need your critique please

[noantsinmypants]

Well, im in a web class and this is our second web site assigment. Bear with me on the beginer level, but what is working and what is not working with this site?

The projects will be a flash photo gallery, i just didnt upload them yet for time/size reasons.

thanks in advance.

http://www.jeremywisecup.com/webone/MesaWEB/main

[Neballer]

Pretty good for second assignment. It's a little plain, and the buttons are kind of dated, but it's organized well. I'm a little shocked to see that someone is still teaching you tables for layout, but that's a whole other thread. I'd fix your javascript so that when you click on another button after clicking on projects, the project list collapses. Otherwise all the content gets pushed down.

[noantsinmypants]

Yes, well.. the web class is rather stressfull because i am basically teaching myself dreamweaver. The class itself is a whole other thread as well.

I have been reading up a little on css and "liquid" layouts (that right?) to see if i can't get a start on designing that way instead of tables.

Do you think if i scaled it down a little it would not appear so "plain"? or are there some things to change or add that might spruce it up or make it a little more interesting?

I feel it needs somethign to say "construction" or "contractors" you know?


What would be another form of button or navigation?

[Neballer]

You could get rid of the images, and the rollover script and go with a css navigation, but still achieve the same look.

http://css.maxdesign.com.au/listamatic/

[noantsinmypants]

This may sound like a stupid question, but how would i go about getting a vertical divider like i have as an img. but without the image and css?

thanks for the link btw.

[Neballer]

not quite sure I follow you, but..
http://www.w3schools.com/css/css_padding.asp

[noantsinmypants]

what i meant was how to get the vertical divider without an image. "using" css. I didnt clarify that very well. sorry.


and i have updated the nav.

[Neballer]

nicely.

[AdamSayer]

i like the new side nav, the big red buttons seemed like a bit much. the new one is a bit cleaner. one thing that is kinda irking me is, do the two outside lines, line up with the outermost edge of the header and the footer, it seems to me like they are scrunched in a little too much. it could just be me, though. When i click on projects, it comes up into that area between the header and the body that isnt quite covered by the vertical lines, it just seems a bit off to me.

[noantsinmypants]

the outside lines are images right now, that i want to get rid of and be able to add as a css element. if thats possible.

[shalom_m]

You could use the border right or border left property. see here (http://www.w3schools.com/css/tryit.asp?filename=trycss_border-left), here (http://www.w3schools.com/css/tryit.asp?filename=trycss_border-style2) or here (http://www.w3schools.com/css/tryit.asp?filename=trycss_border-left-style)
I personally don't like it, because you get different results depending on the browser you use (thank you Bill for making our lives more interesting).
In addition, you will have to play around with margins and padding.

A far better approach would be faux borders (http://www.maratz.com/blog/archives/2005/03/16/faux-borders-pseudo-table-effect/)
Google for it too.

In short, all you need to do is produce a graphic 1px high and the width of your active page (in this specific case 757px) like the one below (I have deliberatly canged/accentuated the colors)

http://mandelbaumonline.net/csspop/faux.png


and let it repeat in the y direction.

[noantsinmypants]

I will see if i cant work with these instead. Thanks for the links.

[shalom_m]

This evening I was just asked to design a new website for a cross desert bike rally.
I used faux columns. The design is still in the early stages so you see the "bare bones" of faux columns easily.

Look here (http://mandelbaumonline.net/css202/)

I assume you know how to download the individual pieces. If not, PM me with an e-mail and I will send it to you in zip.

[noantsinmypants]

Here is an UPDATE!

http://art-design.missouristate.edu/des340/1%20Wisecup%20Jeremy/MesaWEB/


thoughts? Suggestions?


The "Something" Page will be something about the sub contractors used or something like so, to incorporate more information throughout the site.

Also, does anyone know where i am going wrong on getting the spry asset to close after a time limit, or after another link is clicked outside of the projects showcase? (Im wanting the showcase spry to close after a link other than what is listed inside that current spry is clicked on. example. Opening the projects showcase options, then clicking on about us and then that previous spry closes.)

confusing? sorry if so.