The minimalist approcah is OK, but the images are HUGE, over 700 kilos for a 100/70 or something similar image. I thought my connection is slow. make them a "bit" smaller. At their size the should be 7-10 kilos not hundreds. The header image is not aligned with the main table, make sure they fit pixel to pixel.
And the header image: the text can be hardly seen. use a stroke or a discreet shadow.
james.thornton posted this at 17:11 — 3rd March 2005.
your 3 images on the homepage are way too big, you need to size them to thier actual size. (the left one is 2956X1893, great for print, but not so much for the internet)
your content areas really need padding, like 8px or so, plus you should use a lighter font color... maybe even just #333
image href borders don't have colors set, i would suggest a theme color with hover attributes
just my opinion, HTH
bja888 (not verified) posted this at 19:40 — 3rd March 2005.
If you dident know....
if you give a image like (100 X 20) It will load the full image and just change the way it looks on the page. A 1,000,000 pixel wide image loades like a 1,000,000 pixel wide image should. Even it its this big on the page --> <--
Other than that... everything is all jumbled togeather. Try a smaller font or more space around it.
You're just using this for practice, right? You're not actually trying to sell services or anything.
I think you should look for some beginners guides. Maybe a good book would be helpful in getting you started in standard web design and graphic techniques. Also look closely at what other sites are doing, particularly the more modern designs.
The image at the top uses white text, but also fades down to white. This makes the text a little difficult to read. Also, for some reason, I expected the blue at the top of the image to match the blue that was the background of the page. Not sure if that's just me.
In your design section, you have an image that says No Fuss, Unlimited Pages, Fully Customizable, and From 15. The No Fuss is subjective (ie opinion) while the rest are fact. I would suggest changing that for something that no one could disagree with, because it is fact.
The colors also just seem not to go together. Have you tried using one of the free color scheme generators (also known as color wheels) on the web?
OK. You may or may not agree with a lot of what I am about to say here but I'm gonna say it anyway. If it upsets you or you feel its unjustified, remember its my opinion, thats all...
Disclaimer over...
The navigation is very weak. Having the link hidden right at the bottom of the page does not make it simple to move around the site at all especially when you have to scroll all the way to the bottom to find the links.
The design page does not clearly state your services at all and why I should choose you as a designer. There is no skill set, no indication of techniques used and next to nothing to help me decide if you can handle the job.
The services page is the same. Are you serious working for £10/day? How many hours do I get for that? If it's 8 then you are working for £1.25/hour which simply makes you look cheap and easy to rip off.
The portfolio page. "The company didn't help matters when they insisted on having red as their main colour scheme - every web designer's nightmare" If I was your client that single comment would really annoy me as I am your client paying you money for a site and couldn't care less if it causes you problems or not. You are providing a service and should not castigate a client on their choice of colour scheme.
T and C - "On the services page when we say 'the great thing about us is that anything you want us doing - we will do it' - this offer is in reason. Request must be reasonable." So you are now retracting a statement that you made but hiding it in the terms? How many clients will read this and then just get annoyed at later stage? Be upfront with people as hidden caveats are guaranteed to get peoples backs up.
You also mention the PayPal is the only accepted method. So If I wanted to pay you by cheque or pay cash into your account I can't. 100% of my clients pay in this way and the fact that you only offer online payment does not inspire trust.
Overall the site lacks professionalism, polish, does not inspire trust and does not portray an image that will persuade people to buy from you at all.
If you are serious about offering professional web design services to others and then taking their cash for it, get your own house in order first.
One last thing, and this is bound to get me flamed, I get about two to three requests per week to sort out a clients site that has been done but someone who thought it would be fun to be a "web designer" and then lost interest. Its not them that suffers its the client and the design industry as a whole and it also gives web design agencies a bad name. It makes it even harder for me and others who do this for a living to gain a clients trust when they've already been shafted by someone else.
I honestly think you need to sit down and think very long and hard if this is the career for you...
heebiejeebieclu posted this at 19:38 — 5th March 2005.
