My New Site, [Archive] - SV650.org - SV650 & Gladius 650 Forum

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Moojuicepez

31-12-09, 01:05 PM

Hi all,

dont put this down as advertisment as im only looking for Comments etc about my new site.

Its 98% Done, just twitter feeds and testimonials to throw in there somewhere.

what do the Orgers think?

Link: http://www.moojuicedesigns.com (http://www.moojuicedesigns.com/)

Cheers

Moo

Rai86

31-12-09, 01:07 PM

Interesting - im looking for a web designer. fate god dam it, fate

Holdup

31-12-09, 01:09 PM

The bottom bit with testimonials etc, i cant read the green writing, thats all ive picked up on so far, looking good tho :thumright:

Moojuicepez

31-12-09, 01:10 PM

Oh Awesome. Feel free to give me an email or a pm.

Coments on the site ?

5hort5

31-12-09, 01:12 PM

looks ok, however the one thing that really puts me off is the green in the grey at the bottom, you can't read it.

Moojuicepez

31-12-09, 01:13 PM

The bottom bit with testimonials etc, i cant read the green writing, thats all ive picked up on so far, looking good tho :thumright:

looks ok, however the one thing that really puts me off is the green in the grey at the bottom, you can't read it.

This is one of the problems ive had. going from my signature green to a darker green seems to ruin the over all look of the site. i will have to look into this today.

Thank you for your comments.

Holdup

31-12-09, 01:14 PM

speedplay

31-12-09, 01:14 PM

Coments on the site ?

Looks rubbish, is this a first attempt? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhmjnYKlVnM)

;)

Nice effort mate.

Jenn may be able to swing some work your way if you like.

+ 1 on the green text too.

Moojuicepez

31-12-09, 01:25 PM

It does look good so far, but perhaps maybe slightly bigger fonts in places and change some of the green is really all ive picked up on so far

Btw do you use http://validator.w3.org/ to check the page or are you too good for all that :cool:

I get 20 errors on the validator at the moment. i know where they are i just havent had chance to sort them out yet. alot of them are double spaces in the code.

Looks rubbish, is this a first attempt? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhmjnYKlVnM)
;)ce effort mate.
+ 1 on the green text too.

Ive edited the Index file with a tweek to the bottom text.

if all could have a look on this one page and tell me if that does the trick for ya :)

http://www.moojuicedesigns.com/index.html

Holdup

31-12-09, 01:26 PM

That's better :thumright:

Moojuicepez

31-12-09, 01:28 PM

Ill apply that to all pages now then. Tar

speedplay

31-12-09, 01:28 PM

I get 20 errors on the validator at the moment. i know where they are i just havent had chance to sort them out yet. alot of them are double spaces in the code.

Ive edited the Index file with a tweek to the bottom text.

if all could have a look on this one page and tell me if that does the trick for ya :)

http://www.moojuicedesigns.com/index.html

Looks like an after thought :(

At least it can be read now though.

How about darkening the grey box its in and lightening the text sort of reversing whats done on there already.

Oh, and everytime we have met up, I end up supplying the tea! ;)

Stu

31-12-09, 01:31 PM

Err...spellcheck it? :smt102

what im good at :roll:

speedplay

31-12-09, 01:34 PM

Customer service is a bit dubious:rolleyes:

I sent an email over and got the reply:-

"Your GHEY!."

Nice:thumleft:

davepreston

31-12-09, 01:37 PM

Moojuicepez

31-12-09, 01:41 PM

Looks like an after thought :(

At least it can be read now though.

How about darkening the grey box its in and lightening the text sort of reversing whats done on there already.

Oh, and everytime we have met up, I end up supplying the tea! ;)

ill supply the tea next time rob ;)

Err...spellcheck it? :smt102

:roll:

Im working on it! :)

Customer service is a bit dubious:rolleyes:

I sent an email over and got the reply:-

"Your GHEY!."

Nice:thumleft:

You send abuse, you get abuse :P

+1 also youve just fixed the first page not the rest hth

Yeah i said in a previous post that i was just using the index to show you what it would look like.

Stingo

31-12-09, 01:52 PM

What you said...

MooJuice Designs is a Freelance outlet for Myself (Perry Feighan) a Graphic/Web Designer based in Coventry.
I design/build websites and other graphic pieces for a living & it´s what im good at - Honestly!!
I cater for individuals & small businesses. My web design services are unique, affordable and available to everyone,
whatever the budget.
Heard enough? Lets get started on something fantastic.

How about...
MooJuice Designs is a freelance outlet for myself (Perry Feighan) - a graphic/web designer based in Coventry.
I design & build websites and other graphic pieces.
I cater for individuals in addition to small businesses. My web design services are unique, affordable as well as available to everyone, whatever their budget.
Read enough? Let's get started then on something fantastic...!!

Bit picky I know, and a first pull through....I expect other's can improve...

Stingo

31-12-09, 01:55 PM

I see that you mention that YOU are happy with the end result of the TshirtUK project...but are TshirtUK happy?:smt101

Looks nice though...:thumleft:

Spiderman

31-12-09, 01:58 PM

i likey, after all the above comments have been taken into consideration.

But one other thing...tea? Fekin tea? All us business folk do coffee you know and not just plain old instant junk but frappe-late-mocha-chocka-chino type ones. You aint gonna get business from the big boys if you take em to a greasy spoon and get them some tetleys you know ;)

But perhaps thats just more of a london thang.

Moojuicepez

31-12-09, 02:06 PM

What you said...

How about...
MooJuice Designs is a freelance outlet for myself (Perry Feighan) - a graphic/web designer based in Coventry.
I design & build websites and other graphic pieces.
I cater for individuals in addition to small businesses. My web design services are unique, affordable as well as available to everyone, whatever their budget.
Read enough? Let's get started then on something fantastic...!!

Bit picky I know, and a first pull through....I expect other's can improve...

Love that, thank you with your permission id like to copy and paste that in ?

I see that you mention that YOU are happy with the end result of the TshirtUK project...but are TshirtUK happy?:smt101

Looks nice though...:thumleft:

Tshirt uk is a toughy, its a project im working on with a developer. i designed some thing clean to replace whats currenty on tshirtuk.com. the developer has yet to put it into action.

i likey, after all the above comments have been taken into consideration.

But one other thing...tea? Fekin tea? All us business folk do coffee you know and not just plain old instant junk but frappe-late-mocha-chocka-chino type ones. You aint gonna get business from the big boys if you take em to a greasy spoon and get them some tetleys you know ;)

But perhaps thats just more of a london thang.

Theyre pyramid bags?

Spiderman

31-12-09, 02:07 PM

Theyre pyramid bags?

