I want your opinion. (update)

[EJ]

This is a web page layout I am designing for my web design class that will be use for my profolio website. I want anyone out there give me their thoughts of the layout and any advise will be appreciated.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v224/ForceEJ/home.jpg



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: ForceEJ on 2005-08-16 20:57 ]</font>

[Ancient]

Its rather non-traditional looking, which is good. Are the blue button looking parts to be functional for something? The only part that doesnt quite flow is the very top, that white bit above the blue, it kinda drops off suddenly and doesnt quite match the rest of the layouts style. Thats my opinion, good looking stuff though so far http://pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_smile.gif

[EJ]

The blue buttons are just for looks and the top part of the white dropping off, I tried to make it look like a cover but it does seem off a bit now that I look at it.

[Ancient]

Maybe if it had a matching peice along the bottom for balance, or to look like its some sort of splitting Ipod-ish type device.

[Maridia]

I like it. ;o Reminds me of a gameboy advance. The old ones. <_< I'd like to see what it looked like when put into practical use on a page.

[ladyjaderiver]

I think overall this is a good design, but I have a problem with where your content is going to go. If you're going to put it in the middle of the part that looks, as someone put it, like a GBA, then I think your content area is a bit small. I've always been annoyed when websites try to see how small they can make the content of the website. If this is a portfolio website, you don't want to show off your pretty background, you want to show off your work. You want a functional layout that directs people right to what you want them to see, not one where they're looking at the background and being distracted.

[LadyRedComet]

I don't like it. I am not good enough with design to say exactly what bothers me, but I don't like it. I think it's got too many gradients and graphics - looks like the focus is on using pretty graphics rather than making content easily accessible. Then again...

I am of the opinion that you should've posted a picture that had content on it (the layout), so that we could see what you intended to use the various graphics for. The white thing at the top and the blue "marbled" space below it seem out of place with the rest of the layout, as if they were added to make it look neater (without regard for function or load-time). If this were my site, I'd nix the part at the top (especially the blue part - it's ugly) and just have the gba-esque part at the bottom and have it stretch as part of a table instead of limiting (what appears to be) the content frame to such a small size. Small frames and tiny, tiny text size on websites are a pet peeve of mine. The emphasis lately seems to be on fancy graphics and layouts rather than site content.

[EJ]

Well I showed my teacher my other design that was simple and clean but he then said it didn't look good and didn't match the sample works that I showed him which were 3D models. So I'm trying this design out to see what he thinks of it and hopefully I won't have to design another one for the 5th time. >_>

Here's (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v224/ForceEJ/redesing.jpg) a redesign I did

[Scejntjynahl]

Well if its for school... unfortunately that means you have to satisfy the whims of the teacher, no matter how ridiculous they may be. After all, he/she will hand your grade. Good luck.

[Ancient]

I was of the opinion that the content area of the site would stretch (vertically) to accomodate the info, it thats the case then I still think its okay. Otherwise I agree that there isnt much space there for text. MAybe downsize the blue buttons since they arnt functional anyway. They could go from being a main feature to just a small decoration. BTW what is the target resolution for the site, looks like maybe 800X600? I know most schools go by that for teaching cause they say most computers still only use 800x600. But when you get out in the market most places will want at least 1024x768, cause people who still use 800x600 are generally too poor to buy their products http://pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_razz.gif

[EJ]

It's 800x600 since I'm looking at what to improve on but I always make my site 1024x768

[ladyjaderiver]

The redesign looks much more professional. ^_^

[Ancient]

I like the redesign, except its a tad...grey. Maybe change the flat dark grey of the background to a similar shade of dark blue as the two bits on either side of the info area.

[Blitzkommando]

It looks great, yes. Unfortunately, functionality wise, it lacks. If you were just showing text off, I suppose you could get it to work. But seeing that this is for a 3D Modeling site, it will greatly reduce your content size. Unless you want to have lots of windows to popup for each picture. Designing for 1024x768 is the minimum standard today. Higher resolutions are becoming much more common. Thus, I would recommend something that can stretch to accomodate the higher resolution monitors.

Like I said, it looks great. A very nice design. But, what impresses people most is not the design of the package, but the contents inside it. Design around your content, in this case your models. Make it so that your models stand out from the page, not the reverse. Some of the most simple pages are some of the best. They load faster, show content better, and accomodate to all screen resolutions via simple coding. That's just my two bits. Maybe you could design the borders for the site in that style? Borders being the buttons, background, etc....

