For EATTHERICH ethical clothing (mine and my brother's company).

 

Any feedback would be appreciated, I've already realised that when you hover over a menu item it would be a little more ideal if you could still see what it is you're hovering over, as opposed to it completely disappearing.

 

Thanks

Its very dark on my monitor! I can barly rear anything...

Its very dark on my monitor! I can barly rear anything...

 

Really? I've had a lot of different feedback but never that. I've viewed it on older CRT's and my brand new 24" LCD and it looks alright. Ok - thanks for checking anyway, appreciate it

Im using a 17" LCD monitor, i thought that maybe it was my monitor not being bright enough, so i reset it to factory settings and it still very dark. I didnt even realise there was a background until i tipped the monitor!!

I have to agree your splash screen is too dark, your images are hard to see at all and the text is hard to read, mainly because it is dark but also because it is cramped together.

 

The rest of the site looks fine, so it is a shame that the splash screen lets it down so much

Ohh another thing, if your trying to get into google and get a good page ranking then a splash screen is a very bad idea!!

Thanks for the feedback guys

Excellent site, quite brilliant actually.

 

 

Great site - bursting with personality, quirky copy and design to match.

As an old git I can't stand the content - but it's done so well at least I had a good read through!

great site, love the design, very contemporary and perfect for the young, trendy, fashionable people (ahem, like me!)

 

Is there a reason why certain pages are opening a new window and some arent?

 

Personally i dont like the left navigation rollover effect, too animated and it does your eyes in a bit, upon rollover the title disappears in favour of an arrow?

 

love the site though, very in your face

Thanks guys!

 

I appreciate all the feedback. Yeah I understand that the site (and content!) is for a 'certain' group of people but it's something we feel strongly about. We launched a couple of months ago and since then we've shipped shirts all over the world and got over 2000 'friends' on MySpace - good times...

 

LYKC - I decided to have the MySpace page/shop open in new windows as they take you away from the site, good idea or not? Also I know what you mean about the nav, I think I'll change it to keep the arrow AND still have the text, although with the opacity down or something like that. Just don't have much time at the moment...

 

Cheers again

Get rid of the splashscreen. Everybody hates them and they are really not good for anything.

Get rid of the splashscreen. Everybody hates them and they are really not good for anything.

 

I like the spalsh screen!

Thanks guys!

 

I appreciate all the feedback. Yeah I understand that the site (and content!) is for a 'certain' group of people but it's something we feel strongly about. We launched a couple of months ago and since then we've shipped shirts all over the world and got over 2000 'friends' on MySpace - good times...

 

LYKC - I decided to have the MySpace page/shop open in new windows as they take you away from the site, good idea or not? Also I know what you mean about the nav, I think I'll change it to keep the arrow AND still have the text, although with the opacity down or something like that. Just don't have much time at the moment...

 

Cheers again

 

I always feel that it's better to let the user decide whether or not to open pages in a new window or tab.

 

Also on your splash page I think it would be a nice touch if the images light up or maybe expand when they're hovered over.

Awesome website, bursting with personality. Couple small things i noticed

 

- Your mouse over makes the actual menu text disappear. a little bit irritating. When you mouse over you expect to get the same or even more info. Here you get less

- The red text on "What we do" doesn't really work. i think you should stick to white text when your having big text area's.

- Seeing that you have some flash skill your might be able to conjure up something in the area above the menu now it's a bit of empty. Maybe you can visualize the menu item the user is hovering over.

- I tried to click on your top left title thingy to try and get to them homepage. You might wanna make it a link.

- Bit of a large gap one the "Bands"page. Between the header and the actual content.

 

Well thats it Awesome website, and hopefully you'll find my suggestions usefull

 

Greetz R-J

Thanks R-J, yes I do find your suggestions useful (everyone's for that matter )

 

I see some people have problems with splash screens and I've never used one before on a website but a lot of people/fans/friends have said how much they like the splash screen as it gives a pretty good intro. I know it's not ideal with regard to SE but we get a lot of our visitors through MySpace/word of mouth and business cards etc. Googling 'eat the rich' puts us up in 5th and googling 'eattherich' puts us at the top - this seems to be working for now. It's not like I'm just the Web Designer, we both design all the shirts and run everything for the company so my time working on the site is quite limited... couple that with the fact that I'm a full time Web Designer and do freelance I've not got much time at all! (like most of you lot I'm guessing!)

 

Oh - you're right about the top logo being a link, that does need to be sorted. I've also taken on board your advice about text colour/nav.

 

Cabbage - yep, heard that before about the splash screen images... I'll get on that when I get some time.

