anyway.

Heres two design idea things which I did a while back but forgots to blog them. I am now about half way through my final piece, and my design has changed loads. I shall have a Flash piece up later today or early tmoz to show you.

Design 1
Right, I’ve begun my first design stages and as you can see I’ve followed my original idea of panning in from the introduction video to the inside of the cabin. This will allow me to use the video created in the previous project as my AV piece, meaning less work on the interactive side of the project.
In this piece, I have included a range of objects which reflect my identity. These will be interactive so the user can fully experience why I have placed them into my work. I have also included my avatar in this piece as well as a few versions of my band friends, which will have interactive “bio” boxes which appear up above each of their heads.
The design also has a television and radio, in which video clips of film and television and music clips that I enjoy can be seen and listened to. The radio will also act as the mute for the music if the user wishes it to not be playing. There is also a sound on/off button at the bottom of the page.
To bring in the family side to my work, I have used portraits of them on the wall and bio’s similar to those of the avatars in my work. These are positioned each side of the interactive work.
At the back of the stage, I have used a montage of photographs that mean alot to me in life. When clicked on, this opens up an interactive photo album in the foreground. Each image can be clicked on at the bottom of the page to open it in full size.
I also wish to use a small number of animations within my work. This includes on the stage with the band playing, the speakers, the avatar in the foreground waving and my logo.
Finally, I have decided on using a navigation bar at the summit of the page, for easy access to each of the areas I have around the interactive links. This will allow the users to access parts of my work without going through the more complex interactive stages.
Evaluation of Design

I have not yet decided on whether or not to use this design. I was told at my last feedback week to use more than one design idea. Therefore, I have decided that I will complete three or four designs before combining them in a development stage. This basically means that I will take ideas from each of the designs I use and combine them to create a final developed idea. I feel this way I will achieve a better result than when I originally designed my avatar.

Design 2
This design came to me whilst I was at work the other day. I remembered the rope swing at my Grandad’s house and how much time I used to spend here when I was younger. So I began to think how I could incorporate this into my design, in an individual way relevant to how I felt. So I decided it would be effective to use a video of me swinging on the wheel swing with a cardboard box in front of me, which when clicked on took the user to a view inside the box where different things could be viewed.
I feel this idea would be effective as an original piece to show my identity, even though it would be in 2D format, not 3D.
I have again included a navigation bar, which can be used to navigate around the site more effectively. This will be located between the logo and video in the bottom corner. I’m not sure yet how I will use the video at the bottom to my advantage.
Perhaps I could use it as an aid around my site, but I feel that something more abstract would suit the style of this project more effectively.

Evaluation of Design

I really like the appeal of this design. It uses some more advanced techniques, especially with the visual and video technique. It also means I can be more hands on at creating my box, and then use it to my advantage later in the design.
I will certainly be using the videos in my design, as these reflect alot about me as well as showing a more individual take towards the design of this project. I will go on to create two more designs, and then combine the designs to get to the final piece.
I am happy with the progress I am making into the world of design and can’t wait to start creating my final piece.