|
| |
|
|
lthaga
Posts: 24
Joined: 2/24/2004
Status: offline
 |
website need redesigning - 3/10/2004 16:09:13
Ok. This site is LARGE w/ articles. over 700 of them and each week I have to put 3-5 new articles in.
The site is very blah. I need to upgrade it to look a bit more professional.
Give me some hints will you?
www.reclaimingwalther.org
I especially would like to find out a classier way of listing all those articles and a way to put them into the calendar.
Thanks.
Tam
|
|
|
|
Peppergal
Posts: 2207
Joined: 9/20/2002
Status: offline
|
RE: website need redesigning - 3/10/2004 16:54:01
My first suggestion is to eliminate the music.
Also, get rid of all the thick borders on the tables and around the header. That will help a LOT.
Furthermore, the colors could be brightened up a bit...the blue and the gray used this way looks very dull and outdated. Use a sans serif font like Arial, Verdana, or Helvetica (declare all three plus a general "sans-serif" at the end to make sure all your users show a sans serif font.) You should put the text on a plain background instead of that background you have now; it's difficult to read. Rather than have that long page at the bottom you might want to make it an "about us" page or do a top navigation thingee and have the text next to the picture. The front page could be condensed quite nicely. You could also keep the side navigation and have a three column layout....
< Message edited by Peppergal -- 3/10/2004 16:56:28 >
_____________________________
Northeast PA / Poconos/ Lake Wallenpaupack Real Estate
wallenpaupacklakeproperty.com
Karen's Real Estate Blog
| |
|
|
|
Giomanach
Posts: 6129
Joined: 11/19/2003
From: England
Status: offline
|
RE: website need redesigning - 3/11/2004 4:04:39
<personal prefs alert!!!!>
1. Lose the counter (is that gonna be my catch phrase when I bite the dust or something??)
2. Use a different font. Standards ones are as Peppergal has said, but you can also use Tahoma in that family
3. Lose the background or make it a solid color, no pretty pictures please, especally when it's repeated like that.
4. Lose the table borders, yes they separate the content, but you should be able to do that without borders.
5. I for one can't hear the backgorund music, and it's got nothing to do with the fact that I'm listening to Cream Anthems 2000 either, if fit is there lose it, it won't enhance the site at all
6. Lose the text animation on the bit below the header, requires JavaScript - most people these days browse without it
7. Instead of the bog standard links use CSS or the links attributes in the body tag to make them do something.
Karen, who's gonna redesign it first, me or you?
</personal prefs alert!!!!>
Dan
_____________________________
| |
|
|
|
d a v e
Posts: 4177
Joined: 7/24/2002
From: England (but live in Finland now)
Status: offline
|
RE: website need redesigning - 3/11/2004 7:22:40
quote:
6. Lose the text animation on the bit below the header, requires JavaScript - most people these days browse without it
*most * people?!
seeing as it seems that most users need a print button on the page because they can't find/know how to use the one in their browser toolbar or even know how to change text size half the time, i find it it very hard to believe that most users a) know what javascript does b) turn it off c) know how to turn it off
unless of course you have some stats that can show me the error of my ways?
_____________________________
David Prescott
Gekko web design
| |
|
|
|
Giomanach
Posts: 6129
Joined: 11/19/2003
From: England
Status: offline
|
RE: website need redesigning - 3/11/2004 7:26:34
quote:
most * people?!
seeing as it seems that most users need a print button on the page because they can't find/know how to use the one in their browser toolbar or even know how to change text size half the time, i find it it very hard to believe that most users a) know what javascript does b) turn it off c) know how to turn it off
unless of course you have some stats that can show me the error of my ways?
SSSHHHHh it's exxageration, plus it looks tacky anyway
_____________________________
| |
|
|
|
d a v e
Posts: 4177
Joined: 7/24/2002
From: England (but live in Finland now)
Status: offline
|
RE: website need redesigning - 3/11/2004 7:28:46
re: site design
you could use the corner texture of the background tile and make that the background (i.e. the bit without the picture ) or simply use a flat colour based on that. how about dark red text on that background or dark brown/red?
_____________________________
David Prescott
Gekko web design
| |
|
|
|
d a v e
Posts: 4177
Joined: 7/24/2002
From: England (but live in Finland now)
Status: offline
|
RE: website need redesigning - 3/11/2004 7:30:39
quote:
SSSHHHHh it's exxageration, plus it looks tacky anyway
ah with you now ;)
_____________________________
David Prescott
Gekko web design
| |
|
|
|
Peppergal
Posts: 2207
Joined: 9/20/2002
Status: offline
|
RE: website need redesigning - 3/11/2004 9:33:18
quote:
Karen, who's gonna redesign it first, me or you?
Not me. I've got my hands full as it is. I shouldn't even be fooling around in here like i was yesterday. I needed to play hooky, I guess. LOL
Besides...I like to just give some general ideas.
_____________________________
Northeast PA / Poconos/ Lake Wallenpaupack Real Estate
wallenpaupacklakeproperty.com
Karen's Real Estate Blog
| |
|
|
|
lthaga
Posts: 24
Joined: 2/24/2004
Status: offline
|
RE: website need redesigning - 3/19/2004 10:18:31
Thanks for the input.
