Preserved Topic: Trying new stuff for the Site

Hey guys remeber the site i was working on... SXL
Well is this better?

I was just testing stuff.... using tuts and just having fun this is just a sample

[edit by slime: this image has been changed since the thread was first started.]



[This message has been edited by Duck (edited 01-15-2003).]

[This message has been edited by Duck (edited 01-15-2003).]

[This message has been edited by Slime (edited 01-15-2003).]

Yes, this is significantly better than the last one. However, it still needs more work, I'm afraid.

I notice some of the text still has bevels. I recommend you remove that entirely. Bevel effects can be useful in rare situations, but it takes a trained mind to know when they can be safely used, and you're not at that point yet.
There's certainly more to be said, but I'll leave that up to some of the more experienced members.

As a design, it is better than the last.

There is a bit more interest going on, and a bit less of the canned cheese.

The biggest issue now (imo) is the size.

It's good that the width has ben cut down, but the height is still too much, and the aspect ration is kind of akward now.

A step in the right direction.

new size and no bevels ^^^^^^^^^^^^

Duck: Much better - as long as the rest of the page reflects that colour scheme it looks like you could have something much more usable there

___________________
Emps

FAQs: Emperor

The site is so empty now we dunno what to add
http://www.socomxtreme.com/



[This message has been edited by Duck (edited 01-15-2003).]

I'd start by deciding whether to left-align or center. With a 977 x 487 viewing area, your logo is hovering way out to the right, while the rest of the content is hunched over to the left.

As for what to add... well, first remember that having less stuff can be good. You should concentrate first on making your existing content work together as well as possible. If you feel like you really need to add something, though, why not pick out a decorative theme and apply it to every page element (keeping bandwidth in mind)? For instance, if you're going with a camouflage military theme, you could have graphical subheads that look like stripes of camouflage running across the column. Just apply the CSS background-image property to an H3 or something. This is just the simplest example... there are all kinds of ways you can spice up your page.

Why not look at similar pages, like some of the better Counter-Strike pages -- after looking at several pages, you'll probably get some new ideas of your own.

I was thinking about making a little design that would represnt the site like http://www.caleague.com
has that triangle design



[This message has been edited by Duck (edited 01-15-2003).]

ahhhh the founder says he likes the old one better becuz it spanned the page!..

Duck: Spanning the page isn't practical - what you should do is create a very transparent background - a simple grid or mesh pos.? and then put that as a background image behind the logo. That way it won't break your page and (if you fade to the right) it should look like a full banner.

___________________
Emps

FAQs: Emperor

[Duck]
Take a look at this article. A simple design would be more effective such as the removal of the enlarged "X" in the background as well as the other additive effects. I also have a problem with type spacing. Personally, I think the letters should not be so close to each other.

I don't agree with the xtreme.com font. I would modify the counter of the "m" to merge with the rest of the letterform. I'm not too keen on the "r" and "e" shapes either. The logo would work well simply as a type treatment with the changes I've mentioned.

Duck - listen carefully to what Emperor said.

You can have the box at the top of the page span the whole page, but there's NO reason to actually make the graphic span the page - you lose all ability to make a fluid site.

Make a tileable background (something SUBTLE!!) and stick that as the background for a <div> with a width of 100%.

Looking at the page, I wold also STRONGLY recommend looking into an altered color scheme.

The two main shades of blue simply do not work together - pick one and alter the other to better fit. The peachy-orange is also way off. I'd look into some varied hues for that, and be careful when picking a complimentary color scheme...it's not easy to make it work well.



[This message has been edited by DL-44 (edited 01-15-2003).]

Duck: I didn't want to touch on it whilst you are still trying to get the logo ight but DL is on the money about the colour scheme - that orange is just too much. Have a look at the colour tools here (esp. ZOX's site - webwhirlers):
http://development.gurusnetwork.com/links/18/


___________________
Emps

FAQs: Emperor

dunno who the founder is, and/or what his "credentials" are in the area of design, but he should really try to go for a "user friendly" site, as opposed to one that just uses a lot of kewl ideas.

i just toss that in because after looking at that page for about 2 minutes i decided that if i did happen to be into whatever it is the site is representing, i definitely wouldn't surf that one. i chalk it up to the color mostly, which has already been mentioned. the white is hard to see against that background for some reason, just looks all blurry. the orange is a little better, but i still have to squint to make out some words. and the main font color blends far too easily with background... impossible to read from where i'm sittin.

not to mention it's waaaay too small. these days i lean back in my nice high-backed, pleathery, office-type, desk chair and i really hate having to change my position for a website. it's much easier to just click my mouse and find another link.

in comparison, if i dont change my position at all, the asylum and everything in it comes through loud and clear. as does the cyberathlete site. your socomXtreme site is impossible for me... about the only thing from my vantage point the site has going for it right now is the graphic you've created, because that's the only thing i can read. :/

(although i will say that the use of red and blue text on the Dec 19 post over at CA seems to be going in the direction of poor choice, but i can still make it out, so score... i guess.)

also, the font/graphics over on the left for "navigation, controls, etc, etc" are very difficult to make out. with that choice of font, its size, AND the application of a gradiant (!?!) it's almost as if no one wants me to read the page at all.

my screen is set at 1024x768, and i'm gonna guess that your target gaming audience is going to have a similar resolution set-up. ultimately, it really doesn't matter how great your site is, or how well put together, if the consumer can't consume it, then it's always going to be at the bottom of the search pile.

We are currently working on a new color scheme and everything http://socomxtreme.com
again thx guys for all your help We really apprecaite it

[Duck]
I'd recommend sketching 20 to 40 different logos for socomxtreme.com on paper. After you have a fair amount, look at them and vote your favorites. Take those favorites and look at them closer. Find out why you like those favorites and design a final logo using your favorites as references.

Good advice. Duck, you don't have to be able to sketch letterforms or perfect geometric shapes to do this -- the point is to experiment with a bunch of different ways of combining elements, to see which works best. Success through iteration.

how did you strecth the M like that?
Just wondering
and the founder likes the small logo now
[edit]and we did some editing to the site[/edit]



[This message has been edited by Duck (edited 01-15-2003).]

i suppose he made a rectangular selection and just used a gradient

oh lol common sense sorry

[m33m]
Too much work. I used the Pencil tool at 2px, held Shift, and put down a line.

[Duck]
Notice that some of the letters were changed as well.