New Design or Original?

[dj_hype]

Hi all, my first post here. Been a lurker for some time now but finally decided to post.

I'm not exactly looking for a critique but instead, a little help in a tough decision. But first, a little background. My site is dedicated to my car. The reason for the website and dropping $190 every 2 years for the past 4 is to give me something to do. So, I combined both and this is a result, my own website about my car. I'm also putting together a little bit of a production company for small time, mostly internet based releases. So, it doesn't need to have a corporate feel.

Thats why I opted for an original, frame styled site without the frames but, its leaving much to be desired. So, I got bored last night and came up with another simple, top panel type site. Now, I can't decide which on I want to use.

The original design is at http://www.hyper-productions.net and the new design is at http://www.hyper-productions.net/nd

The new design isnt complete yet either. It would probably be centered with a silver or greyish background and only take up a fixed amount in the center of the screen, optimized for 1024x768 or 800x600.

Please tell me what you think of either or both designs or tell me if I should scrap both of them and come up with something else. Please remember though, this is a personal site not designed for impressing potential customers or anything like that. That design will come later when I start my production company. Thanks in advance!

[linnetwoods]

No contest! I'd go with the original every time! Your design in the original is a whole lot more interesting although you could always experiment with the colours if you feel like a change....

I am not drastically keen on fixed width sites, preferring to do everything in percentages of whatever space is available on whatever monitors the site ends up on, making 800x600 quite a compact version but on anything larger the site keeping everything in the same relationships, just spread further apart.

The look of the new site (or at least the portion that is available for viewing) is too much like existing sites.... every other car site is silver... don't go there!

If you sticking with fixed width, you might consider a sort of car-shaped piece, created in the same look as the frame, heaps of shadow and only a vague, almost cartoonish car shape, down to the lower right, just to balance up the overall look... That way, it may not be visible on a smaller monitor unless the viewer scrolls but it will stop the screen looking like a desert on a larger monitor...

[metalcircuit]

I don't know. I think your new design has potential. The effect over the car is real neat looking. However, I don't like the links at a slant. If you work with the new design it could end up better. Good luck.

Bret - metalcircuit.com (http://www.metalcircuit.com)

[Anatoliy]

About your old site. I use dial-up so I was kinda disappointed when after a long waiting I realize that I was waiting for nothing - just a doorway with a huge picture 600px X 600px (108kb). I just closed the window in disappointment. I think 99% of your site visitors will do the same.