Lyesmith 3.0

TVPR · 05-15-2004

Well, I'm just curious what the more professional users think of my design\functionability and such. I know it's not the best, plus I got what we up here call "worms in my ass" when it comes to webdesign. I can't just sit still. The current layout is the 3rd in about as many months, in addition to at least 11 other designs discarded or used somewhere else... All whilst I should be working on, well, anything else. Anyway, the biggest drawback with said assworms is they make me start anew before a design is perfectionized - IMHO.

Wandering far off topic now - in short, I'd like your pros and cons on my little website. There's practically no content now, only some photos and a weird story-to-be, so bear with me. With some time, I intend to put up reccomendations, featured pages, which should pass for content.

Again wandering off topic, what I'm trying desperately to say before I let myself toddle along somewhere else is:
What do you think about:
-Design
-Graphics
-Navigation
-Layout
-Useability
-Stuff in that general direction

Phew... As you get to know me around here, you'll soon discover - if you haven't already - that I take ages to actually make a point. I'm terribly sorry, but I can't help it, as much as I try.

Ah, the adress - Lyesmith.Net

Thanks in advance

Oh, and don't save the pepper, to put it that way. If somehing is horrible, please do tell me.

Young Spartan · 05-15-2004

-Design
Quality, but lifeless and undefined. I think that a simple graphic on the top, and some links and text is not enough. You need to add life to your layout and define that what the site is about. If its about design, then make that more understandable by first view. Also, the red text is a no, the graphic text being red is okay, but the HTML text being red is not to hot. I'd suggest white.
-Graphics
Nice, but not enough graphics or enough detail.
-Navigation
Nothing wrong with it.
-Layout
You need some seperating barriers between the different section in the layout and you need to add more life to it, and meaning.
-Useability
Perfect. Not confusing, to the point and workable.

Hope that helps, and keep at it. About the rambling, I love it, it gives me more info about you than I expect, and I like to know the people on BioRUST. Don't worry about it, be you, be who you are and people who like you will be there, people who don't wont.

Also, we aren't fond of curse words here, its not a big deal since you didn't know, but just try to keep it to a minimum. No punishment and I don't think anyone else will do a thing, but like I said, we try to keep it clean, and give the website a dignified first look.

Best regards,
Yuneek

Milkdrop · 05-16-2004

I think the red is way to dark, to be placed on a dark background, maybe change the saturation of the red. Good design, keep at it.

I am now web guru so i wont comment to much on the design, i'l leave that to the others.

* i dont think there is any thing wrong with saying ass worms. I suspect that we all swear, i know it looks cleaner and nicer when you look at a site with no swearing, but i think it does add some atmosphere. Maybe when this site becomes bigger swearing will become a bigger part of the biorust community, lol

**Man1c M0g** · 05-16-2004

I think the design is ok - its simple and to the point. You DESPERATELY need more content for it though. I mean, that's what people go there to see, and without the content they won't stay long or come back.

PS. Yuneek - assworms isn't a swearword in any language I know! No need to worry about expletives anyway - the bulletinboard software should automatically filter out all the bad ones...

TVPR · 05-16-2004

Thanks a bunch!
I did in fact try having text in white, but it looked out of place, so I reddened it and increased size instead. I might toss in a 3rd colour, perhaps a darkish green or something would look nice with the dominant red\black interface.
Graphics is a tough one for me. I always try to keep loading times to an absolute definitive minimum, along with a maximum browser compatibility, so most of the buttons etc. are 8-colour GIFs... However, I've learned more ways to exploit the functions in Photoshop over the past two days than I've learned over the past 2 years of studying media... (Okay, so our only PS-compatible teacher quit quite some time ago, but still) So I think I'll do as you say, spiffy things up a bit. Maybe turn to a GUI-ish design.
As for content, I'll start making me some today. Most of it is ment to come from [other people], though, so if anyone here want a gallery of their stuff on the site, please do send me a mail

Thanks for all feedback, it's great to get some constructive critisism

TVPR · 05-17-2004

Right, I've been doodling a bit this morning, trying for a more graphic layout. The attached file is the beginning of how I though a top might look. A little Fallout-inspired, perhaps, I was thinking having a decayed lok to the whole thing, adding some wires here and there, particularly from the speaker out, er, somewhere. What do you think, is it an acceptable starting point? Anything I should change?

TVPR · 05-18-2004

Feeling dangerously close to getting on your collective nerves now, and I know this forum is for reviewing finished stuff, but since I've gotten up to speed: here goes.

I've put some effort into it today, and made a somewhat complete layout for the next version of the site.

-Previously, I've concentrated on useability, compatibility and loading speed, minimizing use of graphics, limiting the total number of colours used to like 8, and basically ended up with very simple, easy-to-use layouts.

-This time I've gone wild, making everything in graphic, not giving a rat's behind in using the 256 web-safe colours, gone ballistic with graphics, and basically ignoring any "easy-to-use" factor on the menu.

So how do you like the changes?

Layout possibility

**Man1c M0g** · 05-18-2004

Ahhhh, much better! Your work is coming along nicely m8! Just a couple of points though:

- The text in the header is darned hard to read - any chance of making it more opaque?
- The solid colour to the right and bottom of the design ruins the overall design effect. Is there any way you can make the design expanding to the limits of the browser window?

TVPR · 05-18-2004

The solid colour is actually something I was working on right now!

But thanks or pointing out.
Also, I'll try to fix the header.

Evdawg · 05-19-2004

i dont like the bullets (?) and the navigation. work on those.

TVPR · 05-19-2004

Bullets? I'm not sure I understand what you mean, evdawg... But if you could give some tips to improve navigation, that'd be great

Anyhow, I increased size and opacity on the title on top, added some general items, and I think this is how I want the finished design to look. Any feedback before I plunge into a slicing battle of previously undreamt-of proportions?

Same address as before, new pic though.

megdoll187 · 05-19-2004

i like it

Milkdrop · 05-19-2004

your work is pretty good,

thats much better than the last one, keep at it.

your much better than i am at web design. You still have a long journey ahead of you like all of us here but you will enjoy it since you pretty willing to listen to peoples critism and take note fo what they have said.

TVPR · 05-20-2004

Thanks a lot

Um, I entered said slicing battle, got a 98,7% file size reduction thanks to M0g's nice tut

and will add some radio-like elemtns around the speaker next time I go around Photoshopping. But I've kind of destroyed my own website, I think, as, well, it's 1280x1024... :/

I posted a thread in HTML support forum, anyone who thinks they can help (just look at the site, you'll see what's wrong...), please see what you can do...