Folklore Reviews

November 6, 2012 at 1:59 am · Filed under Discussion, Fall 2012, Student Work

Alyssa- I thought the illustrations went along well with the story. I liked the scrolling figure of the man. One suggestion I would make would be to not make the lines of text so wide, it makes it a little hard to read.

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Single Page Critiques

November 6, 2012 at 1:00 am · Filed under Discussion, Fall 2012, Student Work

Alyssa: “The Princess & the Pea”- The mix of imagery in this page is well done, as is the color palette. The image of the sky flows works well with the landscape and scenery that Alyssa has created, and the color choices seem very smart to me. There aren’t any major contrast issues anywhere that I can see, and the only issue I have has to do with the scrolling. I really like the way the silhouette of the prince follows the viewer as they scroll through the page, I just wish more attention was paid to where things were placed on the page in relation to this. For instance, I see where the intention was to have the prince’s silhouette end up at the altar at the end of the story, but he appears lower on the page. It’s a great idea and overall a great page, I just think shifting some of the visual elements would take it to the next level.

Zachary: “The Greedy Crow”- One of the strongest points of this page is its simplicity. The color palette is small enough so that the viewer doesn’t get lost in the details, yet varied enough to create contrast and emphasis when desired. The images are primarily simple silhouettes, yet their illustrative qualities all convey a sense of fantasy that sets a playful tone for the page. Being that the page is centered around a folktale, I think this tone is perfect. My only issue with it is the size of the site. In my browser, I have to scroll back and forth from side to side as the story unfolds down the page, simply because of how spread-out and large everything is. On one hand, I think this layout helps to maintain the strength of each illustration. On the other, however, I think it makes navigating the page a bit muddier for the viewer.

Rachel: “Rapunzel”- The first thing that struck me with this page is the color choices. The juxtaposition of the greens, blues, and purples at the top give it an almost dream-like quality that fits with theme of folklore. The next thing that I noticed on the page was the incredible variety of textures. Without even reading the story yet, I navigated the entire page, just admiring the different textures and the amount of time that had to have gone into creating them. Above these things, I think the piece of the puzzle that ties the entire thing together visually is Rapunzel’s hair. The way that it descends the entire page gives the whole thing a strong sense of unity that makes it more interesting to the viewer. The use of the brush tool is quite effective here, and I really like the way the well is cleverly used to transition between the different sections of the page.

Milt: “Neriel”- My first impression of this page was simply “Wow”. The hand-illustrated quality of the images is remarkable, and the selective use of color for emphasis (for example, the eye in the fifth frame) is perfect. The layout of the page is very simplistic, which helps to put more focus on the story rather than the navigation. I feel that the page as a whole is very well balanced. The color and typeface of the text is also well-chosen, as it the readability of the entire page is excellent.

Jake: “The Deluge”- This site is displays the perfect balance between complexity and simplicity. All of the visual elements are quite simple and plain, almost to an extent to where I’d say they don’t stand on their own. Although that may sound negative, I find that with this page it draws me further into the world of the story. The images are enough to grab my attention, yet not enough to learn the story from just looking at them. In this way, my heightened curiosity forces me to read the story to gain an understanding of the images. Juxtaposed with this simplicity is also the presence of numerous examples of jquery, which add a very engaging sense of activity to the page. I think Jake’s design has the ability to draw in a large number of viewers in this way.

Laura: “The Grasshopper & the Ant”- I really like the detail contained in each frame of this page. From the individual pieces of the cartoon grasshopper and ants, to the gradients in the sky, and even the use of the brush tool to create the ground, almost everything about the page seems meticulously planned and layed out. One thing I think could have been done better is the length of the page. I appreciate the amount of detail all over the page, but the fact that it’s only three illustrations long seems to rush the story along. The text is presented in large paragraphs as a result, which the average viewer might get annoyed with.

Justin Luteran: “The Story of a Man…..”- As I scroll through this page, I immediately take notice of the style of animation that Justin utilizes. It draws my attention as a viewer, but it reminds me in certain ways of the show South Park. I love South Park, but I think it’s changing the way I interpret this story in ways that weren’t necessarily intended. As I read through it, I can’t help but imagine Eric Cartman as the narrator. I personally find this hilarious, and it keeps me engaged with the page more than some of the others. The only thing I think that needs work is the sizing of the page. It appears as though all of the page’s images are condensed/squished, which I think diminishes some of the page’s strengths.

Ryan: “The White Hare & the Crocodiles”- The amount of detail in this page is staggering. From the very beginning, Ryan shows a mastery of illustration and design techniques. The page has a clear narrative that is not only portrayed by, but is also strengthened by its related imagery. The colors used throughout the page are well-chosen, and come together to create strong emphasis on the subjects. The rhythm created by the waves all along the bottom of the page help to create an overall sense of unity that brings it all together.

Liz: “Why Dogs Chase Foxes”- This page seems like it could be the inside of a children’s book, without question. The illustrations and colors give it a very playful, youthful quality that I can definitely see appealing to young viewers. The page is well balanced visually with illustrations towards the top, and the story’s text at the bottom. The rhythm created by the ebbing and flowing of the river provides a unifying theme for the page. I also really like the typeface chosen for the story’s text, as it is seems like it could have been lifted straight out of a children’s book.

