Need feedback on "fun" site design

[obsidian]

Well, every once in a while, I like to get a [i]fun[/i] project to do, and recently my cousin has given me the topic. She wants a [b]Gamecube[/b] themed site where she and her friends can start a little community and post articles and reviews for their favorite Nintendo games. Anyway, that's all beside the point. I'm looking for something with a fairly professional finish to it, but still a fun site that they will enjoy. She also requested the GC purple to be the main color scheme.

With all that in mind, please give me your feedback on what I've come up with so far:

http://fur.guahanweb.com

Yes, this is simply a critique on the template. I have no content or content layout yet. As I complete the different major areas of the site, I may come back for more detailed comments.

[b]**EDIT**[/b]
I have tested it in Opera 9.10, FF 2.0.1 and IE 6 with good results, so if you notice anything missing or out of place, please let me know the specs of the system you're viewing on.

Thanks!

[SharkBait]

FF 1.5

I like it actually. I'm sure the left and right columns will look better with content in the middle.

Not sure if I like the double nav bar at the top but they do look nice!

[obsidian]

[quote author=SharkBait link=topic=121010.msg496940#msg496940 date=1167933959]
I'm sure the left and right columns will look better with content in the middle.
[/quote]
Yes, you're right. Actually, I'll put in a couple paragraphs of filler text now. The diagonals actually have a gradient that becomes visible the further down the content pushes.

[quote author=SharkBait link=topic=121010.msg496940#msg496940 date=1167933959]
Not sure if I like the double nav bar at the top but they do look nice!
[/quote]
I'm still playing with this. The thought is to separate the [i]types[/i] of links into the different nav bars once there is content there.

Thanks for the comments!

[webwriter]

I can see how the diagonals echo the backgrounds on the official Nintendo site.  Overall I think it's a very nice, professional design. I like the 2 nav bars- I think it's easy to understand.

But...  it's really not [i]fun[/i], is it?

You can't really use game characters (because of copyright issues) but maybe you could use something inspired by the games?  The new Zelda has a cool inked-cartoon look to the marketing graphics, for example.  Paper Mario has the 2-D turned 3-D look... that sort of thing.

It's a great-looking design (and a far sight better than many fan sites.) I don't know how into graphics you are, but maybe a few "fun" style buttons would give it a little more pop.

[obsidian]

[quote author=webwriter link=topic=121010.msg496958#msg496958 date=1167936693]
But...  it's really not [i]fun[/i], is it?
[/quote]

Very good point. I guess so far, the extent of the "fun" would be the theme and colors. The content will all be user based, and knowing my cousin and her friends, it will definitely be fun content.

I'm not great with graphics, and while this is one of my better layouts, I might be pushing it a bit to have much more in graphics myself. I do agree with those comments, though, and I"ll get with her and see if she has any ideas to make it more fun.

Thanks!

[Ninjakreborn]

Technically you could use content for video games.  Depends on the content, images and stuff you could depending on what they were.  Also depending on if you were selling stuff on the site, or if it was a fan site (community site), they are legal.

[obsidian]

[quote author=businessman332211 link=topic=121010.msg497067#msg497067 date=1167946465]
Technically you could use content for video games.  Depends on the content, images and stuff you could depending on what they were.  Also depending on if you were selling stuff on the site, or if it was a fan site (community site), they are legal.
[/quote]

Actually, that's not always true. Some companies are [b]much[/b] more stringent about those things than others. Nintendo isn't the company I'm worried about: it's all the actual game distributors. I was involved in a sports gaming site once, and we simply posted screen shots of Madden, and we were contacted by EA saying we had to take the pictures down to keep from infringing on their copyright laws.

Believe me, I'm not excited about getting into a legal battle over an image.

[Ninjakreborn]

That was something I was unaware of, I thought they were a lot less "stuck up" about images when it comes to a game, it gives them more attention.  I don't see why they are so strict about it.

