Smartpixels.net Again Re-designed (please review the new design)

**jani** · 01-22-2008, 01:07 PM

Hello everybody,

I have again re-designed my website www.smartpixels.net cause the previous design was looking a little dull to me.

This time I used fresh colors and added some more pages like Services, Freebies and renamed the Contact Me text to Hire Me

Now I want feedbacks on the points mentioned below:

1) Is the new site looking too greeny?

2) The thumbnail size of the portfolio page is very big?

3) Does it look cheap to have a chat box on the Freebies page? cause smartpixels is a professional website and can chatting on my site makes the image of my site bad?

4) I am using the word "I" on my website to express me and my work. What do you think if I use "We" then people will show more confidence on me and they will think that they are actually dealing with a company... Is it good to use WE and promote me as a company not individual? Is it not lie?

5) Anything else you notice on the site.

Waiting for some feedbacks

Thank you

**scoobs001** · 01-22-2008, 03:01 PM

I think its very nice, I was going to comment saying it looks like a template site, but since you make the things, i guess thats why.

I like the penguin template by the way.

Doesn't look too green, nice a neutral. and has plenty of stuff that kept me intersted and looking at your work.

**aldor** · 01-22-2008, 04:30 PM

From looking at your website and the portfolio of your work it is obvious that you have a flare for design.
As I did not see your original design I cannot compare the two but the present design does not look to green and is a pleasing mixture of hues.
I don't consider the thumbnails too large but I was using a broadband connection, you may want to reconsider if you think that many of your prospective clients are using slower internet connections.
No, I consider the inclusion of a chat page enhances your site.
I think that the use of WE instead of I gives a more professional appearance.
I notice that you define styles in your <head> section.
You will find it better to put your styles in a separate style sheet which only has to be written once and link each page of your site to this style sheet. Not only is this easier as you can readily have the same look across many pages of a site but it also means that changes can be made in one place and not on every page.
If you are promoting yourself as a web site designer you should be making more use of CSS instead of tables for layout. This again makes it far easier to change a design.
Overall I think you have made a good effort.

**jani** · 01-22-2008, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aldor

I don't consider the thumbnails too large but I was using a broadband connection, you may want to reconsider if you think that many of your prospective clients are using slower internet connections.

No I was actually asking thumbnail size (width & height).

Quote:

I think that the use of WE instead of I gives a more professional appearance.

Agreed, but here I am the only person who do every design project.

Actually I have decided to go with the use of I... Its good to people know who they are going to deal with. Is it a small group, company or an individual.

Quote:

I notice that you define styles in your <head> section.
You will find it better to put your styles in a separate style sheet...

I am not very good in html thing, All this coding I did was on my own. I read books and got some help and did it. I understand your point.

I had tried to use attached style sheet but couldn't understand the correct way. The way I was doing it was not working.. I have now changed the link color and have to literally go to every page and change color on it

I am again going to try to find the way of external style sheet. Hope I will be successful this time.

Quote:

Overall I think you have made a good effort.

Thanks. I am still doing some enhancements based on the feedbacks I am getting

**internetz** · 01-22-2008, 05:56 PM

We looked through the site there is some great work in there. Could we ever ask you to do logo design for us?

We don't think the site is too green since your content background is white.

We like the size and wide aspect ratio of the thumbnails. We have a broadband connection. We imagine it would be slow for a dial up user. One thing you could do is lower the quality of the thumbs and use some sort of lightbox script. But we like the large thumbs. The fact that we can read them without having to click anything is nice. tough call...

We like the shoutbox on the freebies page. Gives a feeling that the site is being maintained when we see the comments / webmaster replies.

We or I

I guess we is more professional.

I agree about the tables, externalizing your css.

Overall I like the design and 'feeling' of the site.

$5.00 for banner design, is that really cheap? I'm not familiar with banner design prices.

**jani** · 06:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by internetz

We looked through the site there is some great work in there. Could we ever ask you to do logo design for us?

Thank you internetz for appreciating my work

Unfortunately I don't do the logo designing work. I am not very good in logo designing so why should I involve in it and bother my clients too.

Quote:

$5.00 for banner design, is that really cheap? I'm not familiar with banner design prices.

Yup, $5 is very cheap. I am offering this cheap service just to give benefits to more and more people and it will make my skills more stronger

Also, as I said in the above post that I am going to use "I" on my website cause if you look at the slogan "Me & My Graphic Designing Experience" it says it all that this website belongs to a SINGLE person. Not a company. And also, it is not a shameful thing that I am an individual and working as a designer. Who said that only Company can do online business.... Individuals can also do , as I am doing

From other forum someone told me that I should have include the templates prices below the templates cause they have to click on it and go to another page to see the price. So I have added the prices there. You don't have to click on them to know the price.

If anyone has any suggestion for my site, please come and tell me.

**aldor** · 01-23-2008, 01:47 PM

You say that you had a problem linking to an external style sheet.
There are a number of resources on the web that will guide you. Try putting "external css style sheets" in Google. This will give you more links than you will ever want.
Hope this helps.

**shshao** · 01-23-2008, 02:06 PM

Just put this in your <head> section...

<link href="StyleSheet.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />

And you're done. It's that easy!

**jani** · 01-23-2008, 02:50 PM

Yes, I have found a way to do this. I will update the site with external style sheet shortly.

Also, I have done some changes on the homepage as well, have put more content there. It will be ready in a day or so. so please keep checking my site for latest updates.

Also, if anybody wants me to do any design project please feel free to hire me