I am not entering it as a career, simply as a sideline job. There is nothing wrong with that. If my site gets no clients, my site gets no clients. If my site gets clients, my site gets clients.
Also, I have looked at the more immediately fixable aspects of my site and I will be fixing them ASAP
Thats my point. What happens to your clients if you decide you don't want to do your sideline job any more? They are then left in limbo for another designer to sort out.
There is nothing wring with dabbling when you are building sites for friends and family but if you are providing a professional service for a business that is paying you money then you need to ensure that you give everything to the job in hand.
There are many, many wannabe designers out there but the ones that will, and do, succeed are the ones that take the whole issue of designing a web site incredibly seriously and don't treat the whole thing a bit of sideline income...
Sorry if this comes out as a rant but I get frustrated with having to sort out other peoples mistakes or picking up the pieces of a site because the original designer got bored/frustrated/went bust*
Take a look at the portfolios of some of the designers here on TWF and if you feel you cannot compete with them, beacuse believe me the competition in this industry is nuts, then don't take money off a business who expects a professional service.
*delete as applicable
heebiejeebieclu posted this at 20:10 — 5th March 2005.
All my clients I will treat with respect and I will not leave them mid-job. I do take it seriously - all my clients will get all due care and attention
Index page:
The 'services' and 'portfolio' images aren't clickable (design image is).
The logo and image sections don't line up
The text links at the bottom are to small and to close to the images
Is is Tac or TOS ?
The whole thing is yelling it needs more space
portfolio:
broken image, second one down and the link is http://www.btinternet.com/~music.crush/(EmptyReference!)
I don't think the green goes with the gradient, but each to their own.
The font, especially for the heading (topics) needs a bit more oompf, maybe just loose the > and make them bold
I think what Phil means to say is that doing paid web design work is a skilled trade. Contrary to popuar belief, it is not something that anyone can do, it is not easy, and it isn't even all that much fun. Even some of us with years of experience don't feel capable enough as designers or as business people to be offering web design for sale. I personally feel that it's extremely unethical to be selling a product that I know isn't of top quality.
Please don't take this too personally - it is something that happens a lot around here and we just happen to be picking on you . Web development has a repuation for being easy and a quick money maker. It's not. Even if you have a good idea like the founders of yahoo and google did, you need the skills to back it up. In other industries this wouldn't happen. If you were to pick up, say, carpentry, you wouldn't go trying to sell your stuff after only a few piddly home projects, would you? It's the same thing.
The other thing is that unsuspecting clients may believe that they can get a good quality product for bargain basement prices. They've heard the rumors about how easy it is to design a website. So they could fall for it. Too bad for them, because they'll end up having to pay Phil to fix it for them
There's nothing wrong with working for free (as long as those you are working for understand that you're a beginner), or working on personal projects, or team projects with friends. There is a lot you can do with that. And that's okay. There is a lot to learn about web design or development. Become a photoshop whiz. Learn everything there is to know about PHP. Take a programming course. Get a book on graphic design. Build the best fan site on the web for your favourite (celebrity, sports team, tv show, etc.)
It's okay to take time learning - you've got time. What's not okay is trying to sell unsuspecting customers a substandard product. And if you can't see the difference between your site and the site of a good quality designer (like phil), I don't know what else to say.
wow, twf just layed into your stuff, buddy. take it from me, listen to the advice here, sometimes it may not seem like the right thing, but trust me it is. gl
The first thing that strikes me, is the text 'professional web design' on the image at the top is a little lost against the white fading. I like the principle of the site though - very clean and easy to use in general.
heebiejeebieclu posted this at 11:44 — 6th March 2005.
so do you think i should close the site down until i get more experienced? Perhaps webmaster a few forums/sites and learn php like you said?
I think you are right. Even if i don't have a design business that doesn't mean i have to give up webmastering. I already have one forum. I could just be a webmaster until I aquire more saleable skills.
heebiejeebieclu wrote: I think you are right. Even if i don't have a design business that doesn't mean i have to give up webmastering. I already have one forum. I could just be a webmaster until I aquire more saleable skills.
