Critic Website Direction

[pureconcepts]

I have had this site design up for the past few years representing an individual hobby in web technology. It has recently grown out of the garage, sort of speak, and I am planning to redesign the site. Any suggestions from the great Powweb Community would be much appreciated.

www.pureconcepts.net

Thanks

[damber]

Left menu, only shows Text when my mouse is over the squares. (E.g. "about", "home", "news" etc..), otherwise I don't know what they are. Home Page -> Dark Grey text on a light grey background its a little hard to see. Maybe you could bold certain key words on the home page to make them stand out (I like the About Page, nice logo mix with blue and grey, and text is easier to read. Also the Referral Page. Good use of paragraphs and highlighting different parts of the text.) A lot of wasted "white" space on the left. I think you designed it for 800*600, seems quite open at a res of 1280 * 1024. Though if your going to completely redesign it........then this comment seems obsolete.

FYI -> Windows XP using Firefox 1.0 browser.

Cheers,

Damien.

www.emuvideo.com

[YvetteKuhns]

Since you are planning to redesign your site, you may want to look at other websites for ideas. Think about what you like or don't like. But be sure to design for your target audience. If you are offering web design and programming services, your target audience is people who DON'T know how to do this stuff. Ask someone like my husband who wouldn't know what to do at your site as it is now. :D

Everyone here knows I am not a fan of gray websites. Too much gray is like a cloudy, rainy day - very depressing. Your logo has blue and gray and the logo blends into the gray background instead of standing out. (See about page) The site could use more color, but not too much more color.

I am also not a fan of those generic photos that seem to be on many websites. (see referral page for example) Take your OWN original photos or graphics, please. Unless the graphics truly enhance the site, don't feel obligated to include them.

The copyright info should appear at the bottom of each page. The contact page should have your business (calling) hours, even if people do ignore them and call at 2 AM ! :rolleyes: The services page has a list of services, but no explanation of them. They don't link to anything, though they could link to the portfolio.

The portfolio page shows websites done with previous employers. You should have permission to include them, and this work may be outdated or changed. It is probably better not to include them. No one's portfolio includes all their work, especially if you have some work not suitable for general audiences. ;)

Your future design should be fluid to fill any screen size and still look nice. If you offer web design services, your site must look more professional. It shouldn't look like it was made in Dreamweaver or Front Page, even if it was. And be sure to allow your visitors to see the navigation menu! :D