Evan: “Pygmies”- The color choices within this page make its mountain landscape very easy on the eyes, and the style of illustration used really suits the story. The mountains are quite simple shapes, yet do incredibly well in portraying an actual mountain range. I think the text throughout the page is well thought out, and has great readability. I also really like the fact that the page is all neatly contained within my browser (that is, I can read a particular passage and still see its respective illustration without having to resize the window or scroll). My only word of advice would be to lengthen the page a bit, as it seems a tad short. Overall though, I think this page is quite well done.

Latiyfa: “The Tale of Orpheus”- This page is very well arranged, with a clear sense of symmetry and balance right down the center. The illustrations are clean, and use a selection of colors that have good contrast. Latiyfa also has a number of more subtle details that keep the more observant viewer engaged for a long period of time. As I read through the story, I noticed things like the progression (or expiration) of the trees as Orpheus moves closer and closer to Hades. After noticing this detail, I found myself scouring the rest of the page for other subtle, clever aspects. In this way, the page is quite capable of captivating a large number of viewers.

Katie: “Sun, Moon, & Wind”- To describe this page, I would use “Short, sweet, and to the point”. It’s the perfect length to get the point across without being rushed and without taking an eternity to do so. The colors of the text and images are all easily seen against the cool blue background, showing a very careful attention was paid to the page’s color choices. The clear separation between the different frames allows the narrative to progress in a very structured way, and helps to create a sense of rhythm and an emphasis on organization. The footprints along the bottom of the page also allow the viewer to skip ahead to each individual section of the story, giving them the option to navigate the page however they see fit.

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Folklore Reviews

November 5, 2012 at 11:42 pm · Filed under Discussion, Fall 2012, Student Work

Reviews of Folklore Sites

Alyssa Bishop- Her concept is strong; the implementation is not quite there. As we scroll, the character in white sometimes interferes with the text which is something I would change. Also the flow of her images is a little shaky, the borders of certain images are obvious and don’t mesh well. However, her text is really easy to read which is an improvement over our initial critiques in class. I also think her imagery is simple, yet elegant.

Zac Brittner- The first things I notice are several widows and also that the text is in very large chunks. I would suggest breaking up the large columns of text more. Also, the page scrolls mostly down but it goes just slightly to the side which is distracting because we scroll just enough to reveal part of the image but the sideways scroll isn’t incorporated into the story. I do like his color palette with black, white, pale blue, and vibrant red. It makes the red really pop. His first title image is also really strong, I like the choice of text and font size.

Lauren Brown- not posted as of 12:30pm, 11-5-12

Rachel Calhoun- Rachel’s is really clever. For Rapunzel, she uses the image of hair falling out a window as the point of focus for scrolling. But as the story continues, I don’t think the imagery matches because we have hair falling down a tower, into a well, and underground, but there is nothing else introduced that has to do with the story (characters, setting, etc). Also it seems like there’s a ton of text, way more than I want to read so I would simplify the story. Visually I think the texture of her image works, it is a grittier and has patterns instead of being solid colors. Also by putting the text on both sides of the page, it creates movement for our eye as we scroll, which helps the flow of the page.

Milt C.- Milt’s is really great. Even though it is only a few images, with little text, the images themselves are so unique and strong that it really makes me forget about the rest. This must have been really complicated; he used each text box as a link to the next image so you could just click each text box to skip to the next section instead of scrolling. His images are more abstract, but still really nice. Then there’s the border along the top and left side only. I think I like it even though most people would use all around border or none at all. I think it’s original and doesn’t interfere with the story. Honestly I can’t think of anything about this one I’d change.

Jake Cimba- Jake’s is also really impressive. His use of JQuery is similar to the Inception page I reviewed as he has created a lot of movement by objects to go with the movement as we scroll. And it is varied movement; one images rocks back and forth, another appears for a bit then disappears, there is a very original feel to this site. The text bothers me though, it is kind of small and can feel very alone sometimes when it’s just a line of text and a colored background. I would either add some imagery of spruce up the text to give those images more energy.

Mike Dawson- Not posted as of 12:30, 11-5-12

Brian Duncan- Interesting site. First off it has white along the entire side so was either not stretched of centered, which would have helped. I like his choice of folklore with “Inferno”, it’s an engaging tale. The photos he used work well with the story but the backgrounds he made are a little too simple. There are intricate statues of philosophers of old on plain colored rectangle backgrounds, it just doesn’t match. I also think his text is a weird combo, it starts out looking like 8-bit computer font then switches to a more gothic one then goes back to the 8-bit. It doesn’t mesh.

Mike Florence- Not posted as of 12:30, 11-5-12

Laura Keefer- Laura’s has issues. First, half the screen is blank: image not stretched. Second it is only three slides and all are the same images. She might as well just have put all the text on one. The text itself is overbearing, meaning there is too much. It takes up most of the slides and should be broken up more. One positive is her image would be nice if it was only one in a series, it’s vibrant and visually engaging, but this is lost on the seeming lack of effort for the rest.

