New WebSite!

[Jason Simonds]

I know most of you just come to the forums but Hash, Inc. has a new site check it out HERE!

 

 

Thank you,

Fuchur For all your Help and Hard Work!

[Fuchur]

Hopefully you will like it .

 

It has some advantages over the old webdesign:

- it is responsive and adaptive (it should work for almost any display-resolution and device including smartphones)

- it is heavily using great images from A:M users to show off what A:M can do

- it is easier to maintain and extend

- it has search possibilities and many more small things...

 

Most texts are the once from the old website. Anyway if you see something that is not correct / has spelling mistakes, etc. in it, please let us know.

 

And just to mention it:

If you are the author of one of the images used, please let me know your name and website address.
I'd like to give credit to you for your amazing work. Most of the images were uploaded anonymously to A:M Stills and like that I am not sure who did those.

 

See you

*Fuchur*

[robcat2075]

That looks great! Fine work!

[fae_alba]

Man that is a nice landing page! Looks great.

[Rodney]

Very nice!

[NancyGormezano]

Yup - I agree...NICE!

[Fuchur]

good to hear you like it

[Tore]

So great with the new top slideshow, and a very cool selection of pictures, showing all the different possibilities when using A:M. I'm not al that keen on the text accompayning the pictures though - a bit to clumsy imo, and a bit like some slogan on the local plumbers van ;-)
How about just skipping that text? The pictures speaks plenty for themselves!

Three further comments:

1. On load the slideshow area shows a blank white for some 15 seconds or so, before the actual pictures start showing. And again when a new slideshow section begins to load the area goes blank again.
It would be better to start the page load with one fastloading start picture, displaying while the slideshow sections loads in the background. OR just compose the slideshow of single pictures loading as needed.


2. The white background color on the menu buttons to the left makes too much of a contrast in my opinion. I would propose black buttons with no edge (win 8 style).

 

3. The third point has for long been a sore one. It has as such nothing to do with the new design, but it would have been so nice if it had been taken hand about when revising the look of the website. Namely that Hash Inc and Animation:Master do not have a consistent logo design. The website alone displays several different designs and even within the same designs different fonts and proportions are used. I am sorry to say, but that signals an unprofesionality that A:M doesn't deserve.

 

[markw]

 

… 1. On load the slideshow area shows a blank white for some 15 seconds or so, before the actual pictures start showing. And again when a new slideshow section begins to load the area goes blank again.

It would be better to start the page load with one fastloading start picture, displaying while the slideshow sections loads in the background. OR just compose the slideshow of single pictures loading as needed...

Interesting, have you tried different browsers Tore?

Firefox 31.0 loads the slideshow instantly for me.

Chrome 36.0 takes about an ¼ of a second.

Safari 6.1.5 takes about 1 second.

[Tore]

You're right, Mark. Have now tried Chrome, Opera and Explorer, and they load allmost instantly, but nevertheless there is in them all a 1/2-1 second white flash before slides start. The long delay seem to be in my Firefox ver. 31. But anyhow, it would maybe be an idea to change the white background to a black, or to pre cache the slideshow.

[Fuchur]

So great with the new top slideshow, and a very cool selection of pictures, showing all the different possibilities when using A:M. I'm not al that keen on the text accompayning the pictures though - a bit to clumsy imo, and a bit like some slogan on the local plumbers van ;-)

How about just skipping that text? The pictures speaks plenty for themselves!

 

Three further comments:

 

1. On load the slideshow area shows a blank white for some 15 seconds or so, before the actual pictures start showing. And again when a new slideshow section begins to load the area goes blank again.

It would be better to start the page load with one fastloading start picture, displaying while the slideshow sections loads in the background. OR just compose the slideshow of single pictures loading as needed.

amwebsite1.png

 

2. The white background color on the menu buttons to the left makes too much of a contrast in my opinion. I would propose black buttons with no edge (win 8 style).

amwebsite2.png

3. The third point has for long been a sore one. It has as such nothing to do with the new design, but it would have been so nice if it had been taken hand about when revising the look of the website. Namely that Hash Inc and Animation:Master do not have a consistent logo design. The website alone displays several different designs and even within the same designs different fonts and proportions are used. I am sorry to say, but that signals an unprofesionality that A:M doesn't deserve.

amwebsite3.png

 

I think #0 and #2 are really a matter of taste.

