22 Web Design Critique Websites To Help get feedback

These are 22 sites to get feedback on do's and dont's for web design and helpful hints to make your site the best. We have learned throughout our enrollment here that its tough out there and you have to be able to take criticism. well what better way then by professionals before turning a project in or submitting a job for a client.

Jen Fowler

??Blog 2 Blog??

This is a another blog type deal with tons of helpful information for web, graphic or logo design. This blog is made by Jacob Cass and he is a graphic, web, and logo designer. Great information and many help sites as well. Hope this helps.

~Jen Fowler

Hitchcockian Techniques

I was search through google the other day and came across this site, I found it helpful and interesting. What makes this site great is the fact that they tell how to use the same techniques as Alfred Hitchcock. This site also has a list of all of the Macguffins in all of his movies.


Chris Mugavero

What a good movie

The other day I watch the movie The Fighter, and thought to myself what a great movie. I was really impress with the story and the acting done by Christian Bale. He acted out his part so well, that at the end of the movie they show the real people that the movie is based for and Christian Bale acted just like Dicky.



Chris Mugavero

1UP

Do you need more gaming news then you can handle, do you even have to ask? 1UP is a site that will never disappoint with some truly detailed reviews and up to date news. Plus there ABC style reviewing score is something we can all relate to.

Crysis 2

Crysis 2 is nearly here and I know many of you can't wait to dawn the nano suit once more. After a amazing first game and fairly short sequel deemed Crysis Warhead the true sequel is here. So what are you waiting for super soldier go save New York!

Matthew Ruby

video production info

This site has a ton of information regarding creating your own video. It takes you through the pre-production, production, and post production & editing stages. There's also information on video marketing and websites, and it's a great source for someone who is trying to start their own business in this field.

-Cassy Crow

Fight scenes from Equilibrium

The movie Equilibrium is an action/drama/sci-fi movie that was released in 2002. It stars Christian Bale as the main character, along with Taye Diggs, Sean Bean and Emily Watson. This video is a compilation of all the best action/fight scenes in the film and I love it!

-Cassy Crow

facial expressions

Facial expressions and motions in movies and on TV are just as if not more important that dialog itself. An actors facial expression can tell an entire story without a word being said. This sight chronicles some common facial expressions that make or break a movie.

Chris Johnson

Voice Acting 101

This is a great sight for voice actors. It explains the ins and outs of how to throw your voice for radio, TV, commercials, and movies. It is not as easy as people think! Since there is no visuals involved, it is crucial that the voice actor pronounce correctly, speak clearly, and explain every little detail so that the listener doesn't miss anything.

Chris Johnson

Typography on the Web

I thought this was a very interesting article about choosing type for the Web. With so many type choices out there it was hard to read the quote by Zuzana Licko which was “We read best what we read most.” The examples they give on how to choose your type is very helpful.

Sandy Fox

Nowhere Boy

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1754859033/

I watched this movie last night and it was a really good movie (not just because I'm a huge Beatles fan).  This movie is an independent UK film that was released in 2009.  It follows John Lennon as a kid in Liverpool and shows the beginning of his journey to fame.

_Dan Dziurgot

The Fighter on DVD this week

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2330986777/

Last year's boxing movie, "The Fighter", comes out on DVD and BluRay this week.  This movie stars Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale, who are both very good actors.  The movie follows the story of legendary boxer Mickey Ward; Mark Wahlberg takes the lead role as Mickey.

_Dan Dziurgot

Pianos, violins, microphones and more all in Photoshop brushes

Do you love music? Why not express it in photoshop? This website has 218 free musical brushes that have been collected onto one website to allow you to download whatever musical image you might need.

Sandy Fox

Sanctum & Source Code

The movie Sanctum, and Source Code look like two real good movies to see. The movies have good story lines, excitement through out the movie, and great movie effects.

Mary Fatigato

Movie Maker Forums

This looks like a good site for tips on movie maker. This site shows many how to tips such as effects, titles, sound, movie maker tips, tutorials, forums, and much more.

