Critique this web site design *updated*

thirtythree

Diamond Member
Aug 7, 2001
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I'm redesigning my brother's company's web page and am wondering what you think of this. I just threw it together in Dreamweaver and haven't cleaned up the script or checked browser compatability or anything. Oh, and how quickly does it load for you dial-up users?

Constructive criticism is preferred .. thanks ;)
 

SlowSS

Golden Member
Nov 28, 2002
1,573
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Very clean and good use of colors.

I would hot link those 5 images on left and to show bigger images to display it like a sample.
 

SherEPunjab

Diamond Member
Oct 23, 2002
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i really like everything but the way you break up the text. it breaks the continuity. don't do that.
 

conjur

No Lifer
Jun 7, 2001
58,686
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Overall good use of color and imagery but the mix of font types and sizes is kind of...well...unorganized to me.
 

SSP

Lifer
Oct 11, 1999
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I like the over all design, and like someone said, the text is the only thing I don't like. Also, I noticed that the top left logo is not too smooth (jagged lines), but then again it could be just my monitor.


Other then that, it looks good.
 

thirtythree

Diamond Member
Aug 7, 2001
8,680
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Originally posted by: SlowSS
Very clean and good use of colors.

I would hot link those 5 images on left and to show bigger images to display it like a sample.
I was planning to link them to full images but I don't think those are the actual examples he wants to use.

BTW, I know the links on the menu don't go anywhere too.
 

edro

Lifer
Apr 5, 2002
24,328
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Originally posted by: SSP
I like the over all design, and like someone said, the text is the only thing I don't like. Also, I noticed that the top left logo is not too smooth (jagged lines), but then again it could be just my monitor.


Other then that, it looks good.

Nope, I see it too. Sharpen up that image and it will look great!

 

SuperSix

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
9,873
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Originally posted by: edro13
Who is your host? I am looking for a new one........

I recommend MoonSlice

As far as the web design, I don't care for the font used, and agree with the other pesters in regards to the text.

Also, do something cool with the upper nav.. mouseovers, some sort of java effect perhaps.


Doh.. :D Fixed link

 

thirtythree

Diamond Member
Aug 7, 2001
8,680
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Originally posted by: SSP
I like the over all design, and like someone said, the text is the only thing I don't like. Also, I noticed that the top left logo is not too smooth (jagged lines), but then again it could be just my monitor.


Other then that, it looks good.
I will try to fix the anti-aliasing. Would just plain text look better? He designed that whole section of text so I'll have to ask him about it ..
 

thirtythree

Diamond Member
Aug 7, 2001
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Originally posted by: SuperSix
I recommend MoonSlice

As far as the web design, I don't care for the font used, and agree with the other pesters in regards to the text.

Also, do something cool with the upper nav.. mouseovers, some sort of java effect perhaps.
Which font? The logo, the menu, the title, the scattered text? Perhaps there are too many different fonts ..

EDIT: quoted wrong
EDIT2: and I wouldn't trust a company named moonlice (your URL is misspelled).
EDIT3 :): do the mouseovers not work for you?
 

ProviaFan

Lifer
Mar 17, 2001
14,993
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Looks good, loads fast, and a nice color choice, IMHO. Overall, I think you have an attractive site.

The only time I would have a problem with it is if I were wearing my accessibility hat, in which case I would be upset because your text isn't really text (rather, it is an unresizable bitmap - not able to be enlarged for those who can't see well and not able to have the color customized for those who have difficulties in that regard). If you were to give your images proper alt tags, the text issue would be lessened, because someone could just turn off the images and see the intended text anyway, and screen readers would be able to read the alt text that corresponds with that which is in the images.
 

thirtythree

Diamond Member
Aug 7, 2001
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Originally posted by: jliechty
Looks good, loads fast, and a nice color choice, IMHO. Overall, I think you have an attractive site.

The only time I would have a problem with it is if I were wearing my accessibility hat, in which case I would be upset because your text isn't really text (rather, it is an unresizable bitmap - not able to be enlarged for those who can't see well and not able to have the color customized for those who have difficulties in that regard). If you were to give your images proper alt tags, the text issue would be lessened, because someone could just turn off the images and see the intended text anyway, and screen readers would be able to read the alt text that corresponds with that which is in the images.
I just threw it together and haven't gone back to clean up code, add alt tags, etc. but I think I might get rid of the text image anyway since noone likes it.
 

thirtythree

Diamond Member
Aug 7, 2001
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Is there something wrong with using TD BACKGROUND="image.gif" because I noticed they don't show up in Netscape 3 that I just downloaded. Does anyone still use 3.0 browsers?
 

