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prior listings

 

• Suture 11/30/00 
  Description: Web based art site.(Flash)
  Comments: It's not the stunning art you'll find at today's pick that'll grab you the most, nor is it the excellent way the cool metallic Flash interface delivers the content – it's both!  I didn't just discover this site, either.  I've checked it out a number of times in the past and have always been impressed.  This latest version of it is so outstanding that I must recognize what Ricky Cox has accomplished here and point you to it.  I didn't pick it sooner because there is a little bit of a commercial component to it.  It's primarily an experimental space for Ricky's web art, but he also describes it as a "platform to document other areas of [his] practice, including... commercial web design."  My adherence to strict criteria and how I interpret whether a site is primarily commercial or not is an evolving work in progress and I have to admit that where I choose to draw the line has changed somewhat since I last checked out Ricky's site.  The point is that when it's a showcase instead of a showroom, I have to make the distinction between non-commercial and commercial.  The showroom, one one hand, usually has a sleazy salesman making all kinds of claims about a carefully constructed list of "services" and there's an obvious attempt to "sell" the user.  The showcase, on the other hand, has no salesman at work and makes no claims — it just puts the work out there for the user to enjoy and lets the user decide how to use it.  I trust some of you understand what I'm talking about.  Anyway, today's pick is an excellent showcase of a web professional who is obviously in it for the love... nothing but respect for Ricky's great web site!
   
• forcefeed:swede 11/28/00 
  Description: personal space of oz dean . . .flash ideas, illustrations and designs
  Comments: Oz Dean is a professional web designer, but as any designer will tell you, what you produce at work is just a small part of what you do.  I'll stick my neck out and say that no matter what you do for a living, the same truth applies — it's a question of balance.  "This site is an area for all the bits and pieces that don't truly have a home elsewhere..as far as my design is concerned.  It's for me and my friends more than anyone else, but if you enjoy any of it it's a bonus..."  That's the "why" for Oz and his motivation fits perfectly into my little quest for the best of the creative and non-commercial side of the web.  There's an interesting assortment of things in his head here.  The "celebrity sickbags" concept is one of the strangest ideas I've seen for a collaborative feature and I've got to wonder if it will fly — if it does, we're in for some amusing visuals.  And speaking of visuals, Oz showcases some good stuff - "Stickman" is terminally cute, humorous, and somewhat interactive, though it looks like T-shirts may be in its future (shucks!).  There's other cool things on display (though I really don't get "Post-it Note Tim"), and the "gallery" is "coming soon" — I've got a feeling it will be a good one.  I like the design (especially the big background image) — lookig forward to seeing what it becomes...
   
• Lincoln Park Trixie Society 11/27/00 
  Description: Chicago's premier social organization of young, on-the-move women living in wonderful Lincoln Park.
  Comments: This site just has to be a put on... at least, I hope it is 'cause if they're not poking fun at the Trixies, Lord knows someone has to.  "I married a trader, and the money is just so nice."  That's what the banner at the top says, showing a picture of Melissa who has been a proud Trixie since 1996.  Dedicated to your "being the best Trixie you can be" with tips on finding an apartment in just the right area of "wonderful Lincoln Park" and more than you could ever want to know about the Jetta (the official car of the Trixie), this is a downright amusing look at a silly cultural phenomenon.  Okay — I don't doubt that Trixies exist, but do you really think they would band up together like this to show the world their silly selves?  I don't think so!  I like the simple, festive design of today's pick and the thorough it covers (or should I say, pokes fun at) the unique subject matter.  To get a true picture of where these folks are coming from, just check out "This Week in Pictures" — it bubbles over with the attitude that is the Trixies.  Gotsta go now, my Jetta's double-parked...
   
• webbedENVIRONMENTS 11/26/00 
  Description: devoted to presenting Web designers with articles dealing with the wide spectrum of information that they need to know
  Comments: Today's pick sports a super-clean design and is an excellent resource site for designers.  Presenting useful information and interesting "articles presenting in depth analysis of the issues and ideas surrounding the Web" is the mission and the organization of the content makes it easy to find what you're interested in.  Jason, the writer, has been involved in the web since 1994 and his answers in the "FAQ" to questions about the web tell me he knows a lot about it... oh, yeah, and he's the designer, too.  Perfect navigability, simple, but impressive design, and great content — excellent!
   
