[hijynxxx]

hello all > just launched my 1.0 of http://getyourlefton.com

it's my first attempt at an all flash based site and has some of my work in it. i'd really appreciate any feedback you have to offer, so let me know what you think if you have a min. thanks.

> j

[MikeM33]

When I see stuff like this is makes me want to get into web design work. I'm basically a print guy, but this stuff looks awesome. The Flash interface you've set-up is really amazing in and of itself.

Anyway I don't think finding work will be a problem for you. Great stuff

MikeM

[hijynxxx]

Originally posted by MikeM33:
When I see stuff like this is makes me want to get into web design work. I'm basically a print guy, but this stuff looks awesome. The Flash interface you've set-up is really amazing in and of itself.

Anyway I don't think finding work will be a problem for you. Great stuff

MikeM

thanks much for checking it out and the compliments . . i'd really like to do more print stuff . . i had a print internship one summer in georgetown, but it was not what it could have been . . grass is always greener eh? i hope i'll be able to find work in richmond, va, which is where i am moving to. take care and have a good one.

> j

[Colonel_Panic]

One thing, You use a custom curser but it goes under the text on the navbar. Just move it up a layer. Other than that good work.

[hijynxxx]

Originally posted by Colonel_Panic:
One thing, You use a custom curser but it goes under the text on the navbar. Just move it up a layer. Other than that good work.

thanks for noticing . . but i actually intended for it to be that way . . i like it.

> j

[Colonel_Panic]

k Wasnt sure. Everything looks great though. How long have you been doing flash?

[hijynxxx]

Originally posted by Colonel_Panic:
k Wasnt sure. Everything looks great though. How long have you been doing flash?

i played around with it a few years back, just to get the basics of animation in flash down, but never did anything with it until now. a friend of mine ( http://www.joelspeasmaker.com ) taught me the concepts of building a site in flash and another friend ( http://dpcprints.com ) helped with the coding when i got stuck. it took me 11 days to build the site from start to its current state.

> j

[Adam Betts]

Few suggestions:

1. Custom Cursor: a big NO NO.

2. Tabs are not informative until you mouseover it to see what it is... not a good idea. People want to know where they are going to click next, not hovering over everything first.

2. Better Page system. '001' '002' etc isn't a good idea. You have to guess which page to view first. Lot of people dislike clicking each pages again and again. Carpal Tunnel. Organize them in several pieces (ie: Print, Ads, Photography, etc). You could use thumbnails.

3. Avoid the uses of scroll. Flash doesn't support scroll wheel and many people find it annoying that they have to click on the tiny scroll bar/arrow to move down.

4. If you want it to look professional (like a real company), you should use Capital Letter.

5. Remove version number. It's cool but not useful or important for people to know.

---------------

On the positive side:

I really do like the color. Excellent choice and it is very unique.

Beautiful Photos. Excellent composition

The animation is nice and simple.

I like the text logo.

[hijynxxx]

Originally posted by Adam Betts:
Few suggestions:

1. Custom Cursor: a big NO NO.

2. Tabs are not informative until you mouseover it to see what it is... not a good idea. People want to know where they are going to click next, not hovering over everything first.

2. Better Page system. '001' '002' etc isn't a good idea. You have to guess which page to view first. Lot of people dislike clicking each pages again and again. Carpal Tunnel. Organize them in several pieces (ie: Print, Ads, Photography, etc). You could use thumbnails.

3. Avoid the uses of scroll. Flash doesn't support scroll wheel and many people find it annoying that they have to click on the tiny scroll bar/arrow to move down.

4. If you want it to look professional (like a real company), you should use Capital Letter.

5. Remove version number. It's cool but not useful or important for people to know.

hey adam > thanks for your feedback. i appreciate the time you took to check it out. so here's what i'm thinking:

1. i agree that a custom cursor is a no no for a corporate site/most clients, but why not for my personal portfolio? i think it's fun and have only received positive feedback about it from visitors.

2a. i partly agree with you on this . . but i think people are fine with figuring it out on their own . . i placed the text 'select' to help them out and there isn't anywhere else to go on the site.

2b. i agree with you on this and am in the process of developing a better portfolio section!