 

Thanks again anyway, much appreciated!

I see some people have problems with splash screens and I've never used one before on a website but a lot of people/fans/friends have said how much they like the splash screen as it gives a pretty good intro. I

 

Yep this is feedback I frequently get from non-web developer folk.

 

We've had a number of discussions on this one, usually I'm the lone voice calling out that splash acreens really aren't that bad in the right circumstances.

 

I believe your site is one of those 'right circumstances'.

 

I'd say a basic rule of thumb (not an absolute) is;

 

- Splash screen in creative, games and some sales type sites perfectly ok

 

- Splash screens for forums, blogs, newspaper and information based sites not good

 

It comes back to what I always say about absolutist standards/usability philosophies to web design - they are too rigid and don't allow for individual circumstances.

 

But, they are very good as an ideal to strive towards and reference against.

 

If you know why your breaking the rule then go ahead and break it.

 

I believe your site is one of those 'right circumstances'.

 

I'd have to agree - I think it fits the personality of the site.

Cheers you two

As previously mentioned, very dark, and there really is no need for the spash screen, especially done (unnecessarily) in flash.

 

Brighten up the bg image, can hardly see it !

As previously mentioned, very dark, and there really is no need for the spash screen, especially done (unnecessarily) in flash.

 

If you look at it like that there's no need for a lot of things....it serves a much purpose say as the graphics on your site...that's to say there is a need for it.

 

Anyway Russ - just had a look at your site and tried to link to magic.net or such like of the grpahics page, the site didn't load and crashed my browser 3 times in a row!!!

 

Am using standalone IE6 right now.

 

 

Edit - Magni Rack urbanthings.co.uk was the link I tried to follow, sorry 'bout that.

If you look at it like that there's no need for a lot of things....it serves a much purpose say as the graphics on your site...that's to say there is a need for it.

 

What? Graphics are useful in the fact that they draw the user's attention. Done correctly they can guide the eye to areas of interest on your website. Even so graphics give your page life and make them actually interesting to look at. Without graphics, a website is just text and links.

 

Splash pages, on the other hand, just add an extra click that isn't necessary at all. If you take the splash page out, the user isn't missing anything, except a brief (albeit odd) introduction. When I visit a website I want to get to the content right away, and especially with the sluggish internet at my school I don't want to wait for a flash application to load just so I can click through it get to the stuff I actually want to see.

 

But if you really see it as 'necessary', then that's your decision.

 

 

On a more constructive note:

 

I would recommend making your website header link to your home page. I tried to get back to your homepage, clicked on it just to find out it wasn't a link. That was a bummer.

 

If this were my site, I would move the Home link to the top of the navigation instead of the bottom, because that's where you typically find it.

 

But these are suggestions, you don't have to follow them if you don't want to

I agree and disagree with Russ on this. I don't think there is a problem using a splash screen (so that is where I disagree) I just think that it is pointless that it is done in flash (I never knew that before otherwise I would have commented). I woun't just leave it at that for fear of headcoat jumping down my throat about it so...

 

Flash has its uses for something, but for what you have there it serves no purpose at all. It doesn't move other than the flashing arrow which could be created using an animated gif. Also because your link into your site is done in flash you have made your site unusable for those people who chose not to have flash installed, as there is no other way of getting into your site other than pressing that flash button. "who cares about it being unusable to some, it looks good" I hear either you or headcoat screaming at me...well I am sure that the people who can't get onto your site do, and it can still look the same as images and an animated gif, therefore there is not a single valid reason for it being made in flash and for you to have made it so that some people cannot access the important part of your site.

What? Graphics are useful in the fact that they draw the user's attention. Done correctly they can guide the eye to areas of interest on your website. Even so graphics give your page life and make them actually interesting to look at. Without graphics, a website is just text and links.

 

Splash pages, on the other hand, just add an extra click that isn't necessary at all. If you take the splash page out, the user isn't missing anything, except a brief (albeit odd) introduction. When I visit a website I want to get to the content right away, and especially with the sluggish internet at my school I don't want to wait for a flash application to load just so I can click through it get to the stuff I actually want to see.

 

Ay yes I understand all that.

 

"What? Graphics are useful in the fact that they draw the user's attention."

Of course I wasn't suggesting they weren't useful, please don't quote me out of context.

 

But my point all be it apparently a little too abstract, was that you could also leave out the graphics, the page would load faster on your slow school connection and you'll get straight to the content.