Ryan Palaschak- Despite being rather long, Ryan’s fable is pretty well done. I like his choice of images and his composition of those images in the frame seems well-planned or at least moderately thought out. There is a good balance between image and text which has been an issue so far. However, Ryan’s also has the issue of being a sideways “scroller” but having a little scroll down room, which adds nothing to the story so it seems like it is a technical boundary issue that should have been fixed.

Liz Phillips- Liz and I discussed hers originally in class for ideas on improvement and she seemed to take most into account. Her text lines up with the action better and I think the look of her page is one of the better ones. It is simple, but not overly simple, and has good detail where needed. I very much enjoy the look. Some things I would change would be her text. Originally she had it above and below and I assume changed it to make it spatially more convenient for herself, which she did, but I would say it feels boring now with all the text lined up next to each other. It doesn’t lend enough movement to itself. Liz also had the same problem of being a sideways scroll but having to go down just a little. Everyone who does this makes it harder for the reader.

Evan Phillips- Evan has the reverse problem, his imagery doesn’t stretch far down enough so it scrolls sideways but has white at the bottom. I like his images, they fit the narrative well, but his borders stick out when the images are placed next to each other so I think he could have done something to improve the background so it flows easier. His text looks like Times New Roman or something like that is is very boring. For a folklore tale, I want to see a text that matches the story so it brings us into the story as opposed to feeling like we’re reading it which is the effect I got from this one.

Latiyfa Whitehead- This one looks really great; just has some minor technical issues. The story is a good choice and the page is centered and stretched properly for a change so the scrolling works well. There is something very artistic about her pictures; it reminds me of when Hadfield had us design original Olympic Logos. Her characters looks like design characters. The issue is she tried to use JQuery to jump from image to image like Milt, but hers is not as successful. Some work and some don’t. Sometimes there are two links in one frame and the first goes to the next frame and the second goes to the end of the story. And at the end of the story there are either no links at all or the links don’t go anywhere. I think it might have been at bit too much. It’s a nice concept when it works but overall unnecessary.

Sean Whitfield- Nothing posted as of 12:30, 11-5-12

Katie Withrow- First thing, spills down too far when it’s supposed to go sideways, why is everyone having this issue? Katie’s text has some placement issues. Her first slide has words on top of each other and for some reason at the beginning it says “end of story” and at the end “beginning of story” which makes no sense. But visually I think it’s fun. Her highly saturated color palette works for the story and the deep color choices really jump out which I like. Her text all is on the same line so I would scatter it a bit to create movement.

Justin Yaras- Nothing posted as of 12:30, 11-5-12

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Folklore critiques

November 5, 2012 at 11:08 pm · Filed under Discussion, Fall 2012, Student Work

Zac:

What works best:

-The colors are visually interesting/look really well together. I just personally love the combo of light blues and black so that may just be me.

-I think the images compliment the story really well-each image ties in to the story so it’s not like you’re asking “Why is this included?”

-It works well being centered

What I would improve:

-At least when I opened my browser, I had to zoom out a tiny bit to be able to read through the story. It wasn’t that big of a deal, because we all have that problem, but I think that if we had knowledge of how to make it look it’s best on all browsers and monitors than that is the first thing I would do.

-Maybe add an animation feature where the crows actually look like they are flying down, I think that would look pretty cool and add a lot of visual interest.

Milt:

What works best:

-The images are really abstract and visually interesting.

-The images compliment the story really well.

-I think that the images are what really makes the story interesting. I’ve looked over it twice and each time I’ve found something new that I didn’t notice the first time.

What I would improve:

-I think I would make the images more colorful-maybe draw more attention to certain aspects(like he did with the eye, it pops out at you)

-Personally, I feel like it would be a little more visually interesting if the images were more centered

-Maybe add a scrolling effect where instead of scrolling with the scrollbar, you can just click to each one.

Rachel:

What works best:

-The image of the tower and how Rapunzels hair flows down the page

-The jumps to paragraphs works really well

-Even though there is just one image

-The colors worked really well

What I would improve:

-It would be cool to have the hair moving with the page as well

-Make the jumps a little smoother, it seemed to jump really fast

Jacob C:

What works best:

-The animation of all the different images

-Even though the background is really plain, it works well with the story especially at the end when it seems as if the water is getting higher

-Really liked the moving gourd

What I would improve:

-Add a blue background throughout the whole page

-Too much white space

-Add a jquery so it jumps

Brian:

What works best:

-Each level of hell is laid out well and explained

-I like how it goes from red to black

What I would improve:

-Maybe make the images bigger and more related to each level somehow

-Add a Jquery

-Maybe add a little devil that floats down with the page when you scroll

What I would improve:

-Maybe add fire as a background somehow, or have fire at the bottom and animate it

-Change the colors around

Laura :

What works best:

-I really liked the jumps to each image, I think that it made it really interesting.

-Love the vibrant colors, illustrations are really well done!!!

-I really like how texturized the last image is.

What I would improve:

-I am not sure if this is just how my browser is, but it has all the images at the very left with a lot of blank white space towards the right. Maybe what I would do instead is center all of the images, and then just add a blue background behind that so it looks a little more interesting.