3. i thought hard about what to use in the news section and the scroll bar seems to work best for now . . and you can drag the slider or click inside the scroll bar . . you don't HAVE to click the little down or up arrows to move.

4. regardless of the fact i am not a company, i enjoy using the lower case . . but thanks for your opinion. (also, your site header uses lower case?)

5. i think this is a matter of preference, but i appreciate your input and will consider it for future updates.

thanks again > j

[Adam Betts]

Oh sorry I misunderstood you... I thought you want it to be more of business portfolio than personal. I apologize

BTW, about Capital Letter, I was talking about body texts, not logo. Logo can be anything; lowercase, uppercase, etc.

Still, you got some good stuffs. It's easily better than 90% of the flash folio out there

[godzookie2k]

I hate when people go changing my cursor too, but I don't hate it *that* much.

You need visual feedback on your buttons. The remote rollover is fine, but the button itself should change color so that i know its a button and then can go trying to look for the remote rollover copy. I agree that the buttons are undescriptive.

I broke the site pretty easily by just repeatedly choosing 001, 002, 003, 004 in order before each section had a chance to load, your if/thens or however you are handling the navigational transitions get confused, you need to throw in some fail safe code.

I do like the, when user clicks the mouse cursor spins, nice touch.

I'd like to see some more client-focused work in your portfolio. Even if they are not *real* clients, taking real brands and doing a piece based on the brand is always more beneficial to see how good a designer you are instead of photoshop battles.

I question your wanting to frame the site in the center of the window, the white borders make me feel like you aren't comfortable enough with your layout for it to stand in a dynamically sized environment, this is important in webdesign, being able to design dynamic layouts that *work* no matter what the negative space.

Good job and good luck in your new city!

[Griggsy]

quick points

loading times are slow on safari, works better in IE, may want to have a look at that if your after mac lovers.

Not a huge fan of custom cursors, can create confusion to the uniniated and can be unrelaible

look at more defined preloaders on the content sections, as i just get white spaces for a bit, which is a bit misleading.

Other than that - schweet, love the photography

[hijynxxx]

Originally posted by Adam Betts:
Oh sorry I misunderstood you... I thought you want it to be more of business portfolio than personal. I apologize

BTW, about Capital Letter, I was talking about body texts, not logo. Logo can be anything; lowercase, uppercase, etc.

Still, you got some good stuffs. It's easily better than 90% of the flash folio out there

no worries . . i should have made my intentions more clear about the site. thanks again for your time.

> j

[hijynxxx]

Originally posted by godzookie2k:
I hate when people go changing my cursor too, but I don't hate it *that* much.

You need visual feedback on your buttons. The remote rollover is fine, but the button itself should change color so that i know its a button and then can go trying to look for the remote rollover copy. I agree that the buttons are undescriptive.

I broke the site pretty easily by just repeatedly choosing 001, 002, 003, 004 in order before each section had a chance to load, your if/thens or however you are handling the navigational transitions get confused, you need to throw in some fail safe code.

I do like the, when user clicks the mouse cursor spins, nice touch.

I'd like to see some more client-focused work in your portfolio. Even if they are not *real* clients, taking real brands and doing a piece based on the brand is always more beneficial to see how good a designer you are instead of photoshop battles.

I question your wanting to frame the site in the center of the window, the white borders make me feel like you aren't comfortable enough with your layout for it to stand in a dynamically sized environment, this is important in webdesign, being able to design dynamic layouts that *work* no matter what the negative space.

Good job and good luck in your new city!

this is good critique . . it really helps and i appreciate it!

i agree that the buttons need visual feedback and am working on an update for this.

i am aware that the site breaks when moving from one section to another quickly . . any suggestions on this fail safe code you speak of? i'm new to flash and appreciate the suggestion(s)

i am going to hopefully have more client based work in the folio section soon . . but thanks for the suggestion (in the past, most client work i've had didn't allow me to show off my skills)\

i'm not sure what you mean by 'white borders'? do you mean the border around the flash layout? what browser are you using? this might be unintentional. my theory with the site was to keep in all within one nice, simple layout (no popups, etc.).

what kind of work do you do in Maryland? I have family there and sometimes visit. thanks again and take care.

