I need opinions (colour/design)

[Mortimer Jazz]

I've just started a redesign of my site and could do with some advice regarding the section design/colours.

At the time of writing:
Welcome is silvery/grey, Examples is blue/purple, About has floating pallets, CV is non-existant and Contact has a flower and a penguin (which is temporary - honest!)

Anyway, I liked the 'welcome' screen until I did the 'examples' screen. Should I keep both in these separate colours or should I do them both blue? Should I then give all the screens a blue surround for uniformity, or should I keep them all separate in style? Should I have different syles but keep them all in the same colour? Arghh, decisions. I'm not always good at makin em.

http://www.nwebb.co.uk

Cheers in advance :)
Oh, and feel free to mention anything else that could be improved. I'll add it to my ever growing list.

[joeytomatoes]

Nice. Keep it the way it is.

[pom]

That's very nice, Mort. I like the colors and the motion a lot. My kind of site, really :) But the fact that I can't read a single word on the site is a bit of a problem.

[binkyboo]

Mort,

Nice design concept. I'm sure it'll only improve as you add content.

I'll second pom's concerns. I couldn't read any off the text without squinting. Also, you may want to space out the words in your menu. It looked like a copyright disclosure at first and not a menu.

Good luck!

Patrick

[Mortimer Jazz]

Thanks for your replies :) - hmm, still not getting emailed when people reply

Okay, the font must go! (that makes 4 people who couldn't read the text and it's a "font for flash" font too!
Any recommendations for a good pixel font let me know and I'll pop over and buy it. The one I'm using (prefessional) looks okay on my screen but I guess I'm going to have to let it go.

So, no preferences on the colour?
My thinking is that a sight should look pretty uniform so I was going to do each page with the blue border.

Hands up who else thinks designing your own site is do much harder than designing someone elses! Lol.

Once again, thanks for the kind comments :D

[pixelwit]

The text "Welcome Examples About CV Contact" is showing up as Times when I view your site. Maybe you're not embedding the fonts correctly.

The other text (that's actually a pixelfont) is legible, but still a tough read at 6 points.

You need to empty your PM box.

-PiXELWiT
http://www.pixelwit.com

[vilehelm]

This may be a dumb question but are you sure all of your pixel fonts are in increments of 8?

The only point sizes you can use are 8,16,24,32 etc... in order for them to look right. Otherwise you get wonkiness...<--technical term.

[Mortimer Jazz]

My inbox is empty (all folders) but for some reason it's started sending me emails saying it's full whenever someone pm's me.
I'm also not getting mails all the time !?! Hopefully it will sort itself out.

Yep, I'm using 8 pixel heights and my fonts are aligned to the page at the nearest whole pixel point. I've not got any font-outlines embedded but I thought that was the point of these pixel fonts - to not have to. I shall try embedding the font - it looks okay on my monitor at the moment so I may call upon your advice again. Thank you :)

[pom]

Did you clear the sent messages too, Mort?

[Mortimer Jazz]

Yep sure did pom. I even cleared the 'tracking' of past pm's but another pm has just bounced.

On the font problem, someone just sent me a screenshot, and I must need to embed, as it's turning the font to times new roman which is indeed totally unreadable (apart from the menu).
I will change it now!

[Mortimer Jazz]

Okay, back to the fonts.
I was so pleased too ... the main swf was only 5k, now it's more than doubled - grrr ;)
Anyway, I've embedded the font outlines now.
I guess I misunderstood what pixelfonts are about.
Please tell me it looks okay now! :)
www.nwebb.co.uk

[boyzdynasty]

font looks fine... but I am worried about the flower and penguin... *uh hmm....* ;)

The interface is pretty small. Was that your intention?

My screen resolution is 1024 X 768 .... just incase you are wondering.

[Mortimer Jazz]

Lol, the penguin is going and will be replaced by a form (but I think I may keep the flower because I love the blend of colours!)

The interface is small? You did click a link and open it up right? ;)
I guess it is a little on the petite side (I'm viewing at 1280*1024 but on a 21" so my point of reference is skewed)

[boyzdynasty]

21" .... i want one!!

it looks fine but i was thinking of expanding the width....making it more rectangular.

[boyzdynasty]

mort, have you ever used swift 3d?

I was thinking of getting but I'm not sure. I just want to start making better 3D graphics.

[Mortimer Jazz]

>>21" .... i want one!!
I can highly recommend iiyama monitors. I bought this one (MA201D) on recommendation and I love it. It runs at up to 1920*1440!!
Why not buy a dual-head graphics card (Matrox for example as they're not too expensive yet still good), get a second monitor (you can pick up old ones for next to nothing these days) and have a dual monitor setup instead? That's what I used to do and it rocks! The 21" is lovely but I can't fit a second monitor on the desk - but maybe that's just greedy! You can get quadruple monitor output cards too but that's just really extravigant.
___________________________________________
>> i was thinking of expanding the width....making it more rectangular
It had crossed my mind. I'd appreciate other people's views on this. Then again I don't want to give myself too much room. I like well spaced websites but I hate having to find stuff to fill empty space that I don't really need.
___________________________________________
>> mort, have you ever used swift 3d?
Yes versions 1 and 2 but not 3. It is good. I'm not enough of a designer to make the best of it though, and simple spinning objects soon lose their appeal. I have used it to make 3d static interface elements, and I'd certainly say it's worth having for that. I had to do this whole site in Flash though, my puter is too pooorly to run Photoshop without keeling over at the moment, and I haven't got a copy of swift here.

[pinkaboo]

Hands up who else thinks designing your own site is so much harder than designing someone elses!
*waves hand in the air*

but I am worried about the [...] penguin... *uh hmm....*
yes I'm worried about that penguin too, have this strange urge to go purchase a gun and go hunting.

...but I digress.

Still some duff fonts showing up there mate, but other than that, looking good. Though I'm not too sure what that spinning thng is doing? Distracts me from reading the text..or is that the plan? :D

pinK

[pinkaboo]

dual-head graphics card

ahhh, that's what I was trying to think of the other day. Vile just purchased himself a 21" and was musing about trying to acquire a second monitor. I was wondering if you needed a certain graphics card for that setup. (but obviously too lazy to go and google!)

pinK

[Mortimer Jazz]

Duff fonts still? Where? On the vertical menu?
Yeah I've just chucked stuff on there willy-nilly for now.

I thought I'd make the main menu bombproof , started rewriting the code and got meself in a pickle! Now I've put it aside whilst I concentrate on this thumbnail gallery I'm doin

Don't dis the penguin