• KittyKitty 11/22/00 
  Description: another online journal, blog, web log, angst, bitch, moan, complain, daily entries
  Comments: A most unique personal website:
  • As far as weblogs go, it's one of the best out there in terms of original, positive content and sweet, sweet design.
  • The producer of this weblog is a talented artist, which clearly shows in all her work.
  • It's personal and non-commercial and that's a good thing in my little pee-sized brain.
  • Wonderful personality – a talented, funny person who attracts the user in a most positive way.  Her writing is honest and interesting.
  • A great example of what many of us see as the true spirit of the web.
  Now, go enjoy...
   
• Blue Coupe 11/20/00 
  Description: where words and music collide
  Comments: I was impressed immediately when I discovered that this great magazine, full of music and music-related book reviews, was not selling the CDs or books — they were just providing in-depth and extremely well-written reviews.  That's a rarity on the web, dontcha think?  And there's no advertising either, though I'd guess that they would welcome a little sponsorship.  The design is clean and the graphics and layout are A-1.  After spending some time there, I realized that today's pick reminded me of another one my daily picks from almost 2-1/2 years ago which impressed me in exactly the same way.  I checked a little further and found that the same people behind that great book review site I picked back in June of 1998 are behind this one, too.  I love when that happens — the same rarity I appreciated back then has reared it's beautiful head again, reminding me that the spirit never dies...
   
• Playdo Community 11/19/00 
  Description: The coolest totally graphical online webpage-maker ever made in Shockwave with advanced techniques like drag-and-drop and layers.
  Comments: Today's pick uses Shockwave in an innovative way to provide an online community where users can make webpages, chat and send each other mail.  Also in the works is a virtual petshop and a supermarket (you know how that supermarket concept excites me).  Anyway, for the moment it's all free and there's no advertising on users' webpages.  It appears that you can't access users' pages directly from your browser, though — the cute little sites are launched by a javascript that is part of the community site, so you can either access the most popular users' pages from the community site's front page, or join up and logon to have access to all pages and features.  What really impressed me was how user friendly the webpage creation application is — I was able to get my own site up and running in a few minutes, and I've got to admit I'm gonna go add some content to it.  I like the whole concept of this one and just hope that it doesn't turn too commercial when it adds the supermarket and sells that banner advertising spot that's self-promotional for now.  It's cute and it's cool right down to the little pixel people...
   
• Gene Fellner 11/16/00 
  Description: Art and social consciousness
  Comments: Pastel artist Gene Fellner has a degree in political science and the various series of paintings he's produced are actually stories of his life and commentary on political and social issues he's apparently experienced first-hand.  "A Train Full of Children" touches on what is was like for his mother as a child in Germany before the Holocaust.  The combination of art and storytelling in this piece is absolutely touching.  Then there's "The Disappeared and The Rest of Us" which tells the story of people abducted and never seen again.  Gene presents a series of portraits — half are those who have disappeared and the other half are friends of his.  And so the story goes, he sees all of those who have disappeared as somebody's friend and makes that point in a most unique way.  Again, the story being told and the paintings being displayed blend perfectly to provide the user with an interesting and engaging experience.  As far as site design goes, it's nothing fancy but it is clean and browser-friendly.  Gene's use of color for backgrounds and text within each series is excellent.  This is great, original content, and the bright colors jump right off the page.
   
• c-ship 11/12/00 
  Description: an innovative digital arts project, commissioning new work from contemporary artists specifically for the Internet
  Comments: Today's pick provides a space, a "container" if you will, for artists to "address themselves" to the new medium.  From the tone of the copy on the "About" page, I get the sense that the site was probably launched in 1996 or 1997, though I'm really not sure.  It seems to be saying that art created specifically for the Internet is a rare thing, which doesn't really apply anymore.  Regardless of that, their spirit's certainly in the right place, and what you're in for here is an interesting collection of works from a number of different artists along with biographical information on each.  There are some surprises — if you can't tolerate popup windows, you might want to take a pass on the piece by Anna Best, though I didn't really mind it.  Cool site?  I think so...
   
