Hey guys, here is my first website I made for my business. Please give me some suggestions! http://www.creativelearningabq.com Please comment.
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My first website: constructive criticism please.
- Thread starter jnguyen4
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Did you use a software for creating it, or just a text editor? Because if this is YOUR first web site... what can I say? It's... awesomely done, with a very professional look.
You could try validating your markup, as well as fixing the width problem in your CSS.
As a design note, I'd also remove the counter, it looks horrible, it doesn't blend in. You could try using style="display: none". This way, the visitors won't see it, and when you need it, you can always remove this and have it displayed.
On the "Tutoring" drop-down menu, there's something which, although may not be a graphical bug, definitely looks annoying. It's the "Make an appointment", having "Make" on the left and "an" on the right, with "Appointment" under it. I think you should be able to control the width through your CSS.
You could try validating your markup, as well as fixing the width problem in your CSS.
As a design note, I'd also remove the counter, it looks horrible, it doesn't blend in. You could try using style="display: none". This way, the visitors won't see it, and when you need it, you can always remove this and have it displayed.
On the "Tutoring" drop-down menu, there's something which, although may not be a graphical bug, definitely looks annoying. It's the "Make an appointment", having "Make" on the left and "an" on the right, with "Appointment" under it. I think you should be able to control the width through your CSS.
Why do you have your banner beneath the header? You're just displaying the same information twice, and it makes the right sidebar look awkward since it doesn't like up nicely with the content.
Very nicely done, though I do agree with miles01110 with the banner question. What I would do is redo your banner in white, and put it in the blue header. Add the slogan in there right below it, and alter the hot air balloon size to make it the same height as your three line header. Something like this:
========== Company Name
=Balloon Logo= Contact Information
========== Slogan
It's debatable if the slogan should be after the contact information or not. In the end it's your call.
This will also allow your image of the books to line up with the right column, and be roughly the same size as the paragraphs on the left.
For your instructor page, perhaps add in a headshot of the different instructors. People like being able to put a face to the name of who they're giving their money to, and who will be teaching them.
All of your pages except for "Home", "About Us", and "ACT/SAT Program" have empty outlines for a right column.
Otherwise very well done.
Edit: First balloon info illustration was all messed up.
========== Company Name
=Balloon Logo= Contact Information
========== Slogan
It's debatable if the slogan should be after the contact information or not. In the end it's your call.
This will also allow your image of the books to line up with the right column, and be roughly the same size as the paragraphs on the left.
For your instructor page, perhaps add in a headshot of the different instructors. People like being able to put a face to the name of who they're giving their money to, and who will be teaching them.
All of your pages except for "Home", "About Us", and "ACT/SAT Program" have empty outlines for a right column.
Otherwise very well done.
Edit: First balloon info illustration was all messed up.
The website looks great so far. A few notes:
1. Take out the text in the banner. Move the Logo/Company Name into that position. Also, this should link to the home page on every page, always.
2. The navigation links should have some sort of hover effect and a way to see visually what page you are on. You could try turning them into a tab effect like on this site: http://www.ronnycarr.com.
3. The graphics on the pages really don't look that great. For example the two different graphics on the FAQ's page do not look good together. try incorporating these graphics into the banner and fading them into the blue of the banner.
4. Try forcing the containers to at least a certain length when the page does not have that much content. It looks better if the content container is longer even if it is just blank.
5. Change the Contact Me link in the footer to Email Us.
6. Remove the counter. This is a major no no.
7. The drop down menus need to have wider dimensions so that the longer names can fit on a single line.
8. The background behind the main page container may look nice if it were a picture of the sky with clouds that fades into a solid blue color. It would fit in with the hot air balloon logo.
9. The second paragraph on the home page needs to be justified as the first one is.
10. I would move the Free Consultation link into the right column.
1. Take out the text in the banner. Move the Logo/Company Name into that position. Also, this should link to the home page on every page, always.
2. The navigation links should have some sort of hover effect and a way to see visually what page you are on. You could try turning them into a tab effect like on this site: http://www.ronnycarr.com.
3. The graphics on the pages really don't look that great. For example the two different graphics on the FAQ's page do not look good together. try incorporating these graphics into the banner and fading them into the blue of the banner.
4. Try forcing the containers to at least a certain length when the page does not have that much content. It looks better if the content container is longer even if it is just blank.
5. Change the Contact Me link in the footer to Email Us.
6. Remove the counter. This is a major no no.
7. The drop down menus need to have wider dimensions so that the longer names can fit on a single line.
8. The background behind the main page container may look nice if it were a picture of the sky with clouds that fades into a solid blue color. It would fit in with the hot air balloon logo.
9. The second paragraph on the home page needs to be justified as the first one is.
10. I would move the Free Consultation link into the right column.
Wow, thank you for the great tips. I am really just a beginner at making websites. All of your suggestions sound great but I don't know how to do all that yet. That is going to take a lot more learning on my end. But it is all things I need to think about.
I am using Rapidweaver and I am not advanced enough for Dreamweaver. Any other program you recommend using in addition to Rapidweaver?
Well, I don't know much about programs like Dreamweaver and Rapidweaver. I use Komodo Edit which is a lot like using TextEdit. I am a Web Design student and we do all of our code by hand.
I wish I knew how to code everything by hand. But thanks again. I'm sure the options are in there somewhere, I just need to look for it!
check out the home page I made. Could give you some ideas. To open it just open the file named index.html in any web browser.
