|
Ok where to start...
The main thing that stands out about the site is the colour-scheme as many other people have said. The most unappealing aspect of the colour scheme is the extreme high-contrast look that you have in the site. Subtle, low key effects that are easy on the eye, with sparse usage of high-contrast colours to highlight key aspects are very much the flavour of the year.
That isn't to say that high-contrast schemes don't have their place - particularly where accessability is a key issue. However in this case it seems to be of paramount importance to provide a solution that is appealing to the youth of today - and that means coming up with something aesthetically pleasing.
Wild variations of colour can also give your site an "amateur" feel - in particular I am referring to the garish combination of blue colours in the main logo and the buttons. Again a simple colour-set and few variations in colour patterns work best in modern-style sites. However, in this I am also referring the the poor complimentary qualities of the blue/burgundy combination throughout the site. Perhaps a more subtle combination of colours would have been more beneficial for the site?
Another point that I have to make, and i'm sorry to be so negative (we've all been there so don't give up!) but the repeating table background seems pretty pointless - the effect must have been a nightmare to create and causes some problems when the page is resized. Again a subtle light grey solid/dashed line (acheived with css effects) would have been a good idea. The shadow effect on the pane works quite well, and would probably have been used to good effect on a simpler/straight design.
There are some very positive features of your site - the gradient backgrounds to the titles of the side tables (quick links, stats, etc) are certainly getting there, and the two pixel lined background in the header is a good design element that has potential.
The main problems that your site has are in the design - personally I feel that the bulk of this can be rectified by being more subtle - ironically the traditional print-based laws about simple and effective designs still dictate the best designs in this digital age. Good luck with the remainder of your site design and I hope this have given you an idea of how to improve things.
Lastly, excellent effort for your first attempt... Just remember - softly, softly, catchy monkey!!!
Tom
__________________
-------------------------------------------------------------------
www.blackprism.com - Black Prism: Web Design - Corporate Image - Graphic Design
-------------------------------------------------------------------
|
