Opinion's again

[CC97]

I'm just looking for critiques to the following school projects I am working on.

The first is re-desigining the website of Bouclair, a fabric store in Ontario and Quebec.  I had to come up with two different layouts, designing the main page, and an internal page for each layout.

Original Site

Original Internal Page

Front Page Design #1

Internal Page Design #1

Front Page Design #2

Internal Page Design #2

...

Finally I have to create a design portolio for myself after I graduate, I've had some trouble with this as I just can't get the hang of flash, but here's what I have so far, it's incomplete, so judge it accordingly.

Chris's Portfolio - Flash (incomplete)

....

ALL feedback is appreciated, especially honest feedback.

Thanks.

[Roger Clemente]

Those site redesigns are good.  I'd use the first redesign myself, as it has that more homely feel to it.

The song "The Eastern Affair" in your portfolio sounds like a cross between the theme song from Danger Bay and "Born to Be Alive" by Patrick Hernandez.  Now if only a genuine combonation of those two songs existed, it'd be the world's first true audio orgasm.

--Roger "Time?" Clemente.

[CC97]

the world's first true audio orgasm.

I'm happy to hear it did that much for you, lol

[CDunn]

the first one is fantastic.  

Front Page:

--Nice warm colors.  Perfect for home decor.

-- I like having the featured product at the top with the departments underneath.  It's like having a feature story show right up and be the first thing you see.  

--containment and borders are key to me and this does it nicely.  The left border has your essentials and matches the top border with that nice picture hinting lines like a down comforter.  Then there is the burgundy bar with your non essentials and extras.

--  That one white stripe throws me.  I think where you're coming from is seperation of red and burgundy and I agree, but without a white stripe anywhere else it looks odd.  Then again, it be cluttered with a matching stripe in the side bar and also it doesn't belong or match up with anywhere in the side bar.  But that's very minor.

--Are all those department pictures the same size?  Could just be me, but bed and bath look the same size, windows looks less wide, fabrics is the widest, and accents is the narrowest.  They should definately all the uniform height(which they are now) and width.  I recommend the width of bedding and bath.  Or I could be nuts and they're all the same as is.

Interior Page:

--All that is applicable from what I said above is still true.

--Are those other items ALL the items in bathroom?  It should be.  And the name of the item is a link,yes.  I'm sure it is but just making sure.

-on the left side bar, I don't really like that bathroom is highlighted in black.  I'd go with a red dot like you have and BATHROOM in white text.

Really, really nice job.  I've seen the other design and will review it later but I definately like this first one much more.

I haven't looked at the portfolio yet.

[number55]

Your redesigns look really good, but I don't like the colors you've used in the nav bar parts of the page - salmon in the first and red, white and blue in the second.  Try to to stick to something more pastel-orientated for the nav bar and it will be sweet.

In your portfolio I personally appreciate how the audio doesn't immediately assault my eardrums, it serves it's purpose completely - to introduce the menu animations.  The font choices are great, really puts you across as someone with fine arts/drawing/cartooning/designing ability (the fonts are organic and "hand drawn").  Only thing I would change would be the name plate - split your first and second name to be two separate words, rather than sharing letters as they do now.  I feel this detracts from the identification of who you are, which is really well built up with the menu options style/font.

[number55]

Another thought on the Portfolio - what quality are the sound files that you are using in the "Jukebox" at the bottom right side of the page?  They sound a little distorted, maybe you could use slightly higher quality ones?

But I love the idea of the user being able to choose the music - anywhere else it would probably be gimmicky, but seeing as you have similar sort of music introducing the menu animations it works fine.

[CC97]

oooh, lots of good critiquing...

I'll start at the top and work my way down.

Sabres7200:

"--Are all those department pictures the same size?  Could just be me, but bed and bath look the same size, windows looks less wide, fabrics is the widest, and accents is the narrowest.  They should definately all the uniform height(which they are now) and width.  I recommend the width of bedding and bath.  Or I could be nuts and they're all the same as is."

They are not the same width, I am with you in the boat that they should be uniform in width as well as height, I was taking the images straight from the site and I wasn't sure if I could alter  their images like that, so I left it as is.  If you know for a fact that it doesn't matter than it shall be done!

Are those other items ALL the items in bathroom?  It should be.  And the name of the item is a link,yes.  I'm sure it is but just making sure.