-Or she could just put the text at the side next to the images.

Justin L:

What works best:

-Really good illustrations

-Good font, it fits in with the story!

-Images fit in well with the story

What I would improve:

-Add the Jquery

-Add in the title of the story on there

-Fill up the whole webpage with the images instead of just on the side

-Or maybe even center all the images, then just add a plain background

Ryan :

What works best:

-Really good illustrations

-Incorporated into the story really well

– colors work really well together

-good layout

What I would improve:

-Making it so it would look good on all monitors/browsers, but that’s definitely more advanced than what we know how to do now.

-Add jumps from one image to the next

Lizzie:

What works best:

-Illustrations!

-Colors

-Text and images tie into one another very well

-layout

What I would improve:

-Add a Jquery

-Make the animals move around

Evan:

What works best:

-The Illustrations are really good

-Colors

-I like how the smoke comes disappears behind the mountain and comes out the other side

-Images tied into story well

What I would improve:

-Add a Jquery

-Move the “liquor” text that is on the barrel down so it is more on the barrel than half on half off.

Latiyfa:

What works best:

-Really nice illustrations

-Love how the images move!

-Colors work really well

-Text and images work really well together as well

What I would improve:

-Not sure if it was just my laptop, but viewing the webpage was a little slow and laggy

Katherine:

What works best:

-Everything fits into the story

-Illustrations are good

-I like how you can click on the footprints and it will take you to the next part

What I would improve:

-The title on the page is a little jumbled together and overlapping

-Make it fit to browser better

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Folklore Reviews

November 5, 2012 at 8:40 pm · Filed under Discussion, Fall 2012, Student Work

Folklore Reviews- Katie Withrow

Alyssa Bishop

1. The elements that worked best were the graphics and the colors.
2. The graphics looked professional and connected with the story well.
3. The colors worked well together, and I liked how you could tell where the different sections ended and began.
4. I also thought the man that scrolled with you the entire time, helped the story because as the user you feel that you are going through this man’s journey as you’re reading about it.
5. The element missing is the jquery. I could not find any piece of graphic to click on, but it may have taken away from going along with the man in his journey.
6. What I do not believe worked well is the text. At first is does, but once you get to the purple section it is difficult to tell apart the two sections. I also do not like how some text runs into the next section when it does not belong in the next section.

Zac Brittner

1. The graphics in this story are done very well and are placed so that the design has balance.
2. The colors are simple, but work well with the story and allow the user not to be distracted by the colors and focusing on the images and story.
3. I believe the use of line he used with separating each section of the story worked very well too.
4. The jquery also worked well with the graphics and story.
5. The text is also placed well, but I may have used the same text he used for the title throughout the story.

Rachel Calhoun

1. I believe everything works very well in this design.
2. The castle with the hair coming out of the castle, the grass, the well, and the underground, truly feels as though you are traveling into the ground.
3. The texture of the grass, the well, and hair are very believable.
4. The contrast of the colors in each section work well together; the user is able to tell where above ground ends and underground begins.
5. The text is also placed well and readable.
6. The jquery does not scroll smoothly, but it does work.

Milt Chatzimouratidis

1. I love the style of the graphics in his story, they keep the viewer interested and you want to keep looking at them to find different elements to them, he must have put a lot of work into them.
2. The light colors work well together, each picture creates a sense of feeling with the color. For example, the third picture creates a sense of sadness and loneliness and the darker gray helps display that message.
3. The colors used in the graphics also works well with the background color.
4. The whole page has balance.
5. The text is simple which is good because it does not take away from the graphics, and the user really understands the story through the pictures,
6. The jquery also works well with the story and goes smoothly.
7. I also liked how he added the extra links at the top such as, home, start, and contact.

Jacob Cimba

1. This design was very effective with connecting the graphics and background colors to the story.
2. Some of the graphics have movement to them which I believe is impressive and adds to the design, making it look more interesting, and giving the viewer more to look at.
3. I also believe the element of where some graphics stay still as the text moves is interesting and works well when the user is scrolling.
4. The colors he chose for the graphics and background are also appropriate and the text is still readable against the background color.
5. Towards the end of the story as you read about the water flooding, the use of scrolling with the text makes the page look as if it is truly being flooded with water, I believe this is the best part of the design.
6. The jquery at the beginning of the page also works smoothly and as it should.

Brian Duncan

1. I believe what worked best was how he connected each section, and as you get further down the darker it gets, creating a sense of never returning.
2. The colors in the middle and the end I believe work well together, but in the beginning I do not believe the colors work together.
3. The pictures are well used and placed to help the viewer understand who is being talked about throughout.
4. Also, I do not understand the story, and do not get the meaning of it.
5. The jquery is also missing in this design.