Mary Fatigato

Creating Perfect Solitude for Creative Focus

Winter is usually the time of year when I feel the least creative. Found an article that lists some really easy solutions on how to get back that creative energy. So simple that it seems a little silly, but it works.


- Elisa Greco

Movie Title Stills Collection

It never occurred to me how important movie title sequences are until I was watching some movies on Turner Classic and realized how outdated they were. This site shows how opening sequences have evolved from the earliest films to the most recent. Warning: very image heavy!


- Elisa Greco

Guillermo del Toro To Direct Epic Monster Movie

Guillermo del Toro is prepping his next film "Pacific Rim" about “big monsters and the creation of a new world.” del Toro has a pretty awesome imagination and has made some wonderful films so this could be pretty neat. Hellboy was pretty cool (2 sucked) and Pans Labyrinth was awesome so im pretty pumped about this idea

Sean Paulish

Conan Gets A New Trailer, Looks Like Crap

the teaser for the new Conan the Barbarian flick came out recently. It's directed by Marcus Nispel (Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake, Friday the 13th remake) which is no reason to be confident that this will be any good at all, but at least its only a teaser. But no Arnold? No thanks

Sean Paulish

Cancer PSA

I also really love this PSA too. It is interesting and funny. It also appeals to all types of age groups.

Nicole Mason

Google Scholar

This is relatively new, as I have not yet heard about it, but it is in the beta so it has been around. It searches scholarly literature across a bunch of sources. Some sources include theses, journals, abstracts and books.

Matt S

Seat Belt PSA

This is the most amazing PSA I have ever seen. It is so powerful and creative. People should really pay attention to this.

Nicole Mason

Design.

I can not stress enough that design is the most important thing about art. This is a new design for a soda bottle. It is simple, it is visually pleasing, it is well designed, and most importantly it will sell more just because it is a new design.

Color.

Color is a big part of every artistic endeavor. It is what always brings out the true statement of what you are doing. However, sometimes it is not easy to come up with color schemes that fit what you are doing so here are some examples of great color pallets.

Lorem Ipsum Generator

Lorem Ipsum is used as a model for layouts and web pages. Although not used in the final version, when determining a layout and you need a normal distribution of words, this Lorem Ipsum generator will produce as many lines, paragraphs, words that you need. And the reason it is used is because it looks like readable English as opposed to writing content in a box.

Matt S.

RANGO

I saw Rango in the theatre yesterday, and it was GREAT. The animation was fantastic, and I laughed so hard I cried. Gore Verbinski's approach at "emotion capture" was clearly a great idea.

Cara Ferguson

Photo Gallery

For those who do photography as a hobbie or as a job, you can take a look at this web site. It has many interesting galleries all year round, and many people are still posting no matter what time of year. Maybe you can get some inspiration.

Zach Zitkus

Photoshop Tutorials

I have been a little stressed on how to do some photohop techniques. I have used this web site the most this quarter. I hope whoever needs help will use this to get their work done.

Zach Zitkus

Independent help

I read though this site the other day and found some of it very helpful and informative. It's always good to listen to advice of those that have been doing what you want to do for a long time. He breaks the site down into different parts of production for an independent film maker.


Chris Mugavero

It's here!

Canon filnally did it, they made a good thing better. Your probably wondering what I am talking about, well Canon just came out with a new DSLR camera the Rebel T3I. It's the first of it's kind a total professional grade camera now at a consumer price range and it has a flip out LCD screen.



Chris Mugavero

Current Filming in Chicago

Currently the TV series Playboy is being filmed in Chicago. Production started two weeks ago, and will be completed about March 28Th. Filming is being done at Miegs Field, Chicago Studio City, and other locations around the Chicago land area.

Mary Fatigato

Reel Chicago

This is a good site to check out if you want to know about movies being filmed in the area, and past movies. This is a very informative website about movie production, film making, and much more. "The Boss" Shoots on March 12 for 8 episodes.

