Non-format. Interesting how two designers use the website to display their work stylishly. Usability tends to get impacted when visual stylishness and sumptuousness takes over; but still it is an aesthetically grabbing design.
Designfeedr argues for ditching color and exploring black and white in design. From the article:
Working in black-and-white is essentially a limitation, you have one less tool at your disposal after all. You'll have to get by without using color to set the mood or focal point. Once you get the hang of working without color though you'll start to see that the limitation you imposed on yourself actually has some very strong benefits.
Black and White in webdesign ends up being difficult as the difference between #000 and #FFF on a back lit screen are strong and without gray injected into the mix it can be tough for the eyes. However, done well and it can be a stunning design. For instance:
Subtraction,
Non-format,
Scrollie,
Designate Online and
Back to Help. Mike and Maaike also have a black and white design, but
it is an awful website. Why would I want to enter their site when I am already on it? The inside is difficult to navigate as well. Poor design.
For webdesign, rather than black and white, it is interesting to focus on a minimal palette. This site for instance uses pale blue, brown and shades of gray; plus copious amounts of white space in order to relax the eye and present information.
Minimalsites.com has plenty more in that style of minimalism.
An
interesting approach to form design by
unit interactive. Forms are problematic as the business usually demands way too specific information from the customer. Filling out forms to apply for a position at a company are the worst. Anyone who has been forced to do that through monster or dice would be aware, enough that people will give up if it becomes too inconvenient, especially when the data doesn't properly fit the paradigm the form designer demands.
There are other absurdities in form design, such as requiring people to choose VISA, American Express, etc when you can tell what card it is from the first four numbers of the card. Another is when form designers match the form directly to their database, such as an address, there is really no reason why a user should have to fill out the address, city, zipcode in separate chunks - other than the system's database was designed that way; a type of tyranny from data normalization.
Most Popular on South Sea Republic
The articles that have been viewed the most:
Most Popular Restaurants in Phoenix
Phoenix Eats Out is the restaurant review site for
Phoenix,
Scottsdale and
Old Town Scottsdale which lists the modernist and contemporary restaurants, taverns and bars in the greater Phoenix area.
This is the list of the most popular restaurants pages from phoenixeatsout.com that have been viewed the most;
My personal favourite restaurants in Phoenix are
AZ88,
Postinos,
Bomberos with
Grazie,
Humble Pie,
Orange Table,
The Vig,
Fez and others coming close behind. View the complete list with the photo-journalistic style images on
phoenixeatsout.com
Most Popular Hikes in Arizona
Arizona is an outdoor state and has lots of hiking in the city and around the state. Phoenix is unusual for most cities in having several large mountains in the center of the city with great hiking. Anyone who comes to Phoenix has to do the
Echo Canyon trail on Camelback and the
Summit Hike on Squaw Peak or Piesta Peak. The views of the city, suburbs and surrounding mountains are wonderful from Camelback and Piesta Peak.
For more experienced hikers there is the McDowell Mountains in North Scottsdale that has several difficult and strenuous hikes in
Tom's Thumb and
Bell Pass. Alternatively, you can hike the highest mountain in Arizona. At 12,600 feet
Humphrey's Peak is a long and difficult hike.
Alternate Australian Constitutions
Between 2004 and 2009 this site,
southsearepublic.org, was a constitutional blog based on scoop which focused on Australian and global constitutional issues.
One of the strongest aspects of it was the development of constitutions by those involved in the blog. These constitutions are the outcome:
The constitutions were built using principles from Montesquieu's separation of powers, the enlightnment's universal political rights and the ancient Athenian technology of sortition and choice by lot.
Archives For South Sea Republic
South Sea Republic started in 2004 as an Australian constitutional blog in 2004 based on scoop software. It was an immigrative outgrowth of Kuro5hin. The archives for each year since then;
The articles are ordered by views.
Who Is Cam Riley
I am an Australian living in the United States as a permanent resident.
I am a software developer by trade and mostly work in Java and jump between middleware and front end.
I originally worked in the New York area of the United States in telecommunications before moving to Washington DC and
working in a mix of telecommunications, energy and ITS. I started my own software company before heading out to
Arizona and working with Shutterfly. Since then I have joined a startup in the Phoenix area and am thoroughly enjoying myself.
I do a lot of photography which I post on this website, but also on flickr. I have a photo-journalistic website which lists
the modernist and contemporary restaurants in phoenix. I have a site on the
Australian Flying Corps [AFC] which has been around since the 1990s and which I unfortunately
lost the .org URL to during a life event; however, it is under the
www.australianflyingcorps.com URL now.
The AFC website has gone through several iterations since the 90s and the two most recent are
Australian Flying Corps Archives(2004-2002) and
Australian Flying Corps Archives(2002-1999) which are good places to start.
Websites Worth Reading
Websites of friends, colleagues and of interest;