Ah the classy type. Alls well then :)

ophic

31-12-09, 02:09 PM

It looks ok - but not quite in the "gorgeous" or "impressive" league. Which brings me to the next point - if you have to state that your own sites (which you have yet to build, in this context) are gorgeous and impressive (which are both subjective)... i dunno, just sounds like you're blowing your own trumpet a bit too much. Also, those words aren't what I'd choose to describe a good website. And the different font sizes just looks untidy. The white area looks untidy, and the animation showing your sites etc is too fast, and there's no clear indication of what it is, and it needs to be clicked, so most people will miss it. The "Intro" and "Recent" headers need work.

On the flip side, I like the colour scheme, and the overall clean design of the top banner, except for what is indicated above. Oh it's also a bit large for a banner (half the page) but re-arranging things and sorting the font sizes would fix this.

All IMHO of course.

No intention to offend, its not bad, the logo is very cool, as is your "moojuice designs" graphic.

Dave20046

31-12-09, 02:16 PM

Dave20046

31-12-09, 02:18 PM

Just spotted a flaw
"I think I'm good at my job, but don't believe me click this link to see what my clients thing...*click* ...*tumbleweed*" :razz:
I'll do you a testimonial in return for a site :D

hindle8907

31-12-09, 02:26 PM

looks good ,
like said above half a page is a big banner also some of the text looks blocky or is it meant to look like that. or is it just my crap monitor at work lol .
but yeah looks ok
Im a total noob when it comes to web design but i have just built the company i work for an Intranet . i would show you but i cant as its internal lol .

dave do you want me to send you a copy of the software i used to make the intranet. its quite easy to get to grips with and you can do some cool stuff with it . its called net Objects fuision.

Bibio

31-12-09, 02:53 PM

Dave20046

31-12-09, 03:02 PM

looks good ,
like said above half a page is a big banner also some of the text looks blocky or is it meant to look like that. or is it just my crap monitor at work lol .
but yeah looks good.
Im a total noob when it comes to web design but i have just built the company i work for an Intranet . i would show you but i cant as its internal lol .

dave do you want me to send you a copy of the software i used to make the intranet. its quite easy to get to grips with and you can do some cool stuff with it . its called net Objects fuision.
Cheers hindle, I have dreamweaver already but I've been advised by some one knowledgeable to stick to cascading style sheets instead of using the drag and drop approach - so not sure if it'd be any better for this?

mj pez- I actually like your logo but then again I'm a young lad in my bedroom!
Top part of the home page I like - lower could do with the text being a bit bigger and user friendly.

hindle8907

31-12-09, 03:05 PM

ill pm you mate instead.
Ill try upload my intranet so you can see what i managed to put together. you can use style sheets with this too.

Tigerrrr.......

31-12-09, 03:12 PM

i'm going to be perfectly blunt here so dont take it as offensive, take it as constructive criticism. if you dont like what i posted then you should not have asked on an open forum.

its crap..... at no point do i want to look any further into the rest of your site.. you have a blooooody good domain name but your logo looks like an alien cow road kill.

to me it screams 'young lad in a bedroom'.

i can understand the work that has gone into designing and building of the site, but at no point does it shout 'this is new and exiting'. and if i were in the market for a new website then that is what i would be looking for in someone who specialises in creating websites.

new, exciting and creative thinking.

i wish you all the luck in the future.

Sorry, but I agree. It's littered with grammatical and punctuation errors and doesn't look very professional at all. For example, let's look at the first two sentences.

MooJuice Designs is a Freelance outlet for Myself (Perry Feighan) a Graphic/Web Designer based in Coventry.
I design/build websites and other graphic pieces for a living & it´s what im good at - Honestly!!

It should read,

MooJuice Designs is a freelance outlet for me (Perry Feighan) a graphic/web designer based in Coventry. I design/build websites and other graphic pieces for a living & it´s what I'm good at - honestly!!

You need to work on the basics first before deciding on how to introduce a wow factor.

Best wishes with it.

Moojuicepez

31-12-09, 03:36 PM

Ah the classy type. Alls well then :)

I Just think a golden blend and a crumpets quite nice :P

It looks ok - but not quite in the "gorgeous" or "impressive" league. Which brings me to the next point - if you have to state that your own sites (which you have yet to build, in this context) are gorgeous and impressive (which are both subjective)... i dunno, just sounds like you're blowing your own trumpet a bit too much. Also, those words aren't what I'd choose to describe a good website. And the different font sizes just looks untidy. The white area looks untidy, and the animation showing your sites etc is too fast, and there's no clear indication of what it is, and it needs to be clicked, so most people will miss it. The "Intro" and "Recent" headers need work.

On the flip side, I like the colour scheme, and the overall clean design of the top banner, except for what is indicated above. Oh it's also a bit large for a banner (half the page) but re-arranging things and sorting the font sizes would fix this.

All IMHO of course.

No intention to offend, its not bad, the logo is very cool, as is your "moojuice designs" graphic.

I Thank you for your comments as theyre very detailed.
Unfortunately i wont be changing my site to your individual needs.

Thanks again for your comments :)

Moojuicepez

31-12-09, 03:45 PM

i'm going to be perfectly blunt here so dont take it as offensive, take it as constructive criticism. if you dont like what i posted then you should not have asked on an open forum.

its crap..... at no point do i want to look any further into the rest of your site.. you have a blooooody good domain name but your logo looks like an alien cow road kill.

to me it screams 'young lad in a bedroom'.

i can understand the work that has gone into designing and building of the site, but at no point does it shout 'this is new and exiting'. and if i were in the market for a new website then that is what i would be looking for in someone who specialises in creating websites.

new, exciting and creative thinking.

i wish you all the luck in the future.

Hi,

Thank you for your blunt comments and as with the last guy who slated my website, i have taken your comments on board but i will not be acting on them.

I understand there is errors in the site and as i had stated in the first post, im 98% done.

Fortunately im not just a kid in a bedroom, and i cant say my logo shows that im a "kid in a bedroom" But if you think so ill let that be your opinion.

Anyone else ?

hindle8907

31-12-09, 03:52 PM

i dont think he just means the logo lol
and i dont think ophic was slating your site .. he was meerly giving you his opinion and advice.
The intranet i have made, i would say its on par with yours and i might not of used much code but im a noob so i can get away with it :p

Sally

31-12-09, 03:59 PM

Dave20046

31-12-09, 04:03 PM

It says prices from £250 yeah?

Then in the free quote, the budget starts from £20-£90?

I like the logo, banner is too large for me.
I think the whole site looks up to date and modern in my opinion.

And the video/presentation on the first page goes too fast for myself.

Hope that helps, and good luck.
Didn't spot a video presentation?
Have you checked compatibility with firefox mjp?
Do take on board the spelling and grammar highlighted - it's critical for keeping a professional look.