I think that would a perfect solution. Once you have built up the experience then reconsider selling your services. In the mean time you will gain valuable experience and understanding without risk and I gurantee you will not only enjoy it more but benefit it from it!
Good luck and although I have been critical, advice from all of us here at TWF will never be far away...
heebiejeebieclu wrote: so do you think i should close the site down until i get more experienced? Perhaps webmaster a few forums/sites and learn php like you said?
That sounds like a good idea. You could also change the focus of the site and make it a personal site or a blog or something. I'm finding that I'm learning a lot by blogging about my learning experiences. Having a personal site would allow you to experiment with a lot of stuff too.
I am going to have a string of random but hopefully popular sites. If there are any gaps in what people want, i will fill them. will keep you posted (excuse the pun)
StraitNoChaser posted this at 05:32 — 10th March 2005.
Sure takes a long time to load on my 1m connection
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dojo posted this at 21:36 — 27th February 2005.
She has: 87 posts
Joined: Dec 2004
The minimalist approcah is OK, but the images are HUGE, over 700 kilos for a 100/70 or something similar image. I thought my connection is slow. make them a "bit" smaller. At their size the should be 7-10 kilos not hundreds. The header image is not aligned with the main table, make sure they fit pixel to pixel.
And the header image: the text can be hardly seen. use a stroke or a discreet shadow.
james.thornton posted this at 17:11 — 3rd March 2005.
They have: 42 posts
Joined: Jan 2005
Hmmm, don't know about everybody else but I get a 404!
nicora posted this at 18:34 — 3rd March 2005.
He has: 267 posts
Joined: Nov 2001
just a few quick things:
your 3 images on the homepage are way too big, you need to size them to thier actual size. (the left one is 2956X1893, great for print, but not so much for the internet)
your content areas really need padding, like 8px or so, plus you should use a lighter font color... maybe even just #333
image href borders don't have colors set, i would suggest a theme color with hover attributes
just my opinion, HTH
bja888 (not verified) posted this at 19:40 — 3rd March 2005.
They have: 5,633 posts
Joined: Jan 1970
If you dident know....
if you give a image like (100 X 20) It will load the full image and just change the way it looks on the page. A 1,000,000 pixel wide image loades like a 1,000,000 pixel wide image should. Even it its this big on the page --> <--
Other than that... everything is all jumbled togeather. Try a smaller font or more space around it.
Megan posted this at 15:39 — 4th March 2005.
She has: 11,421 posts
Joined: Jun 1999
You're just using this for practice, right? You're not actually trying to sell services or anything.
I think you should look for some beginners guides. Maybe a good book would be helpful in getting you started in standard web design and graphic techniques. Also look closely at what other sites are doing, particularly the more modern designs.
Megan
Connect with us on Facebook!
heebiejeebieclu posted this at 19:29 — 4th March 2005.
They have: 527 posts
Joined: Aug 2004
So, just to clarify, apart from the images, what exactly is wrong with my site? I'm kind of getting mixed messages here
timjpriebe posted this at 20:19 — 4th March 2005.
He has: 2,667 posts
Joined: Dec 2004
Here's my opinion:
The image at the top uses white text, but also fades down to white. This makes the text a little difficult to read. Also, for some reason, I expected the blue at the top of the image to match the blue that was the background of the page. Not sure if that's just me.
In your design section, you have an image that says No Fuss, Unlimited Pages, Fully Customizable, and From 15. The No Fuss is subjective (ie opinion) while the rest are fact. I would suggest changing that for something that no one could disagree with, because it is fact.
The colors also just seem not to go together. Have you tried using one of the free color scheme generators (also known as color wheels) on the web?
Tim
http://www.tandswebdesign.com
heebiejeebieclu posted this at 17:20 — 5th March 2005.
They have: 527 posts
Joined: Aug 2004
No - but will do ASAP
openmind posted this at 18:13 — 5th March 2005.