 

About #1: I think people from the US are more used to that kind of statements than people from Europe. When I drove along a highway in the US some years ago, I really laughed about how many restaurants thought of themselves, that they served the best/biggest/tastiest burger on the planet...). But if that kind of advertisement is still the way it is done, it could be bad to be much less up to the front, since competitors will sell their products that way and it may seem that Hash is not proud enough / convinced enough of the product they are selling... I had a look at different competitors (like Maxon and Newtek for instance) and they use more or less equal text-elements.

 

Additional to that, I just thought it fitted most of the images well to be put in some context, I liked it quite much. Not all of the texts could be left as I initially thought they would be good, because not everything translated well from German to English here... an example was: "Animation wie von einem anderen Stern - Lichtjahre voraus". 1:1-translation = "Animation from another star - light-years ahead". In German it means: Something extraordinary / cool / different (in a good way) but it seems like that expression is not well known by native speakers in the US... it fitted well to the Enterprise which was shown on the image, etc. a litlte bit ambivalent (which is a humor style I really like)...

 

Anyway it is a little clumsy, but I thought: What the hell, lets put it in...

What do others think about that? Should we get rid of the text or do you like the metaphorical wink / humor in it?

 

#2: As I said, this is really a matter of taste... I liked white better than black because it just stood out better (which is not a big mistake for a main navigation on a website). I do not think there is a right answer to that kind of questions...

what do the others think?

 

#3: Yes, I am with you on that one... it would be better to have a single logo or (at least one for the company and one for the product) and keep that for all the parts of the product universe... but I really had a big problem integrating the old very comic-like logo of A:M in a at least moderately noble webdesign. Because of that I created the text-like logo at the top for the last design and kept on doing it for the new one alike.

 

It is the same for the Hash-Logo... for the last website I created one, that could be put on a dark background and that would slightly be more like a real logo instead of an 3d-image with some text next to it. However I did not want to go the big route here, because I just do not know what is all in it there... how much would have to be reprinted and reproduced to get the new logo consistently integreated to every product / design / advertisement? I think a lot and that is very likely not worth the trouble in times when 3d graphics are no longer that profitable as 10 years ago.

 

Anyway: If you feel like a good logo-designer, you could try to create one (with at least a variation of it for dark and white backgrounds of course) and I am sure Jason would take a look at it... again: I think it should be not a fully unrelated new design, but a careful redesign of what is there already to make the switch less harsh... I did a trick there by just "writing" A:M's name down... it can be taken as a logo or it can be taken as just some type of text on a website... both is fine with me. And that should at least help to get over the fact, that it really is not the same as on the package itself.

 

About the whitebackground-color for the image-slideshow: You are absolutely right there and I will have a look at it when I am back home and put it to a dark background.

 

See you and thank you very much for your thoughts. I highly appreciated them .

*Fuchur*

[John Bigboote]

Yeah! I like it! I was going to say it is missing the social media links- but I found them easily enough. Great work, Gerald! Where did all that great imagery come from???

[Fuchur]

Hi Matt All of them are findable at A:M Stills and created with A:M . It took some time to get to them and find the right once, but it really is amazing what is stored there... People really have created amazing images with A:M over the years and I admire every single creator of them .

 

See you

*Fuchur*

[Tore]

 

If you feel like a good logo-designer, you could try to create one

 

 

Hmmm...here is a quick shot from the hip. The yellow dots could be seen both as a simplified Tom and as the colon. It would be natural to use yellow as it is the only color that via Tom has been consistent through the years. The simplistic design fits well with both Win 8 and Mac design. The tagline states what (I think) is one of the most important aspects of A:M and what separates it from the rest...

:-)

 

[zandoriastudios]

I don't thing Hash should shoot from the hip, and add yet another logo...I think it would be better to take the full-color one that Jim made and adapt a 2-color and 1-color version of that

 

[markw]

I like the font you used there Tore.
This would be my take on it based on what you've done.
(Hope you don't mind me using your image as a base Tore!)

