ok. i think i'm ready. but be gentle... - www.2kcut.com ~ please critique

Well I think you actually did the opposite of what they wanted. It's not very easy to navigate for one. Here is what I think needs to be changed:

1) the pull-down menu makes it hard to navigate, i would make buttons down the side like you have for "email, home, etc..."

2) the buttons have jagged edges around the edges, you might want to smooth them out.

3) i can see where the background image starts and ends. you might want to make what they call a "seamless background." background where you can see where the image starts and ends doesn't look good.

4) the colors are well, bright. i really don't like that bright blue/green/teal color. if you still are going to use a background image though, i would at least make it white text.

5) you are leaving out people with 640x480 width screens. i use that width, and it's really anoying to have to scroll left and right to read what it says.

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FireBurn Web Publishing - fireburn.com
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thanks, kid.

I've gone to an all black background on all pages. But I'm leaving everything else the way it is for now. I'd love to make all my images gifs so that they are transparent, but my sources don't always allow that option. And I'm a little new at this, but in time, I know I'll figure it out.

As far as your screen size, have you tried changing it? You can do this easily by going to your Start button--> Settings--> Control Panel--> Display--> Settings--> Desktop Area--> slide to 800x600. Click on OK.

If something annoys me, I do what I can to change it. I find that I don't have the problem you described when I view any web sites (using 800x600). Hope this helps.

I appreciate your time and your input. Hopefully I will get a little positive feedback from this point forward. I'm glad I said "be gentle." : )

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[email protected] 2kcut.com
Millennium Cutlery: pocket knives & other cutlery-25% below retail

Thank you, Carolyn, for so much construction criticism. I do have some questions, so that I can get to work on it...

1) By visual links, are you talking about buttons? or can they be all text links? I have about 70+ pages so far, and am up to 30 knife makers right now. If I'm to list each on the left side of each page, it could be a pretty long list.

2) You mentioned something about using some other colors to go with the knife "feel" ~ please give me suggestions (and color numbers, since apparently I'm seeing different colors than everybody else : )

3) Agree that the text is too big ~ guess I was thinking of the old timers (hehe), but hopefully they have some arrangement already to view smaller text (I mean, they're ON the internet, right?!)

4) So maybe create a graphic for the brand index link or something? My husband is a "knife guy" and wanted the "click here" ~ I know I don't need it, but I'm not my target audience. What do you think?

5) As far as the "kick off your shoes" ~~~ I know. It's my sense of humor coming out. I hate an "all business" site, and was hoping to "lighten things up" ~ any other thoughts for a "welcome" grabber?

Thank you SOOO much for your critique. Very helpful. Write more!

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[email protected] 2kcut.com
Millennium Cutlery: pocket knives & other cutlery-25% below retail

Positive feedback is a very rare thing Usually critiques are, well, criticism: people generally want to know what's bad and needs changing. If I don't say anything good, that doesn't mean your site's awful at all. And on that note:

- The bright green on black is a little disconcerting. Try a more standard white or grey text colour.

- Most users of 640x480 screens either have a monitor that won't go any higher or don't know how to change their resolution. Designing for higher resolutions is your choice, but users of 640x480 will NOT switch resolutions to visit your site. (Actually, you also block out users of high resolutions like 768x1024.)

- Navigation is quite unclear. The pull-down menu is good, but the rest is not straightforward. Specifically, the navigation bar on the left should all be in the same style - not some buttons and some text - and things which aren't sections of your site, like "Promote your site" and "Free links page" should not be there.

- Your home page says "Return to brand index", yet that will be the first page most users visit - they're not "returning" anywhere.

- Non-design but very serious problem with your order form. First, you don't use a secure form. This is in reality a relatively small risk, though it can really stop people from ordering from you. I personally wouldn't order via a non-secure form, not because of the slight security risks, but because without any certificates, etc., the risk of dealing with an untrustworthy company is greater.

More important than that, though, is that by looking at your page's source, it appears as if the credit card numbers are being e-mailed to you ([email protected]). This is a REAL security risk - the brief time when numbers travel across the net is not a big problem, but if it then waits in a relatively insecure mailbox for hours, is stored on your ISP's computer and on yours... that is a true security risk.

As for being gentle: your logo is very nice, and the catalogue structure is good as well.

dyc, thank you for your gentle manner with me. it IS appreciated.

help me understand something... the colors i chose came from the page wizard i was using, and show up on MY screen as a nice pale turquoise. why is it so bright to you and kid? i'm just baffled, that's all. will gladly change it to grey if you're sure it's really bright green on your side....

not sure what to do about the size issue. please offer tips... i don't understand, i guess, how i'm supposed to do that.. : (

as far as navigation, i thought i was offering a choice in the pulldown menu, the brand index on the left (most knife guys are used to the brand index) and at the bottom (will fix the wording there ~ right-o!!!)

and i was going for a mix on the left side to keep it from being boring... i should go back to all buttons, then? and move non-navigational stuff down to the bottom?

how about with affiliates where you are making money for all clicks or sales? that's the only reason i had those there. would it be acceptable to just move them down further on the screen maybe?

Should receive software tomorrow or Friday for the credit card and check acceptance WITH secure server. Yeah, you're right about that. I feel the same way. That's why I offered the print & fax in option as well. It's only temporary.

thanks for everything, and i would honestly appreciate more comments from you on the above. (my husband's cousin designed the logo, btw.) glad you like the catalog structure.

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[email protected] 2kcut.com
Millennium Cutlery: pocket knives & other cutlery-25% below retail

Hi there Tiny,
First off I really like the logo, great knifey feel texture .
I don't mind the pull downs but think you should also offer visable links as well --- more options at first glance.
As for the turquoise color, I don't mind that so much either even though I think a couple of other colors might compliment the steel feeling of the logo a little better. I think the body text is too large. I would use a different color for the link text, we know they're links but it's nice to have a little variety . Would also make the link text match, I see bold on one item and normal on the next. If you want to highlight one item over the other try a smashing little graphic. Lastly, something about the words:
"Sit back and get comfortable ~ make yourself at home.
Kick your shoes off!

I've seen similar wording before, mostly on personal pages and really don't feel they belong in a "business" site -- maybe a game site or a an "entertainement" site. Not that people don't want to get cozy while buying knives, but I think they will feel more like trusting and "purchasing" if your site has a little more of a business feeling.

take care,
Carolyn

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My screen can't go any higher than 640x480, and I wouldn't change it just too view a site. Also I couldn't see your changes because I got a cannot find server error.

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FireBurn Web Publishing - fireburn.com
Low cost web design, graphic design, and more!