He has: 945 posts
Joined: Aug 2001
OK. You may or may not agree with a lot of what I am about to say here but I'm gonna say it anyway. If it upsets you or you feel its unjustified, remember its my opinion, thats all...
Disclaimer over...
The navigation is very weak. Having the link hidden right at the bottom of the page does not make it simple to move around the site at all especially when you have to scroll all the way to the bottom to find the links.
The design page does not clearly state your services at all and why I should choose you as a designer. There is no skill set, no indication of techniques used and next to nothing to help me decide if you can handle the job.
The services page is the same. Are you serious working for £10/day? How many hours do I get for that? If it's 8 then you are working for £1.25/hour which simply makes you look cheap and easy to rip off.
The portfolio page. "The company didn't help matters when they insisted on having red as their main colour scheme - every web designer's nightmare" If I was your client that single comment would really annoy me as I am your client paying you money for a site and couldn't care less if it causes you problems or not. You are providing a service and should not castigate a client on their choice of colour scheme.
T and C - "On the services page when we say 'the great thing about us is that anything you want us doing - we will do it' - this offer is in reason. Request must be reasonable." So you are now retracting a statement that you made but hiding it in the terms? How many clients will read this and then just get annoyed at later stage? Be upfront with people as hidden caveats are guaranteed to get peoples backs up.
You also mention the PayPal is the only accepted method. So If I wanted to pay you by cheque or pay cash into your account I can't. 100% of my clients pay in this way and the fact that you only offer online payment does not inspire trust.
Overall the site lacks professionalism, polish, does not inspire trust and does not portray an image that will persuade people to buy from you at all.
If you are serious about offering professional web design services to others and then taking their cash for it, get your own house in order first.
One last thing, and this is bound to get me flamed, I get about two to three requests per week to sort out a clients site that has been done but someone who thought it would be fun to be a "web designer" and then lost interest. Its not them that suffers its the client and the design industry as a whole and it also gives web design agencies a bad name. It makes it even harder for me and others who do this for a living to gain a clients trust when they've already been shafted by someone else.
I honestly think you need to sit down and think very long and hard if this is the career for you...
heebiejeebieclu posted this at 19:38 — 5th March 2005.
They have: 527 posts
Joined: Aug 2004
I am not entering it as a career, simply as a sideline job. There is nothing wrong with that. If my site gets no clients, my site gets no clients. If my site gets clients, my site gets clients.
Also, I have looked at the more immediately fixable aspects of my site and I will be fixing them ASAP
openmind posted this at 19:48 — 5th March 2005.
He has: 945 posts
Joined: Aug 2001
Thats my point. What happens to your clients if you decide you don't want to do your sideline job any more? They are then left in limbo for another designer to sort out.
There is nothing wring with dabbling when you are building sites for friends and family but if you are providing a professional service for a business that is paying you money then you need to ensure that you give everything to the job in hand.
There are many, many wannabe designers out there but the ones that will, and do, succeed are the ones that take the whole issue of designing a web site incredibly seriously and don't treat the whole thing a bit of sideline income...
Sorry if this comes out as a rant but I get frustrated with having to sort out other peoples mistakes or picking up the pieces of a site because the original designer got bored/frustrated/went bust*
Take a look at the portfolios of some of the designers here on TWF and if you feel you cannot compete with them, beacuse believe me the competition in this industry is nuts, then don't take money off a business who expects a professional service.
*delete as applicable
heebiejeebieclu posted this at 20:10 — 5th March 2005.
They have: 527 posts
Joined: Aug 2004
All my clients I will treat with respect and I will not leave them mid-job. I do take it seriously - all my clients will get all due care and attention
Busy posted this at 20:24 — 5th March 2005.
He has: 6,151 posts
Joined: May 2001
Index page:
The 'services' and 'portfolio' images aren't clickable (design image is).
The logo and image sections don't line up
The text links at the bottom are to small and to close to the images
Is is Tac or TOS ?
The whole thing is yelling it needs more space
portfolio:
broken image, second one down and the link is http://www.btinternet.com/~music.crush/(EmptyReference!)
