REVIEW REQUEST: Male Grooming

It doesn't seem very male to me - I was expecting some strong bold colours but this seems a bit washed out. The header image is ok but unless you study it closely it's hard to make out the different parts (at one point I thought there was a birds feathers in there but it's a man's hair!)

The layout is ok and might be better once the links are working - are you going to have the links rollover to another colour?

lol... i did a site originally that was a lot bolder and more masculine, but the client didnt like it and showed me a couple he did. They were all really pale like this one, and he insisted that there was some kind of montage in the header (that is sooo 2000)

The pics in the montage were quite hard to work with, cos they're from a stock disc the client bought and their all portrait format and as such tall rather than wide which is meant they all had to be quite narrow.

I'm not sure about rollovers, i know they look nice and all, but normally to get em working you have to add loads of extra code and an extra pic and it just slows the page loading time down. I'll think about it...

i hate clients like this, where they have an idea in their head as to what they want, the fact is that they can't design web sites, that's why they've called you in! I like to be left to do my job, fair enough suggestions etc. are welcome but never an insistance as too the banner having a montage etc. because then you find yourself having to work to the limitations of what this will bring you. I am lucky in that most clients i've ever worked with have given me total freedom, if they didn't i would be a bit disillusioned. Who is the designer in the equation after all? Client or you? YOu know what is suitable in the modern age, like you said the montage thing is a thing of the past really...

*rant mode off*

The actual layout text-wise of the site is really neat and tidy in the rounded table border. Great touch. I agree it does look really washed-out and insignificant looking.

Rollover buttons don't add very much code at all and well if you save as optimised gif's they shouldn't be very large file sizes either, no gradients etc in them to bump the size up.

One other thing, the CSS on the links of the main text...the purple used on the link is the exact same purple as the default 'visited' link in internet explorer, would be nice to escape from the defaults

All in all, i DO like this site and its simplicity it definitely needs bringing to life somewhat though.

lol... the links show up in purple cos theyre just temp links set to "#" which is the same page, and IE shows them as visited links.

I havent done the CSS for the links yet... (apart from the underline thing) I'll sort that soon tho!

The problem with this client is that they also run a design business doing signs and stuff, so he has an understanding of what he thinks looks good, but doesnt know enough to put a website together.

I might make the side bar buttons a pale blue colour and roll over to a darker colour, just to make them look a bit less washed out.

Oh... and i think it will look more lively when theres some product images and things in look at:

http://www.mg.speeding.co.uk/brands.html

doesnt look quite so bad does it? I think it just needs some real content to kick it into life.

ahhh man i don't envy you there, I once had an approach from someone who was a sign-designer or something, i decided to let the job go, i was too busy anyway, but i didn't want the hassle of trying to 'compete' with his views - bulky signs and intricate web sites are worlds apart!

The thing that spoils it for me is that header montage & in particular the 2nd & 3rd pictures as it looks like one picture and the hair appears to part of the 2nd guys face and the more I look at it the freakier it seems.

i think i'll play with the montage and see if i can improve it, as i'm not overkeen on it either.

Hello,
The montage is a little confusing, Personally, i would beef it up a bit, but like you said the client "knows best" so you cant really win,
good luck with the site.

the montage has been mentioned, but at first view it looks like one mean side burn
Once past the montage, the content, the first thing that pops out is "free UK delivery" but if I look to the left (left nav) it's more advice topics, but down the page I see the product adverts, maybe change the order, put the 'latest news' first, then the offer, the tip, free delivery and then the special offer. or something like that

Looks a little girlie but I suppose it's to touch on a mans femine side (yes guys we do have one)

Will be interesting to see finished, things like shaving methods (everyone has their own), I know a guy who would love this site, he is vainer than any woman I know (and probably has more products) and no he's not gay.

Have to agree with the others, this is really washed-out...Is there no way you can subtly guide the client in the right direction?
Busy could be right about guys with feminine sides, it could appeal to us in that way.

I think the brands page does look good, the only issue is that the brands listed have a stronger presence than the site around them, they definitely leap out of the page more

Does this guy dress like he likes/wants his web site???

The site's design is nice - love the curved table borders myself (images, right? wrong?), but it looks so faded - or like everyone else is saying, washed out. I'm picking up new glasses tomorrow and for a minute there I thought my eyes were much worse than I'd thought!! I'm not trying to be funny - I really did.

Definitely would take a certain "type" of guy, but he probably has clients, huh? I know my Air Force Security Police boyfriend would, well,...let's just say this wouldn't appeal to him at all. I wish he were home from the war so I could show this to him and get his input to ad to mine!

I think it will look a lot bolder when the proper contents in... thats what i'm hoping anyway! I would prefer it to be a bit bolder, but when clients get an idea in their head they can sometimes be quite hard to persuade otherwise.

As web designers we can only advise customers what they should do, if they choose not to listen, then i guess theres not a lot we can do.

Quote: As web designers we can only advise customers what they should do, if they choose not to listen, then i guess theres not a lot we can do.

I know what you mean - I just made a site for an organzation, many who are over 55, and the content they gave me amounted to one side of one page, in all capital letters. So there I sit, with oodles of web space and no one knows what to put on it. WEll, it's their site! You do have to make the client happy and maybe in time he'll learn - or one can hope anyway! I wish you good luck with this project - you do an awfully good job making sites.

all depends if you wanna destroy the quality of your portfolio by making a site you're embarrased to call your own work. If clients get picky and don't let me do the designing (thats why i'm working for them) then i'll usually refuse the job.

I don't think the design is especially bad, just a bit on the pale side so i won't be ashamed to put it on my portfolio. I still think once the contents in properly it will brighten up.

lol i wasn't referring to yours man, just the comment before from 'justjeni', a site with one half page of capitalized text won't look good.

The male grooming site definitely has promise!

lol... fair enough.

I'll let you all know when its done so you can see it working and you can tell me what you think.