Blinky and rotaty animations in the year 2006?

[Egg Bramhill]

You can go on for ever and a day about what defines good design. I think a lot of it is in the eye of the beholder.

This idea of professional web sites, alter professional for corporate as you wish, to me seems to typify one very large selection of web sites containing verbal diarrhoea mixed with images of business folks shaking hands.

Remi is spot on. No there is very little call to use animated gifs within a web site. They are a 2 second wonder and after that totally distract from the page content. But his main point is what's the use of Xara3D? Xara3D can produce excellent 3D images that aren't animated. A text logo with an applied 3D effect can be far more visually pleasing than flat text. No distraction, no eye candy, just a simple 3D effect. Xara3D is also used by others wishing to use it in video, where animation is almost compulsory. Banner production? What better than animation to draw the eye? You might not like it but animation is used widely in banner adverts.

No, corporate sites no longer have animated 'E-mail Us' images, but that doesn't invalidate Xar3D.

As for Intabel's links:
The first one is everything that's wrong with the use of Flash. It's like a nightmare! Why do Flash developers have a fixation for text the size of iron filings? What the hell are all those flickering graphics about?
The second one has the hall mark of a template web site. Everything looks resonable apart from the ZetaSoft Ltd's logo top left. Are they serious? The button text leaves a lot to be desired. But my biggest gripe is the navigation. You've got buttons along the top, down the left hand side and also down the right hand side. And what gives with the tiny 'MORE' buttons.

Enough ranting for now

[Intbel]

The first one is everything that's wrong with the use of Flash. It's like a nightmare! Why do Flash developers have a fixation for text the size of iron filings? What the hell are all those flickering graphics about?
The second one has the hall mark of a template web site. Everything looks resonable apart from the ZetaSoft Ltd's logo top left. Are they serious? The button text leaves a lot to be desired. But my biggest gripe is the navigation. You've got buttons along the top, down the left hand side and also down the right hand side. And what gives with the tiny 'MORE' buttons.
Enough ranting for now

What is worrying is that both are sites advertising web design.
However, I think most folks would call them 'professional' websites.
Not according to Remi's definition though.

Oh .. I have three sites and have just one 3D anim on one site ... it is in context and appropriate.

Not sure if it would be called a professional site though ... working on it.

[remi]

But his main point is what's the use of Xara3D? Xara3D can produce excellent 3D images...

No Egg, my main point was a question of style/design, not the question which tool to use. But I have to post the question in the Xara3D forum, because I saw a lot of rotating Logos with such a style here and I wonder, if one would use this on a professional website. Not the software is old-fashioned, but the style.

But I understand, what Frank said: A lot of people use this forum to learn their first steps with Xara 3D and post their questions here. And I think, that's the right way to learn how to use a software. Whether they finally use these animated logos on their website is another question.

Remi

[parahandy]

Well! you all got your gripes off your individual chests but at the end of the day it's all a matter of opinion IMO. as the the man with the woodlen leg said
It's all a matter of a Pin yin.

[ankhor]

Excuse me, but I have to ask this:
Whenever I look through the contributions in the Xara3D forum I wonder, because I thought, the time of blinky and rotaty animations would be past?
I mean, which professional website uses rotating 3D text in the year 2006?
I know, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and perhaps I'm wrong, but are you able to show me such a professional (!) site?

Remi

Simple solution, you call the site "retro" and you say you
were going for the old fashioned look. If you wait long enough
the old will be new again.

[Seagull]

Hi Remi

I wrote a few days ago that I after buying Xara 3d last year and playing with it two or three times, I found it a very boring program, regretted buying it and vary rarely opened it. It was after seeing what some of the guys and gals were doing on this very forum that I started playing with it again and now find it a ball, if not a fustrating ball. No, I wouldn't want any of the animations on my site, the 3d perspective perhaps, but not the animation, but that doesn't mean I can't use the program to play and relax with. Most people play with crossword puzzels, I like playing with xara products, 10 minutes here, 10 minutes there, not creating works of art like some but doodling. Sometimes I boot knoppix (just downloaded 5.0.1 yesterday) and play with it, and taking your advice I have bought Suse which hopefully will be my final version and that someday I will be able to use it in a manner similar to windows. Point is, they are all toys until you can start making money with them.

But as whether to post animation or not has nothing to do with being professional. Target your age group, decide what you want to accomplish and then go for it. Just because a person is a professional doesn't mean they have good taste, just that there are lots of people out there with worst tastes that are willing to part with their money. And from what I've seen in life, tacky, ugly, obscene, sleezy is usually where the money is...strange heh ...........frank

[SueBdoo]

I suppose if nothing else, I always have an opinion! (better late than never on an old post). Just as simple cartooning and monochrome colors can be called sophisticated or professional so can black and white movies or a painting that's a mess of color - good lord some very popular characters are missing body parts - is that professional Don't the principles of good taste and moderation apply to design as well as life? Let's not even take into consideration the advances in our options! ahhh... two cents (CDN) Note: My first ever post to a forum 'n I have to say I was online when there wasn't anything but! You just try and tell me my animation is in "bad taste". chuckle chuckle

[SueBdoo]

okay fine ... if I yack I can attach?