From: Southern Alabama, USA Insane since: Sep 2000
posted 04-16-2002 18:59
Hello,
I have done like many others, and created one of those "let's refer to myself as 'we', and pretend I am a real web design company" sort of pages.
I first started working on this when I had made a freebie site, and they told me I could put a logo at the bottom with a link to my page. Since I did not have a page, I had to create one. So this is really more a fun thing I have worked on in my spare time, and not something I plan to make my living from.
This page has everything - a pointless flash intro, scanlines, bevels, dropshadows, the color blue (and some orange too), so how could it possibly go wrong? I'm just waiting for clients to contact me.
Seriosly, I would appreciate feedback on this site. I have seen it for so long, that I feel I am sort of blind to what is good and what is bad.
is the flash intro ok? I don't really care for intros myself, but this one is pretty small, and it is playing while
all the buttons and stuff are loading anyway. Is this a good solution?
The only reason I use frames is to center the page. I had to do that since I am using the zscrollbar on the home page. Would the page benefit from loosing the little news thing, so I could make one big centered table, instead of having to use frames?
Does the page have too much content? I guess there is quite a bit of text... is it better to keep it "short and sweet"?
I have no pictures at all, does this make it boring? http://www.webwhirlers.com
Well ZOX.
Unlike most of the "let's refer to myself as 'we', and pretend I am a real web design company" sort of pages I have seen so far, this leaves a very professional impression.
Why? The thing that "does it" for me is not the graphics, the bevels, scanlines and "all that", it's a lot of well written content in combination with a design that leaves room for readability.
The way you write is similar to hearing someone talk, makes me believe that you have done some copywriting as well in your career. There is only one thing I miss as I've read "Who we are" and "The process" is a hand written signature at the bottom. Your texts are powerful and committing, let's seal these statements with a signature
As for the design,
1 - The first flash intro looks odd as it begins, like an afterthought, a blue box on a grey page... Yes, it's a lot faster the second visit, but it's still a fairly slow process before you see anything, even on a 1 mb ADSL line.
2 - The beveled "whirl", I can see why it's there, but it feels a bit old, don't you think?
3 - The impact of the orange and beige information boxes is cool, a bit of a shock at first, but I think they work. They do remind me a bit of the style of http://www.mrjet.com/ but that's certanly just the color choices and the rounded boxes.
4 - The icons on the special functions are a very nice touch that fits in really well.
5 - I was ready to write that you would have problems getting rank in search engines since you use frames, but you beat me to it well thought out use of metatags and realated content in the noframes tag! Very well done!
In conclusion: This is a very well done site that gives a very professional and thought through impression. If there is any drawbacks, it's the flash-intro-splash-thing that's probably unessecary (I think you just as well might use a preload layer that disappears on a timeout) and the slightly "old" feel of the graphic design itself.
Over and out/Dan
-{ a vibration is a movement that doesn't know which way to go }-
From: North Carolina mountains Insane since: Dec 2000
posted 04-17-2002 00:09
We got to the site this time ... don't know what happened earlier?
We don't like the flash intro. It is well done, but it just reminds us of a damn PowerPoint presentation. ~shudder~ I've sat through too many of those damn presentations ... way too many.
The site is very well done. And as mentioned earlier, the content is well written. We just love it when someone actually cares about their content!!
Some random suggestions:
You have a corner of the home page devoted to specials. Put something in that corner! Even if it is a bullshit kinda special, it is still better than announcing that there is no special.
The whole site is based on the "we" thing. However in the "who we are section" you say that this is all a one man show in the first line of text. Just doesn't fit. We suggest changing that in some way ...
When you show us screenshots of sites you have done, we suggest you show us the whole page if you can rather than the cut off ones you have now.
Just our two cents. (See, "we" can do the "we" thing two! )
I would have to agree that the flash intro reminds me of a PowerPoint presentation. I was actually slightly disoriented by all the spinning text (this may, of course, have something to do with my already tenuous grip on reality).
As for the beveled whirl, etc. on the right, I think it might seem a little weird because the main content section is so flat, and it juts up right against the 3D menu section. I'm not sure how this could be remedied, and to be honest with you I didn't really think about it until it was pointed out in one of the posts above.