> j

[hijynxxx]

Originally posted by Griggsy:
quick points

loading times are slow on safari, works better in IE, may want to have a look at that if your after mac lovers.

Not a huge fan of custom cursors, can create confusion to the uniniated and can be unrelaible

look at more defined preloaders on the content sections, as i just get white spaces for a bit, which is a bit misleading.

Other than that - schweet, love the photography

thanks for your feedback . . i'm working on updating some of your points!

> j

[Adam Betts]

hijynxxx, are you the owner of downward_is_heavenward Hotline Server?

I remembered going there several time and also designed a simple .gif banner for them in exchange of the download account. It was around two-three years ago I think.

If it's you then **** it's a small world

[chris.p]

what is the current code for the section buttons? its hard to tell what to do without knowing whats there- but a fail-safe code is entirely possible and easy to impliment- using a variable and checker- i have used something similar here on my site-
http://www.so19.com

If you let me know how it is currently working, I'll fix it

[godzookie2k]

i am aware that the site breaks when moving from one section to another quickly . . any suggestions on this fail safe code you speak of? i'm new to flash and appreciate the suggestion(s)

How are you moving from section to section? That will probably help you/me figure out the problem. I mean, it looks like you are just loading in external swf's, so the problem is probably in your transitions somewhere. probably making the buttons inactive until the section that is loading is fully loaded and ready, THEN make them active again. That was the user can't click fratically up there and it saves you some bug hunting for later.

i'm not sure what you mean by 'white borders'? do you mean the border around the flash layout?

Thats exactly what I mean. Your layout is boxed in by a thin white line. There is alot of boxiness going on within the layout too.

what kind of work do you do in Maryland?

I'm an advertising designer in Hampden 9-5, and do web and video editing after 5. I live in Mt Vernon a block north of the monument. I can usually be found drinking Yuengling or Ozzy in Cafe Hon on fridays. I'm usually the guy that everyone is eyeing evily for wearing a yankees cap into a baltimore bar.

[hijynxxx]

Originally posted by chris.p:
what is the current code for the section buttons? its hard to tell what to do without knowing whats there- but a fail-safe code is entirely possible and easy to impliment- using a variable and checker- i have used something similar here on my site-
http://www.so19.com

If you let me know how it is currently working, I'll fix it

this is for both chris and gadzookie:

the suggestion to make the buttons inactive until a section has loaded is a good and simple idea, which i understand . . i'm not sure exactly how i would do it, but i think i could figure it out with a little time. i'm also interested in using the variable and checker method, so chris, it would be great if you could work with me on this. my fla starts out with the buttons having actionscript like this:

on (rollOver) {
menu_mc.gotoAndPlay("23");
}
on (release) {
news_mc.gotoAndPlay("26");
gotoAndPlay("news");
}

so basically on rollOver it tells the menu movie clip to animate the part that says 'getyour_____on' and then on release it tells the news movie clip (which calls on an external swf) to play (it says frame 26 because i have blank frames in front of that to allow for the other sections to close when switching between sections) and also for the main timeline to go to the "news" labeled frame. once the timeline is stopped on the news labeled frame i have a different set of buttons the user can press. for instance if they go from news and click on profile, the code is this:

on (rollOver) {
menu_mc.gotoAndPlay("45");
}
on (release) {
profile_mc.gotoAndPlay("1");
gotoAndPlay("profile");
}
on (press) {
news_mc.gotoAndPlay("68");
}

once again the menu movie clip plays a section of itself on rollOver to indicate where we are going, on release it plays the profile movie clip from frame 1, where the buffer frames are in place to allow the news movie clip to close, which is the on press.

hope that makes sense. it should.

i checked out so19 and i have actually been there before. very clean and straightforward site. i like the work. i need a job at a place like so 19

looking forward to your replies. thanks again.

> j

[hijynxxx]

Originally posted by godzookie2k:
I question your wanting to frame the site in the center of the window, the white borders make me feel like you aren't comfortable enough with your layout for it to stand in a dynamically sized environment, this is important in webdesign, being able to design dynamic layouts that *work* no matter what the negative space.

Thats exactly what I mean. Your layout is boxed in by a thin white line. There is alot of boxiness going on within the layout too.