View attachment test.zip
oops, that one had errors. check out the one i attached here.
oops, that one had errors. check out the one i attached here.
hi firstly it's really good for your first site!.
Not sure what you can do for rapidweaver, as i never use the software.
But the background blue seems a bit overwhelming to me, perhaps choose a different tone of blue? As the current blue is currently competing with the main text area.
And if you can add a little line height ( leading ) in your main text and make it a tad smaller , to make it easier to read.
good luck
Not sure what you can do for rapidweaver, as i never use the software.
But the background blue seems a bit overwhelming to me, perhaps choose a different tone of blue? As the current blue is currently competing with the main text area.
And if you can add a little line height ( leading ) in your main text and make it a tad smaller , to make it easier to read.
good luck
Great job for first site, hope I can get mine to look as good as yours. You've got 21 errors on your xhtml so I'd try to take care of them.
I would like to see some hover colour on your drop-down menu's (so you know what one you're clicking on). Not sure if this has been mentioned, just quickly read through.
Great job though.
How did you get logo in the tab?
I would like to see some hover colour on your drop-down menu's (so you know what one you're clicking on). Not sure if this has been mentioned, just quickly read through.
Great job though.
How did you get logo in the tab?
wow. tons of white and some black. then bam! orange box. not a good color palette and arrangement there.
to OP, very nicely done for your first site. a major thing I see is removing the sidebar on pages that don't have any sidebar content. such as registration. and the 'Make an Appointment' in the Tutoring dropdown is spaced weirdly in Safari.
Follow what others are saying and these few fixes and you'll have a nice first site!
The colors are not meant to be good. I threw that together quickly to show some of the ideas I was talking about.
Your website blows. When you so much as mention creativity, you need to reinforce that image with something visual on your website. You can't say Creative Learning, and then have a really droll webpage. I certainly wouldn't be calling your number.
Colours, oranges, modern greys, vibrant reds, maybe even purples. Sharp and modern font and modules on the site.
If I were you I'd use Joomla, and throw on a template from one of the Joomla template clubs, nearly all the templates are stunning and cutting edge in web design.
Take a look at this
http://demo.rockettheme.com/?template=moxy
UK2 host sites for less than 5 dollars a month, and you can go to the control panel and just click on 'install Joomla'
Do that, then you find a template and click on upload from your joomla panel. Et voila, Pro website, something classy, not some cheap rubbish you threw together yourself. Don't get me wrong, I'm as bad as you are at this stuff but I won't put up with any second rate rubbish from myself, that's why I use premium templates.
Look around, I hear even these premium templates are available free on file sharing sites
Colours, oranges, modern greys, vibrant reds, maybe even purples. Sharp and modern font and modules on the site.
If I were you I'd use Joomla, and throw on a template from one of the Joomla template clubs, nearly all the templates are stunning and cutting edge in web design.
Take a look at this
http://demo.rockettheme.com/?template=moxy
UK2 host sites for less than 5 dollars a month, and you can go to the control panel and just click on 'install Joomla'
Do that, then you find a template and click on upload from your joomla panel. Et voila, Pro website, something classy, not some cheap rubbish you threw together yourself. Don't get me wrong, I'm as bad as you are at this stuff but I won't put up with any second rate rubbish from myself, that's why I use premium templates.
Look around, I hear even these premium templates are available free on file sharing sites
Very clean and professional. I have a pet peeve with instructor/teacher/professor pages on we site so, I have to say it. I like seeing a professional picture of the instructors/teachers (like attached). Then again, it is up to that person if they want their picture up or not.
And I like the idea that all the drop down links in each heading should also be on all pages in that heading. Good luck with your site and learning center.
![1652-kumar-anand-profile.jpg]()
or
![1472-thompson-gerene-profile.jpg]()
And I like the idea that all the drop down links in each heading should also be on all pages in that heading. Good luck with your site and learning center.
hmmm. okay. if you take long enough to 'throw together' a full page, why not at least use a nice palette? just using white, grey and black would've been better than that orange, even if you was trying to show some ideas.
Oh I'm sorry. I forgot how much help you offered the OP and that it was way better than mine. Oh wait, you didn't.
The colors I chose for the page have nothing to do with the help I was giving. The orange color simply shows that the left content should differ from the main content. In reality I am sure that there would be a background behind the main container anyway so there would not be near as much white on the page. As I stated before, he could use a sky photo to go along with the hot air balloon logo.
Uhh bit of a contradiction there, you're saying he needs to reinforce the image of creativity, yet you suggest the use of a template, (sorry a premium template)
Not to mention, stealing someone else's creativity...
Look around, I hear even these premium templates are available free on file sharing sites
i believe this is what i said:
they already have a nice design that just needs refinement.
there's no need to get all uptight about it. you need to learn to take a little constructive criticism being that you're so quick to offer it. a web design student should be use to that. as well as using a nice color palette.
-----
To OP, good luck in your refinements!
Uhh bit of a contradiction there, you're saying he needs to reinforce the image of creativity, yet you suggest the use of a template, (sorry a premium template)
Only a contradiction if you're obtuse
I'm sure people going to his site are really going to prowl Joomla template clubs, not to mention the templates are highly customisable.
Maybe I just offended you with being real and you're trying to salvage your nuts, or maybe you just don't know what the word 'image' means