Mock up of redesign

[vanquish]

Hi guys,

I'm redesigning my site using CSS. The site is for a webdesign firm. The image i'm going for is a corporate/ professional webdesign firm, as opposed to a freelance site. I've been working on a mockup for the last few days. To be honest, the creative juices aren't flowing..it's often harder when you need to design your own site. Would love to get your input, what can i add, how can i improve the layout, any advice you can give me would be great.

thanks

http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/2733/mockupcq7.jpg

[DesignerScott]

looks good to me. sensible layout, good colors.

[datswhutsup]

its nice.

to spice it up a bit, i would take the blue buttons and add gradients, like the web 2.0 style..

also with the text/information boxes, change the color to the light tan/sand background color and change the background color to the darker tan/sand color the text/information is in now.

looks pretty good.

goodluck.

[keku]

looks good. nice clean and simple :)

[dmonks]

why do u call urself hailstorm? and how does a pic of rolling green hills explain that?
try to put urself in ur client's shoes
say you are one of those small-medium corporate clients and dont know any thing about design, what makes you stop and check this studio instead of the other?

Hope that will help a bit

[vanquish]

why do u call urself hailstorm? and how does a pic of rolling green hills explain that?
try to put urself in ur client's shoes
say you are one of those small-medium corporate clients and dont know any thing about design, what makes you stop and check this studio instead of the other?

Hope that will help a bit

To be honest with you, hailstorm was just a name we picked out from a bunch of names. I was going to have a gradient blue background instread, but it was making the page seem really bland.

could you give me some ideas?

[Drazan]

Layout is decent, but everytime I see green grass and blue sky - I think of the default desktop install for Windows XP.

I don't like the "Inside..." links so far down the page. That type of information should be above news, or at least that is where I would put it.

There is a lack of visual attention to the images. The graphics are flat with nothing that indicates cutting edge web design. Look at various websites that target people like who you are going after (aka: small business, big business, etc). What grabs you, and what makes you pass by quickly.

And on that note: isn't working for our own purposes the most difficult? ;)

=)
Jade

[ecsyle]

Hi guys,

I'm redesigning my site using CSS. The site is for a webdesign firm. The image i'm going for is a corporate/ professional webdesign firm, as opposed to a freelance site. I've been working on a mockup for the last few days. To be honest, the creative juices aren't flowing..it's often harder when you need to design your own site. Would love to get your input, what can i add, how can i improve the layout, any advice you can give me would be great.

thanks

http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/2733/mockupcq7.jpg

Why is careers so unimportant? I think the main site navigation is a bit flat and uninteresting. It also doesn't tell me visually what page I am viewing. Im feeling the white border and would like to see you play with it some more. Maybe use it to bring the top of the page, the menu and header area, off the page a bit more. I like the blue and tan scheme. Im not so hot on the flatness of the site below the header. The "related" area seems like a last minute detail. The buttons do not flow with the rest of the look of the site. The right padding on the text in the center column is kinda bugging me.

I like the name hailstorm. Maybe playing with that and the image would help create a visual of the name. A green and warm field is not very reflective of the name. I think of something intense and fierce when I say the name. Cool image though.

[Samakimoto Graphics]

I like the contrast of calm in the chosen image, and "hailstorm" - it still works- still, ecsyle is right on about visual intensity lacking as suggested by the name.

It looks great.

[Jackimalyn]

I dont know, the "hailstorm" and the rolling hills bother me a bit. I really like the layout and the colors etc. but the contrast between the colors and the name is bugging me. At the same time, I dont think you'd want a chaotic layout or overwhelming colors. its just the bright sunny hills dont say "hailstorm"

[cmykodi]

Nice. The header is very dramatic and really feels inviting (especially when you are couped up in a office). But I like the layout. I'm a fan.

[budafist]

Since the rolling hills don't reflect your name, it makes this seem like a template site which I don't think you want to be doing. A photo in that space is a good option, just have to look into what the photo should be.