I'm an advertising designer in Hampden 9-5, and do web and video editing after 5. I live in Mt Vernon a block north of the monument. I can usually be found drinking Yuengling or Ozzy in Cafe Hon on fridays. I'm usually the guy that everyone is eyeing evily for wearing a yankees cap into a baltimore bar.

the thin white line should actually be a thin grey line . . not sure if that matters, but i was going for a defined space because without the line it looks like it's floating in space . . it also goes along with the boxes for consistency and i kinda like it. while you are right about the browser window itself being a dynamically sized environment, my layout is a set size . . 600 px tall, 500 px wide . . so no matter how different the browser window size is, my layout stays the same. so i kinda half see your points about this. it would help if you could explain some more.

sounds like a good time up in bmore . . i hope to find similar work in richmond. and you've got one of my all time favorite designers up there with you.

thanks again > j

[godzookie2k]

You could do a variable thang, or you could simply put a
yourbutton._visible="FALSE";
yourbutton2._visible="FALSE";
yourbutton3._visible="FALSE";
yourbutton4._visible="FALSE";

on the first frame of all your movies fade in transitions. and on the frame where they are done transitioning in set the above all to true. Your buttons will still be there, and will still rollover, etc, they just won't be clickable. Its a pretty simple work around, not nearly as clean as doing the whole thing in script, but. I'll clarify my other point later, its 5:00. What designer are you referring to? me? awwww.

[hijynxxx]

Originally posted by godzookie2k:
You could do a variable thang, or you could simply put a
yourbutton._visible="FALSE";
yourbutton2._visible="FALSE";
yourbutton3._visible="FALSE";
yourbutton4._visible="FALSE";

on the first frame of all your movies fade in transitions. and on the frame where they are done transitioning in set the above all to true. Your buttons will still be there, and will still rollover, etc, they just won't be clickable. Its a pretty simple work around, not nearly as clean as doing the whole thing in script, but. I'll clarify my other point later, its 5:00. What designer are you referring to? me? awwww.

this is a good idea, however, i'm not sure if it will work for me because my buttons call on external swfs to play (such as the news section) and when it plays the main timeline jumps to a frame where there are a new set of buttons .. that might not make a difference though. i'm not sure how to call on the buttons, which are on the main timeline at all times, from the other swfs . . perhaps i use something like this?

_root.buttonname._visible = "FALSE";

could you describe the more clean version of using script to do this? i'm curious

the designer in bmore i was thinking of is mike young.

talk soon > j

[hijynxxx]

this is off topic, but bothering me. do you have to have a certain number of posts to be able to have an html sig?

thanks in advance > j

[godzookie2k]

ok so its 1:30 am and I just got home, so, pardon me if the answer is a bit construgulated. Anyway, basically the _visible command makes buttons not respond to mouseup scripts, point it in the direction you need to.

MY: yes, he works/lives a few blocks down from me, I've never met him though.


OR MAYBE I HAVE!

[hijynxxx]

Originally posted by hijynxxx:
this is off topic, but bothering me. do you have to have a certain number of posts to be able to have an html sig?

thanks in advance > j

no silly, just use vB Code.

[hijynxxx]

Originally posted by godzookie2k:
ok so its 1:30 am and I just got home, so, pardon me if the answer is a bit construgulated. Anyway, basically the _visible command makes buttons not respond to mouseup scripts, point it in the direction you need to.

MY: yes, he works/lives a few blocks down from me, I've never met him though.


OR MAYBE I HAVE!

i've been trying to get the _visible to do what i need it to today with no luck. it seems i can't use _root unless i'm using on (something) with it? i'm not sure. i think i need to be able to call on the buttons, which are in the main timeline, from my external swfs, which are the animations that play for each section. my buttons have a naming scheme of 001, 002, 003, and 004, not that it should matter. any tips on how i can call on the buttons in the main timeline from my external swf? thankssss.

that's cool that you live so close to mike . . he's a really nice guy. i came up there to meet him a few months back with an aussie friend of mine. good times.

> j

[DeathMan]

If you ever intend for potential clients to see this site (or even other people at all) you need to change that cursor. The X makes it look like something is wrong.

