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Older articles
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mars |
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Post subject: New look for the site
 Posted: Mar 26, 2005 - 12:59 AM
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Site Admin
Joined: Aug 15, 2004
Posts: 4277
Status: Offline
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Comments?
Love it?
Hate it?
Where is Gluebeard when I need him.. lol |
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xcat |
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Post subject: RE: New look for the site
Posted: Mar 26, 2005 - 02:26 AM
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Joined: Aug 23, 2004
Posts: 67
Status: Offline
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love it, very clean and easy to navigate. I also like the effect you have on the images for the gallery sections. you have come a long way mars keep it up.
p.s. short and sweet, gluebeard take notes  |
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GlueBeard |
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Post subject: RE: New look for the site
Posted: Mar 26, 2005 - 11:57 PM
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Pirate Critic
Joined: Aug 18, 2004
Posts: 347
Location: The Isle of GlueBeard
Status: Offline
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GlueBeard's telephone line decided that it would get devoured by a Sea Monster of Line Noise. I am just now getting back online, after the phone company fixed it.
Short and sweet, huh, Xcat? The devil is in the details, and especially with regard to themes.
This visit is the first time that I have seen the new theme for the site. I don't have time, at this very instant, to provide any detailed feedback, but there are several aspects of it that I like. The most noticeable thing, though, was the fact that the site has a new theme. Return visitors need to be tempted with your handiwork more often. This site was due for a new theme, if for no other reason than because potential customers will be less likely to take your handiwork for granted, if you regularly subject them to it.
And, Xcat, I have stopped by your website on numerous occasions. Sometimes, I just like to pop in and observe any changes or growth to a site.
If I keep my commentary short and sweet, I could do that by saying, "Looks good," or, "Looks bad." However, in and of itself, those types of comments don't really give insight to the particulars of what one favors or disfavors.
And you, Mars, should be careful what you ask for. After all, you may very well get it.
I may have some spare time later tonight or tomorrow. If so, I'll try to analyze it and articulate what I like or dislike about this site's newest theme. |
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xcat |
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Post subject: RE: New look for the site
Posted: Mar 27, 2005 - 12:31 AM
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Joined: Aug 23, 2004
Posts: 67
Status: Offline
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| You know I was just messin with ya gluebeard |
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GlueBeard |
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Post subject: RE: New look for the site
Posted: Mar 27, 2005 - 01:43 AM
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Pirate Critic
Joined: Aug 18, 2004
Posts: 347
Location: The Isle of GlueBeard
Status: Offline
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1. The fact that you finally changed the theme for the site, I like very much. I was tired of looking at the same old one. Some customers will visit your site more than once, before making a decision to purchase. As such, it is in your own interests to change or rotate the theme for this site on a more regular basis than has been the case for the past several months.
2. The four identical-sized boxes beneath the header area I like very much. They are big, and thus, visible. The higher the visibility quotient, the faster and the more that it will draw the site visitor's attention to it. They share uniformity of size and shape, and they compliment one another well. There is a light fog shading to the graphics in those boxes, and you also have a roll-over effect, which removes the fog from the theme thumbnail graphics, which is a plus. The background graphics for each of the four boxes is different and unique, and while it might also look good, if they all shared the same background graphic, the way that you rendered them looks fine to me. The "Our Store," "Custom Gallery," "Donation Gallery," and "Free Gallery" signs in these four boxes are legible. The big text in those signs is a plus. There is no eye strain, even at 768x1024 in Mozilla Firefox browser, while viewing them. While I am not sure if aligning these signs to the right is ideal, the bottom line is that it doesn't look bad that way. What I do not like about these signs, other than their stark plain-ness, is that they overlap the top edge of the theme thumbnail graphics. While a slight negative, it is not a "make or break" issue for this theme, however.
3. I like the large font size used in the five links above those boxes, but beneath the header. The font, itself, however, while easy to read and legible, could make a bolder impact, which it fails to do. A darker or more vibrant black color, and perhaps witha slightly fatter or wider font, could improve this area. While I don't particularly care for the pale brown/tan color that you used for the rollover effect for these particular links, I do, nonetheless, like the fact that you used rollover effects. Good efect, bad choice of color scheme.
