My Final Logo/Identity & Web site help needed!

[LeeIs]

First I like to thank all of you that helped me tremendously in my other thread. You truely gave me some great critiques and influenced my final design which is attached below. I'm aslo gonna attach mock ups of my new website. I need the most help in the Home Page, I just can't figure it out. let me know what you guys and gals think.

http://img476.imageshack.us/img476/9083/01finalcard3he.jpg

http://img476.imageshack.us/img476/1843/02identity5fy.jpg

[LeeIs]

http://img476.imageshack.us/img476/5752/03web1home4jr.jpg

http://img476.imageshack.us/img476/3113/04webeditorial0bm.jpg

http://img476.imageshack.us/img476/9521/05webgraphic8of.jpg

[LeeIs]

http://img476.imageshack.us/img476/6614/06webilly7wf.jpg

http://img476.imageshack.us/img476/6113/07webphotography8tw.jpg

[John G]

1st, I dig the print work. I think I'd change the phone number font to a more san-serif one (like the rest of the body type).

I think you main problem with the web stuff is that you've got too many things scrambling for attention at the same time. Mainly I think it's the background white, and the white around the "flash movie here section." I also think the copyright bar should connect with the other lower blue bar. Otherwise looks good.

The white in the bg could work but right now with that space around the flash movie, it's really distracting and I'd vote to get rid of all/some/most of that blank white space there.

[angerisagift]

overall it all looks great. good job.
the white space didnt bother me at first, but now that i looked at it a second time i think that it would be an improvement if you made it so that all the white space had the same thickness by making the movie on the side bigger or reducing the width of your page maybe. i dont think its necessary, but it could improve it....like those random herbs restaurants put on your plate as garnish...you dont need it, you dont eat it, but it looks good.

-sean

[cjoe]

tight mate, tight. talking about whitespace, i found the white padding for the editorial thumbnails a little annoying. Borders maybe? even if they are only 1pt 18% grey.

[NewEra]

your corporate logo is very good, concept and colors
your web pages design is fair, the content is too good
agree with john G the copyright bar can be joined with the footer bar

[LeeIs]

John G,
Good point about the phone #, I'll definately try it as a Sans. Crazy how that thought never occured to me.
I think the white area might be less noticeable once I actually plug the flash movie in there. It might be the greyness that accentuates the space around it. I had the copy right area connected to the blue on the right and it looked very off. The thumbnail area just wasn't defined enough also when the bottom blue was connected.
Don't you think I need that white space as a bit of a rest for the eyes. If I got rid of that, there would be elements every where (even more so than it is now).

angerisagift,
I hear ya. I was almost predestined to make the flash movie that size becuase of the alignment with my logo above. You're right though, I'll try and rework it and see if it works.

That's 2 comments about the white space already! :(

cjoe,
You're correct. That actually was one of my dillemas when I was putting this mock up together. To stroke or not to stroke. I chose to forego it but you made me revisit that thought. An extremely thin grey outline might work.
One thing, what's up with the 18% grey? :D why not 15% or 20% ? lol.

NewEra,
I tried the copy right earlier but just wasn't working. Infact I'll post an image for you guys to take a look at and compare.

Thanks for your critique! It's definately appreciated.

[LeeIs]

http://img471.imageshack.us/img471/6752/webphoto25id.jpg

[LeeIs]

And the original. Makes is easier to compare so you won't have to scroll back and forth all the way to the top.

http://img476.imageshack.us/img476/6113/07webphotography8tw.jpg

[LeeIs]

By the way feel free to move things about if wanna illustrate your ideas to me, I don't mind at all. How about the home page? Any ideas what I can put on there, I'm drawing a blank. The only thing I can think of is to have 4 thumbnails that would put point to the four sections but wouldn't that be redundant as I already have the links in the banner above?

[LeeIs]

I've added the outlines to the thumbnails. Grey wasn't working so I put a shade of the section colour.

http://img489.imageshack.us/img489/9715/webeditorial20cr.jpg

[LeeIs]

Original.
http://img476.imageshack.us/img476/3113/04webeditorial0bm.jpg

[cjoe]

18% grey > im not sure this applies to a monitor but in photography it is used as a reference when you are metering for exposure. i.e. its half way between black and white. When i mount shots, i sometimes do it on grey card because it is a neutral value.

I'm curious to know if this applies to a monitor so if anybody knows.

[cjoe]

i think using the 'section colour' is a good compromise, i can see why you didn't go with it though. It seems to interfere with the horizontal lines in your thumbnails.
With the 'single piece' footer i think it creates a more traditional feel, but i didn't mind the white break though, because it means that it creates a shape that is repeating the shape of your thumbnails. I'm not really sure if thats a good thing but i like both versions, sorry to be a fence sitter.
As far as having thumbnails on your homepage, i don't think they make the navigation redundant at all. The idea of the navbar is to have an omnipresent navigation system that is the same no matter where you go in the site. This is very important because we tend to navigate our monitors by remembering spacialy where somthing is. Having thumbnails will help draw the user into your galleries, i think its a top idea.

[LeeIs]

18% grey > im not sure this applies to a monitor but in photography it is used as a reference when you are metering for exposure. i.e. its half way between black and white. When i mount shots, i sometimes do it on grey card because it is a neutral value.

I'm curious to know if this applies to a monitor so if anybody knows.

That's a tough concept to get one's head around but I sorta understand what you're saying. One would normally think that 50% is the mid point. Weird.

