website review

[rafhelp]

HI,

I have just completed a new version of my current website, please check out both and let me know which one is better.

Site 1: Current
The site is mostly complete and all links should work.
http://www.rafnet.co.uk

Site 2: New
Only the homepage and the about us page have been completed, the other pages will have a similar structure.
http://www.rafnet.co.uk/index2

[tkessex]

The fact that you see fit to charge at all for your graphic and web design services is unnerving, but how can you justify fees of upwards of £20 per hour when your own logo incorporates elements of a design stolen from Logoworks (http://www.logoworks.com/construction-logos2.html)?

[rafhelp]

prices are still being revised. it was done just as example to show the site.

the logo is not from that site byt another and was classed as royalty free art on the site, il see if i can find it. but the graphic is only a part of my logo, it was still designed incudling the graphic.

but only royalty free clip art is used in any case, any probs il see if i should remove or get permission

[fisicx]

Looks cheap and because you are using frames forget any chance of being found by the search engines.

[rafhelp]

hi
thanks for your comment!

can you elaborate on cheap, what makes it look cheap and what would you suggest i should do to make it look less cheap?

Also I checked out the site in your sig, to me it doesnt look that much better than mine, it just has a different style. I could used a style similar to that when i redesigned my site as it was shown as one of my base templates, but i chose the one i have as i like the 'pop up' buttons near the top. I think its just a matter of taste, what appeals to one person will not appeal to the other.

[bcmedia]

To be honest I think they both look terrible and not because you used frames. A website in frames can still look good and a punter who know nothing about web development will be none the wiser!

You have used too many different fonts, there is no sense of harmony amongst the colours, the graphics used are ugly and the site lacks any sense of aesthetic appeal - I would start again and seriously consider your prices....I charge £25 an hour for graphics & I know a lot more talented designers who also charge similar prices.

If programming is your forte then I would seriously consider working with another designer and start again!

[fisicx]

As bcmedia suggests, you are using differing styles so there is no consistency of visual information. You say you chose the 'popup' buttons because you like them without any consideration for your visitors (testing shows dropdown menues are less effective). And using dropdowns mean you have two navigation systems neather of which could be considered primary.

I've also looked at your page code and it's a real mess - apart form the unusual mix of CSS and HTML styles you are using positioning, structural tables, JS navigation and so on.

The frames issue is not one of design, more the inaccessibility of the website to the search engines. If they can't get to it they can't index the site.

[rafhelp]

i used aprogram called Trellian Webpage, it used to be good, but the newer versions causes so many problems i agree the code is a mess but its becuase the program autoformats/indents incorrectly.

I guess i need to upgrade.

The new website does not use dropdown menus, the buttons used are easy to use and look good, i dont see why it would cause a problem to visitors.

I agree about the colour scheme in that i did not pay much attention to it but rather went with looks... the site was designed in a paint package.

[fisicx]

Or better still, don't use a website builder. It's a really basic layout so you put the code together in a few hours.

The new site does use dropdowns, hover over any of the three top links and a sub menu appears - a drop down. The menu is JS managed which means you would make it difficult for the SE to pass any link juice if if could actually index the site.

Designed in a paint packege! I'm gobsmaked. That is just about the worst way to design a site - no wonder the code is a mess.

[rafhelp]

no the new site is the one with the blue background and pop up buttons, the OLD one had the drop down menu.

Regarding the font issues i was just browsing a few other sites to see if what you said was taken into consideration by other popular sites.

take a look at the following site:
http://www.msn.com/

I count over 7 diefferent fonts yet the site would be condisered 'well designed and thought out'.

Regarding paint packages quite a lot of designers design the website in photoshop then export the layers and buttons into a website designer package. It helps because you can cutomize the look more. I can show you some good tutorials of using this technique if you want