Web Design Forums

gray · 06-03-2004, 08:23

Started work on a design which will be in XHTML and CSS, and just wanted people's feedback on the first mocks..

www.grahammorley.com/mma

Sorry the images are huge...

thanks for any advice

andycogbill · 06-03-2004, 10:31

Yo gray, I've a few comments:

First off, I'm liking it. The idea is there, but a few tweaks are needed before it can be an effective branding tool for the company. Let's start at the top:

The logo - is that yours or theirs? If it's theirs, whatever, but if it's yours then some things could be changed.

The big picture of the violin (viola?) combined with the (nicely) colored links definitely steals prominence from the logo. I'm not gonna lie, I'm a big fan of your links' color choice, but something needs to be done to emphasize the logo.

Your welcome blurb is WAY too long. If you've read any Jakob Nielsen, you'd have learned that a huge block of text such as yours there is virtually unreadable and thus a complete waste of space. You're going to need to cut the words way down (Nielsen says cut 75%, then cut another 75%, and you'll have it) and increase the font size.

With a shorter welcome blurb you'll have more space for your news headlines, which is good because right now they are hardly noticeable.

As a last note, your headers (Welcome, Teachers, Parents, etc.) on your front page -- less so on your other pages -- don't stand out. Be a guide for the eye with more splashes of color.

That's all I've got for you, and as always it's IMHO. I *do* like it though!

gray · 06-03-2004, 10:40

cheers andy

yeah the logo is theirs and they wanna keep it, so hey

You're right it does need more exposure though.

I kinda want to keep the type to around 11px, with the option to enlarge to about 14, so even if I shorten that paragraph, I think the type will remain the same by default - although all i did was copy and paste some text from the existing site.

Good call about the headers though, need to test on various monitors.

Cheers for the crit

urbanvictim · 06-03-2004, 11:26

I am.. THE MISTRESS OF MUSIC.

Sorry, couldn't resist. The site works as a whole, no doubt, but I've got one suggestion: For the menus, drop them one level down. It looks odd (IMO) to have them on the same level as a header. You could put a solid block of colour there, or maybe part of an image.

dorian · 06-03-2004, 14:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by j'suis bilingue

If you've read any Jakob Nielsen

If you don't know what common sense is - go ahead!

Quote:

Originally Posted by j'suis bilingue

cut 75%, then cut another 75%

...which is why Nielsen's own site looks the way it does.

- To make the section titles (Welcome.../Teachers/Parents etc) stand out a little more you could use the darker shades of the colours like in the menu arrows.

- "Members Login" and "News Headlines" are the only two titles that are in their own box - ? - guess there is no need for the bottom line - ? - just a small consistency thing...

- The "text only a A" bit in the corner - it doesn't look right where it's positioned (maybe because it's lower than the logo tagline...) ...

- The icon in the register button is a... ...node?
which makes me think: both those buttons are not the same style as the rest... the icons could be something make out of dots - just like the arrows!

- Logo should be crisper! bit too blurry...

- Not sure about the 2nd level nav either... maybe you should use the traditional method and simply place them under the button they belong to? (you know, slightly indented with the arrow of the buttom rotated 90deg.)

- Maybe I'm missing more "logic" in the colour coding of the menu buttons? (maybe not...)

...but generally speaking - I like it!

gray · 07-03-2004, 05:16

good call urban victim

Quote:

- To make the section titles (Welcome.../Teachers/Parents etc) stand out a little more you could use the darker shades of the colours like in the menu arrows.

Thats exactly what I did mate.. changed em to black now for consistency tho

Quote:

- The "text only a A" bit in the corner - it doesn't look right where it's positioned (maybe because it's lower than the logo tagline...) ...

Fixed cheers

Quote:

- Not sure about the 2nd level nav either... maybe you should use the traditional method and simply place them under the button they belong to? (you know, slightly indented with the arrow of the buttom rotated 90deg.)

Yeah I think thats what I'll have to do.. any idea what the best accessable way to do it is? I suppose manually making a separate menu for each page would be best...

Quote:

- Maybe I'm missing more "logic" in the colour coding of the menu buttons? (maybe not...)