Edit : sorry it was me being a **** - the vid does work with firefox ;) agree it's slightly fast though.

Moojuicepez

31-12-09, 04:03 PM

Sally

31-12-09, 04:07 PM

Ahh thats kind of what I do for my living.

Trainee Electrical and Instruments Designer. :)

Just trying to help :)

Moojuicepez

31-12-09, 04:15 PM

Just trying to help :)

Im taking everyones comments on board

anna

31-12-09, 04:26 PM

I like the site, there are a few things I would tweek though..

Green graphic on white means it´s impossible to read I know it is your company colour, but perhaps play with the back ground when you use green to highlight words such as "quotation".

"I designed and builtweddingpartycelebrations.com an E-commerce website powered by the OScommerce platform. This was my first ever
E-commerce site. View.."

The above needs a space between built and the website add, and can this be a linky to the website?

I also agree 100% with the re-written suggestion for your homepage given in the suggestions in this thread, sounds much more professional.

I´m sure there are others who are better qualified to say more just my 2p worth. Good for you though it´s always good to see people putting their skills out there. :thumleft:

Binky

31-12-09, 04:32 PM

Kind of agree with Ophic, Bibio...

Banner is way to big. Slideshow moves too fast. There are too many different sets of type. Different fonts, colours, sizes, changes in kerning etc. It hurts to read.

How about an area where clients can click and browse, at thier own pace, selected parts of your work?

Also, do you have any grids or layouts that you have worked to? It seems a bit 'all over the place'...

Are you a self taught designer? Can i see some of your other non website design work please?

I'm just curious, and not trying to be an ass. :thumleft:

600+

31-12-09, 04:44 PM

site looks modern to me BUT I think you should change the text to say WE (as a company) and not I (as an individual).

the bigger you look as a company the more business you will get.

Moojuicepez

31-12-09, 04:53 PM

site looks modern to me BUT I think you should change the text to say WE (as a company) and not I (as an individual).

the bigger you look as a company the more business you will get.

Thing is im a freelancer so i dont have a team ?

speedplay

31-12-09, 05:14 PM

Thing is im a freelancer so i dont have a team ?

Nobody else knows that though...;)

"We" sounds much bigger than "me"

instigator

31-12-09, 05:29 PM

Hi.

I'm gonna be honest, which people need to be if you want to be successful.

The only good thing about that page is the company logo, free online quote logo and the animated part which expands on the screen. The rest is simply higgelty piggelty? You are condensing too much information in 1 page and the text sizes are all wrong. The 'introduction' part, to me, shouldn't be on your front page. I have no idea about building websites but this would be better in a different part of the site where you can link to it with an "about us" link, as per the top right hand side links. Same with the testimonials. I would also get a landline number as mobiles make it look unprofessional.

Honestly, having seen the first page, I have no desire to look into it in any more detail.

31-12-09, 05:29 PM

I can't criticise the techy bits, as I don't know enough about that side of things.

But Perry you really must sort your English. To be honest, it isn't your strong point. Stingo and a few others have made a few amends, try to continue as they have suggested. The English is basic and it tends to suggest an amateurish approach. In particular, there is a distinct and inconsistent use of apostrophes. It's the sort of thing that will irritate people, as correct English is a given.

That apart, I liked it.

Kinvig

31-12-09, 05:53 PM

Hi Moo,

If I was hiring someone based upon their site and I'd checked your site over I probably wouldn't hire you. You've made a few errors that are pretty basic, which any web designer that builds a site for a corporate entity should know about and avoid!

Anyone can build a site that works for the majority of people - but nowadays I look for developers that can include the non-typical user. i.e. someone that isn't using IE/FF.

Accessibility is a biggie.

The first thing you need to do is to check your site using tools such as the w3c validator and cynthia says.

The second thing you need to do is to turn off javascript then take a good look at your site. Try to use your Quote form.

The rule of thumb here is to NEVER use js for core functionality. Use it to extend functionality by all means but if a user has a browser that doesn't have js enabled you're screwed if your core functionality relies on js.

With sites being browsed via mobile phones and the use of browsers for blind people you need to ensure your site will work on these apps. Many institutions do not allow their users to use javascript as it is a "potential" security risk (eg. financial institutions).

Good luck with the changes. Look at this as positive criticism!

Moojuicepez

31-12-09, 06:01 PM

Thank you all for your comments and criticism, in the first few weeks of 2010 ill be working on the site.
Everyone have a good new years and hope you all getting ****ed tonight

Kalessin

31-12-09, 07:09 PM

Full disclosure: I run an internet solutions company specialising in design, development and hosting, that we started in 2001.

That said, however, I wish you no specific ill will; all internet professionals start at the bottom and learn from their peers. So, here are my points. Feel free to ask questions if you like. I'll be happy to help.

Love the logo, although the word "Designs" seems to have suffered during compression.

If you have a comma after "hand built", you should have one after "gorgeous", too.

You should not claim your sites are "hand built". People might infer that you hand-coded the site, which you obviously did not.

"Lets" should be written with an apostrophe: "Let's" as it is a contraction of "Let us".

Your code is not semantically correct and suffers from repetition. I nearly cried at your use of the blockquote tag. That's partly trade-off for using a CSS framework, although if you cared, you could fix it. Some of your other sites commit the dreaded tables-for-layout sin, too!

Your CSS should be imported from a separate file, not embedded in the head of each page.

The dayglo green does not show up well on a white background.

Whilst you obviously want to put some of your recent work on display, avoid phrases like, "I am very happy with the result". Prospective clients are far more interested in whether or not your customer is happy, and given that they're not using your design, they don't seem to be. I know it's pending, but until it's live you should not feature the work.

Why is there a comma after "What i do"? and why not use an uppercase "I"?

Finally, there is absolutely no way you should be publishing your email address on your website. It will be picked up by spam bots. Use a contact form instead.

Hope this helps. Happy new year :)

Kinvig

01-01-10, 12:07 PM

Some of your other sites commit the dreaded tables-for-layout sin, too!

Bad rabbit!!!

I was offered a job last year because, during the interview, when asked about what I thought of their site, I spent 10 minutes slagging off their tables-for-layout methodology.

Finally, there is absolutely no way you should be publishing your email address on your website.

Not sure that I agree with this - he needs an email address as well as a contact us form. Though I would argue that the email should be contact@mooswebsite.co.uk as opposed to moos person email. When you send an email you know that it's gone somewhere & someone'll read it. Who knows what happens when you fill a contact form! It's one step too far from knowing that an email will be read - just my thoughts.

SoulKiss

01-01-10, 12:24 PM

Well TBH the site looks ok on the surface..

However the use of inline-style sheets, the fact that you have left the comments on the web-stencil layout that you copied from somewhere/your design software put in there, says "pure amateur".