I don't think the green goes with the gradient, but each to their own.
The font, especially for the heading (topics) needs a bit more oompf, maybe just loose the > and make them bold
Megan posted this at 02:24 — 6th March 2005.
She has: 11,421 posts
Joined: Jun 1999
Heebie,
I think what Phil means to say is that doing paid web design work is a skilled trade. Contrary to popuar belief, it is not something that anyone can do, it is not easy, and it isn't even all that much fun. Even some of us with years of experience don't feel capable enough as designers or as business people to be offering web design for sale. I personally feel that it's extremely unethical to be selling a product that I know isn't of top quality.
Please don't take this too personally - it is something that happens a lot around here and we just happen to be picking on you
. Web development has a repuation for being easy and a quick money maker. It's not. Even if you have a good idea like the founders of yahoo and google did, you need the skills to back it up. In other industries this wouldn't happen. If you were to pick up, say, carpentry, you wouldn't go trying to sell your stuff after only a few piddly home projects, would you? It's the same thing.
The other thing is that unsuspecting clients may believe that they can get a good quality product for bargain basement prices. They've heard the rumors about how easy it is to design a website. So they could fall for it. Too bad for them, because they'll end up having to pay Phil to fix it for them
There's nothing wrong with working for free (as long as those you are working for understand that you're a beginner), or working on personal projects, or team projects with friends. There is a lot you can do with that. And that's okay. There is a lot to learn about web design or development. Become a photoshop whiz. Learn everything there is to know about PHP. Take a programming course. Get a book on graphic design. Build the best fan site on the web for your favourite (celebrity, sports team, tv show, etc.)
It's okay to take time learning - you've got time. What's not okay is trying to sell unsuspecting customers a substandard product. And if you can't see the difference between your site and the site of a good quality designer (like phil), I don't know what else to say.
Megan
Connect with us on Facebook!
nicora posted this at 08:46 — 6th March 2005.
He has: 267 posts
Joined: Nov 2001
wow, twf just layed into your stuff, buddy. take it from me, listen to the advice here, sometimes it may not seem like the right thing, but trust me it is. gl
kthxbye
simcom posted this at 10:31 — 6th March 2005.
They have: 8 posts
Joined: Mar 2005
The first thing that strikes me, is the text 'professional web design' on the image at the top is a little lost against the white fading. I like the principle of the site though - very clean and easy to use in general.
heebiejeebieclu posted this at 11:44 — 6th March 2005.
They have: 527 posts
Joined: Aug 2004
so do you think i should close the site down until i get more experienced? Perhaps webmaster a few forums/sites and learn php like you said?
I think you are right. Even if i don't have a design business that doesn't mean i have to give up webmastering. I already have one forum. I could just be a webmaster until I aquire more saleable skills.
Everyone agree?
openmind posted this at 11:47 — 6th March 2005.
He has: 945 posts
Joined: Aug 2001
I think that would a perfect solution. Once you have built up the experience then reconsider selling your services. In the mean time you will gain valuable experience and understanding without risk and I gurantee you will not only enjoy it more but benefit it from it!
Good luck and although I have been critical, advice from all of us here at TWF will never be far away...
Megan posted this at 15:05 — 6th March 2005.
She has: 11,421 posts
Joined: Jun 1999
That sounds like a good idea. You could also change the focus of the site and make it a personal site or a blog or something. I'm finding that I'm learning a lot by blogging about my learning experiences. Having a personal site would allow you to experiment with a lot of stuff too.
Megan
Connect with us on Facebook!
heebiejeebieclu posted this at 16:41 — 6th March 2005.
They have: 527 posts
Joined: Aug 2004
I am going to have a string of random but hopefully popular sites. If there are any gaps in what people want, i will fill them. will keep you posted (excuse the pun)
StraitNoChaser posted this at 05:32 — 10th March 2005.
He has: 10 posts
Joined: Mar 2005
Sure takes a long time to load on my 1m connection
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