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Need some constructive criticism
Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2003 10:55 pm
by infolock
Critics everywhere, unite. If you want to flame, this is your chance
I have a few sites that i'm developing for a client. I've shown all 4 of the sites to them, but they have yet to make a decision..
So, since I hate having to wait for an answer, I thought I'd see which one you all would choose...
A little bacground on my client : no one in my area does web development, so good golly miss molly i got me a gold mine here
i want to present my development skills with the best layout that i can muster together... since i suck at design, i've used some css' that i've found flying around on the net, and also tried out post nuke.
well, anyways, here is the url. tell me what you think, and what would look better. i'm open to suggestions
URL -
http://dbdc.no-ip.info
(Note : the site is slow as it's hosted on a dialup box... joy)
( also note, this is just a template. no logo's or static links have been just added... we're just deciding on a layout. )
Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2003 11:08 pm
by microthick
i like the 2nd of the 4 best.
Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2003 12:16 am
by m3mn0n
I like the 2nd, and i think it would be better with #4's menu system.

Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2003 12:33 am
by infolock
Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2003 1:18 am
by infolock
PostNuke has been removed.. instead, i have placed the above link in it's place.
edit {
: just to clarify, yes, these are css templates... as i put in my description for those that think i'm trying to claim these are all my own personal designs...
i'm a coder, not a designer. so until i can afford to pay someone to do my designs, i resort to the open sources i can find on the net.

}
[/edit];
Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2003 3:00 am
by Nay

2 and 3 remind me too much of ->
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/sear ... laylang=en
It's not really into graphics so I'll put that aside. Anyhow, it looks fair. Unless you would want to break the validator to use some CSS Filters to add gradients or something.
-Nay
Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2003 10:06 am
by Bill H
The site is not just slow. My browser reads "opening page" and then it reads "done" and I have a blank screen.
Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2003 1:39 pm
by Draco_03
infolock, i wish i could see it

my connection was "refused"
....

Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2003 3:58 pm
by uberpolak
I'd use number four, but the menu items don't need to be so tall.
Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2003 4:01 pm
by infolock
sorry i had to shut down my server for the night as it's using my phone line... have to keep it open during the day. should be working now.
far as the menus, yeah i'm fixing that right now

Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2003 5:38 pm
by qads
its not working..guess u went off to bed or something

...sleepy head!!!!
Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2003 6:28 pm
by infolock
shoulda done this before... thanks to phice, i have a place to upload to lol..
http://www.onlygeeks.com/jon/daniel/
this one is static and won't go down.
Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2003 6:51 pm
by dull1554
i say 3, three is always the best choice, but then again who am i kidding, all those multiple choice tests that i put all C's on and got a 25 is not saying to much fo my system........
Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2003 7:11 pm
by McGruff
Colour is one of the most important things in a design (particularly web design where really tight magazine-style layouts are hard to achieve and colour is about all that's left. It's difficult to say what is good and bad - and it's a matter of preference to some extent.
Every colour pallette has a "feel" which should tie in with the kind of site you've got.
Look at the page in terms of contrast. Strong tones (ie highly saturated colours, jet black) create high contrast and are much harder to work with. Balancing strong tones with subtler tints or shades defines the structure of a layout, places emphasis and leads the eye around the page. Getting that right is quite a skilled job. Different colours can create very strong contrast which has to be managed carefully. It can be a good exercise first to do the layout purely in greyscale, then add in colour one block at a time, matching the strength of the blacks, whites and greys. I'll always do a mock up in Photoshop or Freehand before I reach for the html editor - easier to muck about.
Sometimes it's good to cover the whole spectrum in a page. For example, if you have a predominantly blue colour scheme, one or two small areas of warmer reds or yellows round out the spectrum - sometimes that "feels" better.
When deciding a colour scheme, it's often good to duplicate something from the natural world - a winter sky would have pale blues, whites, some yellow tints from the low lying sun. Smoggy browns too, depending where you live

A natural pallette looks more er, natural, because we're used to it and because you don't often get a lot of highly saturated colours.
Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2003 7:16 pm
by infolock
awsome insight mcgruff. i'll try that out tonight and see if i can't come up with a new/better color scheme.