Mary Fatigato

Ascii Art

Need a image to be converted entirely out of text? How about some really cool fonts for your favorite words? Well check out Ascii Art because it can make some pictures into something special as well as make some fonts you've never seen before.

Matthew Ruby

Secrets of Web Design

This site is promoting a book called WEB DESIGNERS HANDBOOK, but the information covered on the other pages is worth taking a look at. It covers web design do's and don'ts and HTML Codes. It also has a page of free or really cheap web design tools.

Sandy Fox

Killer Sites

This site has some good information in their articles and tutorials. Many of them have a fee attached, but there are free tutorials. Some of the information is basic and a review for us, but is a good review.

Sandy Fox

Unity 3

Ever wanted to build your game using an incredible engine to back up your idea? Well Unity 3d is a extremely useful game development tool to help you do just that. The tutorials are easy and fun to follow as you watch your creation come to life.

Matthew Ruby

???Textures???

Awesome water color textures and much more all over this site. I love it and it is 100% free. check it out.

Jen fowler

Another 3D movie?

INCEPTION!!!!!!! One movie I would definately not mind seeing in 3D ....It is not for Sure yet, but who knows. With all the other duds we sure could use a good movie in 3D.

Jen Fowler

filmmaking tips

This site was created by director/producer Peter D. Marshall, who has 37 years experience in the film/tv industry. There are all kinds of tips, courses, a bookstore, workshops, information about script breakdown and film scheduling and directing the actor, just to name a few. This was especially designed for independent filmmakers, and there is a ton of resources to learn from.

-Cassy Crow

movie reviews/info

This site is great because it has so much information on movies and shows. You can read in-depth reviews, watch trailers, interviews with actors, lists of top movies in theaters, dvd new releases and more. It's also easy to navigate and is worth checking out!

-Cassy Crow

What Your Email Address Says About You

We all have an email address we use more than any other. I have 2 main google mail accounts, a trash Yahoo mail account, and 2 other Google Mail accounts for this and my previous school. What does this say about me? - Ashley

Looking Back This Ash Wednesday At An Old Classic

The Evil Dead series is an oldie-but-goodie. Many directors can be recognized by their style of filmmaking (they're referred to as "auteurs") and Sam Raimi is no exception. Compare this scene from Evil Dead 2 with Spiderman 2 and you'll see what I mean.

Cara Ferguson

Green Screens

This video highlights some of the do's and don'ts when using a green screen. All video and animation editors could benefit from proper green screen techniques. I have used green screens when shooting certain scenes for amateur music videos, and it works great if you do it correctly!

Chris Johnson

Street Fighter Break Dancer

Don't worry, the baby was not harmed in this clip! Aside from the humor and craziness of this clip, it shows how people with good audio editing skills can incorporate different sound effects. For all of you audio/visual editors out there, this is a good example of how changing the audio sound effects can change the meaning of a piece of film. I have used that technique myself, taking audio sound effects from mortal combat and incorporating them into my own videos.

Chris Johnson

ET Finale Voted Most Powerful Cinematic Moment

The finale to Spielberg's ET was recently voted the most powerful moment in cinema history. It beat out the heavyweight championship fight from Rocky, the end of Toy story 3 and the last stand made by Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid by taking over 30% of the vote.

Sean Paulish

Interesting Designs

This site is full of interesting graphic designs. The only thing that can make this site better is if it gave you tutorials on how to create every image. Besides that however, the navigation of the site is very interesting.

_Joe Tegeler

Insperation is sometimes hard to come by

Sometimes you have to go looking for inspiration because it doesn't always find you. This site has links to some very interesting websites to get ideas flowing.

_Joe Tegeler

So I Guess "Up" Could Really Happen

Some scientists actually lifted up a house with a bunch of balloons just like in the movie Up. I don't know if there was a cranky old man and a chubby little kid on hand to make it official, but they at least got the house off the ground

Sean Paulish

Art & Copy Film

ART & COPY Trailer from ART & COPY on Vimeo.