[jakerupert]

Tore, your new logodesign is perfect and should really be considered.

The old logo really is outdated by now and crys "amateurish" and just for "kids",

which might give new onlookers a fair warning, but thats not what we want ,

do we. Jake

 

Great work on that new website, Gerald. A huge step forward to keep A:M up

and running.

[Fuchur]

... which might give new onlookers a fair warning...

 

... no it just is not... There are master pieces created with A:M which really are not running short to other images out there... I have been reminded of that when searching for the images of the banner-images...

The difference is a target group difference which results in less super-perfect images and more images WIPs from newbees.... they do well for their experience but of course they can not stand against a company with people who have years of experience doing it 8h a day... the software offers everything you will need to create great things... micromodelling is something we can not easily do, but in the end this is not a real dealbreaker... it does add something sometimes, but it is not a reason a work is considered to be good or bad... that is more based on lightening / base-modelling / animation skills (otherwise only super-realistic 3d imagery would be considered to be good... but there are stylized images out there that are looking very, very cool too... often even nicer because I can see realistic things each and every day out there while stylized stuff is something different...). And A:M can do all of that in a good enough way (some of it even in a greater way than many others) to create breath-taking stuff...

(anyway.. lets get back to topic here, before this results in some other discussion)

 

Considering the logo: Yes I like the designs too... and I like mark's attempt too... but it really is very far from what we've got. Yes it looks great, but it is not helping to recognize what was already there. Even so some do no longer like it, we need to keep in mind that there are people who like it recognize it and we do not want to loose them. Like that a logo switch should be done in several small steps or better just make the existing one a little less comical and a little more professional without loosing all of it...

(this is often hard to do and needs to be done wisely, but it is not impossible... I'll try myself on that, but I am not a real designer... I know some things about that stuff, but in the end there are better people than me in that working area)

 

See you

*Fuchur*

[robcat2075]

I remember when I worked at Nortel someone actually got fired just for proposing to change the logo.

 

Which logo are you guys unhappy with, the paintbrush or the yeti?

 

I recall last time we had a big logo discussion here, about 10 years ago, most of the suggestions were attempts to resemble other prominent logos. That's the wrong way to go.

[Tore]

I remember when I worked at Nortel someone actually got fired just for proposing to change the logo.

 

 

Lucky then, that I didn't work for Nortel - especially considering that they went into bankruptcy recently

[markw]

I remember when I worked at Nortel someone actually got fired just for proposing to change the logo.

 

Which logo are you guys unhappy with, the paintbrush or the yeti?

 

I recall last time we had a big logo discussion here, about 10 years ago, most of the suggestions were attempts to resemble other prominent logos. That's the wrong way to go.

Personally I'm not unhappy with any of them as such I suppose, but part of the problem, if it can really be called a problem, is that A:M doesn't seem to have ever had "a" logo or an associated typeface that is always and constantly used, as demonstrated in Tore's earlier post with six different examples.

The app icon, as far as I know, has always been Thom, which is why I thought he could maybe play a more prominent part as A:M's logo elsewhere.

[Tore]

Playing around a bit more

 

 

[robcat2075]

A new logo would have to have a huge promotion push behind it to establish it in the public's mind. That's not likely to happen. Without that it's just an unfamiliar element showing up on a web page.

[Rodney]

Fuchur's new website is a nice progression from where the old site left off. Much improved I must say!

Tore's design suggestions present more of a radical upgrade path for a future web presence as incorporating the new elements would require other updates (replacing logos in manuals etc.).

 

I recall when the previous round of suggestions were made and Gerald rose to the challenge and updated the website to its former state.

That was a significant improvement as well.

We've certainly come a long way.

[jakerupert]

Gerald, I was just kind of joketeasing a bit.

 

A:M is still a fantastic program and your efforts for it are highly apreciated!

Its just that the competition is developing in vast steps ahead also,

that makes it harder to give arguments for newcomers to just pick A:M.

 

(What also gives a kind of mixed impression is the amount of outstanding work from long ago and members that

vanished in the meantime, that gives it away somehow, that they might have left for greener grounds.

So maybe it would be better to just use only more recent examples from active members?)