Laura Keefer

1. I believe what worked best were the colors used, and how she represented the different seasons.
2. The color of the skies, and the color of the grass indicate which season it is. The grass in the first section is bright green, than the grass turns brown, than the grass is covered with snow.
3. The graphics are also clear enough to make out which bug is the ant and which one is the grasshopper.
4. The text in the first two sections work well with the background, but in the last section, although the text is readable, I believe it takes away from the background, and it is hard to tell it is snowing.
5. The jquery works, but it does not work smoothly

Justin Luteran

1. I believe the strongest part of this design is the water with the shark in it towards the end of the story and the text.
2. The graphics are childish, but work well with the story and with the project since the site is supposed to be geared toward children.
3. The colors at the beginning work, but the colors towards the middle and bottom do not compliment each other as well as the top.
4. The text is well placed, and the font used was a good choice, because it appears Chinese-like.
5. He did not use jquery, and I believe if he would have used it, it would have added to the design.

Ryan Palaschak

1. First, I have to respect the amount of work Ryan put into this project.
2. The detail of the graphics, and how he created depth, I believe are the best parts of the design.
3. The style of the graphics also appear Japanese like, which work well with the story, since it is a story from Japan.
4. Each section of the design works towards the next section and are connected with one another.
5. I believe how he placed the text on scrolls was very creative and also added to the fact that the story is an ancient folktale.
6. The only part that was missing was the jquery, I could not find any links in the design.

Liz Phillips

1. I believe how she has the story and graphics as one flowing design works best. Many of the other designs are separated by something, but in hers there is only one section that looks different, which is how she represents night.
2. The graphics are well designed, and some parts of the design have depth.
3. The river is a large part of the story, and it separates the text from the graphics very well.
4. I believe the colors used all fit well together and create the sense that the story is geared towards children.
5. The jquery is missing in this design, and I believe it would have added to the story.

Evan Phillips

1. I believe the graphics are well designed and placed, and the colors used were appropriate.
2. His use of depth is successful and truly looks as if some of the images are farther away than others.
3. The graphics are well designed, and look like a lot of work was put into each one.
4. The text is well placed and easily readable.
5. I did not, however, understand the entire story, the ending seemed to not have a conclusion, and with the extra white space at the end, it appears as if something is missing.
6. The white at the bottom also is distracting, and looks as if something else belongs there.
7. He also did not use jquery.

Latiyfa Whitehead

1. I believe this design is very successful in the way it is presented. The graphics are well done, the colors go together, and the scrolling works well with the story.
2. The text is also placed well, and is readable throughout the design.
3. She added an element that most of the other designs do not have, and that is movement. Two of the man figures move, and the ghost like figure floats, truly appearing as a ghost or spirit.
4. I also believe how the trees are in full bloom, than began to die, than eventually dies, works well with the mood of the man in the story.
5. She did not use jquery, but if she would have the movement in her story, may not have looked as impressive.

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Peer Review: Folklore Project

November 5, 2012 at 12:52 am · Filed under Discussion, Fall 2012, Student Work

Note: I am uncertain whether or not my browser was having issues with JQuery. Having seen some students’ projects in class, it seemed as though some of the coding was translating improperly on my end, and thus giving errors with codes such as scrollto or fix positions. As such, any comments regarding broken code or utilization of JQuery should be taken with a grain of salt.

Bishop, Alyssa: Though much of the imagery used is effective for its purpose individually, transitions between images could have been improved a fair degree. Whether by feathering the edges of backgrounds in order to offer a fade effect, or by placing a solid border between them, a more clear visual divide seems lacking. Aside from this, the scenes seem to convey their purpose fairly well through relatively simple imagery; however, the degrees of simplicity found across the project are somewhat inconsistent. The variation in background styles also does not contribute to cohesiveness, though, again, the images function fairly well alone. Were there to be a clearer divide between scenes and obvious buttons for the viewer to transition through JQuery scrollto coding, the page as a whole would have come across much more smoothly.

Brittner, Zachary: Effective imagery, consistent styling. Formatting could have been improved somewhat to cater to smaller window sizes, but on the whole, the page works fairly well. Click-to-scroll images could have been made a bit more obvious for the viewer’s purposes, though this is not a major flaw. Incorporating somewhat more interactivity could have pushed the page to the next level, though as it stands, the project was executed fairly well. Images do not interfere with the flow of the story, though varying text placement could have contributed to a better visual appeal.

Brown, Lauren: Not posted.

Calhoun, Rachel: Particularly effective imagery. Colors and textures lend to storytelling experience quite a deal. Text chunks could be downsized in order to provide less visual burden on the reader. Formatting could be improved slightly to minimalize the distraction afforded by the wide right margin, though story flow works well. JQuery scrollto code seems to be broken, else the page would feel significantly more comfortable to navigate. On the whole, visually effective, but uncomfortable navigation.

Chatzimouratidis, Milt: Utilizes well-crafted and interesting images; great texture and detail, consistent color palette, and consistent style. JQuery does not appear to be working, at least where scrollto codes are concerned. The link to the contact page is either broken, or nonexistent. Text follows a comfortable visual flow, and lends to an effective storytelling method. On the whole, very effective visually, though some minor adjustments could be made to fix coding and add to interactivity.

Dawson, Michael: Not posted.

Duncan, Brian: Interesting content-wise, and utilizes effective imagery to evoke intended emotion toward content. Margins could be fixed to center content, such that the broad right margin does not unbalance the page for large windows. Does not appear to utilize any interactive content, or at least none readily recognizable; if scrollto codes were used, their divs should be emphasized more in order to direct the reader’s attention to them. Otherwise, effective use of CSS and other coding, and effective visual flow of the page to direct the reader’s attention toward important content.

