I'm fairly new to this web design / developer stuff and would be grateful for feedback on my site.

 

www.sdrussell.co.uk

 

Thanks in advance

The main things for me that are holding your site back are the header typography and the copy. The header text does not look very well considered. and the little graphical effects next to the S and the D seem unnecessary. I quite like the graphic of yourself, but I think the text doesn't suit it. The graphic to me is a little bit graffiti like in appearance, so I'd be inclined to try a more 'street' style typeface. Nothing too extreme, just a subtle clue. Maybe a stencilled font?

Also, I think the page layout is suffering from the wonky photo - have you tried it straight?

A very warm welcome to my web site.

This site has been designed by myself and is being used to show off some of my work and my CV.

I will be constantly updating and improving this site so please return on a regular basis to view new content and updated styles.

Please refresh the pages on a regular basis to view latest content.

Press (F5) to refresh page.

I hope you enjoy the content of this site and feel free to use the Contact Me page to give feedback on all aspects of this site, both good and bad.

I would rewrite this TBH, for example:

A very warm welcome to my web site.

This is where you can see examples of my work, and find out a little more about me, including my CV.

I will be constantly updating and improving this site so please return on a regular basis to view new content and updated styles.

If you wish to contact me regarding my work, please visit my contact page. I would love to hear your opinions about my site.

The bit about page refreshing sounds a little patronising, and I think it's unlikely that your content will change while someone is viewing the page. I see no other reason for a page refresh. Also, asking for comments both good and bad is like saying you don't think your work is all that good - this will put people off. Even if you think you can do better, don't let on. Make the impression that you're proud of your work. People will respond better to this.

I would also consider removing the bits where you have obscured your contact details. If you are not going to have them on your site, then leave it out altogether. I think it's a bit confusing the way you have done it.

Other than that, your code validates, which is an excellent start. I look forward to seeing your site develop.

I would change the copy even more than that:

 

Maybe something along these lines:

 

A very warm welcome.

Here you can find details of me, my work and my CV.

I will be updating regularly so feel free to return to view new content and updated styles.

You can contact me via the contact page.

I welcome your views and opinions about my site.

The colour scheme is hurting my eyes. This blue+red combo doesnt work. Try to got to colour schemer and pick some nice scheme.

 

creating the navigation by using an unordered list is a common practice...however you used only one list element and then the span tag. A better way o do it is to tag every element with <li> and assign them an id. It is way better from an SEO point of view.

 

It might be an idea to put a small thumbnail where you talk about your works to tease the visitor a bit.

 

The blog hasn't been updated since 2nd May which tells me that the site rarely updates.

 

Your email address is openly exposed in the source code... you definitely don't want to do this unless you like viagra advertisements.

 

What is the meaning of the register page? I mean what will i gain if i register? There's no information about it so it is useless at the moment.

Color Scheme: Really needs some work. Red, blue, yellow.. awful.

 

Different pages are aligned differently.. some shift-slightly left from the home page

 

Inappropriate picture on the home page (How is that a very warm welcome?)

 

Speaking of your picture the border around it doesn't look great.

 

Unprofessional looking header... your self-portrait illustration is ok but needs to be cleaned up, and the squiggly lines next to "S. Russell" and "Designs" just look bad.

 

Random use of Web-2.0 gloss on the navigation bar (doesn't fit the rest of the site)

 

Look into using Wordpress or some other CMS (content management system) for your blog instead of just hard-coding it.

 

Sorry for being so harsh but it really does need some work.

The colour scheme is hurting my eyes. This blue+red combo doesnt work. Try to got to colour schemer and pick some nice scheme.

 

creating the navigation by using an unordered list is a common practice...however you used only one list element and then the span tag. A better way o do it is to tag every element with <li> and assign them an id. It is way better from an SEO point of view.

 

It might be an idea to put a small thumbnail where you talk about your works to tease the visitor a bit.

 

The blog hasn't been updated since 2nd May which tells me that the site rarely updates.

 

Your email address is openly exposed in the source code... you definitely don't want to do this unless you like viagra advertisements.

 

What is the meaning of the register page? I mean what will i gain if i register? There's no information about it so it is useless at the moment.

 

 

Thanks for your comments.

 

As I said I am fairly new to this and still learning so all help and advice has been gratefully accepted.

 

Regarding the Register page....... it is a section I have created with photo galleries of my 2 year old son. Close family and friends have been issued with a username and password to view this section.

 

For obvious reasons access is not open to all.

Thanks forr all your comments.

 

I have found this forum very helpful as I am fairly new to this and still learning.

 

No need for anyone to appoligise for being too harsh........ I posted the link for feedback and I got feedback. If no body points out errors or things that don't work then I would be able to improve my skills so I welcome all feedback.

 

Thanks again.

I'm not a fan of the colors.

 

Try using something like adobe kuler (free online color picker) to pick out professionally compiled complimentry color pallattes.

I agree with th others, the colour scheme is a little too primary.

 

You should choose one bolder colour, and the others should be more demure (if you catch my drift)