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Re: Opinions Wanted Before Going Further
The colors of the first "Sample" are more comfortable....cooler but with earthen warmth, very soothing and "home-oriented" which is a good thing for this site, right?
I agree with Beth about lightening up the size of your header, and to resist the temptation to "hook" with so many slogans and promotional bursts so quickly. A simple logo in a reduced size header might appear more inviting to visitors, since you have obviously created the "charm" to capitalize upon.
Similar to the header issue might be a suggestion to sightly widen your site to at least 750-775, which would allow you to present more of everything in a much more even "flow" rather than punch viewers down the screen. it would also allieviate the "crunch" of your navigation: the comments on colors, size, fonts, etc. all indicate that they are too prominent and distracting as they are now, all piled up and encroaching your beloved site! If it were me, I'd make them both smaller and more subdued...people will always find them when they need them (God help us if they aren't there as expected, right? LOL), so having what some consider an "exhaustive" Menu is rather proper, but deem a smaller imprint overall....
George (Chocco) brings up a good point about your images, and whether or not they compliment or blend in too well. You might consider adding the element of "layering' to your pages to provide a natural visiual "clue/break" as well as provide an area for both emphasis and appropriate contrast: within your 'frame' you could have a white (or much lighter toned) box/shape along the bottom to place your "icons" in -- the treasure chest and your guy -- since that is the most likely place visitors will decide where to navigate next, and this offers them the "soft" invitation to drill in further....this way, your Content (be it text and/or images) will have the opportunity to create the desired result and to perform as normally presented.
It seems that nowadays, from corporate sites to purely shopping sites, brevity and visual continuity is the proven standard that all are conforming to......either the web populace is becoming lazier, or more demanding, depending on which side of the monitor your sitting on. Your site is a stunning example of maintaining perfect balance between creative personalized expression and conforming business acumen.
Your concept is profoundly articulated, and I cannot see anything to hold you back from success, as you bring your sincerity and charm to your site demonstrably well. I look forward to your decisions and your finalized version with great anticipation!
And on you go....
(For the record, all of the above - as always - is in my long-winded personal opinion. PS> I came out of my self-imposed restriction of critiquing sites in hopes that you would appreciate another perspective.)
PPS: seochat.com is but one person's opinion site....there are MANY others out there that enjoy global respect...... "Learn From A Lot To Know More Than Just One Answer"
The colors of the first "Sample" are more comfortable....cooler but with earthen warmth, very soothing and "home-oriented" which is a good thing for this site, right?
I agree with Beth about lightening up the size of your header, and to resist the temptation to "hook" with so many slogans and promotional bursts so quickly. A simple logo in a reduced size header might appear more inviting to visitors, since you have obviously created the "charm" to capitalize upon.
Similar to the header issue might be a suggestion to sightly widen your site to at least 750-775, which would allow you to present more of everything in a much more even "flow" rather than punch viewers down the screen. it would also allieviate the "crunch" of your navigation: the comments on colors, size, fonts, etc. all indicate that they are too prominent and distracting as they are now, all piled up and encroaching your beloved site! If it were me, I'd make them both smaller and more subdued...people will always find them when they need them (God help us if they aren't there as expected, right? LOL), so having what some consider an "exhaustive" Menu is rather proper, but deem a smaller imprint overall....
George (Chocco) brings up a good point about your images, and whether or not they compliment or blend in too well. You might consider adding the element of "layering' to your pages to provide a natural visiual "clue/break" as well as provide an area for both emphasis and appropriate contrast: within your 'frame' you could have a white (or much lighter toned) box/shape along the bottom to place your "icons" in -- the treasure chest and your guy -- since that is the most likely place visitors will decide where to navigate next, and this offers them the "soft" invitation to drill in further....this way, your Content (be it text and/or images) will have the opportunity to create the desired result and to perform as normally presented.
It seems that nowadays, from corporate sites to purely shopping sites, brevity and visual continuity is the proven standard that all are conforming to......either the web populace is becoming lazier, or more demanding, depending on which side of the monitor your sitting on. Your site is a stunning example of maintaining perfect balance between creative personalized expression and conforming business acumen.
Your concept is profoundly articulated, and I cannot see anything to hold you back from success, as you bring your sincerity and charm to your site demonstrably well. I look forward to your decisions and your finalized version with great anticipation!
And on you go....
(For the record, all of the above - as always - is in my long-winded personal opinion. PS> I came out of my self-imposed restriction of critiquing sites in hopes that you would appreciate another perspective.)
PPS: seochat.com is but one person's opinion site....there are MANY others out there that enjoy global respect...... "Learn From A Lot To Know More Than Just One Answer"
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