CiaoSexy

Sexy. What more can you say?

I enjoyed it a lot. I think it would have been a better choice to go vertically. Sometimes horizontal layout can work, but for this site, I didn't feel like it did. Too much scrolling left and right, even to see just one portfolio peice.

First class, something different at last. Love the menu at the bottom, even though it scrolls horizontal, it didn't bother me one bit...Love it.

Definitely does a lot of nice things that are different. I'm not sure about having to scroll horizontally. Probably just my personal preference, but that's the only thing that I didn't like on the site. Great design.

I liked the idea but as stated before I'm not a fan of the horizontal layout. I think it's a usability error for the web. We are just now starting to get mouses that can scroll left to right, but primarily the web has always been a horizontal medium and should be presented to the user as such.

While breaking out of the mold is commendable, I think it failed in this case.

Absolutely awful. NEVER would I ever use horizontal scrolling and the biggest usability error of all time. I didn't even bother scrolling past the first couple of inches.

Sometimes designer can use something that is considered a big mistake and turn it into a great piece of design. In my opinion this website is an example - horizontal scrolling is not natural on the web and usability gurus said simply "don't do this". The difference between amateur and experienced designer is that amateur breaks the rules because he doesn't know them and experienced designer breaks the rules because he know what's he doing. Horizontal scrolling here is something natural, it doesn't "make me think". Isn't that enough?

It looks very nice.

It's just a shame that the navigation doesn't work at all when javascript is disabled.

It is silly to say this is awful, as it clearly isn't - perhaps if more people did use horizontal scrolling then it wouldn't be such an unnerving concept for the timid. It is a designers site to showcase a designers work, not one to sell Christian memorabilia to the visually impaired and as such requires a little more effort. Not a lot more, though.

Yes. This is wonderful. The "different" approach for a portfolio site says, "I think different. I think creatively." This is a great and stylish way to show off creative chops. The work is nice, too, of course!

"not one to sell Christian memorabilia to the visually impaired"

Absoluet nonsense and that's a rather arrogant, ignorant and selfish statement to make! It's got nothing to do with being visualy impaired.

The horizontal scrolling frustrated me and made me focus less on the portfolio. Why make it hard for your visitors??? Enough said.

Stuart, you have misunderstood my statement - I am suggesting that certain sites need to provide information in the least challenging manner possible, whereas others can extend the creativity of the work to the way the portfolio functions. If the scrolling frustrates you to the point you couldn't concentrate on the portfolio, it probably wasn't for you anyway; if it was the reference to Christian memorabilia that riled you, maybe you should turn the other cheek.

I like this approach. He used the horizontal scroll correctly. The thing many of you should openly recognize is that when a graph designer builds his own portfolio on the web he isn't just building a website on the internet. He is building his own domain. Usability is important to remember, but as you step into his world, he NEEDS to guide you into something different and unique that will show you how he thinks and is able to be creative. His objective is not to show you his typical, appease everyone, website. We all have the ability to follow these usability rules. He needs to show you that he can break them on demand with style. Ian has done that.

Joel - I found your comment ignorant and arrogant too. What's it got to do with being visually impaired??? Your talking rubbish mate.

"show you that he can break them on demand" Methinks not...why does it scroll past the content and leave 18 odd inches of blank page??? Very poor attention to detail (or lack of detail). Sorry this site is a waste of space if you pardon the pun.

oh come on, looks nice, after you switched javascript on and then i nearly missed 1/3d of the content cause my mousewheel is vertical and not horizontal.

i think this is so far out of the box, that i can't reach it anymore. kind of useless to me :)

I have an idea. Why don't we all just stick to two or three column CSS layouts stolen from somebody else's blog?

Wait, that what everyone is doing.

Oh, I forget: CSS is so amazing and has such potential we should limit ourselves to the same old boring layouts.

Ian - dont you think you should think before you press the post key?

You accuse the community of dishonesty.

So...I arrive at your site...and see it's "100% xhtml/CSS" and expect it to be just that. BUT..it's actually 80% javascript. Nice touch that - telling your visitors lies.

Yes, CSS has amazing potential! So can you tell us all where the amazing CSS is in this site? It's a bog standard single column CSS layout!

