の漫画やアニメで使われてる手法とか、アイデアとかをウェブ・デザインに活かすのは出来ないのでしょうか？ 初期のウェブ・デザインは、雑誌に代表されるような印刷物や出版物をウェブに持ってくるような感覚でデザインされていたと聞きました。その手法の良い悪いはともかく、漫画のデザインをウェブにもってくるのはどうでしょうか。
2006年5月6日 at 05:51
i’m curious what you were writing in japanese about my reboot… maybe you could translate me the snippet? Anyway, thanks for writing about my site.
2006年5月6日 at 15:25
Hi Yoram,
Yes of course. I will give you an extended translation of it 😛
Because I tried to design my site with simple and Japanese feeling to it (and I gracefully fails to… I am no designer !), there were 3 sites which caught my eyes. BureauBlumberg was one of them. First of all, I like the simple look, with its focus on content. Secondry, I think the use of verticle line above the navigation menu is a very interesting way to solve that space above the main content. I couldn’t think a way myself to solve that space, but to insert a photo or a picture. Lastly, and its actually my favourite, is the site logo !
I am not sure whether you meant it or not, but I feel that this logo gives a slight Japanese, or Oriental feel to the site. To me, the logo looks like three cherry blossoms, with Mt. Fuji on the background. The dark red color helps also. If there wasn’t this logo, or if it was more like your “CSS Rebooted 2006” logo, I would get a different impression: good and simple design. Perhaps its a good example, when talking about the importance of the site logo. Would look great on the back of the T-shirt too, I think.
I am wondering whether you had “Japan” in your concept, when you re-designed the site ?
In summary, I like the good simple design. The good choice of color and excellent logo design is an effective way to create an impression, but with keeping the overall simple look.
2006年5月6日 at 18:06
Thank you for writing about my website! Currently we’ve been so busy working on the comic strip that it’s been tough to get newer content onto the site. But soon, we’ll add more content and hopefully the site will take shape and I’ll be able to tweak the design a little more. I was going for a soft, dreamy look.. think of it as bed time for little kids… I hope you enjoy the comic strip at least 😀
2006年5月6日 at 22:21
That’s absolutely correct. I have a very strong affinity to japan — and for that: I like very much japanese design. Three years ago I wanted to create a unique emblem for me and my family — just before my daughter was born — so I decided to make a mon ( 紋 ). Something that stays forever in my family. Something that my daughter will keep — and of course her children too. My family name «Blumenberg» means something like flower mountain or «hill of flowers». I tried to translate that into japanese and choose the variant hanatake ( 花岳 ) — well, i had a little help from a japanese friend after I found some ways trough my japanese/german dictionaries.
After all and a lot of sketches I designed what you called «three cherry blossoms, with Mt. Fuji on the background» .
That was just one little story where my «connection» to japan comes from or better: why my design goes into the japanese direction.
The CSS Reboot logo was just a quick button-logo to mark the site with something like a (postage) stamp.
If you’re interested in my forthcoming projects just send me an e-mail and I will put you on my newsletter address book.
Anyway: thanks a lot for writing about my re-designed site — and also for translating it into english. 有難う。
2006年5月7日 at 19:59
Yoram,
Wow. Thanks for the details! There is our own mon, or kamon(家紋) as our family crest, but never thoght of using it like a website logo. I think I might play around with my own too.
Danke shon.
2006年5月7日 at 20:52
Is it possible to take a look at your kamon (家紋)?
2006年5月7日 at 23:22
Its called maru-ni-tachiomodaka(丸に立ち沢瀉), which look something like this (the top one). It means “standing omodaka inside a circle”. Omodaka is a plant which looks like this, and there are lots of kamon variations based on omokada.
I belive its called Arrowhead in english, gennus Sagittaria.
2006年5月8日 at 00:24
wow! impressive. Maybe it’s really a good idea to use it for your site — depends on how close you are with your family. Before I forget it: what’s the meaning of «waviaei»?
2006年5月8日 at 01:36
I won’t use it as is, because it feels too formal. It will also depends on whether I can come up with a decent logo design from it too
Just came across my mind, Mitsubishi (the car maker)’s three diamonds logo is based on two kamons. Interesting isn’t it ?
I made up “Waviaei” myself. “Wa” is 和, which you might know that it is often associated to describe Japanese things or feelings. “via” is an english word, as in “I went to Berlin via Rome”. “ei” is 英, which is often associated to describe English, or GB, or UK. Eigo(英語) means English, Eikoku(英国) means GB or UK.
I have strong ties, affinity, in Japan and England. So I thought hard to come up with short word that can describe myself, and can actually get a domain.
2006年5月30日 at 15:59
Thank you for your review of my website.
It’s a site about Bujinkan Ninpô, the remaining heritage of the japanese martial art ninjutsu. It’s current grandmaster (soke) is Masaaki Hatsumi from Noda, Japan.
2006年5月30日 at 17:15
Stefan,
I very much like that bamboo pic !
2006年5月31日 at 01:54
It’s hand-drawn in Illustrator CS2 with the meshtool, five hours work.