Tripping Words - The Philosophy of Design

Dear Reader, you've reached the CHRONICLES of a pseudophilosopher .....part-time socialthinker and self-proclaimed wordsmith

Welcome to the blog of an ordinary 25-year old, PhD student, whose carricatured literary take of all things media and social would drive you up the wall and hopefully...just hopefully, drive you back for more...

The Sweet Indulgance of Eye Candy

Rejected Robot

Probably one of the most original designs out there, this project by William Tamplin, embraces the beauty of intricate detail in design. Modelled after a robot toy box from the heady days of the 1960’s American commercial revolution, it is clearly apparent that the whole idea (the robot toy box) was conceptualised thoroughly on the design story board and executed to pixel-perfect perfection. The designer also interweaves content into design seamlessly: Rejected Robot is an ‘advertisement” of the “Billy Tamplin” (supposedly the author) robot and subsequent sections of the site are also engineered to reflect the running narrative; a strategy which sits well for the creators intentions, to sell and promote his services. Rejected Robot excels not only because of its stunning visuals but the whole immersive experience it creates for visitors.

Attack of the Web

Attack of the Web is visually enchanting. The main illustration, featuring the designer fighting with alien-like computer-headed muscle men, is unique and compelling. There is little back-story to the theme or concept utilised, but it doesn’t really matter. The attention to illustrative detail is once again pretty astounding. This web haunt scores top marks in terms of visual appeal and creative originality. Despite being graphically sparse, Attack of the Web manages to reinvigorate interest in its design simply because of the almost perfect centrefold illustration which sets the visual tone for the rest of the site.

Kylie Fiedler

For some designers, simplicity seems to be an art form in itself. Contrary to common perception, adopting a simple website design is a risky bandwagon to jump on, precisely because the design has to be visually sparse, and yet evoke attention. Mundane details such as paragraph typefaces and footer layouts contribute a lot to the overall appearance of the site. Geometry and grids become intrinsic elements which organise and ‘dictate’ the sequence in which the reader follows the content. Kylie Fiedler whose portfolio I have only recently come across exemplifies the ethos of ‘design clarity in simplicity’. His web space is clean and sleek. Fiedler has also taken a leave out of renowned designer Jason Santa Maria by dedicating unique visual styles to particular articles. Such an approach will unquestionably work well with less complicated web interfaces. Space is used economically and with a sense of purpose. I particularly like Fiedler’s use of colour to complement the topical context of his posts. The sites ongoing promotion of Breast Cancer Awareness was rather niftily integrated into its overall visual theme: a really witty slogan and a bright pink background proved to be extremely evocative and intelligent.