Warrenpoint Boat club

[spnwebdesign]

Hey guys, new site just finished what you think???

btw i know it isnt fully valid but i dont know how to create a slideshow without flash and i dont know how to insert flash and make it valid.

[tommylogic]

link?? or do you want me to try to google it

[spnwebdesign]

wops, lol

Warrenpoint Boat Club

[Arkady]

You really need to do something about the optimisation of those photographs.

[tommylogic]

ehhh.. its OK. not really a big fan. It's VERY boxy & electric blue and not much going on.

[paddy]

I'm going to be very blunt, because I don't believe in molly coddling amateur designers.

The design is very poor. The colours are weak and boring, and there's not really any page design to speak off; just a white box and a poorly optimised slideshow. It sounds clichéd, but look at other sports and leisure club sites you find attractive and try to pin down why you like them. RedGate: Home is a good example.

Don't scroll content in divs unless you absolutely have to give it a fixed height. It's unattractive and unintuitive.

Try to keep you layout the same on each page. Changing the layout between pages decreases the usability of the site.

You could probably lose the forum as well, as I can't see many members of Warrenpoint's boating community spending much time there.

TO DO:

• Sort out that layout.
• Improve the colour scheme.
• Add some more graaphical elements to make the page look at bit more visually exciting. Remember, though, not to over do it.
• Put the club constitution on a proper page like the rest. Don't be lazy.
• Make your own PayPal buttons. The default ones look tacky and the obvious mismatch in style with the site will actually decrease the average user's confidence in paying online.
• Take your logo out of the content and stick it in the bottom corner of each page.

It needs a real design overhaul but put it down to practice and stick at it.

To end on a positive side, your code is nice and tidy and a day spent sailing in Warrenpoint with the members of the boat club is a day well spent. I had great fun last time I was there.

[mariovassilev]

paddy, very good comment man! :)
i think your TO DO list is good for anyone who wants to make something nice :)

[zumojuice]

I agree with much that paddy is saying. It is not a terrible effort but it requires much work also. What are you wanting to achieve? What do you need to communicate.

Often it helps to follow this basic strategy:

1>Site Map. Work out what goes where and what content you have. Many sites fail by placing content in odd locations and through link and sub-link and sub-sub-link. Make it clear and ordered.

2>Plan your page layout. Visually there is a hierachy from Logo, to navigation to first and secondary content. These all need to be clear and easy to find and read. A grid can be a good place to start to underpin your work though don't feel everything must fit it or you'll end up in block hell.

3>Make it work. Test it. Now you have a design, now make it work.

I'd strip the site down and adapt a colour palette of a few colours and use sparingly, Use photos, use graphic devices, but use them all sparingly.

[pb_design]

Hi mate,

First off, listen to the advice so far as it's sound, and will put you on the right course.

I'd work with simplicity as your main theme. Clean, flat colours (no gradients) might work best. When I put the logo together for you I put it on a white background so the icon would stand out. However, if you want it on blue look at the attached image.

Basically go for a minimal look, but no half-way-house. Don't just use black text, have a think about using grey to soften the appearance. Oh and don't use any keylines on the logo! ;-)

As for the front page of the site - think high impact visually. Have a huge picture / series of pics and keep the info to a smaller side column. The first impression should be an inspiring pic that really shows off the place.

Oh yeah, don't advertise yourself on the front page (bit tacky), save that for the 'contact' section.

Good luck!