MARSbot.org v3.0: New look, same great taste

[Tim Arnold]

http://marsbot.org/files/mars_box_final_small_CD.jpg (http://www.marsbot.org)
Shameless plug: Team 1523 proudly presents the new version of it's website MARSbot.org (http://www.marsbot.org). Although it's not completely done yet, we couldn't keep it under wraps any longer. Please leave constructive criticism for us to further improve!

Don't wait any longer, check out our site (http://www.marsbot.org) (please :p !)

[sanddrag]

It looks incredibly good. Probably one of the best FRC team website's I've seen.

However, I still do have a few suggesstions. Your logo in the top right needs some cleaning up around the edge. There are a few stray white pixels.

The menu order does seem a bit odd to me though. I would move the awards menu to above the topsite menu. And I'd drop the login menu to below the MARS Menu. However, with the current links in the MARS menu, I'm not seeing a big point to it since you have the links at the top. Perhaps duplicate all the upper links in the MARS Menu links?

I'd give the Gallery its own link up at the top.

And the GE logo needs to be anti-aliased. It is kinda jagged right now.

Anyway, really nice looking site. Good job! :)

PS. How did you make the picture of the computer box with all the MARS stuff on it?

[Michelle Celio]

looking good.

still violating the FIRST logo rules thing.

[Adam Richards]

looking good.

still violating the FIRST logo rules thing.You're violating it twice: first on the carton box by distorting the logo and by changing the background, and second by removing the white background on the page. The FIRST logo is copyrighted, including the white background and space around it. Please use the following guide to ensure compliance:

http://www.usfirst.org/4vol/resourcectr/downloads/FIRSTlogoStandards_Q.pdf

[Tim Arnold]

It looks incredibly good. Probably one of the best FRC team website's I've seen.

However, I still do have a few suggestions. Your logo in the top right needs some cleaning up around the edge. There are a few stray white pixel
Why thank you very much. I will be sure to let the rest of the web team of your opinion! With the MARS logo in the corner, I have been wrestling with that for quite some time. It is a 8bit transparent PNG file that I can't seem to fix. Next step will probably be to convert the file to a GIF and include the background to eliminate stray pixels.

The menu order does seem a bit odd to me though. I would move the awards menu to above the topsite menu.
Fixed now, good point.
And I'd drop the login menu to below the MARS Menu. However, with the current links in the MARS menu, I'm not seeing a big point to it since you have the links at the top. Perhaps duplicate all the upper links in the MARS Menu links?
Actually, the MARS menu isn't even supposed to be accessible (nothing sensitive can be accessed by non logged in users, but its still taking up space) to non MARS team members; hence MARS menu. We are working on hiding the block from non-regged users.

I'd give the Gallery its own link up at the top.
Good point, I'll talk with the other devs about it.

And the GE logo needs to be anti-aliased. It is kinda jagged right now.
Another instance of "I would love to, but have no clue how". I tried to fix this in photoshop with no luck, but it was pretty low in my priority list. I'll give it another shot soon.

Anyway, really nice looking site. Good job! :)

PS. How did you make the picture of the computer box with all the MARS stuff on it?

The box was done with a source image of a 3d box found on google images, then logos were sloppily applied (its just a silly little teaser we put up when the site was down for the upgrade, probably spent 15 mins on it total). The text was transformed with the free transform tool (CTRL+T) then each corner was manipulated (Hold Control and drag a corner while in free transform) until it looked somewhat realistic.

looking good.

still violating the FIRST logo rules thing.
Thanks, and we knew it was barley violating before (distracting background? psh.) but now that there is an actual design behind the logo we will reconsider.

You're violating it twice: first on the carton box by distorting the logo and by changing the background, and second by removing the white background on the page. The FIRST logo is copyrighted, including the white background and space around it. Please use the following guide to ensure compliance:

http://www.usfirst.org/4vol/resourc...Standards_Q.pdf
The carton was just a quick goofy fun thing that was never intended to represent, well, much of anything. That is a pretty extreme violation and I apologize. As for the site, we will reconsider.

