[Redge]

Hey there,

Can you please give me some constructive critcism on my latest site which I have created for my dad. The site still needs content but the design is in place. Please comment on anything and everything, thank you!

LINK

[datahound]

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[Redge]

Originally Posted by datahound

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Damn, that can't be good, I thought the members of DT forum would have liked this

[smallbeer]

is this the car park site with the "environmentally friendly, urban and modern feel" you mentioned a while back?

you say there's no content but the design's in place. Do you actually know the content yet? Design is problem solving and communication. What problem are you solving for your dad here? What are you communicating?

what's all that text gonna be about a car park?!

what's the latest news about a car park gonna be?

whats the fuck do car parkers care about web standards?

has your dad told you why he wants a web site? I'd start there. and start again.

You starting your subject with "XHTML/CSS Website" shows you've got your priorties wrong straight away. I've said this before about people. Who the fuck cares whether it's XHTML/CSS. What else is it gonna be (if you're a professional)?

[finbarr]

have to agree with smallbeer on this one... it makes no difference to visitors to this site that its designed to web standards... why is that section so big?

I mean it looks ok, nothing to write home about but it could serve its purpose. But how can you know the design is going to fit the content if you dont yet know what that content is?

[Redge]

Yeah, I agree with you on the Web Standards thing, your completely right. The consumer probaly doesn't care less whether the site meets web standards aslong as it renders half decent. The only reason I included that was because it was my first ever XHTML/CSS site (sorry!) As for the content I don't quite understand what your saying, the content is just going to be information about contract car parking such as the price, quality, service, location and contact info etc?

[finbarr]

Originally Posted by Redge

Yeah, I agree with you on the Web Standards thing, your completely right. The consumer probaly doesn't care less whether the site meets web standards aslong as it renders half decent. The only reason I included that was because it was my first ever XHTML/CSS site (sorry!)

Ahh well in that case I can understand the fact that you'd be proud of it (rightly so)

Originally Posted by Redge

As for the content I don't quite understand what your saying, the content is just going to be information about contract car parking such as the price, quality, service, location and contact info etc?

What I'm refereing to is the fact that I would normally do a design based on the content - whether there should be certain pages, highlight/focus sections etc. As an example I was recently doing a job where the client wanted a testimonials page (amongst others) but when I received the actual content for the whole site there wasnt a lot and only 4 testimonials. My design incorporated an area on each page in a narrow left hand column where the testimonials could be placed... thereby meaning the visitor could see them while looking at the rest of the site without having to go to a half empty page just to read them. And of course it meant that all the other pages looked a little 'fuller' too. It helps if you know before you set out what your content is going to consist of thats all

[Redge]

Originally Posted by finbarr

Ahh well in that case I can understand the fact that you'd be proud of it (rightly so)


What I'm refereing to is the fact that I would normally do a design based on the content - whether there should be certain pages, highlight/focus sections etc. As an example I was recently doing a job where the client wanted a testimonials page (amongst others) but when I received the actual content for the whole site there wasnt a lot and only 4 testimonials. My design incorporated an area on each page in a narrow left hand column where the testimonials could be placed... thereby meaning the visitor could see them while looking at the rest of the site without having to go to a half empty page just to read them. And of course it meant that all the other pages looked a little 'fuller' too. It helps if you know before you set out what your content is going to consist of thats all

Ahh thanks for clearing that up, I agree with you now. I'll add the content over the next few days and see how it all pads out, if the worst comes to the worst then I'll need to redesign.