Topic: Site Review

Here is the link :
http://pharotek.xtremeconfusion.com/


try and make all your critics constructive if you can.



<B>Pharo Tek

Wow I like it, other than that I can't really think of much to say... It looks like you spent a while on this and you took your time to try to think of everything. So I don't really have any negative comments on this... therefore I say good job...




[This message has been edited by Synthetic (edited 02-17-2002).]

Yeah. that rocks. i got a good reply with no little detail changes. that makes me happy. I dont know if my site looks ok in opera or NS6 but im not truly concerned with them.



<B>Pharo Tek

the colors are a little harsh... orange text on a red background? my eyes are already hemmoraghing.

the hierarchy you use the display text is also really uncomfortable in how everything is aligned to the right and the info bars (like news/administrator/forums are up) run all the way to the side.

i also just noticed that if you maximize it in 1600x1200 the whole information display goes ape shit with the text "PHAROTEK" "NEWS" "ADMINISTRATOR" and the first two lines of text up to "Patrick" all overlapping eachother in one nasty line of gibberish.

your header graphic isn't really strong enough to carry any entire page devoid of further graphic content. it just looks out of place and lonely...

maybe you should try breaking the navigation and information sections into two separate parts instead of letting them share the same area. mess with the colors to find something a little less abrasive, work on the visual look of the page pertaining to the way it uses the space you have available, and and and...

it needs a fair amount of work, duder.

PT: A few things which strike me (I'll throw in anything else I see later):

1. I'm not sure why you have gone for a splash screen allowing people to select a screen resolution. If it is really required you could do something more interesting like detect the screen resolution using a splash page. However, I would probably suggest that you make it liquid so it works at any resolution.

2. You do have some problems in Op6 and it is a good idea to test in this browser, and NS6 (as well as NS4.x), as Op6 does interpret the standards mre strictly and it'll show up problem code. The main problem seems to be the bars running off the screen.

3. I've seen you run through a number of colour schemes now and I don't think this one quite works yet like the others. The oranges and the dark red leave the page without a highlight/lowlight and it feels a little glarey. I'm not sure of the solution although I might try that very dark brown (it is dark brown isn't it?) from the background instead of the dark red - try running your colours through ZOX's page and see if anything crops up that you like:
www.webwhirlers.com/colors

4. The font size on the copyright notice is just below one where it works.

Its looking good but there are some tweaks that need to be done (in my opinion) - I'll drop more thoughts in later (if I have any).

Emps


A good buttock will always find a bench for itself - Estonian proverb

You really need to completly redo your CSS so that it works in all resolutions. As it is your using %'s for top-margin values which is bad for the layout your trying to achieve.

In fact the layout your trying to achieve is similary to www.alistapart.com only the opposite way around. There's an atricle on the site that goes through how they managed to achieve that layout so I suggest you read through it and adapt it to your site.

I also echo Emperor's thoughts on the colours, being a little weak. The typoraghpy and layout of the headings could use a little work as well but apart from that I think you've done quite well...

Mabye it's just my eyes or this moniter, but I don't see those colors as being harsh, infact they look rather good on this monitor... oh well,

ok. i have looked around and have decided to redo my layout. It seems that my present layout is fucked up in different browsers and different resolutions. Any suggestions on where to go to get ideas for a layout and how to make it "fluid", yar i seems to have missed that definition , also with the color situation, i wandering a good place other than web whirlers to find a color scheme.


[ Patrick ]



<B>Pharo Tek

hi patrick,
what exactly is the purpose of the splash page?
what is the purpose of the two different resolutions?
they both look the same to me... in size, anyways - the smaller res one has a news section, the other doesn't.
two quick things - the W3C icon seems absolutely pointless to me - i honestly don't care how good your code is right now, as long as your page loads quickly, and looks like it should in MY browser. if it needs good code to do so, so be it, but i don't need to know about it. and i don't need to see an icon that totally clashes with the rest of the page.
i would also change the bg colour of the asylum link div to the normal background, i think it would look much nicer that way (and yes, you are allowed to do that!)
the next thing that comes to mind is poor space usage.
the way the news items are arraged on the lower res, the use of the dropdown menu, the pixelacres of blank space around these all cry out poor space utilisation to me.
...and it doesn't look finished - particularly the fact that the higher res homepage is totally blank.
well, that's all i have to say right now... except that the forum colours look MIGHTY familiar....