Oh and top tip - NEVER trust someone that uses the word "Honest"...

Basically, your design layout is good, but the language used is a bit on the "chatty" side - you need a more professional feel, and the actual code that hangs the site together is a bit poor.

What editor did you use to put the site together?

Kalessin

01-01-10, 01:48 PM

When you send an email you know that it's gone somewhere & someone'll read it. Who knows what happens when you fill a contact form! It's one step too far from knowing that an email will be read - just my thoughts.

It's easy to make the process more interactive, including a "Send a copy to yourself" button, a result page which details the message summary after it's been sent and and automatic email saying "Thank you for your enquiry..."

Well TBH the site looks ok on the surface [...] Basically, your design layout is good...

I disagree. I know these things are subjective, but, really.

The header is strong, but it looks as though the header and the rest of the page were done by separate people. The content beneath the header panel has no balance, no structure, no alignment and no cohesion.

It's awful.

Dave20046

01-01-10, 01:52 PM

Sorry to derail but if I want to make a decent site is my best option CSS mode in dreamweaver and a lot of geekin it up on online learning sites?

SoulKiss

01-01-10, 03:09 PM

Sorry to derail but if I want to make a decent site is my best option CSS mode in dreamweaver and a lot of geekin it up on online learning sites?

Nope, learn how CSS works, then just use notepad :)

Littlepeahead

01-01-10, 03:14 PM

Anyone on here know how to use Sharepoint. I'm supposed to be making a website for the MCC's charity side in this before Feb and I don't have a clue. Might be able to persuade them to get someone to help me though.

Fizzy Fish

01-01-10, 07:39 PM

Moojuice, I'm going to say this because I genuinely want you to be successful and you have asked for input. Better that you get it right now than lose business because it isn't working as well as it could be.

I've done a fair bit of consumer testing on various websites, and while I know nothing about the technical side of things, I do know a fair bit about website usability. I think there are areas of yours which need to be improved if you're to demonstrate that you can deliver an effective site for your clients.

The biggest issue is that it isn't immediately clear where your eyes should be drawn too - there are too many things competing for attention. I'd suggest making the top section smaller as well, and giving the middle section a clearer focus.
Try and get it all to show on one page so people don't have to scroll down
Don't do green text on a white background, and make the font of the text blocks bigger so they are easier to read
Leave off the Twitter bit - IMHO people don't want to use this as a means of getting in touch for a serious business service
Drop the "honestly!" bit - you need to be seen as a confident & professional set up if people are to spend money with you

I'd suggest spending some more time looking at other companies' websites from two perspectives - how well they introduce their services, and how easy it is to do particular tasks (e.g. contact them, find out x information). Then pick out what makes them work/not work and use this in yours and any future site designs.

On the positive, I really like the name and logo (they come across as being up-to-date and creative) and also the colour combos make it attractive visually. You haven't stuck too much wordy test in either, which means it's easier to take in. The testimonials bit is a good idea as well, and it's important that this is fairly prominent to give credibility. I'd actually bring this to sit by your previous site design examples.

Good luck with the business venture!

andywilson460

01-01-10, 10:16 PM

Looks nice as a starter.

I would like to echo Kingvigs comments about accessibility.

I ran your website through one of vischecks test and unfortunately it didn't fair well for the colourblind:

http://vischeck.homeip.net/uploads/126238359516527/

To check your sites use : http://vischeck.com/

There are other sites that can show you what a screen reader would do, and what other access tools will do. --- You might want to do some research on ZoomText and Jaws use with web design, and have a look at Betsie - not a criticism, just a suggestion!

I'd echo what some of the people have said about sites and language - It all depends on the audience for your services. If it's small companies that want an easy CMS to update with either info/products or pics then it's great. If you want to appeal to larger orgs and maybe corporates in the future you will need to change things a bit.

Flash movie needs to be slower - looks like a keynote slideshow shown at 100mph.

Really nice logo, and like the layout - just apply a few tweaks to the code/accessibility and you'll be there.

Tigerrrr.......

02-01-10, 12:15 AM

It's the use of words like "im" and "ill" instead of "I'm" and "I'll" that could make customers think of teenager in a bedroom.

Moojuicepez

02-01-10, 11:22 AM

I'd like to start my reply on the subject of the header. Its staying :) i like it so its staying.

There's been a few comments on coding, Why would coding matter to a client? if it shows how ive coded it to look, then who gives a **** :D i dont thats for sure.

The 'Table' Sites where my first sites when i was particularly cued up to divs. i have three new websites all in construction as we speak that dont have a wiff of a table. i would like you to them but im sure youd all slate the design or the coding once again.

I do appreciate that you have all taken some of your time to make comments etc and am extremely appreciative of those who took time to write paragraphs and bullet points to help me.

I do feel that some people didnt really make any helpful tips or hints for me and just came into the thread to slate my work.

The second thing you need to do is to turn off javascript then take a good look at your site. Try to use your Quote form.

The rule of thumb here is to NEVER use js for core functionality. Use it to extend functionality by all means but if a user has a browser that doesn't have js enabled you're screwed if your core functionality relies on js.

Good luck with the changes. Look at this as positive criticism!

I understand what your saying here, although there are only two peices of java in my website meaning it isnt really my core.

i will look into probably making some kind of preeset email button for those without js.

Thank you.

Full disclosure: I run an internet solutions company specialising in design, development and hosting, that we started in 2001.

That said, however, I wish you no specific ill will; all internet professionals start at the bottom and learn from their peers. So, here are my points. Feel free to ask questions if you like. I'll be happy to help.

Love the logo, although the word "Designs" seems to have suffered during compression.

If you have a comma after "hand built", you should have one after "gorgeous", too.

You should not claim your sites are "hand built". People might infer that you hand-coded the site, which you obviously did not.

"Lets" should be written with an apostrophe: "Let's" as it is a contraction of "Let us".

Your code is not semantically correct and suffers from repetition. I nearly cried at your use of the blockquote tag. That's partly trade-off for using a CSS framework, although if you cared, you could fix it. Some of your other sites commit the dreaded tables-for-layout sin, too!

Your CSS should be imported from a separate file, not embedded in the head of each page.

The dayglo green does not show up well on a white background.

Whilst you obviously want to put some of your recent work on display, avoid phrases like, "I am very happy with the result". Prospective clients are far more interested in whether or not your customer is happy, and given that they're not using your design, they don't seem to be. I know it's pending, but until it's live you should not feature the work.

Why is there a comma after "What i do"? and why not use an uppercase "I"?

Finally, there is absolutely no way you should be publishing your email address on your website. It will be picked up by spam bots. Use a contact form instead.

