Feedback requested (Goanna Bakery)

Welcome back Blue! And thanks for reviewing some other sites before posting you own. One thing though: Got a URL?

I notice that this is an Untitled Document! Might want to change that

I think this looks pretty good. I like the lizard guy there, he gives some good character to the site right away. The title explains right away what the site is about, and I think the photo adds a lot of personality too. You know that this is a good friendly, down home sort of place. Feels good. I also like the lizard background in the content area - that's one of my favourite techniques

I think the front page could be layed out a little better - try taking the border off the table and maybe replacing some of the photos with more text-based information.

I'm also not too sure about the navbar, the way it curves like that is a little odd, and the pop-outs are annoying because they only come up for some items and seem really out of place. I would find a different way to do the navigation - maybe something more graphically interesting would be good here. It would be appropraite for the site to try something fun with the navigation.

More photos on the product pages would be good too. Maybe instead of having the pop-out menu there you can go to an index page which would have some nice photos of the breads, pasteries, and other.

Interesting to see the GF baking here - I've been GF on and off for about 2 years now.

One more thing - on the front page it says this bakery is in NSW - um, where???? I have no idea where that is. Okay, so I think that's in Australia but a lot of people wouldn't have a clue. You might end up with some random people showing up on this site lookging for GF stuff so it might be good to state clearly where you are and where you can send orders to.

Good luck!

Megan has pointed most of the needed comments to improve your site, so Ill be brief... When I opened the site, at once I see its quite good and ready... The Lizard image could be a little cartoony to make a welcoming feel, its more of a hard-rock type design which is cool but the site is not appropriate with it (This is one persons opinion anyways)...

Second the fonts are kinda small, the left navigation should have some visible arrows to show that it has sub categories... Other than these, making a crisper and cleaner images for the logo and banner as well as site titles and graphics, the site is pretty much cool...

Why don't you place some comments on images with ...?

Quote: Doh! Thankyou Jeeves

My pleasure! Such an easy mistake to make!

I'm finding the way the images jump from side-to-side very confusing (on the index page), the different width table cells with not very attractive borders and random pictures of people excentuate this. I'm wondering whether the blonde is organic? Is the guy putting something in an oven sourdough? Sorry, just the people seem a little strangely out of context!

The random menu on the right needs to go, it's very confusing as I don't immediately know how to use the site from here, as those links aren't part of the main menu I feel immediately confused about what they're there for.

Am definately not a fan of the left menu either and the pop-up menus are annoying, for one thing options shouldn't be hidden from the user - a bigger, better structured/styled menu would be preferable - and as Megan pointed out: They don't pop-out for every menu item.

The corners of the main content area are a little uneven - as in not quite meeting the edge of the box below - and should be anti-aliased (blended with the background colour), so they don't look so jagged.

The logo looks great though, and I like way the lizard is walking onto the edge of the design, very cute!
Another good thing is that you've got a quick line of text at the start which describes what you do, something many people miss.

Overall, yep it's cute. Am just not sure about the look and layout of the main content and the menus - they need to be integrated and the one on the right removed (or vice-versa).

Thanks for all the feedback and useful suggestions. Some comments in response:

- Meta tags have been completed now
- I would like to take credit for the lizard logo but i didn't make it it's their company logo. But I will take credit for the watermark background!
- The menu bar was supposed to simulate a Goanna (which is a lizard for those not familiar with Australian fauna). Maybe it gets the thumbs down. Was worth a try anyway.
- Good suggestion for the products index page Megan. Will do that when they give me more photos.
- Anti aliasing. Glad a few people mentioned that. I anti aliased the rounded corners and the banner but it still comes out jagged. Maybe cuz I used an old version of PS (like PS4!). I'll try it again on the newer version I have now.
- Alt tags - doh! done 'em now, but they don't seem to work on the logo, maybe because it's on a layer?

And too many good points from Jeeves to list. One question: I had trouble with the corners meeting the edge but it displays fine from where I can see. Are you using a different browser than IE?

I'll take a look at those menus ........

blue wrote: And too many good points from Jeeves to list.

Awww, thanks!

Yes I'm using Opera (more than just a browser *plug* *plug*). How're you drawing those corners? I'd use a work path in Photoshop personally, but am not sure they even exist in version 4.

Works well on Mac Safari, Firefox, IE 5.2

Nice and consistant. Logical! Well done.

Thanks Zell

Jeeves I got PS 7 now (grrrr dont like it). I haven't tried to do the corners yet but I'll give work paths a go. Ta

th only thing is the link index on the left kinda sticks out onto the white part in my 800x600 browser.

Very nice site though. i thought the logo was fine.

Checked out your site. The only thing that ...bugged me was the main photo. I guess I'm a bit fussy, but I try to color correct all my clients photos. I attached an example of a simple quick color correction . Just added more yellow and took out some of the "cyan" which was giving me an odd feeling.

The only other thing was the menu was kinda throwing me off. Besides thats it good.

I would of wrapped the whole site layout around a big closeup of a loaf of sourdough just coming out of the oven door. I never knew what the site was right away.

Oops. apparently attachements don't work. Heres the photo.

Cool thanks for the improved pic! And yes I noticed that the menu on the left can sneak into the main text area. Only does it on some computers though. I'm going to redo the menu as per the suggestions in previous posts ..... got to find the time is all .....

Thanks for all the helpful feedback peeps.

Blue