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Web site for my web design business: What do you think?


Guardian-Mage

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Before you go a look at it... I want to know what you think and why, if you hate in why, or if you think it needs improvements, tell me why.

Scenario 1: I want you to pretend you own your own business. Would you hire me? Why or why not

Scenario 2: You are a professional web developer, would you hire me as a freelancer? Why or why not

 

Thank you all very much for your time

http://www.northernlightstech.com/

 

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I wouldn't hire you if I were a business. I'm looking at the design, full of clouds and...clouds and it is at odds with your statement of "clean and professional design". The site reminds me a lot of some personal homepages from the early 90s, and it just doesn't look very professional at all. Try looking at the sites of other web designers-they're clean, lots of whitespace, and uses effects sparingly. This is one site that should go back to the drawing board.

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The answer to both questions is a resounding no.  Presentation aside, the quality of the prose is awful. It's riddled with spelling, syntax, and grammar errors - all of which scream unprofessional.  Random sampling below:

 

amaze your customers tommorow

 

graphics that stun, impress, and woe at the same time

 

you just can't do with out them

 

Whether your a corporate empire

 

Use are free quote form

 

We will than look it over
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I don't think it's that bad. I don't know if I would hire you. You try too

hard with all of the images and flashy slogans. Keep it simple. Only have one of those gold yellow pictures. One slogan. A profile maybe?

 

If you give it some effort and work that thing, it can really turn out really GOOD!!!

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wow, that background is pretty bad.  The colors are terrible.  If the horizontal menu can't fit into 1 line I suggest making a vertical nav and some type of submenu system.  Those browns and yellows don't look very good either.  The typography looks like crap.  I suggest not indenting your paragraphs either.  Should get you started, basically scrap it all together.

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im affriad i have to agree with the others, the design looks like it was made with frontpage. the use of the <hr> tag (especially as it's not even styled) just looks unprofessional.

 

I'd say try and improve the graphics, perhaps make the font a little smaller, get the nav links on one line, change the purple background as the colors just don't go well together, create a better header because.. i don't even know what it is..

 

also i'd say the image that changes on each page should be made more seperate to the text.. perhaps a light border and a little more spacing?

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I'd like to be honest here if I may...

 

I became extremely annoyed when I saw this site.  It screams unprofessional.  Without trying to be nasty, it is a classic case of 'hey I can do web design' coz i have an unlicensed copy of Dreamweaver or Frontpage.

 

Do I sound bitter?

 

Yes I do...Why? Because many of us work really hard to establish a living in this field and study hard to refine our skills in design, coding, css, usability, accessibility, compliance, etc etc. Yet people come along with a copy of their latest version of software hacked of peer sharing and set up a business in their bedroom.

 

Now where does that leave you?

 

I congratulate you on trying to start up a business.  I wish you well in your endeavors to learn the skills involved with web design and development.  BUT and its a huge BUT....learn something about your chosen field before you jump in at the deep end.

 

Lets face it...buying a car doesnt make you a driving instructor!

 

Good luck on the very long road that lies in front of you.

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Unfortunately you don't like my design. Which is Ok. It's just a small project for me. I'm 15, and only been programming for a year. I am really good with php/mysql, but not so much with XHTML and CSS. But I AM TRYING. This is another attempt at me trying design, and each time most people say I such. Many people say programmers aren't designers and vice versa and I agree with them, but I figure since I already learning programming, if I learn design too I'm morel likely to get hired in the future.

 

I appreciate some of the advice given, I am not going to scrap it. I will change the fonts, I had it validated with XHTML 1.1 initially, but some of my recent changes messed that up. I will fix it. I will also probably change the background. Thanks for all of your input. But I am just trying to learn.

 

PS: Big deal if I pirated my copy of Dreamweaver and Fireworks. They are WAY TOO EXPENSIVE

The header is a picture of trees, in a forest. Towards the bottom of the trees

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Yeah, but the thing is, programming and designing are two entirely separate parts of the brain. One good argument I've heard is that excellent programmers can be good designers, and excellent designers can be good programmers, but to really be great you really have to be wired into either the logic-based left-brain programming or the creative right-brain design aspect. See, your brain is mostly wired towards logic, what makes you a great programmer.

 

And, just some advice: when an overwhelming majority of people tell you to scrap something, that should be a clue that maybe you should.

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I take on board your comments...

 

However you really need to focus here...you are NEVER likely to be hired based on your current design standard.  You cant just hope and pray...practice wont even help. You need training if you are serious.

 

Consider this... what do you want to do...design or develop.  Create the boundary.  Then find a partner that cant do what you can, and can do what you cant

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I am in college and have a full time job as a programmer and I can still manage to get my own personal stuff done. I wouldn't call myself a good designer, but I can design. I can also program and you can do both, you just need to elaborate. I am going to agree with everyone here and and say take it back to the drawing board. Don't focus on validating your html or css. Look at some of these site galleries for inspiration. Your site looks very out dated. I was actually surprised I didn't find any animated GIFs.

 

I think you're on the right track though bud.

 

http://www.cssbeauty.com/

http://www.csselite.com/

http://www.cssheaven.com/

http://www.csszengarden.com/

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I don't see how being in high school could change the expectations for you. If I was a business, I could care less if you were 900 years old or didn't even pass 5th grade. As long as the website was good and it worked I would hire you. I don't mean "expectations" per se, I just mean that if you're overloaded with high school work, then maybe you could wait until winter break or until the summer to go head first into web designing. It's not easy.

 

- I'm in high school, too.  ;D

 

 

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