Nah just looked fresh

Thanks again for the comments!

btw : started the css here (only works in firefox as far as I know atm

Have to start on the BMH later

Stickman · 08-03-2004, 04:42

The menu's nice, you should incorporate those colours into the rest of the site a little (headers?). Too much blue on blue I think. The photo is cool too.

gray · 08-03-2004, 04:45

Did you click the image to view the other pages?

Stickman · 08-03-2004, 04:58

OK, I mean 'you should incorporate those colours into the rest of the homepage a little (headers?). Too much blue on blue I think.'

gray · 08-03-2004, 05:24

haha ok then

thanks, i'll give it a go

Stickman · 08-03-2004, 05:41

Good man - and don't listen to anything Jacob Nielsen has ever said.

andycogbill · 08-03-2004, 10:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stickman

Good man - and don't listen to anything Jacob Nielsen has ever said.

There's a designer talking for you. Ignorance is bliss, isn't it Stickman?

Stickman · 08-03-2004, 10:15

That doesn't even deserve a reply, so think yourself lucky. I'd have had a lot to say.

Brown · 08-03-2004, 10:21

neilsen's a cock.

cock.

Brown · 08-03-2004, 10:24

ps - gray, i dig the design. sorry to go off topic. it was either that or go stateside and hunt down cogbill to give him a slap round the chops with a large smoked kipper.

andycogbill · 08-03-2004, 11:16

Are you guys serious in saying these things?? Do you realize what you're messing with here? The guy has done countless studies in how to make *your* sites more effective -- you should probably listen to him.

Please note that not all he says is to be regarded as holy, but his studies in how people are browsing your sites are hard to ignore. Just because he puts restrictions on how you should be designing doesn't mean you should lash out against him. Maybe you could learn something....

Bill Posters · 08-03-2004, 11:20

Gentlemen, start your engines please…

well-put and relevant

alice · 08-03-2004, 12:08

'don't make me think'! (the words of stupid lazy cunt Steve Krug) - tis lack of intuition, sheer laziness and leads to a boring life and pooh money. Never to read another book on usability by any self righteous twat - specially Nielson.

Down with the Templates! too

btw - looking good Gray.

/R7 · 08-03-2004, 12:29

i just looked at it, and overall its a very clean site, i hope my opinions can help :-).

- The lines you got going on are very strong, and its great, however an adjustment to one of the cell sizes would be the parents and teachers? i think you got a good solid vertical line on the right, and i think another strong one could be created through the right edge of the text boxes. it could be kool dont really know. but you can look at it for yourself if it interests you.

- but i do see why you set them up like so. good idea on the text spacing :-).

Bill Posters · 08-03-2004, 12:29

my, such language - and from a lay-dee.
No coy glances from behind a fluttering fan in your household, eh Alice?

06-03-2004, 08:23	#1 (permalink)
gray i still want paying Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: newcastle, uk Posts: 4,728	Critique on site layout mocks pls Started work on a design which will be in XHTML and CSS, and just wanted people's feedback on the first mocks.. www.grahammorley.com/mma Sorry the images are huge... thanks for any advice

08-03-2004, 11:20	#17 (permalink)
Bill Posters trouble free and loverlee Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: YooKay Posts: 2,930	Gentlemen, start your engines please… well-put and relevant Last edited by Bill Posters : 08-03-2004 at 11:35.

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06-03-2004, 10:31	#2 (permalink)
andycogbill Notorious? Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Middlebury, VT Posts: 417	Yo gray, I've a few comments: First off, I'm liking it. The idea is there, but a few tweaks are needed before it can be an effective branding tool for the company. Let's start at the top: The logo - is that yours or theirs? If it's theirs, whatever, but if it's yours then some things could be changed. The big picture of the violin (viola?) combined with the (nicely) colored links definitely steals prominence from the logo. I'm not gonna lie, I'm a big fan of your links' color choice, but something needs to be done to emphasize the logo. Your welcome blurb is WAY too long. If you've read any Jakob Nielsen, you'd have learned that a huge block of text such as yours there is virtually unreadable and thus a complete waste of space. You're going to need to cut the words way down (Nielsen says cut 75%, then cut another 75%, and you'll have it) and increase the font size. With a shorter welcome blurb you'll have more space for your news headlines, which is good because right now they are hardly noticeable. As a last note, your headers (Welcome, Teachers, Parents, etc.) on your front page -- less so on your other pages -- don't stand out. Be a guide for the eye with more splashes of color. That's all I've got for you, and as always it's IMHO. I do like it though!

