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rezzy
02-19-2009, 09:33 PM
I am excited to announce my almost finished blog is viewable at Here. (http://resnodesigns.com)

Now is the time, where you forum people get to tear it limb from limb. To much blue? Not enough? To empty? To busy? Not enough advertisements?

You just let me have it. :)

Note* When I get my logo, it will go inplace of the text.

vangogh
02-20-2009, 12:59 AM
I know I've seen the new design in progress, but I do see some new changes. I think it's looking pretty good.

You might want to use more space between the top of headings and the paragraph above. Give your headings a more margin-top. It'll add more whitespace making things easier to read and make it clearer the heading is connected to the paragraphs below instead of the paragraphs above.

The site could probably still use a little more color, but changing the color of the headings definitely helps.

Maybe a vertical line to separate the content from the sidebar and maybe horizontal lines separating the different items in the sidebar. The elements in the sidebar still seems to mesh together too much for me.

I like the curved block behind the company name (maybe more of a logo?) and the lighting effect behind it. It's adds some interest and depth and definitely gets me to look at your company name. Repeating the curve could be a good way to pull the visitors eye down through the page.

rezzy
02-20-2009, 09:29 AM
Thanks VG. I see some of the points you mentioned.

I agree, the sidebar is a little smashed (meshed) together. i do not want the previous title to close to the next post. I checked on my machine at work and see a few more things that should be tweaked! My screen at home is a wide screen laptop. At work the screen is 1024px, so it needs a bit more work.

I have started using images in my posts. I noticed you use them quite often and it helps to set the posts mood.

vangogh
02-20-2009, 12:14 PM
The images help make a post more readable. No one wants to read so many blocks of text one after the other. Images, headings, lists, whitespace make your content more readable.

KristineS
02-20-2009, 12:57 PM
I'm looking at it in Firefox, and there are a few differences. The Home and Contact buttons are smaller in Firefox. Your logo looks smaller too, so it makes the spacing kind of odd.

There is a lot of blue, which I don't think is necessarily a bad thing. I do think the images help break it up a bit.

rezzy
02-21-2009, 07:33 AM
I like the curved block behind the company name (maybe more of a logo?) and the lighting effect behind it. It's adds some interest and depth and definitely gets me to look at your company name. Repeating the curve could be a good way to pull the visitors eye down through the page.

I made some pretty hard choices about browser compatibility, namely using transparent pngs. For the lighting effect, and not including any kind of javascript hack.

When you said use the curve to pull us down the page? Any idea how you implement that?

vangogh
02-21-2009, 12:44 PM
The curve is naturally grabbing my attention. If you repeated a curved element somewhere further down the page my eye would likely get drawn to that too. For example imagine behind each block in the sidebar you added a background that also included a curve. Most visitors will see your logo with the curve behind it and then be drawn to the curves in the sidebar. If your goal was to get people to notice the content you have in the sidebar it would be an effective way to draw them there.

Now your sidebar may not be the best option, but it was an easy example. Say you added a background behind each post heading with some kind of curve. In all likelihood it will draw people right away to reading your post titles and having read the titles ideally click on them and read your full post.

It all depends on what you want people to notice and where you want to draw their eye. The idea is that they'll follow the repeating elements across the page. If you want to see how it works create a another curved element and place it somewhere else on the page. Then look at the site and see what you're drawn to. Experiment a little with the shape of the curve or the color behind it. Experiment with where you add those other curves and notice how your eye flows around the page in each location.

By repeating some elements and contrasting others you have a lot of control over what people will see on your page and where there eye goes next.

rezzy
02-21-2009, 06:49 PM
Thanks, I will think about that in fine tuning the design.

vangogh
02-21-2009, 08:02 PM
Glad to help.