Hope this helps. Happy new year :)

I have taken in everything you say and have altered / in the process of altering the things you have listed.

as far as spam bots. not had much trouble yet. usually have more trouble with contact forms as they like to fill those out instead of sending emails.

Thank you

Well TBH the site looks ok on the surface..

However the use of inline-style sheets, the fact that you have left the comments on the web-stencil layout that you copied from somewhere/your design software put in there, says "pure amateur".

Oh and top tip - NEVER trust someone that uses the word "Honest"...

Basically, your design layout is good, but the language used is a bit on the "chatty" side - you need a more professional feel, and the actual code that hangs the site together is a bit poor.

What editor did you use to put the site together?

As i have said at the top of this post. the way i code my site is irrelevant. inline styles or not the site looks how it should and the owner of carpet cleaning company isnt going to care if its got inline styles....

I use a combination of editors etc. i mainly use the code window in dreaweaver and then flick to design veiw to see how its getting on.

i do use a generaly template to start all of my websites as its easier than goin in and coding all the divs in everytime.

Thank you

Moojuice, I'm going to say this because I genuinely want you to be successful and you have asked for input. Better that you get it right now than lose business because it isn't working as well as it could be.

I've done a fair bit of consumer testing on various websites, and while I know nothing about the technical side of things, I do know a fair bit about website usability. I think there are areas of yours which need to be improved if you're to demonstrate that you can deliver an effective site for your clients.

The biggest issue is that it isn't immediately clear where your eyes should be drawn too - there are too many things competing for attention. I'd suggest making the top section smaller as well, and giving the middle section a clearer focus.
Try and get it all to show on one page so people don't have to scroll down
Don't do green text on a white background, and make the font of the text blocks bigger so they are easier to read
Leave off the Twitter bit - IMHO people don't want to use this as a means of getting in touch for a serious business service
Drop the "honestly!" bit - you need to be seen as a confident & professional set up if people are to spend money with you

I'd suggest spending some more time looking at other companies' websites from two perspectives - how well they introduce their services, and how easy it is to do particular tasks (e.g. contact them, find out x information). Then pick out what makes them work/not work and use this in yours and any future site designs.

On the positive, I really like the name and logo (they come across as being up-to-date and creative) and also the colour combos make it attractive visually. You haven't stuck too much wordy test in either, which means it's easier to take in. The testimonials bit is a good idea as well, and it's important that this is fairly prominent to give credibility. I'd actually bring this to sit by your previous site design examples.

Good luck with the business venture!

Id like to thank you for taking time to structure your comments so its easy to read :)

I have taken in what you have written and i think ive commented on a few of your points already so ill focus on the twitter comment and the testimonials comment.

Twitter: I know that most people wont want to contact me through twitter but as i am planning to add a twitter feed to the site will show people that the site isnt dead and that i am indeed a real person.

Testimonials: This would be a great idea.
i will go away and think up a new design for my portfolio page that will work well with the tesimonials.

Thank you.
-----------------------------------------------------------

Hope you all had a great new year.
Thank you again for all your comments.

SoulKiss

02-01-10, 12:32 PM

I'd like to start my reply on the subject of the header. Its staying :) i like it so its staying.

Why did you even ask for advice then?

I cut the rest of your response as it was mostly more of the same.

Moojuicepez

02-01-10, 02:33 PM

I asked for comments, Whether i make action to those comments is entirely different.

As your not seeing the minor changes im making due to the support of some of the people inside this thread you cant really insinuate that i've discarded everyone'ss advice.

Ace-T

02-01-10, 02:40 PM

I'd like to start my reply on the subject of the header. Its staying :) i like it so its staying.

There's been a few comments on coding, Why would coding matter to a client? if it shows how ive coded it to look, then who gives a **** :D i dont thats for sure.

1. It is completely an utterly IRRELEVANT as to whether you like the header or not. It is completely RELEVANT if visitors to your site, i.e. your prospective customers, like it. If you choose not to take the very good advice that has been given here you will not get custom from your site. Simple.

2. This is basic stuff. Coding doesn't matter to a client until they start asking why their search engine rankings are so bad. The more bad coding there is before you get to the content, the worse the ranking will be. Why else would a customer have a web site???

Take your head out of your a*** and take the very good advice offered free of charge here. The fact you are prepared to dismiss this out of hand screams of your inexperience; suck it up and make the changes, see how it looks then and see who is right. You can only benefit from doing this.

Alternatively you could go get a job stacking shelves at Tescos because you won't make any money out of this if you don't listen to the folks with way more experience at this than you have.

With this site and that attitiude, you would not make it to an interview shortlist at a web company I have a stake in.

Ace-T

Moojuicepez

02-01-10, 03:00 PM

1. It is completely an utterly IRRELEVANT as to whether you like the header or not. It is completely RELEVANT if visitors to your site, i.e. your prospective customers, like it. If you choose not to take the very good advice that has been given here you will not get custom from your site. Simple.

People love and hate everything, so you may not like it and some other might but others will. its down to what the customer likes. im currently building a site for a metal band. his veiw of a good website is totally different to mine! he wants crungey scratchy textures. he found me through my website.

2. This is basic stuff. Coding doesn't matter to a client until they start asking why their search engine rankings are so bad. The more bad coding there is before you get to the content, the worse the ranking will be. Why else would a customer have a web site???

Search engines dont care about inline styles and non external style sheets.. They care about meta tags descriptions keywords and content.
So i dont see where you come from here.

Take your head out of your a*** and take the very good advice offered free of charge here. The fact you are prepared to dismiss this out of hand screams of your inexperience; suck it up and make the changes, see how it looks then and see who is right. You can only benefit from doing this.

My head isnt up my own **** and i am listening to all the comments made even your own. I could change the header but i wont like it. if im not happy with my site then itll annoy me. Its like painting your sv bright pink because your missus likes it pink. you just dont do it.

Alternatively you could go get a job stacking shelves at Tescos because you won't make any money out of this if you don't listen to the folks with way more experience at this than you have.

Most of the people on the forum dont work with websites or coding or SEO or anything like that and the fact that i have and still am making money means i wont be picking up an application form at my local tescos any time soon.

With this site and that attitiude, you would not make it to an interview shortlist at a web company I have a stake in.

Im sure your web company is very high in web industry, but that doesnt mean newcomers like myself wont make it to the level that the company you "have a stake in" has.

Ace-T

Id like to thank you for your response and thank you for the time it has taken you to type it out.

I do not see why im having to defend myself? and i dont see why im being insulted?

As i have said i made this thread for comments. I got comments and some i agreed with and have made changes and am in the process oif making more changes because of those comments.

People dont changes things if they dont like the idea of it, like i said with painting your bike pink.

some things id like to keep the same. i will keep them the same. because i like them.

whether you think i have my head up my **** or not theres just somethings i want to keep the same.