4. The header area is simple and straight forward. It is uncluttered, which is good, and while I do like the fact that you are making your fontwork larger in size, the fontwork, itself, does nothing, whatsoever, to make this theme more flattering in appearance. Normally, the header area tends to be one of your strong suits. In this particular theme, however, the header looks about as imaginative as a dead vegetable. The header area is, in fact, the least impressive part of this whole theme. The search box in the header is very noticeable, but it is off-center, which is bad. Having the site visitor's name in big letters is a plus, but none of the dead-red colored text do I like. The text in the header looks as if it was haphazardly just tossed up there. To be blunt, the header area needs reworking.
5. Overall, I would rate this theme high for legibility. I really like the larger than normal fontwork, compared to many of your themes that I have looked at over time. But, I also know from experience that you are capable of rendering very nice fontwork for themes.
6. With regard to the overall color scheme used for this theme, I give it the thumbs up, though the grayish-blue and white background along both edges don't really get my adrenaline pumping. A more imaginative use of color could make this theme really stand out and impact the site viewer, I think. But, even still, the theme, in its present color configuration, does not hurt the eyes to look at it.
7. On overall layout, I give this theme the thumbs up. It is, in fact, one of your better themes, as far as pure layout is concerned. If you did some relatively minor refinements, this theme could be a real standout, in my conidered opinion.
8. You know, Mars, you went to the trouble of making the fontwork a nice size, except at the very top right corner, just above the header box. That needs to be centered and made bigger, if you intend to leave it there. If you make it bigger, though, then if bigger means taller, then you will alter the white space that it sits upon, which will impact the area around the interior header box.
9. None of the blocks have borderwork that is particularly eye-catching, but even while it is simple, it looks pretty good. It's the thinness of it that saves it, I think, where this particular theme is concerned. I think that I prefer the slightly rounded edges of the right block better than I do the pure-squared look of the larger left block. But, that said, the pure-squared look works well with the larger box. The four boxes beneath the header that I like, though, also have the pure-squared look. So much pure-squared, and then the right blocks are slightly rounded off. That is a plus for geometric variety, but the deciding factor is always how does it all mesh together. For this theme, it is passable, but I am sort of iffy on it. I don't really like it, but at the same time, I don't really hate it.
10. The space beteen various boxes of this theme vary a lot, but the overally effect is acceptable. Some are wider or more narrow than others, but it all meshes well together.
11. The shadowed edging along the left and right edges is a plus, but it blends too well with the background graphic. A pale blue, almost white-ish theme that transitions into a white backgrounjd on the left and right sides, looks OK, but the transition effectuated by the shadowed effect is virtually wasted, as a result of the weak transition from nearly-the-same colors. Also, the left and right background edgework, that white area, lacks any texture. When in doubt, always use a textured look. Textured look would work better with this theme than the current smooth look.
12. It's not really a theme issue, per se, but isn't one of the ads missing? Adhearus, or something like that, wasn't it? You were getting too many ads. I am glad to find at least one of them now missing.
13. The footer is plain and simple, but it goes well with the rest of the theme. Again, this is primarily due to the uncluttered look, overall, and due to the thin borderwork that prevails throughout this theme. Once more, though, the fontwork is legible, but it is offcenter towards the bottom edge of the footer, which I don't care for. Also, if it is the only thing in the footer, that text could be increased or made fancier, via a more complimentary font choice, without really hurting anything.
14. The title bars, for both the left block and the right block, I like. They are nothing earth-shattering, as far as being innovative in design, but the color of theme, with its vertical transition effect, I simply think turned out really nice. These title bars, in fact, have one of the nicer transition effects that I have seen you use, yet. It doesn't come across as "glarish" or washed out, as I have commented on, where other themes in the past are concerned.
15. The black text in the left and right blocks works well with the blueish-grayish background that it sits upon. It doesn't hurt your eyes to look at it and to read it, and that's a big plus, especially for a theme used on a business site.
16. In the title bars, that little speech bubble thing, on the plus side, it sort of grabs the eye, but on the negative side, I don't really think that it looks that good. Maybe it is the color, though. And what is with that dead-red colored letter "i" in it? I don't like that, at all. A more vibrant colored speech bubble would provide more impact, and enhance the aesthetics, I think. That tan colored one I just don't care for. It doesn't match anything, except maybe that pale brown/tan colored rollover effect used on the links beneath the header area.
All in all, I like this theme, and I particularly like the layout. All things considered, the end effect is more positive than negative, and even the negatives, while noticeable, are nothing particularly fatal. I give this theme the thumbs up, but with a little refinement, it could easily be one of your best themes to date. |
Last edited by GlueBeard on Mar 27, 2005 - 03:41 AM; edited 3 times in total
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mars |
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Post subject: RE: New look for the site
Posted: Mar 27, 2005 - 02:10 AM
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Site Admin
Joined: Aug 15, 2004
Posts: 4277
Status: Offline
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WOOHOO!
He's back!
Man do I need feedback like that. |
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GlueBeard |
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Post subject: RE: New look for the site
Posted: Mar 27, 2005 - 02:21 AM
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Pirate Critic
Joined: Aug 18, 2004
Posts: 347
Location: The Isle of GlueBeard
Status: Offline
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Back?? I've never really left. I normally visit the site several times a week. I just don't always post.
I would also point out that, for this theme, in the forums, I like that aqua blue effect at the bottom of the messages, just below where one types a new message in a thread. That looks very nice with this blue-ish/grayish color. The alternating colors for the forums also work well together. |
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GlueBeard |
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Post subject: RE: New look for the site
Posted: Mar 27, 2005 - 02:33 AM
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Pirate Critic
Joined: Aug 18, 2004
Posts: 347
Location: The Isle of GlueBeard
Status: Offline
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I will tell you one thing that I positively dislike about this site.
You make it unduly difficult to find out about pricing for themes. Pricing should be available off of the front page. It's like going into a department store, and nothing is priced.
Ideally, it would have multiple links to it. At a bare minimum, it should be listed in the announcements, at the top of the forum index. |
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mars |
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Post subject: RE: New look for the site
Posted: Mar 27, 2005 - 02:45 AM
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Site Admin
Joined: Aug 15, 2004
Posts: 4277
Status: Offline
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Working on a complete store for the site.
So that will take care of pricing and custom quotes.
Also Control-F5 to refresh the front page.
Made some changes. |
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GlueBeard |
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Post subject: RE: New look for the site
Posted: Mar 27, 2005 - 02:57 AM
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Pirate Critic
Joined: Aug 18, 2004
Posts: 347
Location: The Isle of GlueBeard
Status: Offline
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I like the white fontwork better than the red.
However, can you place a black edging around the white font, so that the white part acts as a filler, of sorts, for the black edgings? The object is to make the fontwork appear to be very crisp. Try increasing the wize or the width of the main title in the header. Have you tried an exaggerated fat/wide font, with slightly taller height? Make the Portalthemes Design part stretch all the way across the top.
The right half of that header area I dislike. |
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GlueBeard |
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Post subject: RE: New look for the site
Posted: Mar 27, 2005 - 03:00 AM
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Pirate Critic
Joined: Aug 18, 2004
Posts: 347
Location: The Isle of GlueBeard
Status: Offline
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| ZReduce the shadow effect slightly for the fontwork in the footer. The shadow doesn't look bad. Rather, it just makes the text seem slightly fuzzy. It's an optical illusion, of sorts. Think crisp text, especially for the header. |
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GlueBeard |
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Post subject: RE: New look for the site
Posted: Mar 27, 2005 - 03:01 AM
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Pirate Critic
Joined: Aug 18, 2004
Posts: 347
Location: The Isle of GlueBeard
Status: Offline
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| The site address in red at the top looks better centered, now. But, that text is still too small. It's still too difficult to read at 1024x768. |
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GlueBeard |
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Post subject: RE: New look for the site
Posted: Mar 27, 2005 - 03:07 AM
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Pirate Critic
Joined: Aug 18, 2004
Posts: 347
Location: The Isle of GlueBeard
Status: Offline
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| The blue rollover effect on the top row of horizontal links looks better than the pale brown/tan color. IT's pale, but so is the overall colorscheme, so it works with it. You normally favor pale over vibrant, when creating themes. At least, that is one general observation about your themework in general. I, on the other hand, prefer vibrancy and impact. |
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Crane |
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Post subject: RE: New look for the site
Posted: Apr 03, 2005 - 05:18 AM
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Joined: Jan 09, 2005
Posts: 7
Status: Offline
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| GREAT new look at Preditorial and here! Each theme you do gets better and better yet I can still recognize your style. I LOVE IT! |
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mars |
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Post subject: RE: New look for the site
Posted: Apr 03, 2005 - 12:41 PM
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Site Admin
Joined: Aug 15, 2004
Posts: 4277
Status: Offline
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