Florence, Michael: Not posted.

Keefer, Laura: Effective integration of images into overall page. Margins could be fixed in order to remove broad right margin unbalancing page visually. Grass texture fairly well done, and use of simple imagery and gradients does not distract viewer from content. JQuery appears to be broken, or scrollto codes are not utilized. Recycling of first image may confuse viewer as a result of image jumping to one almost identical rather than scrolling down. Large chunks of text and use of font may not be suitable for target audience. Content could be stretched out more in order to solve block-text issue as well as keep reader entertained for a longer period of time with more imagery.

Luteran, Justin: 404

Palaschak, Ryan: Exceptionally effective imagery, and integration of content around images. Consistent style, and use of text lends heavily toward effective storytelling. Use of scrolls permits longer blocks of text, and transitions from one scene to another are particularly smooth. In regards to coding, however, the intended jumping rabbit images do not appear to be working, at least for my browser, and for users without horizontal scrolling mice, the lack of buttons to transition across the page poses a minor inconvenience. On the whole, however, the page is well done both logically and visually.

Phillips, Liz: Page is apparently taller than content; as such, an unnecessary lower margin populates the bottom of the page. Use of JQuery or scrollto buttons does not appear to be present, and so interactivity is relatively minimal. Moreover, the lack of navigational buttons poses a minor inconvenience for users without horizontal mouse scrolling. However, imagery is done fairly effectively, with a consistent style throughout the page that lends to strong visual coherence. The use of gradients between night and day could have made for a more effective visual transition, and font choice could have been somewhat more appropriate toward the audience, but neither of these are significant drawbacks.

Phillips, Evan: Page is apparently taller and wider than content; as such, unnecessary lower/right margins populate the bottom and side of the page. Use of JQuery or scrollto buttons does not appear to be present, and so interactivity is relatively minimal. Moreover, the lack of navigational buttons poses a minor inconvenience for users without horizontal mouse scrolling. However, imagery is done moderately effectively, with a fairly consistent style throughout the page that lends to visual coherence.

The text alongside the barrel of liquor flows off of the image, creating an uncomfortable visual paradox, and the use of gradients between night and day could have made for a more effective visual transition, but neither of these are a significant drawback.

Whitehead, Latiyfa: A white line runs down the page about three-fourths the way across, presumably due to an error with the background image. Otherwise, imagery is utilized quite effectively, with consistent style and effective font choice to match the content. JQuery appears to be malfunctioning, as scrollto codes do not seem to be working. Moreover, many of the text links send the viewer to the bottom of the page rather than the next available link, presumably caused by an error in linking to an improper div. Otherwise, the use of the scroll-down, fade-in image worked fairly effectively, and (though it is not currently appearing on my browser – presumably due to an error on my end), the use of JQuery to set an image in a fixed position based on vertical scroll position lent quite interestingly toward the interactive aspect of the website.

Sean Whitfield: Not posted.

Withrow, Katherine: CSS in title slide coded improperly (I assume), as the words “went” and “out” are overlaid upon one another. Imagery utilizes a child-friendly style, appropriate to its audience, and remains consistent throughout the page. Scrollto function does not appear to be working, detracting from a comfortable flow of the page, however, the presence of the buttons certainly serves as a convenience to viewers without horizontal mouse scrolling. It should be noted that as the images used for linking to other divs use a very similar image as other, noninteractive divs, that some sort of visual effect to further distinguish the two would be helpful.

Yaras, Justin: Not posted.

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Folklore Project Reviews

November 4, 2012 at 11:00 pm · Filed under Discussion, Fall 2012, Student Work

Alyssa Bishop: The Princess & the Pea

Alyssa’s single page uses several design elements to its advantage: line, color, texture.  However, since this should be a page dedicated to telling a story there are elements that would be essential but are missing or scarce. Unity is the first that comes in mind. The different parts of the page do not seem to belong together – after the first three at least.  The type is floating and not aligned, this creates a sense of disorder. The white space at the bottom is also doesn’t help either visually or functionally as part of a storytelling page.

Zac Brittner: The Greedy Crow

Zac’s The Greedy Crow works. I think it’s a successful storytelling page both visually and content-wise. The illustrations are effective and the page presents a sense of continuity throughout.  Zac has kept things simple: white background and minimal use of color drive the user’s attention to the strong illustrations and the story itself. Overall, a good project that presents unity and balance.

Lauren Brown

No link.

 Rachel Calhoun: Rapunzel

Rapunzel is a well-known story and Rachel uses a great deal of color and texture to convey a fairy tale feel.  She uses negative space to place the type and aligns it vertically. I’m not sure about the typeface choice, I think I would pick something more casual and related to children themes and I would stick with one font. The artwork is beautiful; however there are a few pixelation issues and there are spots where the different elements seem to be of different resolution/quality.

