I need some graphics help. Actually, anyone who has looked at piclist.com or
massmind.org knows I have no skill with graphics or style sheets, but on a
tech info site it doesn't matter that much (in my opinion: If anyone what to
come up with a better style for the existing sites, I wouldn't mind) but I'm
getting ready to launch a new site and it really needs to be visually
appealing. I want to hire a graphic artist to help me set it up.

The layout I have in mind is looking down on a bed: Headboard with the site
name appearing to be engraved into it at the top, then pillows and blanket
below in a very light cream color behind what ever text and pictures I put
on the page. On the left and right, I would like to have the posts and
narrow curtains from a 4 poster or canopy bed. I don't expect the
perspective to be accurate to real life. It will look as if the posts and
curtains are laid down on top of the bed, and the headboard will be at more
of an angle than it would naturally be. I think it will still look
attractive, but what do I know, you tell me.

It is important to me that the graphics resize WITH the browser window. E.g.
the text wraps between the curtains and the right curtain and post stay on
the right edge of the window. I would like the headboard, pillows, and
blanket stretch to fill, but if that can't be done well, I guess I can live
with it being optimized for the most common screen sizes. It would just look
like your point of view was shifting at an angle as more or less of the
right side of the bed is visible.

My #1 pet peve is slow loading web sites; I know I only have a few seconds
to capture my audience. and of course anything with graphics is going to
load slow, at least the first page. I really hope there are a lot of tricks
that can be used to reduce the bandwidth. For example, I would guess the two
pillows can re-use one image. Perhaps the blanket can be that same image
stretched out over the larger area. The left and right curtains can be a
single image that is tiled from top to bottom and same for the post. Maybe
different images at the top and bottom of the curtain to get that gathered
effect.

The emotional effect I'm looking for is one of safety (strong headboard),
comfort (soft pillows), stability (thick hardwood posts). Restfullness.
Perhaps fun e.g. "Grandmas featherbed" but not little old lady, more like
classy women, good wife, feminine in a subtile way. It is a background so I
want the effect to be very subtle

In the future, I might want to have some custom versions of the headboard
with a small menu or other graphics embedded, so I'd like to make sure to
leave some room for that beside the web site name.

Please contact me offlist if you actually want the job, and send a link with
a sample of your prior work? Thanks. If you have advice on where to find a
good graphic artists or hints on how to set it up web graphic layouts that
you are willing to share, please respond on list, as I hope there are other
people who may have simular interests now or in the future.

--
James Newton
jamesnewton@geocities.com



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