Stress Over.

P.s how much of a stake does a:
OccupationHelpdesk ManagerHave in a web design company?

Stress over over :)

Thingus

02-01-10, 03:04 PM

Moojuicepez

02-01-10, 03:11 PM

Helluuu

I'm not very good with coding and all this so i'll stick to having a read and letting you know a couple things :D

- In your free quote section, the budget drop down has £100-£200, £250-350, more than £400. Should there not be any gaps? Like £20-100, £100-200, £200-350, more than £350.

Your right, Hadnt picked up on that before. Ill add that to my list.

- This is just total opinion but when i see a mobile no. on the side of a van i think of someone who can't afford a landline. I know that's petty but can you not use a landline? Looks a little more professional IMO but it's picky.

Im never around a landline long enough for it to be a useful contact detail.
But i do know what you mean.

- On your contact page, the paragraph below the e-mail addy:
"Does'nt seem a lot"
Doesn't.

This has been edited, i havent uploaded the new files yet.

- The flash (i think it's flash ^.^) show on your front page is too pacey and there's no replay option unless you close and open.

Im working on the flash bit by bit. im not particualrly good at flash and as i go along ill update it.

- On your portfolio page, the second listed client:
"I designed and builtweddingpartycelebrations.com "
Just a space between built and the webpage.

Also edited

- Last client, probs no need to link a dead webpage.

We're in the process of getting him hosted etc but again i see what you mean.

I didn't proof-read your site i just read it.

Im glad you just read it and not proof read it as youve brought up some minor errors etc that others had missed.

Otherwise, i think it's an awesome looking site, very clever ^.^ best of luck.

Thank you for your comments.

Dave20046

02-01-10, 03:18 PM

has my post just been deleted or will there be some very confused forummers on a thread somewhere else :scratch:

Moojuicepez

02-01-10, 03:21 PM

has my post just been deleted or will there be some very confused forummers on a thread somewhere else :scratch:

Not seen anything other than this one today ?

Dave20046

02-01-10, 03:27 PM

Not seen anything other than this one today ?
bugger, basically I said constructive criticisms aside if you look at your competitors you're showing a few up, this is like the second result for 'cheap web design' on google http://www.glenwebdesign.co.uk/ ...I could do better than that on dreamweaver - for cheaper. I also think you should boast/put across your graphic design skills/aspect of the business a bit more as it makes you a bit more unique (as there's a lot of web designers it's good to have something to set you apart imo, a reason to choose you).

Not sure if you pay google anything at the mo, don't really know how it works but I think you'd benefit from being higher up in the results I had trouble finding you.

Moojuicepez

02-01-10, 03:31 PM

bugger, basically I said constructive criticisms aside if you look at your competitors you're showing a few up, this is like the second result for 'cheap web design' on google http://www.glenwebdesign.co.uk/ ...I could do better than that on dreamweaver - for cheaper. I also think you should boast/put across your graphic design skills/aspect of the business a bit more as it makes you a bit more unique (as there's a lot of web designers it's good to have something to set you apart imo, a reason to choose you).

Not sure if you pay google anything at the mo, don't really know how it works but I think you'd benefit from being higher up in the results I had trouble finding you.

Dave, Thank you for bringing this up.
This guys code is up to w3 standard. but his site is hideous.

Thanks again dave

Binky

02-01-10, 03:32 PM

Are you a self taught designer? Can i see some of your other non website design work please?

I'm just curious, and not trying to be an ass. :thumleft:

Any answers for these questions Moo? :rolleyes:

Also, as a graphic designer you need to tailor your work to clients. A good brief will be one where you are given creative freedom and a big budget. You are not making your website to attract yourself, you're trying to attract clients.

If they want a pink website, you make one that's pink and proffessional. If you do what they like you'll get hired again or recomended...

Moojuicepez

02-01-10, 05:19 PM

Any answers for these questions Moo? :rolleyes:

If your that desperate ill pm you photos later.

You are not making your website to attract yourself, you're trying to attract clients.

Prices attract clients, along with a portfolio.

If they want a pink website, you make one that's pink and proffessional. If you do what they like you'll get hired again or recomended...

If a client asked for a pink site they'd get one, i may be missing the point?

kay

Binky

02-01-10, 05:28 PM

It's like packaging isn't it.

You'd be less likely to ask some hooded chap, looking angry, the time rather than a middle aged women with a pram.

If someone takes a look at your website, and for whatever reason, doesn't like it, they go onto the next one.

Maybe a poor example, but 'ya getz me'?

RE: Emailing photos. Just forget it, i'm clearly troubling you. You still haven't said whether you're self taught or not...

Moojuicepez

02-01-10, 05:41 PM

Bibio

02-01-10, 07:00 PM

web & graphic design is a very hard game to get into. it's a cut throat market with very talented people with letters after their name 'trying' to make a living out of it.

what makes you think that you can just come along and jump the gun?

we are only trying to help as we would like to see a member of the org do well, but so far most of the advice we have given you seems to have fallen on deaf ears.

there are people on this site with years of experience giving you advice. weather you choose to accept this is up to you. but in my experience these people tend to know a lot more about the subject, so i tend to listen.

judging by the posts you have answered you seem to be the type of individual that would cut his nose off to spite his face.

i wish you all the luck for the future.

p.s. yes i used to build websites as a sideline.

Moojuicepez

02-01-10, 07:23 PM

joshmac

02-01-10, 08:14 PM

Its like painting your sv bright pink
You say that like it's a bad thing ;)

There're no deaf ears here
Pardon?!

I'll get my coat :lol:

Moojuicepez

02-01-10, 08:19 PM

Thanks for lightening up the situation lol.

xXBADGERXx

02-01-10, 09:28 PM

Don`t know if this has been mentioned , but the Grey box at the bottom has the statement "What i do" and then behind it , it says "For You" .

It should be a capital "I" in "What I do" and the background should really be all lower case as in "for you" if you were being grammatically correct . I know it has less impact visually though . Other that that , it was the first thing that stuck and so far it looks slick .

Secondly , the flash animation that shows your other sites , it runs a bit quick , slow it down and let it have a bit more impact .

Moojuicepez

02-01-10, 09:41 PM

Kalessin

02-01-10, 11:14 PM

Try and get it all to show on one page so people don't have to scroll down

Actually, although this used to be considered important, many usability experts consider it less so now. Tests have demonstrated that the vast majority of users will use a scroll bar as second nature. Ideally, the most important content should be "above the fold" but there's no reason that lesser content can't appear beneath.

There's been a few comments on coding, Why would coding matter to a client? if it shows how ive coded it to look, then who gives a **** :D i dont thats for sure.

Your customers will care, and you should, and here's why.