[EJ]

I just added content to the page and I like how it looks. I just want all yours opinion in what to add to the home page and what to take out.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v224/ForceEJ/test.jpg

[astuarlen]

Oh, spoons, am I too late to crit the design itself? http://pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_razz.gif Well, I'm gonna make a few (hopefully helpful) comments anyway. Bear in mind it's past my bedtime ( http://pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_wacko.gif ) so I might not be entirely coherent. Surgeon General's Warning: I don't have any formal training in design--print or web--but I have been designing websites for about 5 years, and I love to study others' designs. So, umm, let's keep in mind that I'm limited to my own amateur opinions. Keep your salt-shaker ready! ;p

Now, I don't want to seem harsh (Ouch! I fail, huh? But read on, anyhow!), but I don't feel it's up to snuff really--even taking into account aesthetic preferences. The main problem I see is that it just looks too "Photoshoppy"--that is, it would seem you're displaying the various filters and layer styles you can produce in a Photoshop-type program. You've got a lot of gradients and bevelled edges going on, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but you need to be more--what's the word?--discriminating in your use of such effects, especially since this is portfolio work. Be aware of ways you can make gradients, bevels, glows, etc work for you as part of a coherent design, rather than being just a jumble of confusing stuff with no seeming purpose. Not that you can't have eye-catching design for the sake of eye-catching design, but here everything is competing for our attention all at once, and it's not pretty.

So, let's talk about some specifics. http://pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_smile.gif

Shapes - Depending on how you count 'em, I'm seeing about five different shapes: circles, rectantles, trapezoids, "sharp, concave parallelograms" ( http://pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_razz.gif ), and "convex parallelograms". To me, this is a little aesthetically confusing--especially the navigation bar. Now, the rectangles with the trapezoids I like; the trapezoids bracketing the content area seem to function like arrows, pointing the viewer towards the main event. But I gotta wonder how the circles work into this, as they seem to add to neither the functionality nor the attractiveness (IMO) of the design. My biggest problem, however, lies with the funky navigation bar. The shapes here strike me as haphazard--as though you simply were looking for something "different" to stick up there. Furthermore, the bevelled edges look awkward on such shapes, especially the pointed ones. What happens is the bevel, gradient, and drop shadow all conspire (zomg!) to make those funny, pointed guys super-obvious. They're attention-grabbers, but you don't want to draw the viewers' attention up there; your portfolio work should be the focus (though it wouldn't be bad to have a site with flair, of course). One more thing: can you justify all the concentric rectangles you've put around the content area? I understand that may be part of the "look" you're going for, but in this case it might be best not to over-complicate things. And that's always something to ask yourself: does this element really add to my design, or is it just another bit of superfluous detail? Sure, detail can be the difference between a solid layout and an amazing one, but it should be carefully considered.

Colors - Yes! You have a unified colorscheme, which is a must. Unified doesn't necessarily mean narrow, but going with a few hues or shades is one way to pull this off. Plus, again, it creates little distraction from your showcased work. I do think, however, that the bright blue of those four circles is a nasty show-stealer; my eyes are naturally drawn to such a vivid shade in the midst of all that grey (by the way, grey = <3). Since the circles are at four different corners, this effect is only more serious, because my eyes feel compelled to look in all directions.

Fonts - Fonts are, as anything, up to designer preference, but it seems like general practice to use sans-serif typefaces for most content. They're generally easier to read on a computer screen, and in this case, would probably fit in better with your sleek, metalic style.

Visual Effects - I mentioned this before, but I'll just expand a bit. As I said, you don't want to overpower the viewer with the sheer quantity of dropshadows, gradients, etc. Subtlety will often get you further than any amount of "fancy" effects. Don't be afraid of solids or "flatness"; in the end, it's not how many effects you use, but how well. To my eye, indiscriminate use comes off as amateurish and uninspired. You want to put something of yourself into your design, not something of Photoshop. http://pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_razz.gif

Aaaaanyway, it's getting really late. I hope you'll take this as constructive criticism (I don't know how considerate I am in the wee hours of the morning http://pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_wacko.gif though I'd hope I'm both supportive and comprehensible). Good luck with your portfolio! http://pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif