Website critiques

[Ravenblack]

I guess I can post this here?

I just finished my rendition of my website. I would like critiques if thats cool. Thanks

http://www.derekwarner.net (derekwarner.net)

[jeroentje]

Hi Derek,

It looks like you have put a lot of effort in it. And that is good. Those 360 degree 3D models are a very good and well executed idea. Rest of the content is cool. Could maybe be a bit more in the future, but I do understand that you just finished it.

I think you should take it easy on the background.
It draws away all the attention away from the content (wich is the most important) and makes the text harder to read then neccesairy. And there is so much in it that I don't see where to click (remember: users are lazy ;) )
And why those big system specs in the startscreen? Write something nice and short about yourself instead, that would have made me feel a bit more welcome. It would make it more personal, and therefor more sympathetic.

Anyway, I don't want to sound like an ***hole, but you did ask for c&c and this is just honesty speaking.

Cheers, jeroentje :chug:

[Ravenblack]

thank you for the critique... I was actually thinking about that... the index (start) page is very cluttered and I most likly will trim it down....

Thanks again.

[chris]

i agree with what was already siad, but i have a few things to add. hope thats cool.

1) i hate it when you go to a site and get a splash screen, and click on the splash screen to enter, and then the actual page opens in a smaller screen, leaving the splash up. after you see the splash once, there is no need to ever see it again.
2) the layout, while theres alot of eyecandy, overloaded me. you need to figure out how to direct the users attention with line, make them stop to read the news, then look over to the menu. i was so overwhelmed at the information on the screen, that i didnt bother to read the news, and clicked the wireframe curiously, which lead to a system choking 3d render(i have a slow comp).
3) your menu icons are too complicated, the lines are going all over the place, and my eyes dont want to rest on the text that tells me whats in it.

im sorry if ive been harsh... but im a bit of an html junkie too, and im just being honest. im glad you spent so much time working on it, it really really shows! also, keep in mind that im a minimalist when it comes to webdesign... i like less visual 'noise', more direct content and less info on screen at one time.

some things i think you did well;
1) greyscale design is classic and it works, and you used it well here.
2) fairly original take on the classic, left side navigation bar. and i like how alot of the square shapes 'originate' from that dark circle in the top center.
3) youve got some great art there!

nice site man, and nice work. although that 3d render took awhile to load, i liked it alot.
chris

[Ravenblack]

Thank you for your crits!

Frist thing... I'm gonna take off the system specs and put a button on the main page for the system specs that will bring them up. Alot of people seem to think they are not needed... yet Chris you got to the 3d stuff and its slows down unless you meet the specs listed... others are telling me "..you could run your site on a 486..." which is well, wrong.

Second chris, the reason the splash screen stays was because origionally it would dissappear, and that pissed a lot of people off because after viewing the site, to continue surfing the web they'd have to start their browser again.. cuz there's no navigation address bar at the top of the pop up window my site runs in... I can make that splash screen change to another screen that says, thanks for visiting..

The layout needs one thing... the background needs to have less contrast and darker... I thought it was dark enough but it seems by the crits i'm getting that its still too distracting... i think that should fix most of my problems.

and ofcourse add more content :) I have lots of stuff I still need to add..


Thank you very much for your time.

[chris]

to be honest, when i saw the system spec i thought it was useless info... i never really connected the two things together, sorry for that misunderstanding. lol. thanks for replyig, some of the elements are little bit clearer now. didnt mean to be so harsh.

chris

[Ravenblack]

updated the site... much better cleaner layout i believe...

[jeroentje]

Better. This is a website around your artwork instead of the other way around. :thumbsup: