Website Review and Suggestions

**williamkazak** · 11-17-2006, 08:22 PM

Attempted an artsy site without using Flash. It needed to be search engine friendly.
What do you think? I used DW MX. I cannot remove underlines from links in this program.
http://www.williamkazak.com

**Republikin** · 11-17-2006, 08:36 PM

You can remove the underlines however this isn't the thread for that, I suggest you ask about it in the HTML forum.

Now, I know you were going for artsy, however, in my opinion, you ended up with something that looks like it was done in a hurry. My only suggestion would be a complete redesign, sorry if this sounds harsh but i'm trying to be honest.

**rleeq** · 11-17-2006, 10:02 PM

Frankly I don't see artsy. I see a list of links to a couple sets of pictures. Then there is a link to how to do biz with you.

I just don't see it. What's the artsy part?
Sorry try again.

**The Hick Man** · 11-18-2006, 10:50 AM

On a positive note your photos look great but you definitely need to do more with the site...

It has far too much whitespace and you need to work on the design and add some colour etc.

Try sketching some ideas down first before you try and do anything in Dreamweaver.

Be creative - good luck!!

**piti1300** · 11-18-2006, 11:32 AM

I think your website look simple and good feelling .

but I think the number under the picture is too narrow .

You may try thumdnails galleries .

You can add some graffic design in webpage or try to create logo design .

**GrantDovey** · 11-18-2006, 12:35 PM

Definitely could use a bit more.

**webfinity** · 11-18-2006, 01:27 PM

It's a bit plain. I would recommend adding some graphics or something.

**dodz** · 11-18-2006, 02:01 PM

It's very much plain looking, looks a bit rushed. If your wanting a professional look, I suggest designing a template, or get one done for you. It should look very arty, considering your site is about photography. Nice work on the photos, however.

Good luck.

**Dynamic-Xchange** · 11-18-2006, 02:04 PM

I would have to agree with the others. I think you best bet would be to find a nice ready made template to show off your great photos. There are some great designs out there that would compliment what your site is about and it would be a worthwhile investment.

**abawasa** · 11-18-2006, 02:38 PM

could make it better

**williamkazak** · 11-18-2006, 04:36 PM

I just cleaned up a broken link, no one found that.
Thanks for the comments but I see that some of you are coming from all the usual places; logo, more color, spice it up, use black instead of white. I was hoping to hear something else.
If I would just put a window up with a banner/logo and let a flash movie move the pics in and out it would look more like what we are used to seeing in a photography site.
This site has evolved and was not made in a hurry.
I have a slide show like that prepared in Showit but I don't think search engines like Flash sites.

**sirenka** · 11-18-2006, 07:34 PM

You can remove the underlines from the links by putting in <a> tag something like style="text-decoration:none;"

example:
< a href="yourlink.com" style="text-decoration:none;">Link Name</a>.

About the design i think its better when you click on the gallery link on the main page to have all images from that gallery but in thumbnails, and when you click on the image in popup window you get the image in original size.

**lgc252** · 11-18-2006, 11:41 PM

I've been in the advertising agency business for over 30 years. I've commissioned a lot of photography in my time and supervised countless art directors and designers. Contemporary web design and architecture is a little different - but it shares many similarities with commercial art.

The 'minimalist' heavy use of whitespace approach you've selected is tough. Ralph Lauren, VW, Coke and a few others can get away with it for 2 reasons. First, the brand itself is known around the world (which would translate into their logo and graphic persona.) And two -- because they employ the very best designers in the world to work on their advertising and design to keep it looking clean and fresh. The stark B/W look is pretty tough to pull off, but I applaud you for trying something different.

Try to find a friend, relative -- or maybe and art student on myspace - that could help you refine the ultra-clean look of the site ... while at the same time adding a little more design-sense to it. You're close you just need another point-of-view from someone with some art training.

Good luck.

**dmetrostars** · 11-19-2006, 12:44 AM

It looks to simple to me

**Arianne** · 11-19-2006, 11:30 PM

Hi,

Took a look at it, and my question to you is what do you want your site to do? I was always taught to think backwards from where you want to end up when designing....i.e. , I am a photographer as well, I want to sell my prints online, so I worked my site backwards in design basically...hope I am not confusing you...

Your photos are awesome, but your design needs to say more...so that surfers see something, right now, it looks like it is under construction...(don't mean to be harsh), but I had another non-web savvy person view it with me, and that was what they said...

**LogicalGeekBoy** · 11-20-2006, 11:53 AM

Hmm, this site needs a lot of work. Looks like a "my first website" from the early 90's. Try surfing the web and look at how sites are designed. Look for ones you like and try to improve yours using them for inspiration.

**mgarde** · 11-20-2006, 12:13 PM

Nice photos but everyone is right, start over...and you really don't have to be afraid of flash, your competition is local, seo means someone in your area needs to find you not everyone everywhere.

When your done with the site open an adwords account, your name won't cost you more then a dime then advertise to everyone within 50 miles of you. Use keywords like "wedding photographer" and "professional photographer" for these bid higher, $0.75 maybe. And also advertise on Google Local, you might not get more then a hit or two a month from local but that may be your meal ticket. Have a daily budget of $2-8 and see what happens.

Good luck

**williamkazak** · 12:39 PM

Lgc, you have got the idea. I knew that I have seen the minimalist approach in ads that really meant something to me, like Ralph Lauren. Thinking back on the old Dunhill ads brings that to mind also. They used that red color but kept it simple. Perhaps the navigation is the key to this.
Sirenka, I will attempt to remove the underlines in DW MX. I noticed that style sheets allow one to easily remove them in a dialogue box for link/page properties, as in DW8 but MX does not. Also, we have already seen the thumbnails with gallery links where the photo opens and I don't want that.
I think I am garavitating towards making a window with the Flash playing and the pics moving from one to the other and moving themselves up and back and sideways as in the program Showit. I have actually created that already but did not use it.
Thanks again for the comments, everyone. Sorry to disappoint you all but I can surely develop my own art/artistic eye/website and I don't need to run to other artist/designers to do it for me. My first site, no and don't be insulting like that ill-logical geekboy. There is always one to be the biggest ***.

**LadynRed** · 12:57 PM

I have to agree with LGC, the minimalist look is hard to achieve well. I don't have a problem with the idea, or even the black and white, but what bothers me the most about it is the menu. It just isn't quite right, needs some polish. Getting rid of the underlines would be a start, but you are going to need to use some CSS to do that.
I would also do something else with the phone number /email .. move it because sitting in the menu like just doesn't quite work well - it's stuck in the middle, it's longer and it disrupts what would be a nice clean line. The menu would look better as a clean list.

I think it needs some other design element, understated yet elegant. As a woman (amongst all these GUYS), a wedding is an emotional event and I'd bet women are the ones who would be looking for a wedding design, so a little embellishment that doesn't take away from the photos might add some appeal. Note I have said nothing about color and geegaws

I wouldn't do it with tables either...

**ghiavolu** · 11-21-2006, 02:06 PM

Man, i`m sorry to say that you need to try again with the design.It needs a structure, or a graphic, or something to make it special. But it`s good that you`re trying.That`s the most important thing.
Change the look of the site because of this: http://www.ellisbridals.co.uk/ - i saw it surfing the web, it has nothing to do with my work.
Cheers!