Please Review- Again

It does look better than before. However I think that some of the same problems that the first one had this one has also. Here is the list of things:

• Graphics - your graphics could still use a lot of improvement. The Englenet graphic on the front page looks okay. The card picture is better but you have got to replace that graphic. It's horrible. The buttons on the left side need to be more constistent. It appears that several different text sizes and fonts have been used. Also some of the text is flowing out of the green into the drop shadow area, ie Trivia Ladder. All of your graphics should have alt tags.
• Text - why do you insist on using the neon text. The only text that looks good on a gray background is white, IMHO. The colors can be distracting and hard to read.
• Gin Page - this page was just awful. The graphics were terrible. The yellow and green text made me gag. The best looking graphic, sadly on that page was an ad banner.The buttons didn't line up. You also need to set the border =0 on these images.

Some things left over from your first post are: graphics, lack of any information as to what this site is about. Here are a list of things that Megan Jack listed from a previous review:

Quote:
1. Choose a colour scheme - it's usually best to pick 2 or three colours that match (plus white) and stick to them. Lime green and red do not match. Ever.
2. If you're going to use a coloured sidebar like that you need to set your tables up to ensure that text doesn't overlap it when it's not supposed to. (try resizing your window and you'll see what I mean)
3. Learn how to make graphics - your logo here looks really sketchy and overoptimized.
4. Visit http://www.coolhomepages.com

Most of these things have not been addressed. This is the fourth time that you have asked for review on this site. Every time suggestions are offered. Every time these suggestions are ignored. Then you ask for another review. If you follow none of our advice then why do you ask for it?

Quote: It appears that several different text sizes and fonts have been used

If I used the same text size, they would not all fit.
They are all the same font.
Do you have any suggestions for a different color for the buttons? I've tried many, but I've gotten bad reviews.
The neon-green text is going down, ASAP.
I will use a white text, but do you have any suggestions for the font type or the size?
I'd prefer to keep it small.
Do you have any suggestions for graphic-making programs?
I've tried JASC's Paint Shop Pro 7 to make the buttons.
I recently loaded Adobe Photoshop 5.5, again.
And as for not changing things from previous reviews, I did change the red-green combination. I'm pretty sure that I changed the tables so they don't overlap.
And how was the load time?
A harsh, but helpful review. Thank you!

I couldn't tell you about the load time. I use a cable modem and it was fine there but that may not tell you much. I really was not trying to be too harsh on you. I know that you can do better though.

If you look at the 'G' in Gin Ladders & the 'G' in General Rules, the text is clearly different. Even the kerning (space between the letters is different). When you create a button like that, always create it in Photoshop as a .PSD image with all the layers intact. That way it is pretty easy to create a new button or change the text. If you want, I could do you a button and send you the file. Dissecting someone else's work can be a good way to learn.

That would be great, if you could send me a button.
How would you want to send it?
If you noticed, I was messing around yesterday with photoshop, and created a new image at the top of http://www.e-ngl.net
I know its simple, but I'd just like to know what you think of it.
Thank you

Which is the new design??

The moving "The NGL Gaming Ladders" is new.
I'm still working on it.

Mairving, when you said that my buttons were "too optimized" I think I know whats wrong.
When I use buttons, my site loads slow, so I compress the images.
Is there a better way to improve load time than compressing images?

So this page http://www.e-ngl.net/ is the page you want critiqued???

Well, those buttons are rather large so you could make them a lot smaller to save on load time. One of the problems with using buttons like this is that they look really stupid if the titles on them aren't the same size (if the font sizes are different, which means that each title should be about the same length).

Now, it's obvious to me that your graphics skills still need a lot of work. I find that a lot of the time people who don't have very good graphics skills will tend to try to use fancy effects like bevels and drop shadows, but usually fail in their attempts. The bevels on your buttons, for example, are very cheesy looking and the drop shadow and bevel on the logo is just bad. When you're just starting out, I think it's better to go with more of a simple look.

For your logo, lose the effects and just use the site title in a unique font - there are tons of places online to download interesting fonts. Look for something that seems to suit your topic, and make sure that your logo text is on the same background as your site design (right now your logo is on a white background, but the page has a grey background and it doesn't look good). For the navbar, you may even be able to use plain HTML.

For the rest of the design, you still need to decide on a good colour scheme and design idea. As I've said before, you should make your design reflect your topic by using images of playing cards and a suitable colour scheme. I think I elaborated more on this in my last review.

I'm also noticing that you need to work on your content formatting - bulleted lists would be really helpful, and you need better spacing etc. as well.

Webmistress: http://www.e-ngl.net and http://www.e-ngl.net/gin are the site I would like reviewed.
Megan: Do you think a javascript navbar would be better?
Should I go back to frames?
Another thought I had, was to do a javascript/DHTML that stretches across the top, instead down the side.
I'm learning a lot of new design things, and I'd just like to know what would be best to use.
Thanks

A quick mod would be to set your bg color to white so that people like myself whose browser sets the bg to grey when no bg color is defined could view your page correctly...