SherEPunjab

Diamond Member
Oct 23, 2002
3,841
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Originally posted by: Deslocke
Is there something wrong with using TD BACKGROUND="image.gif" because I noticed they don't show up in Netscape 3 that I just downloaded. Does anyone still use 3.0 browsers?

no. develop for 4.08 and above you'll be okay for the very few still on netscape.
 

ProviaFan

Lifer
Mar 17, 2001
14,993
1
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Originally posted by: SherEPunjab
Originally posted by: Deslocke
Is there something wrong with using TD BACKGROUND="image.gif" because I noticed they don't show up in Netscape 3 that I just downloaded. Does anyone still use 3.0 browsers?
no. develop for 4.08 and above you'll be okay for the very few still on netscape.
If you're going to use the widely-used traditional table "hack" for your layout, you can easily manage with supporting the 4.x browsers, but don't worry about anything before that, because people using those browsers deserve rude awakenings in the form of extremely ugly pages to indicate that they need to upgrade. ;)

OTOH, if you're developing with XHTML and CSS (which I do, since I'm not a web design pro, and I can take my time with my personal sites), you shouldn't start out trying to support anything before the 5.x browsers; the older ones mangle CSS so much that it's not even funny, and they are a major PITA to get to display CSS-formatted pages properly.
 

notfred

Lifer
Feb 12, 2001
38,241
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It looks pretty good, but is the entiure page one big image? I wouldn't recommend that for people on dial-up.
 

SSP

Lifer
Oct 11, 1999
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Originally posted by: Deslocke
Originally posted by: SSP
I like the over all design, and like someone said, the text is the only thing I don't like. Also, I noticed that the top left logo is not too smooth (jagged lines), but then again it could be just my monitor.


Other then that, it looks good.
I will try to fix the anti-aliasing. Would just plain text look better? He designed that whole section of text so I'll have to ask him about it ..

It wouldn?t hurt to try. Multi coloured, different font sizes are a bit confusing. I think that idea is only really good in flash sites where the text can enlarge and fade out to highlight what the end user is supposed to read... but in this case, it?s just a lot of text. I think the last thing you want to do is confuse your customers in a commercial web site.

I'd say try normal text or play around with it a bit more, and post multiple versions of it after you?re done. That way we can determine which one is the best design.
 

thirtythree

Diamond Member
Aug 7, 2001
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Originally posted by: jliechty
If you're going to use the widely-used traditional table "hack" for your layout, you can easily manage with supporting the 4.x browsers, but don't worry about anything before that, because people using those browsers deserve rude awakenings in the form of extremely ugly pages to indicate that they need to upgrade. ;)

OTOH, if you're developing with XHTML and CSS (which I do, since I'm not a web design pro, and I can take my time with my personal sites), you shouldn't start out trying to support anything before the 5.x browsers; the older ones mangle CSS so much that it's not even funny, and they are a major PITA to get to display CSS-formatted pages properly.
Well, I'm not a web design pro either. I'm only 16 and I don't even know what XHTML is (besides what I just looked up on webopedia). But anyway, what do you mean by "mangle.". I only used CSS on the scroll bar. Older browsers will just show the traditional scroll bar, correct?
 

thirtythree

Diamond Member
Aug 7, 2001
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Originally posted by: notfred
It looks pretty good, but is the entiure page one big image? I wouldn't recommend that for people on dial-up.
Not the entire page but all the text in the center if that is what you mean. It is only a 16 KB image but I will probably change it anyway because people don't like the broken text or the fact that you can't change the font size.
 

thirtythree

Diamond Member
Aug 7, 2001
8,680
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Originally posted by: SSP
Multi coloured, different font sizes are a bit confusing. I think that idea is only really good in flash sites where the text can enlarge and fade out to highlight what the end user is supposed to read... but in this case, it?s just a lot of text. I think the last thing you want to do is confuse your customers in a commercial web site.
I suppose I could make a giant Flash animation but that would be annoying and probably an even larger download.
I'd say try normal text or play around with it a bit more, and post multiple versions of it after you?re done. That way we can determine which one is the best design.
Will do .. not tonight though :)