06-03-2004, 10:40	#3 (permalink)
gray i still want paying Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: newcastle, uk Posts: 4,728	cheers andy yeah the logo is theirs and they wanna keep it, so hey You're right it does need more exposure though. I kinda want to keep the type to around 11px, with the option to enlarge to about 14, so even if I shorten that paragraph, I think the type will remain the same by default - although all i did was copy and paste some text from the existing site. Good call about the headers though, need to test on various monitors. Cheers for the crit

06-03-2004, 11:26	#4 (permalink)
urbanvictim The Gyroscope Man Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: East Coast, Singapore Posts: 29	I am.. THE MISTRESS OF MUSIC. Sorry, couldn't resist. The site works as a whole, no doubt, but I've got one suggestion: For the menus, drop them one level down. It looks odd (IMO) to have them on the same level as a header. You could put a solid block of colour there, or maybe part of an image.

08-03-2004, 04:42	#7 (permalink)
Stickman Dr. Lucien Sanchez Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: UK Posts: 5,642	The menu's nice, you should incorporate those colours into the rest of the site a little (headers?). Too much blue on blue I think. The photo is cool too.

08-03-2004, 04:45	#8 (permalink)
gray i still want paying Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: newcastle, uk Posts: 4,728	Did you click the image to view the other pages?

08-03-2004, 04:58	#9 (permalink)
Stickman Dr. Lucien Sanchez Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: UK Posts: 5,642	OK, I mean 'you should incorporate those colours into the rest of the homepage a little (headers?). Too much blue on blue I think.'

08-03-2004, 05:24	#10 (permalink)
gray i still want paying Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: newcastle, uk Posts: 4,728	haha ok then thanks, i'll give it a go

08-03-2004, 05:41	#11 (permalink)
Stickman Dr. Lucien Sanchez Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: UK Posts: 5,642	Good man - and don't listen to anything Jacob Nielsen has ever said.

08-03-2004, 10:15	#13 (permalink)
Stickman Dr. Lucien Sanchez Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: UK Posts: 5,642	That doesn't even deserve a reply, so think yourself lucky. I'd have had a lot to say.

08-03-2004, 10:21	#14 (permalink)
Brown volkswagen yellow & gold Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: london, england. Posts: 6,215	neilsen's a cock. cock.

08-03-2004, 10:24	#15 (permalink)
Brown volkswagen yellow & gold Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: london, england. Posts: 6,215	ps - gray, i dig the design. sorry to go off topic. it was either that or go stateside and hunt down cogbill to give him a slap round the chops with a large smoked kipper.

08-03-2004, 11:16	#16 (permalink)
andycogbill Notorious? Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Middlebury, VT Posts: 417	Are you guys serious in saying these things?? Do you realize what you're messing with here? The guy has done countless studies in how to make your sites more effective -- you should probably listen to him. Please note that not all he says is to be regarded as holy, but his studies in how people are browsing your sites are hard to ignore. Just because he puts restrictions on how you should be designing doesn't mean you should lash out against him. Maybe you could learn something....

08-03-2004, 12:08	#18 (permalink)
alice in Wonderbra Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: manchesta Posts: 193	'don't make me think'! (the words of stupid lazy cunt Steve Krug) - tis lack of intuition, sheer laziness and leads to a boring life and pooh money. Never to read another book on usability by any self righteous twat - specially Nielson. Down with the Templates! too btw - looking good Gray.

08-03-2004, 12:29	#19 (permalink)
/R7 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 75	i just looked at it, and overall its a very clean site, i hope my opinions can help :-). - The lines you got going on are very strong, and its great, however an adjustment to one of the cell sizes would be the parents and teachers? i think you got a good solid vertical line on the right, and i think another strong one could be created through the right edge of the text boxes. it could be kool dont really know. but you can look at it for yourself if it interests you. - but i do see why you set them up like so. good idea on the text spacing :-).

08-03-2004, 12:29	#20 (permalink)
Bill Posters trouble free and loverlee Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: YooKay Posts: 2,930	my, such language - and from a lay-dee. No coy glances from behind a fluttering fan in your household, eh Alice?

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