If you code your HTML using the semantically correct tags, search engines are going to be able to understand how your content fits together on a page. This will help your SEO. It will also better enable screen readers to read your pages in a way that is understandable by partially-sighted visitors. Be aware that accessibility for disabled people is a legal requirement and it is the website owner's responsibility to ensure that disabled visitors are not discriminated against.

By putting your core CSS in the header of every page, you are forcing every browser to download it every time it loads a new page. You should link to an external style sheet file, as most browsers will cache it and not request the whole file from the server each time. This will save on bandwidth and make the site load faster. You won't notice it on sites that get ten visitors per day but if you design something popular it will be very important.

You should also be aware that content should be separated from style wherever possible. If all your layouts and styles are controlled by an external style sheet, a future redesign could be implemented by modifying the style sheet. When you have inline styles, you will have to manually change the content of every single page in order to update the style.

This is why your navigation should be in <ul> tags, because it is a list. Your "Gorgeous…" text should be in <h1> tags because it's the primary heading. And so on.

Search engines [...] care about meta tags descriptions keywords

No, they don't, not really. They use it to return summary text in search results, but it's too easily abused to rely upon for indexing and ranking.

Moojuicepez

02-01-10, 11:19 PM

Can i get you to look at this, i wasnt orriginally going to show this as your only going to slate it. but this is a clients website and any comments you make on design will be ignored as the client is set in stone on the design.

as you will see i use external style sheets and divs. this is my most current work and how i code customer sites.

i would like you all to understand that this is in a very very raw stage and is not even at 10% completion.

Link: http://www.moojuicedesigns.com/ggs/

Kalessin

03-01-10, 12:06 AM

i wasnt orriginally going to show this as your only going to slate it. but this is a clients website and any comments you make on design will be ignored as the client is set in stone on the design.

How ironic, as I love the design. I would want to leave like that as well.

... except that I would end the page at "We invite you to browse through our site and discover how General Garden Services can help you". Everything you've got going on after that would be better on another page.

Also, it's "you're only going to slate it" because "you're" is a contraction of "you are".

You're welcome. ;)

as you will see i use external style sheets and divs.

But the JavaScript for the image replacement should be in an external file too. Except, why use JavaScript for image replacement at all? You would be much better off using CSS pseudo classes: a:link, a:visited, a:hover, a:active. That way, you could use text for the links and use CSS to hide the text and replace with images.

Speaking of which, "Consultation, planning, design, construction" should be text in header tags. It's massively important as part of your SEO strategy. Instead, it's an image only, and no search engine nor screen reader will be able to read it. Use CSS image replacement for this, too. Same for "Making your garden beautiful."

i would like you all to understand that this is in a very very raw stage and is not even at 10% completion.

One of the things you'll need to complete are your paragraph tags. You've declared an XHTML doctype, but your <p> tags do not have closing </p> tags. With few exceptions, all XHTML tags have an opening and a closing tag. Also, tags must be in lower case. There's at least one <P> in the mix.

You've still got too many <span> tags (I don't see the need for any on your page).

You should not use <br /> ever. It has no semantic value. Your text "Welcome to Beautiful Gardens Online" is a heading. Mark it up as a heading, even if it's only a <h3> or <h4> by the time you've added the other main text I mentioned. Putting it in heading tags denoted it as a block-level element, so the following text will fall on the line below. Then all you need to do is set a margin-bottom declaration in your CSS.

Moojuicepez

03-01-10, 10:01 AM

How ironic, as I love the design. I would want to leave like that as well.

I can design then :)

... except that I would end the page at "We invite you to browse through our site and discover how General Garden Services can help you". Everything you've got going on after that would be better on another page.

Text is being rewritten

Also, it's "you're only going to slate it" because "you're" is a contraction of "you are".

You're welcome. ;)

I cant spell,

But the JavaScript for the image replacement should be in an external file too. Except, why use JavaScript for image replacement at all? You would be much better off using CSS pseudo classes: a:link, a:visited, a:hover, a:active. That way, you could use text for the links and use CSS to hide the text and replace with images.

But its not a system font? i wouldnt be able to get the slight drop shadow either?

Speaking of which, "Consultation, planning, design, construction" should be text in header tags. It's massively important as part of your SEO strategy. Instead, it's an image only, and no search engine nor screen reader will be able to read it. Use CSS image replacement for this, too. Same for "Making your garden beautiful."

Its flash :)

One of the things you'll need to complete are your paragraph tags. You've declared an XHTML doctype, but your <p> tags do not have closing </p> tags. With few exceptions, all XHTML tags have an opening and a closing tag. Also, tags must be in lower case. There's at least one <P> in the mix.

You've still got too many <span> tags (I don't see the need for any on your page).

Could only find one span tag and has been replaces with a <h4> tag

You should not use <br /> ever. It has no semantic value. Your text "Welcome to Beautiful Gardens Online" is a heading. Mark it up as a heading, even if it's only a <h3> or <h4> by the time you've added the other main text I mentioned. Putting it in heading tags denoted it as a block-level element, so the following text will fall on the line below. Then all you need to do is set a margin-bottom declaration in your CSS.

Thanks

Kalessin

03-01-10, 10:28 AM

But its not a system font? i wouldnt be able to get the slight drop shadow either?

That's the point. You put the text in your code, then you use CSS to hide the text from view and replace with your images.

Its flash

Thank you, but I hope I recognise Flash when I see it. I was referring to the image at http://www.moojuicedesigns.com/ggs/top.jpg which has the wording I mentioned.

As it happens, it's not much good in Flash either, if you want it to be indexed by search engines (and you should).

Maybe a better option for you would be to look at sIFR (http://www.mikeindustries.com/blog/sifr) which uses JavaScript and Flash to make text render in any font you desire.

Could only find one span tag and has been replaces with a <h4> tag

This bit needs changing.

<div class="oneColElsCtr" id="Welcome"><span style="font-weight: bold">Welcome to Beautiful Gardens Online</span><br /><br />

The only <h4> tag I can see is the Adobe Flash warning. Have you tried rendering the page with Flash disabled? You might want to pretty that up somewhat.

Moojuicepez

03-01-10, 01:08 PM

That's the point. You put the text in your code, then you use CSS to hide the text from view and replace with your images.

I understand what you mean im just not 100% on how to complete that task.

Thank you, but I hope I recognise Flash when I see it. I was referring to the image at http://www.moojuicedesigns.com/ggs/top.jpg which has the wording I mentioned.

You cant put text under flash can you ?

As it happens, it's not much good in Flash either, if you want it to be indexed by search engines (and you should).

What stopping me putting the words somewhere else on the page aswell as the image. itll still be picked up right ?

