Theres a difference between originality and just something basic. Go look at google. Simplistic, wonderful, serves the purpose. nytimes.com? While very crowded, is all contained in well-defined boreders, making it bearable. Take websites you frequently view, and see what they do to make themselves simplistic, and professional. I guarantee you will be able to be original while at the same time being both professionally and aesthetically pleasing.

i think you should take the criticism from dmz seriously. he's giving you tips that all of us with formal education in this area are taught.

i think your main problem is colour. you should do some research online about colour theory.

http://kuler.adobe.com/ is a great site that can help you choose a pleasant palette on which to base your web designs on.

colour can drastically change the mood, vision, and appeal of your entire site.

Last comparison.

Look at http://wikipedia.org/ and compare it to http://everything2.com/

Essentially serving a similar purpose, but one (in my opinion) is clearly superior aesthetically and in terms of simplicity. While the latter site is still okay in terms of design, it could take a tip or two from wiki on breaking down the formula into simple terms.

Originally Posted by dmzz

Theres a difference between originality and just something basic. Go look at google. Simplistic, wonderful, serves the purpose. nytimes.com? While very crowded, is all contained in well-defined boreders, making it bearable. Take websites you frequently view, and see what they do to make themselves simplistic, and professional. I guarantee you will be able to be original while at the same time being both professionally and aesthetically pleasing.

Lets sum up what we focus on by 2 simple points:

1) We dont want to "redefine" web design, we just want to tap a niche in the web design market, which is "Cheap. Effective. Local", targetted at the lowest possible price range for custom website designs

2) we dont care about what looks objectively good, we give customers what they want on their website...if they want dark colours..we give them dark colours...we dont tell them we know best. We ensure the customer is happy, and gets exactly what they want, a website that shows their products to their community.


I understand that you find simple, short, clean effective. But, each person has their own view of a "good" website.

great points!

removed

Your point about objectivity is a good one. One that I realize in one of my last posts. I guess I too quickly assume there's a general standard of what looks and does not look good on the web. Some people, google, wikipedia, catlee- may like simplistic and coherent designs, whereas others may prefer something else.

Hope I helped in some way.

Originally Posted by dmzz

Hope I helped in some way.

Appreciate your input

Originally Posted by blackdragon

2) we dont care about what looks objectively good, we give customers what they want on their website...if they want dark colours..we give them dark colours...we dont tell them we know best. We ensure the customer is happy, and gets exactly what they want, a website that shows their products to their community.


I understand that you find simple, short, clean effective. But, each person has their own view of a "good" website.

when designing websites, its true the customer always suggests things that they want. but lets be honest, things the customer wants could be absolutely horrendous when it comes to website design. yes it is their website, but you should also suggest some other elements that could work well.
it's true each has their own view of good. but personally, simply because your niche is to offer cheaper website design, doesn't mean that you shouldn't try to make it a bit more professional looking. they're paying you money for you to help create a spot in a medium in which it should represent them well.

taking criticism is difficult, but everything here suggested is really good criticism.

You should really consider Dmzz's advice instead of just rebutting it all.

Anywho, here's my input...not that I'm an expert or anything, but yea:

1) Why is the Flashvortex thing there? At first I thought it was created by you and I was impressed... till I saw the url at the bottom. If it's not made by you, take it off. I don't see any other purpose to it being there other than to fool the customer.

2) I like the orange borders to the "Our Services" and "portfolio." However, I think the font face and bevel-ish thing appear extremely nooby/amateurish.

3) Why are your prices on both the Our Services and Portfolio page? Your portfolio should be the centre of the portfolio page, and your services should be the centre of the services page. I just don't understand why it's on both pages and RIGHT at the top. If I click to see your portfolio, I shouldn't have to completely scroll down to see it.

4) As far as that header goes... I think it's just overall not visually pleasing. It just looks really outdated, like something that would have been created back in the 1990s when no one cared about how their website looked and whatnot..

-Weird/awkward/outdated color palette
-I don't think you used the drop shadow effectively.

5) You used the same font face in 3 of your examples... I think you should start using different fonts, or find some different projects to include in your portfolio. I don't think I'd want to hire someone who uses the same font every time. Off the top of my head, is that Lucida something?

6) I love a good, big header. But I feel as though yours is slightly out of place. I would really like it to either

a) extend the length of my screen or
b) have some sort of border around it

I think there should be emphasis somewhere... Not to make it "stand out" but to give it some focus.



Anddd I think that's it for now. Sorry if anything's been repeated, I did a super fast read of the previous posts.

1) We dont want to "redefine" web design, we just want to tap a niche in the web design market, which is "Cheap. Effective. Local", targetted at the lowest possible price range for custom website designs

2) we dont care about what looks objectively good, we give customers what they want on their website...if they want dark colours..we give them dark colours...we dont tell them we know best. We ensure the customer is happy, and gets exactly what they want, a website that shows their products to their community.

1) You can still offer cheap services and make your website more professional looking. It doesn't have to be cheap all around.

2) You should care what looks objectively good, especially for your own website. Let's face it, someone like me can do/offer EXACTLY what you're doing/offering but do it with a better looking website... Who'll get the business in the end? Not you. You don't have to appeal to the colour-blind, tasteless demographic by pretending that you are too. You can give customers EXACTLY what they want (no matter how disgusting it is) without sacrificing your brand.

appreciate the feedback. We are trying to redesign the banner, so should be up soon

I think the one of the first and most easiest things to do in creating a more appealing web page is trashing the Times New Roman font and replacing it with a more rounded font...if that makes sense.

Even if your goal is a cheap web page for local businesses, small changes that many others have suggested can entice more consumers to those businesses and in turn give your work more credibility.

Whether you're just looking for a way to make some quick cash or a way to build a repertoire of experience for yourself in the future, it's good to start producing something a little more fresh because it will all come back to you either way.

Times is a great font, what are you even saying!

xD

You guys are unreal. Your portfolio consists of one atrocious design hosted on seven different domains. Even if there existed a person who would consider using your design instead of a free template or a Word document saved as HTML, that person could simply navigate to any one of your failed websites, Ctrl+U, Ctrl+S, replace the text, and save $200.

By the way, I love how shamelessly you plagiarize your content. Compare:

- http://www.ilentahand.com/faq.html and http://www.milliondollarhome page.com/faq.php

- "What are the benefits of a tutor?" on http://www.royaltutoring.ca/faqs.html and "Why get a tutor?" on http://www.learnon.ca/

It's also pretty incredible that you simultaneously purport to "provide the professional assistance most businesses could use to take their success to an entirely different level" (http://www.businessadvising. ca/) and claim, apparently in earnest, that "the 'hand' links on this website will result in increased local traffic to web pages."

Adrian, I'm going to offer you and your brother a reality check. Your web design skills and business acumen are both naught, and in three years of work you've succeeded only in writing that fact all over the internet in giant, indelible lettering for all of your prospective employers and friends to see.

I implore you to stop. Find something else. Get your lives back.

Originally Posted by tatski-p

I think the one of the first and most easiest things to do in creating a more appealing web page is trashing the Times New Roman font and replacing it with a more rounded font...if that makes sense.

Needs moar comic sans.