I'm guessing you're referring to the "purchase individually section"  if so, those are the different items availble in the set, which I cleaned up and took from the actual site.  As is, unless I had a photograph of the item (which the original site doesnt have) i would not link to it, as there would be nothing to show.

n the left side bar, I don't really like that bathroom is highlighted in black.  I'd go with a red dot like you have and BATHROOM in white text

I agree with you, and I have made the change locally.

I also think Design #1 is better, but I had to make two, after using my creativity for the first design I found myself struggling to come up with something for #2.

Thanks sabres7200!

number55:

what quality are the sound files that you are using in the "Jukebox" at the bottom right side of the page?  They sound a little distorted, maybe you could use slightly higher quality ones?

I created the sounds using a program called "Soundtrack" on the Mac, to be honest I have no idea what settings they were set at and I cannot change them, as the proejct files are lost and all that remains are those mp3's you hear.

Only thing I would change would be the name plate - split your first and second name to be two separate words, rather than sharing letters as they do now.

Should I still position the first name in the same space, just above my last name?  or should i move it to another spot on the header?  Personally I like the banner, so I'll probably have to hear others say the same before I make a switch.

Thanks number55!

This is why I love this board.... free critiques

[lucky34]

I really like your banner.

But I think the first name sharing the letters is hard to read also, but I think it is the font that is chosen...because it is like a hand-written font, it makes it hard to see that the C & R are for both names...

so, here is one that I think may translater better..but, this is just a shot on my end..

CC with BORGHS font

by the way, I like the first design as well.. it is well done and feels very "home decor" store.

[Phil]

I'll simply cast my vote for the first redesign, and say that I wish I could learn flash from the HomestarRunner folks.

[lucky34]

i wish I could learn flash and illustrator like any of you guys on the boards.

but, I guess i just have to put in the time.

[Snowcap30]

wow..awesome stuff there chris. i like the first redesign as well. its got a more bed like feel to it. the other one is kind of too modern. a clasic one like #1 is great.

i love ur portfolio but i agree u need a different font on ur header. its just too cartoony

great work!!!

[CC97]

Eep... changing the font for the header would be a problem, as I am trying to have a cartoony feel to the site (click on the "Info" button by the media player and you can kind of see where I'm going with this)...   my theory is that everyone is doing futuristic/ultramodern, i'll be different in my portfolio idea.

[Snowcap30]

now that u put it that way it looks great, nice 0job

[CC97]

Thank ya... this is actually the first design (the flash) that got my teacher to say "looks good" to me without a suggestion... it was weird.

[CDunn]

I'm guessing you're referring to the "purchase individually section" if so, those are the different items availble in the set, which I cleaned up and took from the actual site. As is, unless I had a photograph of the item (which the original site doesnt have) i would not link to it, as there would be nothing to show.

oh, okay.  I thought it was something else.  No need for link, no need to list all bathroom products.  Man, that's one big bathroom kit they sell.

[CJR]

I've gotta cast my vote for Design #1. I like the use of the somewhat standard "inverted-L" layout and the clean lines. The site's branding is better since the company logo is larger and more visiable as a logo rather than just as some "random graphic" like it seems to me it is on their original site.

Design #2 seems to have a 1970s print ad feel to it that I just don't like.

With the portfolio, my first thought is to warn against having an all-Flash site. Yeah, it's not as much of a usability problem as it used to be but you still can't bookmark or link to pages inside a Flash site. That said, a portfolio site is something you want to make as fancy as possible to show that you know your stuff and Flash is a good way of doing that. Aside from the Flash debate, I'd say that the color scheme is missing something. The use of black seems gratuitous and there needs to be another color that make it "pop" (of course, my portfolio uses almost the same color scheme so I can't really talk).

[CC97]

Problem with the advice against using all-Flash for my portfolio.... it's for Flash class      It has to be all Flash... trust me, if I didn't have to use it, I wouldn't.

I agree with you about the colour scheme, however I feel it may be too late to add another colour in there like that.

Teacher chose Design #1, which I had hoped all along, and he was impressed, his only suggestion was to watch the positioning of the Search Text Box, and how it was too close to margins.

Thanks guys, I'll post the marks I received on the projects when I'm done.

[Mac the Knife]

Chris,

Not to be a PITA, but am I unwittingly hosting these?

[DEAD!]

I'm not familiar with website design, but I'd go with #1. The colours seem to appeal to the people who buy fabrics (women) and they don't seem too cut and paste like #2. I like the search option on #1. It's a very useful tool! Great job on both!