Website look

[BobWestbrook]

I've been playing around with a website design for my band, and this is what I have now:
http://bobwestbrook.net/7th

There's very little content; it's just the basic appearance I have now.

Let's hear your opinion: shoot your most creatively brutal insult, flattering adulation, or constructive advice. I'll probably ignore you anyway because it's all highly subjective anyway.

Seriously, I'm hoping for good suggestions.

[Radical Edward]

That is a lot of green. I think it's pretty.. but I'd ad a bit of purple where you want things hi-lighted. Those colors work well together. Also, people like blue and yellow, if you'd want to work those in there.
Also.. "The eternal message, though excellent music" needs a period.

Other than that it looks fantastic. ^_^

[drpepper]

Originally Posted by BobWestbrook

shoot your most creatively brutal insult

Your mother was a hamster and your website smells of elderberries...

[AfroCubanFunkMa]

just my 2cents.. I need to follow my own advice on some of these.. ;0)

The elastic CSS is great and I'm curious how it will work with the text and image wraps once you place those.. One bug is that when the window gets smaller the Seventh Time Around swirl image will intrude into the navigation bar.. maybe include the image in the top bar, make that portion 100 or 200pixels taller and include an image of the band itself..

Hard to see what will happen to the text and such but it looks like the CSS stylesheets need some work to get the text to pop and look nice.. links are coming up default blue..

I like the navigation bar and rollover effects but wonder about some of the titles.. specifically Testimonials and Your Comments.. I see one of your links goes to some lyrics.. maybe have that as a category..

I would also think about a Connect link that includes all your social media links.. facebook, youtube, etc..

Lastly I would revisit the impression that your colors convey.. Image is everything as they say..

[BobWestbrook]

Thank you, Mikaela - the purple accents is a good suggestion.

Dr Pepper - you win the creatively brutal insult award so far, but you have no competition yet. I'll work on the website smell.

AfroCubanFunkMa - good observations. Yes, I do need some attention to stylings for text and links.

What impression do the colors convey?

[AfroCubanFunkMa]

Originally Posted by BobWestbrook

What impression do the colors convey?

Without seeing the band it's tough to say.. Kind of a serene, new-age spiritual vibe is what I get... Either that or island music.. But like I said it's tough to say without seeing the band..

[tZer]

"Elastic CSS" is something I prefer not to use. Fixed width is much easier to design for and control.

Aesthetically - the 3d and drop-shadow text looks amateurish (to me). Keep it simple - direct - use white space well and let the content do the talking, not the design.

The logo needs work. It looks like a logo created by someone who just discovered Photoshop filters. The swirling background is not helpful. Do a google search for logos, logo design, and check out some designs.

Photos - good photos, that is, go a LONG way toward making a website look professional.

I use sites like this: http://101bestwebsites.com/ to get inspiration for site design.

A good color palette is very helpful and I cannot stress enough how content rules. You can have the best looking interface on the planet, but if your content is lacking, so will you site.

For me, less is more when it comes to design - UNLESS you've got a stunning design with usually involves a professional designer. Otherwise, opt for simple, direct and clean with really GREAT photos and rock solid content.


I always look at other sites and borrow/steal the best ideas I find. Here are some other sites I think look good:
http://www.johnmayer.com/
http://www.u2.com/index/home/
http://www.fleetwoodmac.com/
http://www.thespecials.com/index.php
http://www.davematthewsband.com/
http://www.beatles.com/
http://www.chevelleinc.com/
http://www.snowpatrol.com/
http://www.decemberists.com/








--tz

[Ripley]

I do this kind of work for a living, and this is based only on my personal design preferences. Don't take any offense, I'm just telling you what I'd tell new clients if they asked for an opinion.

The overall color is a little dark, and the gradient thing is not especially hip anymore. With the right colors and the right degree of gradient change, you can make it work, but it generally tends to look amateurish and old, if that makes sense.

I'd use a more subtle border between your site body and content box.

I'd make the header a little taller so you can get more impact out of your band name and/or, especially, your header slogan. I like the slogan and if I were designing your site, I'd make it more prominent - at least as noticeable as your band name, if not more.

I'd make your menu links a little bigger - they're almost lost due to the small font.

The "biglogo" is, what... intrusive? I'd drop the frame around it and just place into a corner of your content body or place it in the corner of the site outside of the content body. It's a coin toss between using the biglogo or text for the band name - if you have a nice, clean, slightly larger version of a logo (whether biglogo or something else), I'd use that rather than text. Put it out there, baby!

As ACFunk noted, a Contact link or page is essential. When I do sites for small retailers, I put the contact info on every page. No one ever complains that it's too easy to contact you.

Most importantly, don't be discouraged! Building a site can be challenging and frustrating, but you'll appreciate the work once you get it nailed down. And when you have a photo gallery up, I guarantee you'll visit your site at least once a day just to pat yourself on the back. And there's no shame in that!

[MNAirHead]

Without pro pix... really tough to start.

I'd consider retail consumer goods for color schemes.. the ones you picked may not pop the same an all machines.

a single color logo will be your first stop.

tim

[wheelyjoe]

www.jack2jack.co.uk

Made by a parent of the band, who's a web designer... so... take any ideas you like...