One question.
Can you give me an example of a site that uses the CSS for all those links???
| |
|
|
|
Giomanach
Posts: 6129
Joined: 11/19/2003
From: England
Status: offline
|
RE: website need redesigning - 3/19/2004 10:22:54
Either create an external stylesheet, or do it the easy way, and use an internal style sheet:
<head>
<style>
a:link, a:visited{
color: #0000FF;
text-decoration: none;
font-weight: bold;
}
a:hover{
color: #0000FF;
text-decoration: underline;
font-weight: bold;
}
</style>
</head>
That will format all links in the HTML document. And don't forget to add the rest of the stuff to the <head> area
Dan
_____________________________
| |
|
|
|
Peppergal
Posts: 2207
Joined: 9/20/2002
Status: offline
|
RE: website need redesigning - 3/19/2004 10:33:48
I used all CSS for the links on a few sites - two that are complete and two that are in progress.
suzannehimka.com
lordsvalleychurch.com
In progress:
lightexpressionscandles.com
design-a-website.com/summit/alternateindex.htm
I don't remember where I got the code for the three vertical menus but the horizontal menu came from a tutorial on this site:
http://css.maxdesign.com.au/listamatic/
which also has vertical menu tutorials, too. These are great!
I like the CSS rollover menus - they are very elegant looking without taking up precious space and download time.
_____________________________
Northeast PA / Poconos/ Lake Wallenpaupack Real Estate
wallenpaupacklakeproperty.com
Karen's Real Estate Blog
| |
|
|
|
lthaga
Posts: 24
Joined: 2/24/2004
Status: offline
|
RE: website need redesigning - 3/19/2004 10:51:00
Thank you,
I will begin redesigning the site.
| |
|
|
|
Peppergal
Posts: 2207
Joined: 9/20/2002
Status: offline
|
RE: website need redesigning - 3/19/2004 11:03:53
quote:
or do it the easy way, and use an internal style sheet:
That's not the easy way when you've got a gazillion pages! External is just as easy...just an extra step.
_____________________________
Northeast PA / Poconos/ Lake Wallenpaupack Real Estate
wallenpaupacklakeproperty.com
Karen's Real Estate Blog
| |
|
|
|
Giomanach
Posts: 6129
Joined: 11/19/2003
From: England
Status: offline
|
RE: website need redesigning - 3/19/2004 11:06:38
True, it also allows for smaller HTML docs, which means quicker load time. isn't that goooooood?
_____________________________
| |
|
|
|
lthaga
Posts: 24
Joined: 2/24/2004
Status: offline
|
RE: website need redesigning - 3/19/2004 11:11:43
um, what about a new way of doing the calendar?
| |
|
|
|
Peppergal
Posts: 2207
Joined: 9/20/2002
Status: offline
|
RE: website need redesigning - 3/19/2004 13:17:14
Personally, since each month isn't chock full, I wouldn't have the "calendars" for each month; just keep the main "calendar" at the top (update the colors though; the gray and blue really does seem very outdated to me.)
Then for each month, instead of a calendar, just have a bulleted list for the articles. I'm actually kicking around something similar for our church website.
http://www.lordsvalleychurch.com/archive.htm
_____________________________
Northeast PA / Poconos/ Lake Wallenpaupack Real Estate
wallenpaupacklakeproperty.com
Karen's Real Estate Blog
| |
|
|
|
lthaga
Posts: 24
Joined: 2/24/2004
Status: offline
|
RE: website need redesigning - 3/19/2004 13:52:56
That is a smart way to do it...thanks
| |
|
|
|
ellipisces
Posts: 849
Joined: 12/14/2003
Status: offline
|
RE: website need redesigning - 3/20/2004 4:35:21
www.calendars.net
if you want to be faster then cough up a whole $30 a year
_____________________________
| |
|
|
|
BamseIsUnix
Posts: 108
Joined: 2/18/2004
Status: offline
|
RE: website need redesigning - 3/24/2004 7:10:40
If you ask me, I would like to see this site moving towards text-based lightweight design. You can still use colors and such, of course, and images, but keep HTML as HTML and do everything using CSS. No tables. You can change the style and look 3 times a week if you like, without affecting the site contents or even the HTML code. That way it's easiest to upgrade and modify.
I hear no music...? I'm on Mozilla Firefox. Doesn't support?
Regards,
Bamse
| |
|
|
|
Giomanach
Posts: 6129
Joined: 11/19/2003
From: England
Status: offline
|
RE: website need redesigning - 3/25/2004 7:28:04
Bamse all is explained here on Background Music
_____________________________
| |
|
 New Messages |
 No New Messages |
 Hot Topic w/ New Messages |
 Hot Topic w/o New Messages |
 Locked w/ New Messages |
 Locked w/o New Messages |
|
Post New Thread
Reply to Message
Post New Poll
Submit Vote
Delete My Own Post
Delete My Own Thread
Rate Posts
|
|
|
Printable Version 
