[Clay]

Hello everyone... just wanted to see if anyone had the time to take a look at my website layout. I just have the site lay out done so far... no links or subject matter yet. Just wanted to know how well it loads and if I am completly screwing things up or not... Take it easy on me as this is my first attempt at a site.

Thanks all!

Clay

[Clay]

Sorry... made a newbe mistake... the site is at

http://temporary.cityscapesecurity.com

[jihef]

Originally Posted by Clay

Take it easy on me as this is my first attempt at a site.

i will take this in consideration.

1-everything loads fine, etc. no broken images. the only thing is that some of the tables seem to be off by 2-3 pixels.
2-i've always been a firm believer that websites should hold on a single screen. drop some links in the menu or regroup.
3-a quick glance showed me that you used 3 different fonts on the site. that's 2 too many.
4-the titles "welcome to cityscape.." should be a different color as your fake 3d effect does not permit accessible readability with white on white.
5-drop the 3d. they add clutter as its overused on the site.
6-colors: martha stewart is all nice but now she's in jail. so lets forget about country side all nice all over pastel colors. if neccessary use one of the dominant colors in your logo and the rest should be black and white.
7-its a company website. it's more then an add. personally i wouldn't add the 20.99$ monthly plan promotion on top of your website as it just reminds me of some random restaurant flyer i would receive in the mail. i just don,t feel its professionel to try to pitch a sale on the first page that everyone visits. especially since people won't know what the site is about.
8-stop anti-aliasing everything.

anyways i'm just a hardcore minimalist so just handle my comments with whatever precaution.

as always, less is more.

[Clay]

Thanks for the feedback.

Anyone else have any? I was hoping to get a bit more.

Clay

[oli]

the drop shadows and bevels are old fashioned, id lose those and use nice flat colours for those bars.
The test with the serif font and dropshadows are hard to read.
The logo is a tad large, as is the monthly monitoring bit at the top.
The nav bar would look better with a smaller, clearer font aligned to the left.
The separator lines would be better 1px wide.
The colour scheme is a bit dull, the beige is ok but needs something to 'lift' the design, a stronger colour.

[Clay]

Originally Posted by jihef

7-its a company website. it's more then an add. personally i wouldn't add the 20.99$ monthly plan promotion on top of your website as it just reminds me of some random restaurant flyer i would receive in the mail. i just don,t feel its professionel to try to pitch a sale on the first page that everyone visits. especially since people won't know what the site is about.

FYI the majority of the traffic that I have going to my current site is from people searching for the services that I provide. That would inticate that most people already know what my site is going to be about before they visit, and are looking for prices and product info. All refering URL's indicate this. My low monitoring rate is a large part of my business so it is important that it is seen as often as possible.

You are true about the colors, can't say that I am a fan of sites that are majority black and white though. Although the site does need a little color tweaking.

Anyways, I do appreciate the critisism, and it has brought a few things to my attention.

Thanks Clay

[Clay]

Thanks Oli,

That all sounds like good advice!

In regards to the menu font... I was looking for a font that would be smaller and clearer, but I couldn't seem to find one that worked very well. Any advice?

Thanks again,

Clay

[andrewparker]

Originally Posted by jihef

3-a quick glance showed me that you used 3 different fonts on the site. that's 2 too many.

Are you saying you should only use one typeface across a web site? If so then I disagree. I think it is perfectly acceptable to use two fonts that complement each other. Only two though, no more.

[Bill Posters]

Haven't you heard, Andrew? Less is more. Less is more. Less is more…

[jihef]

Originally Posted by Bill Posters

Haven't you heard, Andrew? Less is more. Less is more. Less is more…

all of the cool kids are doing it so why shouldn't you?

that and jumping off a cliff.

[sleepingfish]

This could be the beginning of a beautiful relationship

(Sorry to go off topic Clay, I agree with most of the comments made so far regarding colour scheme, drop shadow, seperating lines & smaller nav bar. FWIW I think two fonts can be used in web design quite effectively, but I try to avoid using any more)

[oli]

Im in the 2 font camp

[Mr Fred]

is that some sort of nazi cabaret?

[jihef]

Originally Posted by japanmik

is that some sort of nazi cabaret?

in drag and with manifesto.

[Bill Posters]

Zieg Field! Zieg Field!

[tomson]

Dont listen to this lot, get as many fonts in as you can.
"Many fonts do maketh a design" as a great designer once said.

[jihef]

Originally Posted by tomson

Dont listen to this lot, get as many fonts in as you can.
"Many fonts do maketh a design" as a great designer once said.

oh and for a truly eye-catching header, use as many different font sizes as possible in a single word. c'est super trendy là!

[dan]

Not over fond of all the drop shadow and beveling and I would agree that it needs something to lift it colour wise. It's all a bit dingy at the moment. It all looks a bit scrubbed out as well, need to sharpen it all up a bit.

Maybe intensifying the red and crisping the images up a little would make the site more appealing

[/R7]

keep in mind this is a security website. more then looks, the actual security of the website should be in mind.

other then that.
ease up on the: drop shadowing, AA/bluring of text, i wanna know what im paying 20$ a month for ;/. is it print friendly? or will people be able to register completely online, if not, then remember people may wanna print the page, so it will have to look good on print as well.

TBH from this standpoint, a complete overhaul of the website wouldnt be too beneficial, with the route you have showed with the above link.

imho, you should just update the site, and get it to validate under some refferers

You are true about the colors, can't say that I am a fan of sites that are majority black and white though.

there shouldnt be a limitation to the colors you use, if your already staying away from websafe colors as it is. so you've got 16million colors+ to choose from, get atter ;p


PS. i felt like i was in texas on your website ;/

GL

[jihef]

Originally Posted by /R7

PS. i felt like i was in texas on your website ;/

its probebly the whole "alarms by mom" look they have going in. very applepie and baseball if you ask me.