Jacob Cimba: The Deluge

Jacob’s folklore project uses a number of nice animation techniques and gradient backgrounds. While it is visually fairly simple, technically it is probably the most complex among the ones seen so far.  The imagery and animations work well with the content of the story and the page certainly displays unity.  I would try to extend the background gradients to cover the whole page instead of having white space left on both sides. Maybe I would also add more and larger images to enhance the visual impact of the page.

Michael Dawson

No link.

Brian Duncan: Dante’s Inferno

Inferno has almost a book page feel to it. Hierarchy is dominating the whole page and the different stages are separated by background blocks that contain type and imagery. There is a sense of continuity and unity throughout the whole page. Improvement ideas: perhaps use a different typeface, closer to medieval subjects; make illustrations bigger to balance the type, use photography or water texture instead of plain CSS shapes to represent the waterfall.

Mike Florence

No link.

Laura Keefer: Fable

Laura’s fable certainly uses color, texture, negative space for type placement and has unity. However, the 3 parts are probably too similar to one another, the type is too much for the third part of the page, and there is plenty of white empty space on the right side. A couple of ideas: perhaps placing the type into boxes on the side eliminating white space and introducing more visual elements and background detail would help.

Justin Luteran: The Story of the Man Who Did Not Wish to Die.

Dead link.

Ryan Palaschak: The White Hare and the Crocodiles

The White Hare and the Crocodiles is one of the most successful among the single pages seen so far, both artistically and technically. The illustrations are very effective and well-done. A limited color palette and the same illustration technique are used throughout the document giving a sense of unity. Type and imagery are well balanced. The type is placed in boxes exploiting negative space, and the medieval Japanese tale style is conveyed successfully.  The typeface choice is well thought (another idea would be a typeface that resembles Japanese characters) and the content original and convincing.

Liz Phillips: Why Dogs Chase Foxes

Liz’s illustrations are strong and her page is compositionally well-balanced. The type is placed correctly and the color palette effective. Her work has unity and the background lines create a sense of movement and rhythm. A couple of improvement ideas could be: eliminate the white empty space at the bottom and use a more casual typeface that is somehow related to storytelling.

Evan Phillips’s Folklore project

In Evan’s project there is a successful use of color and efficient use of illustrations. There is a sense of rhythm achieved through repetition in the page and the negative space is used efficiently. Improvement ideas could be the use of frames of boxes for placing the type and the extension of the background to cover the white space at the bottom.

Latiyfa Whitehead: The Tale of Orpheus

The tale of Orpheus displays several qualities: consistency in illustration quality, unity, beautiful use of color, and experimentation with jquery animation techniques. The story is narrated efficiently and overall it is a captivating piece of work. On a few occasions maybe the type placement could be better and perhaps a more archaic style typeface would help.

Katie Withrow: How Sun, Moon, and Wind Went Out to Dinner

Katie’s project is solid: there is continuity among the illustrations, effective placement of the type, and a composition that plays with geometric shapes and high contrast. Throughout the whole page unity is achieved through repetition and similarity and the navigation system is original.