A documentary film about the positive effect that advertisements have had on the art world. Art & Copy takes a look at some of the most infamous campaigns and slogans that are still popular even after many years. Interesting take considering most people tend to focus on the negative impact of over advertising.


- Elisa Greco

Facebook Comments on ANY Website?

Last week Facebook rolled out a new plug-in for blogs and other websites, which will ask readers to log-in to Facebook before leaving a comment. Do you think forcing people to keep this "identification tag" will provide a more authentic experience on the internet? Would you use it?

-Ashley Mitchell

Why Users Fill Out Forms Faster with Top Aligned Elements

Top aligned elements are faster to fill out than left to right aligned elements in forms. The diagram above shows where your eyes usually move in the forms. As a web designer, you want to make it as easy as possible for users to provide information/feedback. Personally, I agree with this concept but it is obviously based on opinion and visual preference.

Dori Rivera

3D Modeling Tutorials

I have only used a 3d program once while I was in a Java/C++ programming class. I had a hard time figuring it out, but a lot of people create some VERY realistic stuff using these programs! In case anyone is interested in 3D modeling, here are some tutorials.

Dori Rivera

Battle: Los Angeles

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3897661977/

This movie looks pretty interesting and seems like it could be a good new sc-fi movie.  I hope that it has a lot of action and beautiful looking special effects.  It has a few familiar actors and actresses, which is one thing that will sell some viewers, so well see how it does.

_Dan Dziurgot

The Walking Dead on DVD

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1520211/

The Walking Dead is a new TV series that was released at the end of 2010.  It was a pretty good show that covered one of my favorite topics, ZOMBIES! I am excited to hear that they are finally releasing it on DVD this week, so if you get a chance to check it out do so.

_Dan Dziurgot

Periodic Table of Elements

This is a periodic table constructed with different html tags. When you click on the element, it tells you what it does. Also, they are all categorized - I just think the concept is pretty interesting.

Dori Rivera

Water For Elephants

This movie looks so amazing to me. I can't wait to see it! The cast is just so brilliant.

Nicole Mason

Arthur

I am always a little iffy on remakes. And I really love the original Arthur alot. But this actually looks very funny. I hope it is good.

Nicole Mason

Good Editing Helps Create Compelling Stories

Here, Andy Coughlan outlines how to create a compelling story through editing. He tells us how to take the audience on a adventure and break our hearts at the same time. Coughlan reminds us that less is more, and simple cuts are always better than fancy transitions.

Cara Ferguson

Domani Studios

Domani studios specializes in interactive design. They have a New York and Chicago office. Anyone interested in interactive design should check them out, they want interns.


Matt s.

Statistics website for all your stat needs

This website is a great place to find statistics for almost anything. For any kind of design or need for statistics this is the place to go. You also won't have to seem like
you made it up ever again.


Matt S.

AMAZING NEW SOCIAL NETWORK WITH OVER 10,000,000 USERS!

So I found this great new social network site, I have found a ton of my new friends and it has filled a huge void in my life. I Have even heard figures of popular culture are on this too.
Check it out!!!

Nicholas Bennett

Paper Sculptures

Sometimes (for me anyway) it's exhausting to constantly be surrounded by technology. Check out some paper sculptures crafted entirely by hand, made by Jeff Nishinaka. Maybe it will inspire more people to dust off those supplies collecting dust next to the computer.

- Elisa Greco

Nintendo3DS

The new Nintendo 3DS is now going to be able to play and record 3D video along with 3D movies and photos. I'm excited to see the lenticular 3D screen and extremely improved graphics. With even more capabilites than any other portable system in history, this will become very popular in tennagers, young adults, and even adults. The system is meant for ages 7 and up if using 3D. If the 3D slider is shut off to 2D, children under 7 can play. (All due to health reasons and more violent, mature games.)