- - r e i t s m a - -
(tifkab)

Patrick: Fluid CSS-only layout - its got to be glish everytime:
http://glish.com/css

You will struggle to find a better resource than ZOX's but I can dig out some more things on colours on the web but nothing will give you precise ideas - the power of ZOX's wizard is that it will give you a lot of suggestions keep playing and putting different colours back into the wizard and see if anything appeals.

Emps

ok just for about a day my site is in 1024x768 res
Hey im just wonderin is fluid making all the widths add up to 100% cause that is what it looks like



<B>Pharo Tek

Well, yes and no. Fluid or Liquid layouts mean that your website will expand and contract to fit the size of the browser window regardless of the users screen resolution or window size. You may browse the net with maxamised browser windows but your not everyone. I personally run at a screen res of 1024 x 786 but browser with window sizes of around 800 px wide.

You should pop over to www.alistapart.com and read through some of their css articles. The link that Emps posted ( http://glish.com/css ) is also a great place to learn how to effectivly use css to layout web pages. There are many dirrerent little tips and tricks you'll need to learn along with the occasional fix for x or y browser.

just as a small off topic thing.

my web page making has come a long way since i think october of 2000

example of my skill back then:
http://www.geocities.com/thedarklord2k/D-place.html




<B>Pharo Tek

Ok i revamped my design. I checked it in other resolutions (outside 800x600 and 1024x768). So now i need your opinion. i decided a name change was necessary since im redoing the outlook and im going to go deeper into rock than i intended to go before.. Im wondering what ya'll's ideas for a different BB, im consdering a BB change but im not sure what to go with.
The link is the same: http://pharotek.xtremeconfusion.com/ ,but i hope to get it changed to
http://unforgiven.xtremeconfusion.com or http://www.unforgiven.net some time



<B>Pharo Tek

PT: You certainly have come a long way!! I like the new design its clean and simple. If you have the domain unforgiven.net then that would be a good thing to move to (you've probably reached the point where you need a stable home so that you can get really focused on adding content).

Emps

i havent bought it yet because i dont have the credit card to. since im 16 and my mother will not allow me to have a visa buxx card i can't get it. I am going to get a job soon and start makin my money that way.



<B>Pharo Tek

PT: Cool - I understand that feeling (I'm such a credit risk I currently don't have a credit card either!! However, there are alternative ways to pay as discussed in another thread in the main forum). The problem is that unforgiven.net is taken (although .org is free - which is a suprise. So are .info and .biz which probably isn't a suprise) - do you know the owner?

Anyway nice to see you've got plans - keep up the good work.

Emps

damn i knew i forgot something. org is free? huh i thought it was the most expensive.



<B>Pharo Tek

Patrick: I suppose some companies may have different charging structures but most charge the same for org/com/net. You might want to try a variation like 'the-unforgiven' or something to see how the land lies there before you make up your mind.

Emps

Patrick this isnt a critque so much as a warning.

Your text/content is sliding up into the headers on IE 5 for the Mac. You might want to add some tables or check your stylesheet. If your worried about the site being compatible on computers other than PCs, I'd check it on machines at your school (if they have some Macs).

------------------
Tikigod

Patrik .. you can always try .. www.un4given.com

000domains.com is only $13.50 a year & they accept money orders/ checks

my pick will hopefully be nothingisreal.net

since un4given.net just doesnt roll off my tounge or please my eyes.

i should be getting it with in about two months, i should have a buxx card by then, since i cant have a real credit card and my mother is condiering getting me one anyway. so be looking for nothingisreal.net
between 4 weeks to 6 weeks



Unforgiven