Also, when you mouse over something thats clickable, you need to give more feedback than what you're giving. The cursor could do that little rotate thing (assuming you decide to keep your cursor, which it sounds like you are) And the text/button could change or something. Having the cursor go under the links AND not having any feedback makes it feel like something is broken.

Your interface looks great, but your the organization of content is a little weak. What happens when you get 40 or 50 (or 100) items in there? scroll? Maybe someone wants to hire you for a logo, and just want to look at your identity work? Just a thought.

Also, when I see empty placeholders for future content, it makes me shake my head. You could write your page so that those empty slots don't show. It makes it look like you're not done with something. You want to look complete.

I realize this is your personal thing. Are you going to make a client site as well? Are you even planing on doing freelance?

Other than that, everything is superb.

END NOTE:

Flash is awesome, but the learning curve on that beast is about as vertical as anything I've ever tried to learn. Slackrope walking is more straight forward than flash.

[hijynxxx]

Originally posted by Adam Betts:
hijynxxx, are you the owner of downward_is_heavenward Hotline Server?

I remembered going there several time and also designed a simple .gif banner for them in exchange of the download account. It was around two-three years ago I think.

If it's you then **** it's a small world

does this answer your question adam?

[godzookie2k]

you can use _root anywhere, though _parent is a better method. Are you loading in your swf's into movie clips or onto levels? If you are loading them onto levels make sure you are calling to the correct level and instance name. If you are calling into movie clips (better than levels, for organizational sake imho) then you need to check your instance names there as well. Example:

your main timeline = mainTimeline
external swf = extSWF1
buttons on the main timeline= buttonOne, buttonTwo, etc

in extSWF1, frame 1

on enterFrame {
_parent.buttonOne._visible="FALSE";
_parent.buttonTwo._visible="FALSE";
_parent.buttonThree._visible="FALSE";
_parent.buttonFour._visible="FALSE";
}

in frame "end of intro transition"

on enterFrame {
_parent.buttonOne._visible="TRUE";
_parent.buttonTwo._visible="TRUE";
_parent.buttonThree._visible="TRUE";
_parent.buttonFour._visible="TRUE";
}

OR you could pull something like

in the main timeline is going on a loop
(this part gets a little hazy, I'm doing this in my head right now)

if (extSWF1._currentframe<5) {
// or whatever the end of the transition sequence ends on
buttonOne._visible="FALSE";
//etc etc
}

if (extSWF1._currentframe>=6) {
// or whatever the end of the transition sequence ends on
buttonOne._visible="TRUE";
//etc etc
}


or somethin like that. I'd need to be in front it to figure it out.

[hijynxxx]

gadzook >

kick ass. i'm off to try these now and shall let you know my results/problems. i am using movie clips with instance names. thanksssss.

> j

[godzookie2k]

Originally posted by hijynxxx:
gadzook >

kick ass. i'm off to try these now and shall let you know my results/problems. i am using movie clips with instance names. thanksssss.

> j

no prob, I dunno if you can do a straight copy paste on that code, but its in the right ballpark.

[hijynxxx]

ok so there were a few things i need to adjust in your code:

first off, you can't use on() for something other than an instance, so i just got rid of that. then you used "FALSE" when it should just be false. because true and false are boolean variables, they are reserved.

other than that, it seems to be working well as a solution for now! i'll update when i've made all the changes and uploaded.

> j

[hijynxxx]

done and done. whew. that was more work than i thought . . guess it's always like that with flash, hah. someone, anyone, please try to break my site!

http://getyourlefton.com/main.html

try to break it by clicking the numbers before the section has a chance to load. you shouldn't be able to now.

thanks for the help gadzook . . this is my first bug fix whoohoo.

> j

[Adam Betts]

Originally posted by hijynxxx:
does this answer your question adam?

Oh yeah, I remember that one. With your current graphic skills, you won't be needing me anymore

BTW, love your new signature very much

[hijynxxx]

Originally posted by Adam Betts:
Oh yeah, I remember that one. With your current graphic skills, you won't be needing me anymore

BTW, love your new signature very much

thanks much adam > my site just won 'site of the week' at http://kirupa.com

sweet. take care.

> j