My PDF reader is currently broken, but let me assure you I have read the FIRST logo rules multiple times and often inform members when they are doing an extreme violation (what you see on our site is not what I call an extreme violation). I would get into my personal feelings about the logo standards, but I don't want to get into another argument thread. Lets just say that many consider them to just be more over "guidelines" than rules (which is how I feel that FIRST intended, to prevent serious abuses of their logo).

Regardless, thanks to everyone for visiting our site and providing feedback!

[Tim Arnold]

You're violating it twice: first on the carton box by distorting the logo and by changing the background, and second by removing the white background on the page. The FIRST logo is copyrighted, including the white background and space around it. Please use the following guide to ensure compliance:

http://www.usfirst.org/4vol/resourcectr/downloads/FIRSTlogoStandards_Q.pdf

Ok, I fixed my PDF program, and after reviewing the rules I don't see a major fault with the rules regarding http://marsbot.org. Now, the box, yes, is violating the rules. It falls under "Do not distort or in any way change the logo proportions" and has been removed now.

Onto our website. The empty space around the logo is plenty; photos and text are at least the height of the "FIRST" lettering away. In the examples of how not to use the first logo, it says "Do not obscure and weaken our logos by placing them on visually active background patterns, strong textures or incompatible shades of color.". This lays out exactly what they don't want you to do, but it is still a matter of opinion. If you look at the examples, it is clear that one should not use the first logo on colors that are exactly the same as those found in the logo, as "incompatible shades of color". As far as I am concerned, the grey on our site is far away from the shade of grey found in the FIRST logo. This leaves us with "Visually active background patterns", which is where opinions come in. In the examples they show a bright striped texture and a photo with the FIRST logo overlaid. Our "squirlygig" background is very weak at the point where it meets the FIRST logo, to the point where I do not see it to be a problem. The FIRST logo stands out, and is easily read.

We will be writing to FIRST to get the official word on these issues, but personally I do not see a large enough issue to remove the FIRST logo from our site. Thank you for your concerns.

The above views and opinions are of Tim Arnold and do not represent team 1523, any of it's members, or Jupiter High School. I have not discussed this with them (but will be in the future), and these are my personal opinions only.

[artdutra04]

Another instance of "I would love to, but have no clue how". I tried to fix this in photoshop with no luck, but it was pretty low in my priority list. I'll give it another shot soon.There are two good ways that I have found to getting a good anti-alias on pictures. The first one is to start with a larger image, and when you resize it smaller play around with the type on resizing procedures. (I used bicubic for the sample below.) The other way is to apply a slight blur to the picture in Photoshop or Fireworks.

Before anti-alias:
http://marsbot.org/files/GE_logo_0.gif

After anti-alias:
http://img157.imageshack.us/img157/6638/gelogo1vz.gif

[Clark Gilbert]

I just tried to redo the logo from your website.

Here is what it looks like w/ a transparent background:
http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/7586/marslogonew9hw.png

And blue background to see no white pixels:
http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/8359/marslogonewblue3zb.png

EDIT: Just realized that I deleted that grey vertical line on the left side of the picture.

[Tim Arnold]

There are two good ways that I have found to getting a good anti-alias on pictures. The first one is to start with a larger image, and when you resize it smaller play around with the type on resizing procedures. (I used bicubic for the sample below.) The other way is to apply a slight blur to the picture in Photoshop or Fireworks.

Thank you, thats perfect. Hope you don't mind that I replaced our old one with your version :).

I just tried to redo the logo from your website.

Here is what it looks like w/ a transparent background:

And blue background to see no white pixels:

EDIT: Just realized that I deleted that grey vertical line on the left side of the picture.

I took your transparent version and tried to convert it back with the bar... here is what I got:
http://marsbot.org/files/my_shot_corner_logo.png

The result is obviously worse, so here is the PSD (http://marsbot.org/files/mars_corner_logo.psd) and a large copy of our logo (http://marsbot.org/files/orange_black-real_surf_2006(no_txt)_sm.jpg) if you are willing to give it a shot yourself :D, I would greatly appreciate it.

EDIT: I removed the FIRST logo from the carton. :rolleyes: