Splash Design

[AtomicChip]

Ok, I'm having real difficulties with which splash page to go with (it's just a "coming soon" splash right now, but I'll be using it as my site's actual splash page):

http://demianbrecht.com

http://demianbrecht.com/index2.aspx

The first one is a design I did last week. Since then, I've decided that maybe I'd try a different design idea than the dark background - I'm now kinda trying to capture the design idea of THX-1138 (or at least some of the shots, like the "jail" scene). For those of you who haven't seen it, it's a minimalistic, futuristic look.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

Thanks in advance...

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http://www.liquidfuzion.com

"The night sky over the planet Krikkit is the least interesting sight in the entire universe."
-Hitch Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy

 

[ChrisHunt]

Well, they both have very different moods - the black one being darker(!) and more gothic, the white one being bright and positive. Which one you pick depends on the mood you want to set for your site - do you want to be Babylon 5 or Star Trek? That said, the white one is easier to read.

Once your site is no longer "coming soon", why will you need/want a splash screen? Why put an extra barrier between a potential visitor and the content of your site?

-- Chris Hunt
Webmaster & Tragedian
Extra Connections Ltd

 

[BillyRayPreachersSon]

I agree with Chris on both counts:

- The white screen is far easier to see, and personally, my favourite of the two.

- Why bother with a splash screen once your site has launched? If it is just about having your masterpiece on display because you feel you worked hard to create it (the logo on the splash screen) then incorporate it as some sort of logo on your real site.

Dan


[tt]D'ya think I got where I am today because I dress like Peter Pan here?[/tt]

 

[TheConeHead]

I love a good splash page and I say why not use both! Perhaps make it random as to which one appears and have the design of your site be able to support both designs...

 

[AtomicChip]

The reason for the splash page:

The site will be a Flash-based site. From a users' perspective (at least from the reading that I've been doing, and my own personal experiences) it's never a good thing to have the first thing that a user sees be a "loading" screen... Also, this way I can let the user know right up front that Flash is required (instead of automating checks, which there are tons of ways around and I haven't found any that are truly bulletproof).

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http://www.liquidfuzion.com

"The night sky over the planet Krikkit is the least interesting sight in the entire universe."
-Hitch Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy

 

[trollacious]

While the site listed below is the author's opinions, he makes a number of good points about what constitutes bad web design.

http://www.websitesthatsuck.com

Lee