Finally - the real skill in this site would have been to make the javascript menu autoscroll then resize so that the portfolio images would appear in the main viewport at all times. But...that's javascript and not CSS. Hmm - people in Glass houses!

I agree with Ian there seams to be so much of the ' two or three column CSS layouts stolen from somebody else's blog', however all design concepts have been stolen and developed by others to become the current trends. We're just in an 'iPod' phase at the moment and it will take some creative individual to break it and people will follow

The horizontal menu works but isn't what people expect, which in terms of usability, speaking as an interface designer, is bad.

As my screen resolution exactly matched 3 tabs/images in width I didn't notice the need to scroll..this could be a problem for others visiting your sight.

Perhaps you should look to remove the blank space at the end too.

Tee hee hee. Isn't it ironic that SG links to http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20050711.html on the front page news. Maybe Ian should have a read.

Gareth's bang on. Where did he push the boundaries of CSS? It's just a single column. Sorry dude. The horz.scrolling rule is one that just wasn't meant to be broken. Come back in a month and I bet the site will be redesigned.

' two or three column CSS layouts stolen from somebody else's blog'

Hmmmmm. Funny that. I thought 2 and 3 column layouts were around long before blogs. maybe you could show us an example of where people have been "stealing" these layouts

Brian - I only mention visual impairment as catering for this sector of web users requires the the most exacting use of accessibilityof code and content - if it is a graphical portfolio site you can relax the rules, I reckon.

'I have an idea. Why don't we all just stick to two or three column CSS layouts stolen from somebody else's blog?'

Ian - I see a few 2 and 3 column 'stolen' layouts in YOUR work!

This website is as uncomfortable to use as the new apple mouse. The 'talk' section is plain awful to read and to navigate. The text just ends mid sentence - even after you expand the boxes. What's the big gap at the right hand side for? Where's the amazing CSS? Long live right clicks and vertical scrolling!

Has anyone really looked at the code...at all. There seems to be some pretty complex overlapping DIVs to make the effect work properly.

Think Ian hit a cord with copycat CSS designers...and who linked up Jacob Nielsen, if we continue to listen to that dribble the web will be locked in 1998 forever.

Personally, I've had enough ripped off Zen Garden sites (people, please stop passing this off as your own) and bad faded gradients for a lifetime.

Nice work on the site.

Well, after reading these comments, I stand corrected.

1. The horizontal scroll creates way too much thinking. I better redesign it.

3. Everyone who posted a comment without a website link of their own has great work to back up their posts and are therefore experts.

4. I should have used 'that's' not 'that'

5. I forgot number 2 in this list.

6. Jakob Nielsen .... now that's funny.

It is a site for designers by designer. I am not giving it out to Grandma Sally in Bilbo County.

1. I do expect you have javascript turned on.

2. I do expect you have a screen resolution of 1200 or better.

3. I do expect you have the capability to figure out a horizontal scroll.

4. I do expect you have the ability to understand that this site is somewhat revolutionary and as such will have a few quirks.

4b. I do suspect you looked at my javascript to wonder how i did it, and then bitched about my method of doing it.

Thank you. And have a great day.

"and who linked up Jacob Nielsen" Er...Stylegala did! It's on the front page!

I like it. A lot!

Unlike others I find it easy to use and I also think the information is easy to grasp because it's kind of a single-page portfolio without unnecessary text and subpages for every image. The images are huge which makes it easy to learn more about Ian's style and skills. Unfortuntely clicking on the images doesn't take you to the showcased website.

I guess a lot of the commenters are just jealous -- at least I am ...and inspired for the relaunch of my website :-)

Ian you only got yourself to blame with your comments.

1. Some of your work uses 2 & 3 column layouts. Rather hypocritical dont you think?

3. Some people asked where the amazing CSS is in your site. Where is it? This is a CSS showcase after all.

4. Horizontal scrolling is not revolutionary and neither is your website.

5. I have javascript turned on.

6. I know how to horizontal scroll.

7. My Screen res is 1600

8. I didn't look at your javascript.

9. I don't see anyone here bitching about your javascript. That's rather inflammatory dont you think?

10. Oops I missed out 2 as well.

11. Since I've posted my site link then I must be an expert. Yippee, I must ask for a payrise :)

Nerd Wars...I LOVE IT!