[c4onastick]

[quote author=obsidian link=topic=121010.msg496967#msg496967 date=1167937118]
Very good point. I guess so far, the extent of the "fun" would be the theme and colors. The content will all be user based, and knowing my cousin and her friends, it will definitely be fun content.[/quote]
Usually the coding is the 'fun' part for me, I'm terrible with layouts and themes.

I think it looks fantastic. It's business-like but not too serious. This is what I wish my sites looked like. I do like the double menu layout, I think it makes sense. It also looks great. Besides experience, where would you recommend one goes to learn to get such clean layouts?

[steviewdr]

Ya - its pretty good and loads of room for potential.

A few points I find:

1. The horizontal nav bars. I'm all for them - they are fine. However the background colours you use, along with the text colours do not immediately protray which is the Sub, and which is the Main Nav. Perhaps have the font-size a little smaller in the Sub Nav. Currently with the dark purple background and the white font-color - it looks as if the inside/bottom Nav is the main one. I know you are alternating the purple with the grey horizontal sections. Anyways.
Also - to make the "Fun" aspect. For the Main Nav - how about putting oversized text, and putting an image for each tab? E.g. for Home - put a picture of a simple dog kennel or a dolmen or something....well....fun and cartoon and game like. This would solve the previous problem - and make the main Nav stand out.

2. Your in-text images. You have a picture of a game console and the dwarf. You need to decide on a common format for "showing" images. The problem you have is that you have a border on the game console image. This puts a square look and feel to the site - a boxy look - which in my opinion....is not a "fun" look. Im only saying. I'd try a 5 or 10px border with a light border-color. And then round oposite corners or something ....well fun. Square with a 1px border aint fun - in my opinion. How about triangular, octagnal....circular...faded edges or something.

3. Sidebar H2 - not sure where you are going with this. Perhaps a latest posts place to show...the latest posts.? Depending on how long this side bar is going to be.....Id put the dwarf on the extreme right - under the sidebar.

4. The Footer seems fine. Perhaps a gradient fill instead of the white --im not sure about this one tho.

5. The "community" and the "post articles" etc. Are you going to be doing a forum? (Id hope not) But if you are going to throw in smf or something similar you need to think ahead to having to skinning it with your Navs etc. etc. What Im stressing is...that for a site such as this....it all seems to be the design & LINKING in with a forum thats the really hard part.

Anyways - all of the above are only MY opinions which may well differ from other people.
As you said - its a solid layout with nice clean code.

-steve

[obsidian]

Steve, thanks so much for the comments. This is exactly the kind of suggestions I'm after. Let me answer some of your questions, and I think you'll have a better idea of where I'm headed.

1. I like your idea about the images for the main silver nav bar (by each link). I think I'll see if there are any sprites I can use that won't get me into trouble. I'd love to use some little Nintendo-esque icons for those.

2. I agree with you about options for the in-text images. However, the images that are there are me testing a couple options I will be giving the user in how to display the images in their posts. So, the one with the border has the class "left border" on it, and the one of Link has just "right" class (defaults to no border). I thought that this way I could give the display over to the user for the actual content.

3. The sidebar is definitely still under development. I think I will have the latest posts, and possibly even a section of external links, etc. It's basically going to be the "catch-all" section. The goal is to estimate the size of the main content and have the right column match in length, so the content will always be flush across the bottom (or at least close to it).

4. I've actually tried a gradient on the footer, and I didn't like it as much as the white, but I may toy with another idea, too.

5. The community is indeed for a forum (I'll definitely be using SMF since it's so easy to integrate into the rest of the site), and I have been working on a matching skin for it. I'll definitely be integrating the forum into the rest of the site rather than just having it stand alone. I may post the skin once I get the forum up and skinned for critique as well. Thanks for the great reminder here, though.

Thanks for all the comments so far, and as a side note, the content sections may be changing from time to time since it's still under development, so if you see something new in the content section, please feel free to critique that, too.