 

So in a way the graphics aren't needed, sure sometimes they deliberatley draw attention via 'design' or 'luck', more often than not they are purely aesthetic and decorative whilst aiming to create a 'personality' (good descriptive term Wizely). Errr that's exactly what a splash page aspires too!!!!.

 

"Even so graphics give your page life and make them actually interesting to look at..."

 

Yes and so do splash pages funnily enough....done correctly in the right situation.

 

Oh dear I do seem to rather be wasting my breath on this one.

 

Final word - an argument often has two sides and not one. Dependent on the circumstances one side may outweigh the other. In this instance I gave the nod to a splash page being suitable.

 

Edit: hohoho I said final word and posted again! Dizi makes a very good point..

 

I agree and disagree with Russ on this. I don't think there is a problem using a splash screen (so that is where I disagree) I just think that it is pointless that it is done in flash (I never knew that before otherwise I would have commented). I woun't just leave it at that for fear of headcoat jumping down my throat about it so...

 

Ooops LOL sorry Dizi and all if that's how i'm coming across.

 

I just really think people should allow a little more freedom than shouting 'GET RID OF THE SPLASH PAGE' anytime anyone dares to do anything a little different than a Web 2.0/blog type site.

 

The web can be a really useful accessibility/usability tool, but also a multimedia tool.

 

In the same way I'm jumping down throats, aren't those who get all high and mighty splashes doing exactly the same?

 

Is it not good to have debate and another sidde to the discussion or have we lost our free will to such an extent?

 

By the way good point re designing in Flash when it could be done otherwise.

 

However flash is pretty much everywhere now so unlikely to stop anyone having access.

 

sorry it was a joke, as you seem very defensive about the splash page, and keeping it how it is, so I though if I left it just as you shouldn't be using flash then you would respond in the same way you did to Russ, so please excuse my sense of humour I understand that it can come off as serious especially when written.

 

 

I really don't mind the splash and I think some sites do benefit from having small splash screens. But if that splash screen stops some people (even if it is a small number) from getting onto the site then there is no point in having it. Even if they just add a link at the bottom of it saying Click here to enter then at least people who don't have flash and don't want flash can get onto the site. Although I think the text link would spoil the splash screen so that's why I think it would be better to rebuild it as images, as there is nothing really on it that can't be recreated outside of flash.

sorry it was a joke, as you seem very defensive about the splash page, and keeping it how it is, so I though if I left it just as you shouldn't be using flash then you would respond in the same way you did to Russ...

I really don't mind the splash and I think some sites do benefit from having small splash screens. But if that splash screen stops some people (even if it is a small number) from getting onto the site then there is no point in having it. Even if they just add a link at the bottom of it saying Click here to enter then at least people who don't have flash and don't want flash can get onto the site. Although I think the text link would spoil the splash screen so that's why I think it would be better to rebuild it as images, as there is nothing really on it that can't be recreated outside of flash.

 

Yep I think your spot on, nail on head.

 

Realised it was a joke, but also as I'm 'stepping out of the fold' and perhaps playing devils advocate a little here, am sensitive / defenisve if you like to this...

 

Additionally my clients insisted on a Flash splash (pre-provided animation In flash unfortunately though it could just be a gif) screen and lots and lots of Flash in a site I'm working on. Getting it all to work from having no experience of Flash development has and is a nightmare, discovered at 2am last night that the streaming movies freeze up if you try and access more than one in a session in IE7 on my laptop. That' the latest in a long line of issues I've run into.

 

Perhaps a cyncial anlayst would suggest my passion / strong feelings on this are a way of self-justifying my current situation.

 

A more enlightened one would suggest I'm working through the issues and arriving at my own stance and opinion.

 

Who knows.

 

I really like the site. One thing that I think the site would benefit from, in my humblest of opinions, is to shadowbox the clothing gallery page instead of having each image open in a new window.

I'm another one who doesn't like splash screens.

 

Your site has a function and a goal to perform, you want to perform this goal as quickly as possible in as least steps as possible. The splash screen just adds another step into this process.

 

I like the copy on the splash screen, and maybe that should be included somewhere in the main site.

 

On entering your site i takes a while to figure out what the site is for. This is easily solved by adding something like you have on your what we do page to the grey square above your menu. "We make ethical T-Shirts" nice and clear. Gives the user an instant idea as to what you are about.

 

Also, the clothing page has no clothing, it has a lot of text the another button to click through to clothing. Another step in selling a tee.

 

What we do page could do with a few block quotes, picking up on "We don't manufacture clothes in a sweatshop" and "fits your body like a hot glove"

 

Very nice site

Thanks guys - I appreciate all the feedback