Game Design, Programming and running a one-man games business…

Cliffski.com

cliffski

Ok call me “mr arrogant” if you like, but when someone I knew suggested I register cliffski.com, and noted it was available, I agreed and did it, hence the new blog header. Almost everyone on-line knows me as cliffski, so it’s probably worth doing. The last thing I want to do is become a megastar and find this happened.

Today has been (so far) a day of answering businessy emails and updating the website. The blog header is now a hyperlink to the newer, brighter, whiter site. It was a long time coming, but I am happy with the slightly newer look.

I got a lot of suggestions and advice for radical redesigns of the site, much of which I agree with. Some people don’t like the positech logo, and a lot of people think the layout of the main page needs changing. Plus a lot of my older web pages which I no longer link to directly haven’t been updated and are a bit crap still.

But the main thing is, the site is better this week than it was last week. Slowly but surely I make progress in such things!

I’m not writing any code right now, just doing promotion, PR and businessy stuff and negotiating various deals. It will be cool to jump heafirst into the next game, but I won’t be starting it for a few weeks. I’m mega busy with other stuff, still knackered from my holiday, and have damaged my arm somehow. Possibly through archery. I’ll get back into the swing of it soon I’m sure :D

Movie Tips from the plane trip:

5 thoughts on Cliffski.com

  1. The positech logo is “flat” this is why people don’t like it. You can keep it but make it some how more “3d”, give it some depht.

  4. > The positech logo is “flat” this is why people don’t like it.

    I disagree. 3D is no necessary quality for a successful logo. On the contrary you will find that the most well-known logos are flat and even monochrome. They work because they have a strong and recognizable silhouette. Think Apple, IBM, ABC, Nike, Addidas etc…

    However I do think the Logo can be improved. I think especially in the way the font and the logo are combined. Right now the text kinda just sits somewhere in the corner, hugging the walls of the layout as if it was a shy kid. The logo is huge when compared to the font. The whole thing takes up a lot of space and has an awkward L (or mirrored L) shape. You can see how you are struggling with it because at your website, the menu is party embedded into the logo.

    My Hint: Make everything smaller, more compact. Arrange the Logo and the Logotype so they make up an overall firm, solid shape together. You might want to try different fonts. Don’t search for some fancy ones, try the classics (like Helvetica, Futura, Myriad, Frutiger, etc.) first and spice them up with small, simple details (Think Mobil Oil logo for example).

    But first and most important: Decide to do a certain number of different designs beforehand, and decide which one you keep later when you can see them all side by side. Otherwise, you will tend to stick just to the first thing you come up that just barely works. You can’t judge the quality of a design by itself. You need some other examples to compare it to.

    Check out one of my old projects to see how this can work:
    http://kisd.de/~krystian/easy_pieces_typography.html

  5. Hi Cliff,

    petermolyneux – I have to say sorry I don’t know this is – Should I?

    With regards to your website…….. Here is a tough one. I know you want to remain an indi coder and developer but here is the crux of the problem.

    You can’t be all things to all men. 15 Years ago I used to be a really good (and I mean REALLY good programmer and enginneer) but time moves on – I could have stayed there and done a good job or I (through the help of my beautiful and more intelligent wife) moved on and now I earn more than double than engineers that I now manage – But I haven’t a clue what they are doing – Hell – I’m still stuck on RS232 – (38400 baud rate is really fast man !!!!! – ISDN Rocks My World !!!!)

    Have a chat with a web developer – even a student – they are all looking for projects they can put in their portfolio’s.

    They is so much they can do from Google words to 3D animations to hyperlinking.

    (PS – My Wife is an IT Marketing Director – Would you mind if she emails you with a few ideas?)

    PLEASE LET THE NEXT GAME BE A REFRESH OF STAR SHIP TYCOON WITH REAL SPACE TRAVEL – I’m 36 for god’s sake and I miss Elite !!!!

    Pity the Klingon who has defeated all his enemies

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