(sorry, i think i've gone and put this in the wrong section)

 

Hey all,

 

Wow, i've been away from the forum for a couple of months but it only seems like 5 minutes !

 

I've been 'up to my eyes' busy. I'm a signwriter/designer and i sub-contract to the government, doing Police cars, ambulances, army vehicles etc.. - i had a big contract to do recently, so thats what's been keeping me away.

 

Back now though !

 

If you could give me some much needed feedback on my site that i'm trying to sort out please...

 

I'm trying to setup a logo/web graphic design site for myself with the hope of trying to get a bit of freelance work. If you could let me know your first impressions, i would appreciate it a great deal. It's only a manipulated Wordpress template as i'm just learning XHTML and CSS.

 

(please forgive the excessive Milpark logos in my portfolio - i'm just showing a basic letter style to a customer)

 

Thanks a bunch in advance,

 

Carl.

 

http://www.aijologodesign.com

Note: I have just moved it into the reviews section for you

 

I've just taken a quick look and my first impressions is that it is a little "pick and mix" you have a gorgeous banner, but nothing to tie it to the rest of the site.

 

The top bar is black and orange and the rest of the page is white, grey and pink. I would suggest you used the deep reds and bright oranges from your banner to make the rest of the site fit together.

 

I like the layout of the site and the showcase, its nicely structured, but because the showcase is all different colours and there is no overall theme tying it all together, at the moment it looks a bit like its just been plonked there lol.

I agree with Eris, you have some good design elements but you have to try and pull them together and make the site flow well, as at the moment all the elements of the site don't really go together. If you are able to pull colours and elemenst from that nice banner and feed it into the rest of the site I think it would help it, as the basic layout isn't that bad it just needs something that ties the site down and makes it work together.

Will have to agree with Eris on that one, go with the oranges (which is the most prominent), blacks and greys, take away the pink in there (i think you have used it in the background gradient too ??)..the menu etc is nice and clean though, the only thing that bugs me, and each to their own i suppose , is that your logo/header feels more like an ad banner, maybe its with the main nav being at the top of the page, probably is that ! I have only being awake for about half an hour tho so excuse my ramblings !!

Hi guys,

 

spot on comments and very much appreciated - keep 'em coming, they really help define what has to be done.

 

The purple colour text has to go, i totally agree. The orange on the top was once the same purple and i changed it to orange once i decided on the header colours, the rest should follow suit shortly. It takes me a while because i'm not to hot on my XHTML, CSS or PHP just yet (i'm learning slowly) and it takes a while to work out how to change them. I was also thinking a deeper red, as suggested.

 

Interesting comment on the header, feeling like a giant ad. I'd not thought of it like that but i can definately see where you're coming from. My goal was to make something different, which stood out a little. It's still not a 'definate' but i kinda like it how it is. I think i should be able to make it all come together once i add a bit of content to the main page - perhaps once i've got a bit of content there, it won't stand out as much like an advertisement. Thanks for alerting me to that one though !

 

Also, i agree about the colour clash with some of the showcase graphics. I noticed it as soon as i uploaded the 'Purple Zone' pic that i did. I think that i'll have to leave those that don't harmonize in the portfolio and just have the ones that 'go' in the main showcase. I had thought about adding a border to the slideshow which is the same colour as the header graphic, but it will mean that i wall have to sacrifice the size a little and i'm not sure yet - i'll have to work on it. Again, thanks for the comment, it sort of cements what i'm already mulling over.

 

Gracias Amigos,

 

Carl.

Don't get too anxious about colour clashes with your showcase graphics. Sooner or later something will clash, it's unavoidale in the main.

 

My only comment is the main navigation, it's not very obvious stuck up there

Don't get too anxious about colour clashes with your showcase graphics. Sooner or later something will clash, it's unavoidale in the main.

 

My only comment is the main navigation, it's not very obvious stuck up there

 

 

Yeah, you're probably right!, especially in something as varied as logo/ graphics design, i'll see how it pans out when i have more designs.

 

To be honest, in regards to the Navigation, i'm not too fussed with it being up there, i'm planning on including the links that i want potential clients to use in the main content. I'm just mulling over a plan to kind of guide my visitors to different parts of my site.

 

Thanks for the input bud, it's very much appreciated.