Maybe a better option for you would be to look at sIFR (http://www.mikeindustries.com/blog/sifr) which uses JavaScript and Flash to make text render in any font you desire.

I was going to use FLIR which is similar but doesnt use flash. what you recon ?

This bit needs changing.

<div class="oneColElsCtr" id="Welcome"><span style="font-weight: bold">Welcome to Beautiful Gardens Online</span><br /><br />The only <h4> tag I can see is the Adobe Flash warning. Have you tried rendering the page with Flash disabled? You might want to pretty that up somewhat.

Hadnt updated the index when youd checked.

Tar

ophic

04-01-10, 11:30 AM

Link: http://www.moojuicedesigns.com/ggs/
Now that's pretty good.

Moojuicepez

04-01-10, 12:42 PM

Now that's pretty good.

Thank you :)

Fizzy Fish

05-01-10, 07:25 AM

Actually, although this used to be considered important, many usability experts consider it less so now. Tests have demonstrated that the vast majority of users will use a scroll bar as second nature. Ideally, the most important content should be "above the fold" but there's no reason that lesser content can't appear beneath.

That's true where you have a lot more content, and someone is scrolling down to read sections of text, etc.

But if the content only just spills over from one page, there's no reason that it can't be restructured slightly to fit it onto one page. This removes the need to scroll and ensures that everything will get seen.

ophic

05-01-10, 12:09 PM

That's true where you have a lot more content, and someone is scrolling down to read sections of text, etc.

But if the content only just spills over from one page, there's no reason that it can't be restructured slightly to fit it onto one page. This removes the need to scroll and ensures that everything will get seen.
People don't all use the same size monitors at the same resolution. So what fits on one screen may not fit on another. Add to that the fact that windows are resizeable, and not everyone uses their browser window maximised. It's impractical to achieve what you suggest.

carty

05-01-10, 02:21 PM

Sorry for late entry in to thread - only just seen it.

Couple of observations:

I use a 22" widescreen monitor at work and the front page is messed up on that. The white writing that reads 'Gorgeous, custom built...etc' is half on the bottom of the banner and half on light grey background, almost illegible.

The contact me button should surely be 'contact us'?

On the 'portfolio' page the information on the right hand side about wedding party celebrations reads 'weddingpartycelebarations', that's a pretty major spelling error on that page but there are several others.

I have to say that for someone who obviously has some skills in coding / creating a website which presumably took quite a lot of time, I can't believe you haven't spell-checked it and got someone to proof-read for grammar, continuity, etc. I'll do it for you for a reasonable sum :p I like the general design and simplicity of it, but it needs work to look truly professional. You've done the hard bit, take a day to finish it off properly!

Cheers,
Matt

hindle8907

05-01-10, 02:25 PM

looking good with the changes .

Dave20046

08-01-10, 01:33 PM

Sorry to drag this up a wee bit , but wondered if any one could give us a few pointers?
Looking to learn to make sites (need a basic one myself and I'm too tight to pay for one, my mate needs a slightly more complex one) could anyone tell me what I'll need to learn and secondly where?
I've found w3 schools which looks pretty good. Am I right in thinking the first step is learning html?

ophic

08-01-10, 03:55 PM

Am I right in thinking the first step is learning html?
I would say yes, although a lot of people seem to dive in with dreamweaver or such like, without really grasping html at all. I'd call it running before you can walk, but some people think of it as rapid development.

Dave20046

08-01-10, 04:33 PM

I would say yes, although a lot of people seem to dive in with dreamweaver or such like, without really grasping html at all. I'd call it running before you can walk, but some people think of it as rapid development.
:oops: Yeah I've already made a fair bit of the site in dream weaver, just read up on html, CSS next?

andywilson460

08-01-10, 07:44 PM

Re: Learning Web Design
Start with basic html, learn all the most used tags and how they work:
links
Header Tags
text tags
tables (you need to know some of the old rules before you break 'em)
etc...

Do a google search for 'basic html'.

Then start writing it in notepad or textedit (mac).

Write pages locally onto your desktop in a folder called web or similar.
Write all your pages iteratively - e.g. start with hello world site:

//<html>
//<body>hello world</body>
//</html>
(ignore the commenting //'s - remove these).
remember to save the text file as a plain text, with the suffix .htm (or html).

You can then open that file in internet explorer or firefox.

Next try making hello world into a link - e.g. to BBC website
//<html>
//<body><a href='http://www.bbc.co.uk/'>hello world</a></body>
//</html>

Save it as a different html file, then open that in the browser and check it works. Then change the colour of the text, the font, add a title to the page, metadata, an image etc..

This is quite time consuming, but it will help you to understand what changes each bit of code does to the formatting or behaviour of a site. It is also very useful for testing what breaks a site - when you get to a more professional level this forms part of your unit or acceptance tests (but that's a long way off!).

Once you have made a few sites that better stretch your skills move onto CSS and XML. Buy an O'Reilly book at this point.

Most people gain a lot of knowledge by visiting a site they like, then right clicking and selecting view source. This will show you most of the code that makes up the page (although XML and CSS don't follow this), so you can see how it was build - some use this to nick (sorry reuse) code.

Hope that helps

Dave20046

08-01-10, 07:49 PM

Thanks a lot for the above

Almost ready to move onto css :)
will search amazon for a relevant o'reilly.

ta

TheOnlyNemesis

09-01-10, 12:39 AM

Thanks a lot for the above

Almost ready to move onto css :)
will search amazon for a relevant o'reilly.

ta

i got a html book here i can sell cheap that covers msot of everything.

squirrel_hunter

09-01-10, 02:00 AM

There's been a few comments on coding, Why would coding matter to a client? if it shows how ive coded it to look, then who gives a **** :D i dont thats for sure.

And thats the difference between a Developer and a Designer.

squirrel_hunter

09-01-10, 02:12 AM

will search amazon for a relevant o'reilly.

No. You said in your earlier post that you want to learn HTML, you will not learn from an O'Reilly book. Get a HTML For Dummies book, go through it page by page. Then having learned HTML get the O'Reilly for reference and the extended features.

speedplay

13-01-10, 02:43 PM

I clicked on the "Have a look at our work" tab and then got this:-

"Welcome to my portfolio, please take a look at my past and present work. I have completed projects ranging from websites, flash banners, business cards, leaflets and even presentation images. If you'd like me to work on your project please allow me to redirect you to my 'Quotation (http://www.moojuicedesigns.com/quote.html)' page for a free quote!"

Shouldn't it read:-

"Welcome to our portfolio, please take a look at our past and present work. We have completed projects ranging from websites, flash banners, business cards, leaflets and even presentation images. If you'd like us to work on your project please allow us to redirect you to our 'Quotation (http://www.moojuicedesigns.com/quote.html)' page for a free quote!"