Austin S

3D Star Wars

The Star Wars saga is being converted and released in 3D, beginning at the end of 2011/ beginning of 2012. Each will be released in order starting from Episode I and each one year apart. Industrial Light and Magic is doing the conversions, so I'm sure they'll be done properly.

Austin S

Xbox.com

Do you have a Gamer tag, of course you do. This is a incredibly well built site that allows you to control nearly everything you can do on your Xbox 360 plus more. If you want to check anything about the Xbox 360 but your not near a console then this is easily the next best thing.

Matthew Ruby

Photoshop Tutorials

This is your one stop shop for anything related to Photoshop. Anything your looking to create or if you need help with a specific tool then you will easily find a tutorial for it. If you can imagine it but don't know how to make it a reality then this site can easily help you.

Matthew Ruby

Coming soon!!!

I was looking up the other day different sites that allow me to see what's coming soon and when. Then I found This site and I was amazed at how much info this site will provide, it has everything from forums to new trailers. I found this especially helpful when was trying to find out when some new movies release date.


Chris Mugavero

A little added help

I have always found it easier to watch something getting done, thats why I enjoy and learn more from watching videos and clips on things I want to learn. Anything from a new technic to picking out the best shot. On this site I have found a couple of the tutorial videos useful and interesting.


Chris Mugavero

Shortcuts Short Film Contest

The Illinois Film Office web page is featuring a Short Film Contest. You must be a resident of Illinois, and at least 18 years of age. The winner will receive a cash prize, and be screened during the Chicago International Film Festival in October.

Mary Fatigato

Chicago Studio City

This is a good site if you are looking for a Full Service Independent Studio. They have full service equipment, and they have four stages available for rent. Many films have been filmed at Chicago Studio City.

Mary Fatigato

Get On Deck

I found this to be a very interesting concept for a website. It is an advertising network focused on reaching creative, web and design professionals. Even though they are advertisements, I found a wealth of information by checking out the different companies. I even found a company that if it were in Chicago, I would be interested in working for.

Sandy Fox

Kinetic Typography - The Art of Arguement

The Art of Argument from Bryan Villagonzalo on Vimeo.

Kinetic Typography is the art of using just typography to create objects or movement. Sometimes used in commercials or film, kinetic type is a fun way of combining something originally used for print and meshing it with video. Check out more examples at inspirationfeed.com

- Elisa Greco

Arthouse Films

Hey Guys,
If you like watching movies you should check these films out. They are amazing for the filmmaking and stylized approach that the director took to tell each individual story.
thanks guys

Nicholas Bennett
www.facebook.com/snugBARE

Graphic Designers unite!

Hey guys,
I thought the graphic designers would appreciate this. There's some great links to some awesome resources. Check it out.

Nicholas Bennett
www.facebook.com/snugBARE

83rd Annual Academy Awards

For the 83rd Annual Academy Awards this year, they did more than just hire young hosts to make the show more accessible to the younger crowds. The powers that be hired fantastic editors to create montages for the best picture nominees. The first one was used to open the show, and the second was an introduction to the award for best picture.

Cara Ferguson

Tarantino Is Going To Make A Western

Supposedly Quentin Tarantino has wriiten the script for his next movie which will be a western starring Christoph Waltz. How cool would it be to see a Tarantino western? Pretty cool if you ask me

Sean Paulish

Rubber

This movie is about a killer tire with telekinetic powers named Robert. I swear to god. I am not making this up so check it out ondemand or itunes. it looks awesome

Sean Paulish

Is a redesign in order?

This is a very interesting site showing 50 examples of redesigns. It is amazing the differences when you see the old next to the new. It is also surprising how some of the redesigns are so subtle, but make such an improvement.

Sandy Fox

30 Colorful Websites That Won't Make Your Eyes Bleed

Sometimes too many colors in a design can be a little much. Design Instruct gives a list of 30 colorful sites that are inspiring and eye catching without being an eye sore. The Amazee Labs one is my favorite, which one is yours?

- Elisa Greco