• artsoul 11/9/00 
  Description: mindset: to reach the source of my own creation
  Comments: It's 6:34am right now here in Chicago, and as I'm thinking about what to say about today's pick, I just discover something a friend in New York said at 4am this morning — "Interfaces are a means too often mistaken for an end."  Oddly applicable, I'm thinking to myself, because today's pick came about from this periodic feeling I get about the web.  I spend so much time looking at sites in terms of design that it's easy to forget that content is what really counts.  There's a distinct difference between an "artist" and a "designer" and though I'm often lucky in finding sites that are produced by talented people who are both artist and designer, I'm often torn between the two disciplines in this endless quest to bring meaningful websites to your attention day in and day out.  I guess today is one of those days that I'm feeling if I can't bring you something meaningful, then why bother?  Enter today's pick from artist Louise Couillard — it's not about design and if you want an interface, you're gonna have to put yourself in "patient explorer" mode and find it.  There's a certain beauty and magic at play when an artist who has tons of homemade content to share just puts it out there for what it's worth without trying to be a designer and usability expert at the same time.  When it's real art, sometimes the user just has to forget about the web long enough to take advantage of the real creative content that IS the website.  When I'm feeling like I do this morning, I'm willing to say "the site works and that's good enough for me."  That way, I won't miss out when the great REAL content hits me square between the eyes!
   
• neopod 11/8/00 
  Description: new type design — the personal design space of Australian designer Liam Wolf
  Comments: Young Australian designer Liam Wolf is basking in all the well deserved attention he's been getting lately – you can tell from his news entries that he's enjoying every minute of it.  Today's pick is a design gem and it's exciting to think that he's really only just getting started.  One of the main attractions here is "Pixel People ~ The Motion Picture" — "cute, friendly and 3mm tall."  The 4th episode has just been released and I love the warning: "This episode contains some pixel nudity."  The other main attraction is an exhibition of 42 static design pieces (I'd call them art, for sure).  The thumbnails are excellent and the simple popup window presentation is the way I like it - some of the pieces I looked at are absolutely profound.  Liam's got a style all his own, and though you see can see how others have influenced him, it's obvious that the kid is plugged into his own visions.  His background images combine clarity and detail with almost grungy elements to pull off a most unique flavor.  Add that to great navigation and fast loading pages and you end up with... perfection.  Great work, Liam!
   
• In Focus 11/5/00 
  Description: a photojournalist chronicles his journey through kidney failure
  Comments: Today's pick is one of a kind.  When John sought information on the Internet regarding his renal disease, dialysis and transplants, he found plenty of it.  "What was missing, though, was a detailed, step-by-step journal of the process from one person's point of view."  As a photojournalist, John knows how to tell stories through the lens and he's also got a way with words and a knack for web design.  I'm sure that looking back on it all now, John must be relieved to have made his way through the wonderful step of recovery.  Turning the lens on himself was something new for him, but it obviously helped him get through it all — turning such a negative event in one's life into a positive mission to fill a void which would help others faced with the same situation is something to be commended and appreciated.  This is one of the most interesting sites I've seen lately in terms of content, and I'm glad John also included a gallery of his work which is totally unrelated to the subject at hand.  He's a talented photojournalist without doubt, and his personal efforts behind this web site are proof positive that the web works in wonderful ways...
   
• arttrust 11/1/00 
  Description: a web gallery – paintings and photographs
  Comments: Today's pick is another site made to be viewed at 1024x768, but they do give you a choice.  By choosing the "without javascript" route, you get the same exact content and layout fit to 800x600 in the same window.  The only difference between the two choices is that the 1024 version opens in a new window without toolbars, etc., sized at 1024, but if you're at 800, simply maximize the window and everything conforms just right — well done.  I like the simple straightforward design of this "web gallery" — perfect navigation throughout and clean, functional design.  It's a simple presentation of paintings and photographs from 5 talented artists and Mic, the person behind it all, is looking for more artists to participate.  In my mind, it's a winning model on that side of the web I like the most.  Mic has an interesting typographic style, too.  Nice content and room for more... send in your samples.