Atypical Navigation Part 2
2nd edition — by Patrick McNeil — May. 16, 2006
The Design Element
In my previous write up on the idea of atypical navigation the focus was
on sites built using flash. This is of course a fantastic way to create
unique and thematic navigation systems. It isn't the only way to
do this though. In this set of sample sites I am pleased to provide a mix
of css/html and flash based navigational schemes. I am really intrigued
in looking at the differences between these two methods. I am mostly a
css guy and I love the idea of stealing ideas from the flash world. Clearly
css can never fully duplicate what is done with flash, but there are many
things that could be adapted and used.
The
Tennessee Summer
web site is a superb example of creative navigation
with images and good old fashioned roll-overs. The felix superstar is my
other favorite sample from this group. The navigation isn't
to far fetched, but it is positioned in an atypical location.
Skip Tracer
also has an interesting system that looks like something that
might show up in a flash site, it just has a flash feel to it, and yet
it is image based. It is perhaps a bit confusing and not as user friendly
as some of the others, but it is certainly creative.
Design Squared
is a strange little home page. It has the look and feel
of a flash based site, but it is all html, image maps, and a load of javasript.
This mini site fascinates me. I can’t help but wonder if it is easier
to build something like this in flash or html the way it is. Perhaps it
is just a matter of expertise. One look at the source code and the perfection
knows no limits, perfectly clean code, and the page is remarkably small.
Another sample of javascript wizardry that pushes what we expect out of
an html based page is the
Scriptographer
site.
This takes us to the pure flash site. The
The Concretes
web site is one that
has a particular appeal to me, but I could also see it being highly annoying.
You have to in fact solve little puzzles to open up sections of the site.
This is not the first site to do this, but I love it. This is perhaps largely
due to personal interest.
The
Case Studies
flash site is definitely my favorite of the flash samples.
I think it demonstrates one of the most beautiful samples of flash based
navigation systems. You don’t feel lost at all navigating the site.
Instead, you feel as though you are in an environment, plucking things
off the wall and looking at it. This system of interaction could so easily
be adapted to other uses. Web applications in particular, I can just imagine
an interface for viewing an assortment of data where the little versions
somehow summarize the data they contain. They could be coded in a way so
you know which pieces might interest you.
Again I think the challenge here is to look at alternatives, and to see
how people on the other side of the fence do things, perhaps it can inspire
you to push the envelope a bit.
Sample Usage