I don't think it applies to monitors (I could be wrong since I didn't even know about this). But does your grey card look as light as the second bar to the left here? That's 20% black(Grey), and it looks mighty light to be a midtone.

http://img486.imageshack.us/img486/9987/greyscale4kw.gif

If it is that light then I guess our conception of lightness and darkness is off. I wouldn't doubt that a bit as I recall a thread somewhere around here where someone posted some wierd illusions, where I swore a colour was darker than another but when you put them side by side it was the other way around, etc.

[LeeIs]

i think using the 'section colour' is a good compromise, i can see why you didn't go with it though. It seems to interfere with the horizontal lines in your thumbnails.
With the 'single piece' footer i think it creates a more traditional feel, but i didn't mind the white break though, because it means that it creates a shape that is repeating the shape of your thumbnails. I'm not really sure if thats a good thing but i like both versions, sorry to be a fence sitter.
As far as having thumbnails on your homepage, i don't think they make the navigation redundant at all. The idea of the navbar is to have an omnipresent navigation system that is the same no matter where you go in the site. This is very important because we tend to navigate our monitors by remembering spacialy where somthing is. Having thumbnails will help draw the user into your galleries, i think its a top idea.

Yeah, I agree with the border interfering somewhat with the look of the page. I'm not a big fan of strokes to begin with but I think I found the solution to the problem you were having while looking at the original "editorial design" thumbnails. It is to crop the images in a way where no predominant white space is on the edges, that way the illusion of a box will stand out as it does in the "photography" thumbnails page.

Yes, I don't like how traditional it looks when I connect the bottom bar, it just makes the page look so ordinary.

I'll rework my home page to include the main sections (probably keeping the section colours intact in them also). Thanks cjoe.

[cjoe]

That's a tough concept to get one's head around but I sorta understand what you're saying. One would normally think that 50% is the mid point. Weird.



yeah it is weird. try this out; if you take a pure white background and get the correct exposure for it, take the picture and then see how it looks. It turns out 18% grey. The light meter in your camera takes all the light coming in and averages it into 18% grey.

[LeeIs]

yeah it is weird. try this out; if you take a pure white background and get the correct exposure for it, take the picture and then see how it looks. It turns out 18% grey. The light meter in your camera takes all the light coming in and averages it into 18% grey.

I wouldn't even know where to start to get the perfect exposure. :D I'll take your word for it though.

[LeeIs]

How about this for the front?
http://img486.imageshack.us/img486/8919/webhome27kq.jpg

[bebestix]

redundancy in that case is not bad

[John G]

I think a san-serif font would work better, either that or try a much thinner ligher font for the body copy. I still think the white is less of a place to rest your eyes (mine rest in the blue areas) and more of arguing for attention (though I like it fine around the body copy). It could go either way really on the white, but that's just my opinion.

[LeeIs]

Thanks bebestix & John G and everyone! Everything you all said has been recorded in my brain and now I'll get cracking on getting the site built.


P.S. John, yes I think I'll go with a san serif for the body copy. I'll propably use the simple yet beautiful Helvetica. It will definately look cleaner.

[cjoe]

I like your home page. I think that color has added alot of interest to the page. Just make sure you keep your columns in check. I don't know how easy it would be for you but how does white space between each block of color look? Sorry to be picky i'm just wondering.

I can't wait to see the site in full flight. Keep up the good work

[LeeIs]

I like your home page. I think that color has added alot of interest to the page. Just make sure you keep your columns in check. I don't know how easy it would be for you but how does white space between each block of color look? Sorry to be picky i'm just wondering.

I can't wait to see the site in full flight. Keep up the good work

Yes, I tried a gap in between the blocks and it does look better. The colours butting up against each other removes the defenition that each needs to exist as a separate entity and rather lumps them into one colourfull box which is not the intention. I will surely avoid that!

You're not being picky IMO but you've been extremely helpfull :D and I appreciate it. I will definately add the finished site to my Sig. So you'll definately see the finished site. :D

Thanks a lot man.

[LeeIs]

Great LeeIs

But you may add more Usability to your design , this link may help you :

http://www.smartvi.com/webdesign.htm

Regards


What do you mean by Usability? I'm designing a portfolio site not an e-commerce one. I don't get it.
And exactly how would that web design service help me achieve that greater usability if I'm designing my own site?

[gr7ap2hi0cs]

I like the corporate ID a lot I think it looks nice. The change to the bottom bar on the site was good. There is only 2 other things i'd change on the website, I would drop the gray rectangles behind the nav items and just have that white text that peeks above in the blue then rolls over black or something. They just seem odd like they don't connect or enhance the design itself they almost seem out of place. I am thinking you wanted more emphasis on the nav but I'd try something else either making the text larger or adding --> | <-- in between the words might look better. Then I'm not a fan of the blue gradient I'd just do that flat. But that's me :) and its your design and esp as a portfolio it really should reflect your style and of course you have to love it :)

I love the page titles! That is tight overall I think its pretty strong good work.

[LeeIs]

gr7ap2hi0cs,
Thanks a lot for your well thought out feed back. I like your idea of having "|" between the nav items. I've always liked that style as it is nice and clean but one of the reasons I've added the grey box (although it could've been any colour really) is to brand my different sections with really loud colours. I could've added my section colours to the text but IMO it wouldn't have the same impact.

I've tried the blue as a solid but it wasn't working. With the gradient I was actually going for more of a lighting effect. Sort of like a dim lit room with the corners getting dark. Another reason, why I wouldn't change it is that I'm half way through designing my website :D Oh the thought of starting over makes me sick to my stomach. hehe.

Thanks.