Review 368

Absolutely Fuzzy is a mixed metaphor, both in terms of name and presentation. The name of course is self-contradictory; nothing fuzzy can be absolute, and that’s the point.



So what is so contradictory about the site itself? Well, for a start, the site is designed with a particular screen resolution in mind: 1024×768. Because it scrolls horizontally rather than the more common vertically, you really need to use the recommended resolution to fully enjoy the site. However, and this is contradictory (though I have to say surprising, and good) is the fact that the designers have chosen not to exert a pixel-level of control over the type. Instead, you can adjust the size of the words from within the browser, which will be of great help to those without perfect eyesight.



The design aesthetic is very strong, and perhaps forms the major focus of the site (along with an impressive portfolio), so at first you would believe the site to be part of a design clique. The blogs at places like this are more often than not simply collections of links to other designers. Not so here. Instead, the blogs are far more concerned with the life and events of the author, which are often quite interesting.



The site, though well designed, suffers from one or two little problems. For a start, I got JavaScript errors galore when I entered, and I still don’t see what on the page required intensive scripting. Furthermore, the site has been designed with the modern browser in mind, and yet when I chanced upon the source for the site, I was dismayed to see the presence of the archaic FONT tag. The blog archive is a bit of a wonder as well. The index page (which opens in a new window) is free of graphics, but the archived posts aren’t quite (though the majority of links, including those to the oh-so-precious portfolio, do not display graphical links when they really ought to). Weird, considering that the blog itself is loaded into an iframe. It would have been a trivial matter loading older posts into the frame, keeping a much more balanced design.



Another contradiction perhaps? Not enough of one to spoil the experience, fortunately. There are some rough edges, granted, but the page is a feast of interesting ideas, and though not entirely usable still presents some good content and is hence worth a visit.Absolutely Fuzzy