Anyone wanna critique my site?

JM
Posted By
Jason_Mortimer
Apr 16, 2004
Views
421
Replies
14
Status
Closed
Here’s the link: <http://www.empiredezign.com/>

Thank you
Related Tags
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L
LenHewitt
Apr 16, 2004
Well I’ll ‘critique’ your code – it’s a mess.

There are several places that you have multiple consecutive <div align> statements :

<td valign="top"><div align="center"></div> <div align="center"></div>

<div align="center"></div>
<div align="center"></div>
<div align="center"></div>
<div align="center"></div>
<div align="center"></div>
<div align="center"></div>
<div align="center"></div>
<div align="center"></div>
<div align="center"></div>

<div align="center">
Only the last one is doing anything. The rest are just causing code-bloat, and a simple <td align="center" valign="top"> would do exactly what you using all those spurious <div>’s to achieve
RB
Robert_Barnett
Apr 16, 2004
Well, the font you chose it hard to read at the size you set it at. A san serif font like Verdana would have been a better choice. It is cleaner and easier to read.

The << on the navigation menu is just plain ugly and detracts from the site a great deal.

The views of your work (the samples) are a little too small to be of much use. If these are real sites and not faked to make you look good, then clicking view should take you to that site.

The entry screen is a total waste. If you have to specify that you have to have you screen set at a certain resolution, with a specific browser, etc. you aren’t very good at creating web sites. A web site that is done correctly is viewable on all resolutions with just about any except for the pre version 4 browsers.

Also, having only the one text area on the entry screen to click to enter you site is a pain. Must people are going to try a click on the image and will hardly notice the text.

Overall I think you have an ok start, but it is far from the best I have ever seen. Also, as the one person mentioned you code is horrible. I doubt it would validate.

Jerry
JM
Jason_Mortimer
Apr 16, 2004
Thanks both Len and Jerry, I will fix all or most of what you said, but as far as (the samples), these are web templates and are unique. They have never been sold. I am brand new at this I guess. I don’t know alot about code either. You can thank Dreamweaver for the:

But I thank you both for your honesty and will be checking back for more feedback. I was actually hoped to get more feedback on the designs. I guess I should have been more specific. Thanks again.
JM
Jason_Mortimer
Apr 16, 2004
Thanks both Len and Jerry, I will fix all or most of what you said, but as far as (the samples), these are web templates and are unique. They have never been sold. I am brand new at this I guess. I don’t know alot about code either. You can thank Dreamweaver for the:

But I thank you both for your honesty and will be checking back for more feedback. I was actually hoped to get more feedback on the designs. I guess I should have been more specific. Thanks again.
JH
Jake_Hannam
Apr 16, 2004
Jason,

I agree with Robert and Len about the font choices and code bloat. Any unnecessary code will slow down your web page loading and some people with slower connections won’t wait. A font without the serifs would be easier to read. You could try making the text larger IF you want to keep the serifs. I also agree that your samples should be larger so people can get a good look at them (if anyone clicks to see a larger image, it means they are interested so they are usually willing to wait a few seconds for it to load).

I like the color scheme and I like your graphics.

My only other comment is this:
If you are gearing your web site to younger audiences, they might appreciate the informal language (e.g. if ya like what ya see, etc.).
However, if you are trying to market your designs (it seems you are), then I suggest using more formal and polite language to avoid the risk of turning someone off.

You have a good start. Keep working on it.

Jake
PM
Proudest_Monkey
Apr 16, 2004
Hi Jason…

Well, you’ve already been told about the code and the font so I will not mention that again…the graphics and colors really do look nice, but the only thing that seemed off wat the contact me’s down at the bottom *I think one time is suffice* and having your url displayed at the upper right seemed a bit odd…it’s not a bad thing, but it’s not a link and hey, your already there!…

Good luck!
LH
Lawrence_Hudetz
Apr 16, 2004
Nice beginning Jason.

I am curious, all you web designers. How did you spot the "code bloat"? I don’t see anything wrong that isn’t a type, design or slection process. What would happen if he corrected the code according to Len’s suggestion, and how do you know it has changed the outcome?

A newbie to web wants to know!;-)
PM
Proudest_Monkey
Apr 16, 2004
Lawerence,

If you go to View you can see the sourse…Like Jake said earlier, messy code can slow down progress and it just isnt a good thing…think of it as bad grammer…nothing like trying to read bad code! 🙂
I
ID._Awe
Apr 17, 2004
I have a problem with the ‘mouse overs’ that created a stroke-through on the type, a stroke-through would indicate it is an inactive link.
LH
Lawrence_Hudetz
Apr 17, 2004
I see what you mean.

Hmmm, so you type all that stuff in?

How do you know what to say? Some of it looks like swearing in camouflage!

Software! Eeeek! Give me a hardware problem any day!
DM
Don_McCahill
Apr 17, 2004
Lawrence. It’s called HTML and it is actually quite simple. You can learn it in a few classes at a community college or high school. Kids in public school are using it to make web pages.
LH
Lawrence_Hudetz
Apr 17, 2004
Software and I do not seem to have an affinity.

One of the crosses in life I bear, I guess.

I also can’t seem to learn French!
L
LenHewitt
Apr 17, 2004
Jason,

You can thank Dreamweaver for the: <<

Actually, it’s the way YOU are using DW. Your cursor was in the wrong place when you attempted to centre the table and then you tried several times to apply the centre command. Each time it added a <DIV> tag because that’s what you told it to do.

You can select the REQUIRED element from the bottom of the design window where it will show something like:

<body><table><tr><td>

Bye the way, If you want HTML code to display in these forums, you have to put a psace after each openong ‘<‘ bracket to prevent the forum software from interpreting the code. (or replacing the opening bracket by &lt;) – I’ve fixed your code for you in your message
GS
Gustavo_Sanchez
Apr 17, 2004
Jason,

I agree 100% with the technical aspects that have been told up to now. But, besides, I’d like to comment another aspect:

The start page is void of real content. It does not inform the user of what it’s the site all about. It’s nice looking, yeah. But what do you want me (I’ll talk as ‘the user’, if I may 😉 ) to enter for? ‘Enter’? I thought I was already ‘inside’! You added somehow that information in a meta tag ("Empire Dezign is second to none when it comes to its crisp selection of logos, web templates, menus, graphics and so much more"). But I’d go more right to the point and I’d make it explicit just from the start. Offering people content choices from the beginning would be much better, in my opinion.

I think that you might try re thinking the whole structure of the site into a more meaningful one. And then you might try to build it in a way more compliant with the current standards: Validate your pages. <http://validator.w3.org/> It’s easy and painless.

That said, there’s something I like there.

Gustavo Sánchez

(Posted from Spain)

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