OK, now for what I've really been wanting to say:
So you're the one who made that really nice "colours on the web" page! I found it through a link somewhere else in the asylum, and I really enjoyed it. I was disappointed, however, to find that I could only access the "red" page in the "meaning of colours" section; are the other pages not done yet? I was really looking forward to reading them. (Also, if I might make one minor suggestion, you might want to run a spell check on your content. )
Overall, a nice site. I think you and your company have done a great job.
From: Happy Hunting Grounds... Insane since: Mar 2001
posted 04-17-2002 07:59
Hey, Zox, long time no hear...personally, I like the site...but I hate frames....like site....hate frames...I'd say very good work. Wtih the above comments, I just don't have all that much in the way of critique...as for 'flash' intro, my question is: is it necessary? As always, I really like the color wizard. Looks like it's coming along fine...are you ready to release it to the public? As it is, I've bookmarked the site...just finding the color wizard again after all this time...Yipeeee!
I like the color scheme, it works for me. The site appears roomy, and of course, much of the content is really good. As stated before, upper-left 'whirly' thingy has a bit of 'jags', that could be cleaned up. As it is (even though I hate frames...did I say that before?) you've done a good job with it.
From: there...no..there..... Insane since: May 2001
posted 04-17-2002 14:12
Well with these great reviews that were already given I have nothing to add really. I love you stuff.
Just a couple of things.
1.Is there any chance that the grey corners could come a little closer to the background. It kind of stands out a little
2.Is it not possible to give a direct link to the sites that you have done. Just make them open in a new window? I would like to be able to look around the sites that you have done rather than a jpg
3.In the flash intro (and I'm not big on intros nor flash, but thats neither here nor there) the yellow text that spins looks a little jaggidy or something.
Thats really about it. I really like the stuff that I have seen you do. The orthodontist page you did recently was really good. So, that's it.
From: Southern Alabama, USA Insane since: Sep 2000
posted 04-18-2002 20:36
Hey,
Thank you all for your feedback! Very useful.
Even as I was posting here, I was thinking that I would probably remove the flash intro, unless everyone just absolutely loved it. So, I will get rid of that. It does have a "powerpoint feel" to it, you are right about that.
As for the graphics feeling "old"... Hmm... I don't like that, espcially since it is true! So there is no chance of bevels coming back in fashion again any time soon? Actually, this is the first page in a while that I have made with these elements... I'll think about it, maybe I can come up with something that feels more up-to-date.
Thank you for the compliments on the writing I used to work a bit as a newspaper reporter (was really a graphic designer at the paper, and just did the reporting on weekends and such), but I have no real experience as a copy writer. I surfed around the web a bit to come up with things to mention and write about, and then I just wrote it. After that my wife, who is a soon-to-be english professor, translated it all into real English for me, and that made all the difference.
I will definitely add a "special" in the corner! I never thought of that, but it does look bad to have it like this.
I will try to come up with a different wording for the "who we are" section. Thank you for pointing that out
I never thought much about the mis-match of the grey in the corners, but now that I know about it, it really sticks out. I will definitely fix it. Thanks!
I probably will go ahead and give the links in the portfolio. The reason I did not give direct links to the pages in the portfolio is that I didn't feel that the company where I work needed to know about Web Whirlers (since they probably would find out through referrers in the statistics). But now I realize that is just silly, since web whirlers is really just something I work on more for fun on evenings and weekends, and it is not like it is going to affect my day-time job.
The color page has gone "public" I guess, since it was added to Yahoo just a few days ago. The last few days it had about 150 visitors per day from Yahoo alone. That will probably decrease when it is no longer "new" and at the top of the list.
Sohu1004, I have a few things writter, but it is all very sketchy, and it would require quite some work to get it on the page. I hope to be able to add it before too long, but for now there are other things that have higher priority. I might follow your advice and spell check the content though.
ZOX,
I am kind of in the same boat as you! One thing that I noticed that customers might find dangerous is that on your form page it says (for calling you) "preferably after 5 o'clock on weekdays". If I was considering you for a website, that'd be my reason for moving on. It says to me that you have a full-time job somewhere else and you won't be able to get my site done in a reasonable time, won't be as available for customer support, etc. IMHO, better to just put the phone number there and leave it at that. Leave a clever voicemail greet and let um leave a message. But as fas as I'm concerned, the site says professional to me!
posted 04-16-2002 18:59