I'm not saying 2 or 3 column layouts are rips or bad; rather that everyone preaches the versatility of CSS, yet developers rarely break out of the blog-looking 2/3 column design with soft fades. So, I did.

If you think the CSS or Javascript for this site was easy; it isn't. There are masking layers and content layers that have to work seamlessly together in order for the Javascript motion to work. It always seems simple when you look at a completed project...

I truly appreciate the constructive comments and those who see the site for what it is. For everyone else, take pride in the fact that you know more about proper web development than I do.

Cheers.

It isnt easy to fart to the tune of Hello Dolly either, but that doesnt mean its music.

This site hits me as a modern version sites with trailing mouse cursors or dancing unicorns. Overuse of javascript tricks and tried but failed concept of horizontal scrolling. Nothing really original here.

original and nice site

usability zelatos often lost the focus...

and...it seem like the majority of people that criticize hasn't a site at all...

very nice work ian...far better the nielsen's horrible site (nobody remember the fake nielsen redesign by designbyfire?)

I don't like horizontal layouts as that means more work with scrolling for me and this design breaks in my Opera8, so sorry... Original is not always better.

Hmm, it seems the design doesn't break (well, there is a small gap on the very right), it's made that way. Don't like the whitespace to the right at all. And I'm not that fond of the vertical scrollbars in this case either.

Couldn't this be implemented in a much easier way with flash? But I'm sure you've thought of that since your that "hisexy" thing had a flash gui.

Other than that:

- Love the easing when boxes open.

- Love the color scheme (or lack thereof)

- Love the way the content is presented.

- Love the "wording".

Regarding the scroll bar... Judging from this guys portfolio, it's quite obvious he can do the "standard". Can't blame him for trying something new for a change.

Well, I tried this one on Dial-up first time. Took forever to load.

This also seems to be mainly for Firefox, as both IE and Opera added a slight (and not so slight) Vertical Scroll as well.

I also see that the ongoing discussion is whether the Interface is intuitive or not. Well, as for me I figure the interface in a browser is designed for vertical scrolling. My mousewheel go that way (playing it dumb here). Therefore the content should go that way.

Another caveat is that there are external links in the navigation bar, and a dreadful mailto:, don't even get me started on those. I would like to see those marked with an icon or different color, or even separated from the navigation.

i love it. nice layout and breaks the mould of the stale, typical bloggish css site.

giving this guy stick for using javascript is missing the point. it's not aimed at joe public, it's a designer's portfolio. for my money, it's fresh, exciting and the work speaks for itself.

well done mate!

nice. i agree w/ author - those cookie cut-out 3 column CSS blogs are getting very stale. nice design here. very original. only recommendation would be to make it easier to launch the websites when your viewing the thumbs...

yep, this rules buddy, i assure u. greetings frum slovakia

I ran across this entry by googling the terms:

"web site" OR web site "scrolls horizontally"

As you can tell, I was looking for sites that scroll horizontally. I checked out Ian Coyle's site. He's a fantastic web designer. The slight scroll was not even a minor annoyance to me, and in fact, made me curious about his designs. Thinking out-of-the-box is a good thing.

Maybe the horizontal scroll is a bad thing in design, but I am looking for a designer that can be extremely creative. I don't want MY site to scroll to the right, but I want a designer that is bold enough to do so to make a point.

As far as the naysayers above that think horizontal scrolling is "unnatural" --get over it. The DOWN arrow is all of a half inch from the RIGHT arrow (at the bottom right of the screen. What's SO HARD about it? -On second thought, never mind, I don't want an answer from a closed-minded, small-thinking designer.

Have a nice day. I'm going to email IAN COYLE and ask him

Fun to see a non-standard layout website which still is very beutiful and consistent. Great work!

If the point of the site is to showcase talent and seek new clients, it might be best to stick to the vertical designs so the new clients can read the thing. Most people I know do not like to scroll horizontally--or don't even think to do so.