The load time on a 33.6 was pretty bad. I watched the status bar say it was downloading 235K, 232K, 247K, 164K, etc. What have you got there? I really don't see anything that justifies this.

>>If I used the same text size, they would not all fit.
They are all the same font.<<

You are distorting the text on the buttons by stretching it or squishing it, that's why they look inconsistent. Keep the buttons the same size, keep the font the same size. They can also be much narrower in height. You will have varying amounts of leftover space, but they will look much more consistent.

I like to use a crisp, easy-to-read sans serif in all caps for buttons. I think this is easier on the eye at smaller sizes than a serif in upper/lower and doesn't clash with a fancier font in the logo or page heads. Something like Verdana works nicely. Check out the buttons here:

http://www.13thbombsquadron.org/index1.html

I would also add a "contact" or "email" link to your nav bar.

First on e-ngl.net you get a horizontal scroll bar at 800*600. This is because you have not specified any width (pixels or percentages) for your table.

The buttons look too big & you must make the text the same size. Decide on how big you want the buttons to be & set the text size according to the "Sign up in advance" as this has the most letters. Obviously the others will not fill up the button but they will all look the same.

The animated gif with the "The NGL Gaming Ladders" looks awfull. Either do away with the stipes as a background and have a solid colour so that your gif can have the same colour or do away with the animation (the same goes for the E-NGL.net logo - it looks odd with a white background). Where you have it as a transparent background the text just doesn't work at all well.

The rest of the images just look like they have been plonked on the page. Think about the overall layout and rethink them.

On e-ngl.net/gin you have too many head tags & two titles. Again you haven't specified a table width. The buttons again all need to be the same text size and lined up.

Thank you everyone for your replies on the current page.
I have a few options now, so please tell me which you think would look best:
A javascript/HTML navbar on the left.

Frames (again)

Javascript/HTML navbar stretching across the top.

Different images

Flash

To create a simple button in Photoshop.

• Create a new image usually with a transparent background.
• Go ahead and create a new layer.
• Zoom in with the magnifier a bit so that you can be more precise. Make sure though that you can see all of the image on the screen.
• First pick a color, then I like to use the rounded rectangle tool, so click this one. Now starting in the top left hand corner drag the image all the way from edge to edge. If you put the edge of the rectangle right at the edge of the image, then you don't have to worry about the jagged edges as much.
• Once you have your rectangle, go over to the layer box, usually on your right and double click on this layer. Now check off Bevel and Emboss.
• Now double click on the Bevel and Emboss. Check off anti-aliasing.
• So you have your button. Now let's add some text. First pick a Font, I kind of like Tahoma, Bold, 12-14pt, Smooth (anti-aliased). Once you select the font, add the text and center the text on the Beveled and Embossed rectangle.
• Now go back over to the layer box and double click on the text layer. Check off the drop shadow. This helps to give it a more professional look.
• Now save your file, I like to Save it as Optimixed though ImageReady in a GIF32 format. Also make sure that you save your this as a PSD file so that you can quickly make a new button since the PSD file has the layers intact.

This is just a simple way of doing a button. You can improve upon it from there. Hope this helps.

Hmmm
Were those directions for Adobe Photoshop 5.5?
I tried that, and didn't see a thing like that at all...
There was the layers box, but no Bevel and Emboss feature when I double clicked the layer...
I don't think i'll use buttons like that any more.
Thanks anyway.

Photoshop 6.0 actually. I couldn't remember if 5.5 on down had those or not.

nike_guy_man,

You might want to look into some plug-ins like PhotoTools from extensis.com or BladePro from flamingpear.com. Either of these will have making spiffy-looking buttons in no time. I think BladePro has a 30-day free trial.

Quote: Originally posted by nike_guy_man
Thank you everyone for your replies on the current page.
I have a few options now, so please tell me which you think would look best:
A javascript/HTML navbar on the left.
Frames (again)
Javascript/HTML navbar stretching across the top.
Different images
Flash

I would say that you want to just redesign the buttons, place them within a table to line them up down the left hand side.

Flash is not your answer at all as you would still need to design a good looking image/button to start off with and then unless you are good with flash you are going to get into all sorts of other problems!

Hello!
Thanks for your ideas!
I changed the nav bar, no more images, yet.
I used some mouseover codes and some style sheets
The only thing I don't like is that it doesn't go back to the background image.
Is there a way to onMouseout return to a clear background?
Please tell me what you think of the new nav bar
This is just for each ladder page.
http://www.e-ngl.net/gin/test.html
This also doesn't work in Netscape, and i'm looking for a netscape effect.
is there a mouseover effect that works in netscape butnot IE?

No links work, but please tell me what you think!
Thanks!

I don't particularly like it at all. If I were you I would just have the text changing colour as a normal link. You also haven't specified a font for the links so this makes it look awful on my browser! & give the page some colour!