 

 

I still would get rid of the old logo that shouts "buy me, you comiconkids!" and consider Tores direction that spells

"yes A:M is not a toy /gimmick but can be used in serious enviroments".

 

But your solution for the logo on the website is also good enough for the time being.

[Rodney]

the competition is developing in vast steps ahead

 

In another topic Nemyax pointed out something I hadn't really considered in depth... namely that in its category A:M has no competition.

That is a bit sobering and its both a good and a bad thing; good in the sense that A:M still outperforms all comers even after all these years and that having competition keep sharpening the edge.

For those that missed that topic I'm specifically talking about A:M's unique approach to splines and patch.

 

Likewise, (collectively) we should have no issue with A:M being targeted to amateurs and kids. If more amateurs and kids picked up A:M a whole new generation of talented A:M users would soon appear.

 

Recognizing that others have moved on also isn't a bad thing.

By their own testimonies many of those talented folks would still be using A:M if they could.

And for what its most of the folks who created the works on display still use A:M. A few might not often. At least one has fallen on hard times and doesn't use any animation software at all (he doesn't even have a computer). Several don't post as often as they use to. Others we haven't heard from in awhile so it's hard to tell.

 

I still would get rid of the old logo that shouts "buy me, you comiconkids!"

 

 

While I understand the desire to see A:M succeed I really don't get the whole 'A:M has to look more professional than it does now' thing.

Why do folks need to feel validated for the purchase they've made when they could just create really cool things with A:M?

 

This post invisiible because it doesn't need to be said.

[Fuchur]

I know – I have just been reminded how many great images there are and wanted to express that again. We do not have to be too shy about A:M. It really is great...

 

 

(What also gives a kind of mixed impression is the amount of outstanding work from long ago and members that

vanished in the meantime, that gives it away somehow, that they might have left for greener grounds.

So maybe it would be better to just use only more recent examples from active members?)

 

I thought about that when searching for the great images and I came to the conclusion that we can not only show new images because they are new... I wanted the best fitting once no matter when they were created...

Most people visiting the website do not know that some of these images are older... they just have a look and see "looks great".... and that is all they should think.

People who know A:M that well that they can say that one or the other image is an old one surely already know if they like A:M or not and like that already own A:M or won't try or buy it no matter what...

 

This does not at all mean, that we are bound to the existing images used there right now... if tomorrow someone creates a new one that is amazing, I'll ask as soon as I see it if we are allowed to put them there... and if someone has a suggestion for another cool image: Let me know... Keep in mind so, that the image should be from a major hash contest or that the author needs to give permission and that we need a widescreen format or a composition up there..

 

I can absolutely see why you want another logo and I do like the suggestion above better than the existing one too... but the problem with the marketing material still remains the same... to significantly improve the current state we would need to change it everywhere and introduce it to the world... I'll talk to Jason about what he thinks about that, but I can not promise anything...

 

See you

*Fuchur*

[robcat2075]

I think the best pitch for A:M is the one that somehow communicates, "You can do this!"

 

That was basically the message of Greg Rostami's demonstrations. He showed the step-by-step and showed you didn't have to have a PhD in computer graphics to do cool things.

 

As far as showing work by past users, the big time movie studios sure aren't shy about recalling their previous hits even though the staff that made it has left for somewhere else.

 

If good-looking work was made possible by someone having A:M, then that's a plus for A:M.

[markw]

Here's another thought for the website.

As well as the fine collection of stills could we have a gallery button that takes the viewer to a small selection of A:M's star animations.

After all the software is called 'Animation Master'. Not 'Still Shot of an Environment Master', however fine those shots may be rendered.

Isn't animating stuff what the software is really all about.

[Fuchur]

Hi Mark... I think you are right about that but i will have to see if we can get good enough quality of the high levwl animations available...

 

animators aprentice, killerbean 2, alien song, duell, tak and the power of juju, briar rose, sunny side of the street, chicory and coffee and a few more like these are absolutely worth showing, but we need them in at least good sd quality (better 720 or 1080p) and i could not find those qualities on youtube or any other big platform (which is a real shame... those are some of the best work done by small studio or individuells i have seen....

