Graphic designers, web designers, I need your help

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4.0L USM

07/18/2007 08:11:46 PM · #1

I have been working on this website for a couple of years now and I think with a couple of weeks editing on my spare time I should be able to make it all come together. Please keep in mind my expert field is reptiles, not websites. When I started this project I new nothing about websites. I trained myself in dreamweaver, and frontpage. I bought a few php scripts which I am trying to configure.

Right now I am looking for any advice you guys have to offer. My homepage is mainly going to have advertisers, mabey a youtube vid, and a couple of rss feeds, probably some reptile news. Whatever colors I decide to go with on my homepage I am going to use site wide. Right now they are green,red, and yellow. Everyone I have personally talked to tells me they love the colors. I'm not sure if I do personally. I would like to have some non bias sugestions.

At the time I am a full time student and my funds are dry, but if anyone would like to play with my homepage a little and see what they can do with it it would much appericiated. I have lots of photos I have personally taken and that I have bought that are stock. If interested in helping me just go ahead and do what you can. If you need some photos just PM me. Thanks Jonathan

The Reptile Source

New test site//www.thereptilesource.com/test

Message edited by author 2007-07-19 20:55:06.

Elvis_L

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

07/18/2007 08:34:43 PM · #2

I am no graphic designer and can't make web pages but if you want an honest opinion it looks very amateurish and very out of date. I would stick around if i stumbled upon it.

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6

07/18/2007 08:45:19 PM · #3

Originally posted by Elvis_L:

I am no graphic designer and can't make web pages but if you want an honest opinion it looks very amateurish and very out of date. I would stick around if i stumbled upon it.

Thanks that's exactly what I was looking for. I just I will probably do a little work with theincerting a youtube vid tonight but I just don't know the best way to lay out a homepage.

As far as graphic designers, is there anything salvageable here? or would a whole new homepage do?

bledford

Canon EOS-300D Rebel

07/18/2007 08:53:15 PM · #4

Erg. Whole new. I'll see what I can do tonight.

-B

TechnoShroom

Canon EOS-30D

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro

07/18/2007 08:57:17 PM · #5

I'd go with a redesign as well. Yellow isn't a bad background color as long as it isn't a bright saturated yellow. That's a recipe for eyestrain. You'd also be helping yourself out if you moved all the CSS external. You can also handle all the background colors there as well.

07/18/2007 09:00:43 PM · #6

Originally posted by bledford:

Erg. Whole new. I'll see what I can do tonight.

-B

It would be much appericiated. IF you need the ftp info let me know and I'll pm it to you.

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro

07/18/2007 09:21:15 PM · #7

Originally posted by TechnoShroom:

So I should have just one page for css?

TechnoShroom

Canon EOS-30D

07/18/2007 09:48:25 PM · #8

Originally posted by Snake:

So I should have just one page for css?

It really makes things a lot simpler. Just one style page to change instead of every page of your site. It also keeps the individual pages cleaner and easier to modify when you need to.

07/18/2007 10:02:15 PM · #9

Originally posted by TechnoShroom:

Originally posted by Snake:
So I should have just one page for css?

It really makes things a lot simpler. Just one style page to change instead of every page of your site. It also keeps the individual pages cleaner and easier to modify when you need to.

I'm going to wait and see what help I can get from this thread. I understand a little about css but not how to use them site wide. I guess I have a lot to learn about building websites.

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro

07/19/2007 01:21:11 PM · #10

bump...

Spork99

OM System OM-1

07/19/2007 01:49:15 PM · #11

The colors give it that Rastafarian feel mon.

Mattel Barbie Photo Designer Digital Camera

07/19/2007 01:56:27 PM · #12

Originally posted by Spazmo99:

The colors give it that Rastafarian feel mon.

Linda like this website mon.
//www.swagga.com/rasta.htm

I think I am going to try to use a photo for a background, I'll try a few new things today.

digitalknight

07/19/2007 02:01:33 PM · #13

a photo in the background aint' goin to be much better.

Go look at a site you like - snake related or not, and just start to copy it.

As you start to do this or that, you'll think to yourself "it would be better if I did this instead of that" and after you do that about 4 times you'll end up in a very different place than the site you started with.

There just aren't that many original web site interfaces out there, so just go with one you like. Heck, I'll send you one of mine (a client just shot one down, you can have it).

Jump on //kuler.adobe.com/ and pull some color pallets and use those -

You don't have to come up with this all by yourself - every idea has been thought of already, right? So use some that are floating along there and get a jump start.

A two year web site isn't a web site, it's a hobby! :-)

Message edited by author 2007-07-19 14:02:17.

basssman7

Nikon D500

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II

07/19/2007 02:05:07 PM · #14

I would ditch the yellow background. It is far too bright, and the green text at the top of the page is not even readable because of the lack of contrast against the yellow.

If you are familiar with dreamweaver then check out //www.projectseven.com and look at the templates that they sell. They already have the css figured out and you simply modify the text and the images to fit what you are doing.

Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

07/19/2007 08:50:58 PM · #15

Originally posted by digitalknight:

Well here is a test link I set up. I've been working on this for about five hours today. I found some pre built websites on one of my old hard drives and started fooling around with one of them. So far I am pleased with my outcome. As far as this being a hobby, right now your right. It's a very expensive hobby. Well, most of the last two years has been just trying to imagine how I want this site to turn out. I know there is room in the market for this site and if it is done right it could be very lucrative. I've remade this site many times over but it's about time for me to finish it up. Thanks for the comments so far. I am happy to find some people to give me thier honest openions.
The reptile source test homepage What do you think so far?

daboardergirl

Canon EOS-500D Rebel T1i

07/19/2007 08:55:23 PM · #16

That looks much improved.

Mattel Barbie Photo Designer Digital Camera

07/19/2007 08:56:17 PM · #17

Originally posted by daboardergirl:

That looks much improved.

Thanks, still have a long road ahead

digitalknight

07/20/2007 12:20:44 AM · #18

Now off to Kuler to find the "real" colors and you're on your way.