Justin Yaras

No link

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Folklore Reviews

November 4, 2012 at 9:04 pm · Filed under Discussion, Fall 2012, Student Work

1. Alyssa Bishop- I like how the atmosphere of each section changes.  For instance, how the weather starts out as partly cloudy, then changes to storming, and then moves to indoors.  One thing I would improve is the placement of the text in relation to the silhouette of the man because sometimes the man covers up the text.  I really like the colors of the page because they look very realistic.  Plus, the textures of the grass at the bottom and the clouds in the sky have a lot of depth.  The imagery of the mattresses directly relates to the story, which makes the story more interesting to read.
2. Zac Brittner-I enjoy the cartoon feel of the page of the clouds and the meat.  The scroll works well because it is slow enough that it looks smooth.  The design is very simple, but it works because you can easily scroll through and not get confused.  The only thing I would add to this piece is somehow making it obvious where the place is you need to click to scroll down.  However, I really like the silhouettes of the birds because they really look like crows.
3. Milt Chatzimouratidis:  I really like the illustrations in these and how they are very stained glass looking.  I like how the colors are consistent throughout and it relates to the story because he talks about diving into the ocean of emotions.  The scrolling flows very well because there is a button on each section that scrolls to the next.  Plus, once you get to the end there is a button that takes you back to the beginning, which makes the page easy to navigate around.  The images are very generalized, but the little parts of each one makes them look very detailed, which is very unique and interesting.
4. Jacob Cimba- The animations throughout the page are very well thought out and makes the page appealing.  The colors slowly changing as you scroll down make the page flow and unite.  It is really neat how you can click on the house, and the lights from inside turn on.  The illustrations look very realistic because of the gradients inside them.  Plus, they relate to the story because the main subject of the story is the gourd.
5. Brian Duncan-I like the images used throughout the page to help explain who people are.  It’s interesting how the information takes you underground into the different stages to hell.  The red gradient in the center of the page that fades into black really gives it a dark and devilish look.  If I were to improve something, it would be changing some of the yellow colors to reds to make the page flow better and get rid of the stripes.  I really like the door at the top and the caution not to enter because it sets the tone of what information will be given below.
6. Laura Keefer- I liked how bright the colors were because it makes the story very appealing to look at.  There is a lot of depth in the grass, as well because of the different colors used.  The scrolling works because each click takes you to the next part of the story.  The placement of the text is efficient because there is no overlapping with the bugs or the sun, which makes it very easy to read.  The only thing I would add would be something to make it obvious where to click to make the page scroll down.
7. Ryan Palaschak-There was a lot of work on illustrations in this project, which makes it very fun to look at.  The story is easy to read because all of the text is on scrolls.  The page flows horizontally because the water level stays the same and the colors are pretty consistent throughout.  The land that is small in the background gives the page a lot of depth, along with the detail on the crocodiles.
8. Liz Phillips- The text on the bottom and the stream running through the page make all the scenes unite and look consistent.  The texture of the fire makes it look like it is in motion, just like real fire.  I enjoyed how everything is cartoon looking because it sets a fun tone to the story.   The stream going horizontally makes the page easy to navigate around because it shows that the scroll is from left to right instead of up and down.  I like how in one spot the bear and fox are very small to make it seem like they are farther away because it shows depth within the page.
9. Evan Phillips- I like the illustration of the building because it is very symmetrical and looks very crisp.  The mountains in the background are unique because they are all different colors and silhouettes, which makes them look like they are in the distance.  Plus, the mountains make the page flow because they are consistent from the left end of the page to the right.  I would add a scroll to the page to make each section come up without passing up text because some of the text is very short.  I like how when it goes from day to night, the people turn into silhouettes, which helps show that it is really dark out.
10. Latiyfa Whitehead- My favorite thing about this page is the animations.  The ghost of the girl going up and the man going underground into the depths of Hades helps make the page obvious that it goes vertical instead of horizontal.  Towards the bottom the girl is faded into the background, and it really relates to the story because it says how she was taken away into the darkness.  The trees are very unique because they are bent over like weeping willows.   The teal background behind the text makes it stand out and without it the story would be very hard to read.
11. Katherine Withrow- I like how there is no white space around the story.  The page really flows because the background is the same color, and the sections are broken up with black borders. The only thing I would move is the “End of Story” text to the end and the “Beginning of Story” to the first part of the page.  The footprints at the bottom are very interesting because they are just the silhouettes.  Plus, they help navigate throughout the story.

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Folklore Peer Reviews

October 30, 2012 at 11:29 pm · Filed under Discussion, Fall 2012, Student Work

Zac Brittner : The greedy crow
The imagery off the start is crisp and clean. imagery has little use of color, yet with the limited palette details are still grasped creatively and colors are bold representing specific subject matter. The imagery supports the text because the text is sans serif so it has a simple basic look to it which playes off the way the tree and the crows were created. Some elements i felt could improve are do more with composition, kind of simple. Also, allow for images to show completely and not have a distinct white line to cut an image off. Some principles of design i caught were repetition with the composition throughout; position can also be applied to the previous example it kind of plays off repetition for a layout. Another was, Color, the simple use of red and blue. Also, proportions to if the crow was close or far the size varied to represent the image.
Milt:  Neriel
Imagery is outstanding. Strong use of muted colors with bold outlines, to create an almost abstract image. imagery supports the text, contrast between the size of each. Serif font choice helps keep the overall feel to the story. No texture used in the images yet texture was created by the outline of the individual shapes. Some elements the could be improved on are ending of story in compare with the beginning. Also, make navigation for story a little more involved with the story. Principles of design i caught were, size and proportion, repetition, unity, contrast, and color.

Laura Keefer: The grasshopper…
Elements that are eye catching are the vibrant color palette, use of gradients, and detailed imagery. Some elements that i thought could be improved were the positioning and breaking down of the text boxes. a little more to the use of scrolling, and text needs to be more legible. Imagery and text down really flow to smoothly, hard to read without focusing. principles of design i caught were, balance, color, position. texture was created in the background with the clouds.

Liz Phillips: Why Dogs chase foxes
Good elements throughout are the images used to create a visibly interesting story.The text and the imagery match up quite nicely, you get to see what you read. Background is very creative and colors are a good choice very vibrant and full. Texture is created with the use of shadows. Some elements that could be worked on are,different positioning of text, or maybe do something more with it. Have a way to wrap up the end instead of the abrupt end. principles of design i caught were, rythym, balance, unity, position, color, and proportion.

Katherine Withrow: How the Sun, Moon, and Wind…
Some elements that stood out more than others were the easy click navigation with the footprints. Also, the simple shapes make it fun to look at. The detail on the shapes could use a little bit of work, and also, The text could be easier to read. Yet the text is kind of hard to read, it does support the theme of the story, nursery rhyme feel. There is some texture in the cloud but not else where. use of colors was good, simple shapes work nicely with the simple basic colors, red yellow blue. Some principles of design I caught were, color, proportion, balanace.

Alyssa Bishop: Princess and the Pea
Some elements that popped out to me were the background sky, the texture in the grass, and the stormy area.  some areas of improvement i saw were the font choice,  a little more detail to images, too much of a contrast between silhouette images and texture filled background. some principles of design that are present are, color, proportion, and contrast. the text does not support the story in my opinion it could use a different font maybe a serif type face.

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