 

if someone finds some of them on please let me know...

 

see you

*fuchur*

[zandoriastudios]

feel free to embed mine!

[Fuchur]

Okay, good to know, but you really have great competition there :

http://youtu.be/hByVRQfWuLE?list=PL4LmRr7ibLp-Q1705QW5Su_MnDOCi64TP

 

These are some of the great animations done with A:M I could find till now...

 

See you

*Fuchur*

[KJ'd Beast]

Tore,

I dig your logo design. I have read and seen enough here and there to know A;M is like my friend who refuses to wear something that doesn't look like he pulled it out of a hamper or off the floor to go out. He's just not into fitting someone else's notion of who he should be and there's something charming about that.

[Fuchur]

I have played myself a little too but to give it a more common look I have to go far away from the current logo (something like 7-9, maybe 11) ... there are some that I like more than the one we have now but I am not sure if we are not loosing too many people with these rough tries of mine... (again: I am not a designer...)

 

I am quite sure there are more than just one person who think like Keith... it is part of A:M to be a little different... it is what A:M is all about and surely one reason why people like it.

 

See you

*Fuchur*

 

PS: These should only demonstrate my tries and worksteps I tried... not all of them should be considered as real examples... and of course none of these or the once above have anything to do with official Hash decission at all)

[KJ'd Beast]

Addressing the logo. I prefer the logo Jim created simply because it removed the colon. When Hash first started there were at least two different versions apprentice and master. The software was predominately referred to as Hash Animation and the colon delineated whether you had apprentice or master. It now appears that more people drop the proper name Hash and refer to the program simply as Animation Master. The colon is therefore rendered useless as it has the effect of bifurcation of the programs name. My opinion would be to drop it completely.

[Fuchur]

i would leave it because of animation mentor (short: am) and simply because "a:m" is more recognicable than "am"... and of course it is just the name of it since many many relevant versions.

 

see u

*fuchur*

[KJ'd Beast]

Since we're speaking in hypotheticals what about HA:M

Edited August 30, 2014 by KJ'd Beast

[Fuchur]

Funny and clever but no – every child in the Kindergarden would pick on us ...

 

I just would not change the used and known name... changing the logo and the name at the same time? Very dangerous marketing vise...

[nemyax]

Just a thought:

 

[markw]

Hi Gerald,
On logos;
Of the ones you've done there, I like number 11. And of the abbreviated ones, maybe number 13. Although 14 dose have a certain playful charm about it…
I also see we have yet another font style!

On animation clips;
Yes that's the stuff! Showing what A:M can really do in experienced hands!

[robcat2075]

I think the colon is an essential element that helps distinguish "A:M" from any other "AM" no matter what font it's typed in.

[Fuchur]

Here's another thought for the website.

As well as the fine collection of stills could we have a gallery button that takes the viewer to a small selection of A:M's star animations.

After all the software is called 'Animation Master'. Not 'Still Shot of an Environment Master', however fine those shots may be rendered.

Isn't animating stuff what the software is really all about.

 

Hi Mark,

 

I made a new subpage at Gallery called "Hall of Fame" which should suit your needs :

http://www.hash.com/am-films-hall-of-fame-36-en

 

Hope you like it

 

See you

*Fuchur*

[Tore]

What a good idea! These animations are the strongest argument for the power of Animation:Master! And one of mine is there too!! Whoa! :-)

[markw]

 

Here's another thought for the website.

As well as the fine collection of stills could we have a gallery button that takes the viewer to a small selection of A:M's star animations.

After all the software is called 'Animation Master'. Not 'Still Shot of an Environment Master', however fine those shots may be rendered.

Isn't animating stuff what the software is really all about.

 

Hi Mark,

 

I made a new subpage at Gallery called "Hall of Fame" which should suit your needs :

http://www.hash.com/am-films-hall-of-fame-36-en

 

Hope you like it

 

See you

*Fuchur*

 

YAY

[robcat2075]

I like the Hall of Fame!

[jason1025]

You did a great job Gerald.

[Fuchur]

Thanks guys – good to hear that you like it .

[Zaryin]

Yeah,I love the hall of fame. Great idea!