tell me if i'm on the right track...

[Chucklehead]

my first ever attempt at a website. it's just the one page so far, but hopefully i'll have it done by the first or second week of january.

www.headcasegraphics.com

[cuda2k]

Looks like you spent a lot of time in photoshop or some graphics program, that's for sure! Without knowing what else you're going to be putting into the page and what your target audance is its hard to provide much more advise.

Got to say its visually impressive so far though!

Here's a few pages I've done in the past for your viewing:

http://thecuda.com

http://fixmyflute.net (still under development and needs some visual work here and there)

http://globalreflective.com (very much still under development, however the header is put together for the most part. FireFox however isn't playing nice with some of it so view it in IE for now. ;) )

[Drew12]

my first ever attempt at a website. it's just the one page so far, but hopefully i'll have it done by the first or second week of january.

www.headcasegraphics.com


So far nice looking.
The graphics rock...

I, however, will not spend more that about 30 seconds on a black website. It is very hard on the eyes, and when you look away there is the residual "pattern" in the eyes to deal with.
One benefit, at least the letters aren't red or blue! Not to mention you'll be paying very little is your billed by data transfered!

[nesdog]

I'd agree that it's a bit tough to view. Keep in mind that unless you give a reason for web surfers to return to the site, they will only come once. It's important to have some content changing regularly.

Sheldon

[Chucklehead]

thanks, guys. the graphics part of it is easy for me. i'm jumping into the fire with the web building part, though, that's for sure.

i'm not really concerned about traffic as it's intended to be more of a business card/portfolio than anything else. people always ask if i have a website, so now i do. i just figured if i was gonna do it, then i'm gonna make it look cool :)

i guess i've never really noticed how hard black sites are on the eyes. i don't sit very close to the screen and i have lots of light in here.

thanks again!

[Extort]

Great start.

[ecnetsixe]

thanks, guys. the graphics part of it is easy for me. i'm jumping into the fire with the web building part, though, that's for sure.

i'm not really concerned about traffic as it's intended to be more of a business card/portfolio than anything else. people always ask if i have a website, so now i do. i just figured if i was gonna do it, then i'm gonna make it look cool :)

i guess i've never really noticed how hard black sites are on the eyes. i don't sit very close to the screen and i have lots of light in here.

thanks again!
If you are starting out then maybe look for a 'shell' or 'template' website which you can tinker with on the graphics side of things. Places like templatemonster.com are a good starting point for small/medium size enterprises and if nothing more can give you creative ideas for your own layout.

Other adaptable options from an open source point of view include 'mambo' and 'joomla' (my preference because it has a more active development community). These platforms give you strong flexibility in terms of content management with the bonus of full backend administration that doesnt require huge html knowledge (in fact in the case of joomla no html knowledge).

You definately have an amazing graphic art talent. Make sure you have your core product on your front page.

(My ongoing advice may or may not be conditional to you having completed a 'nonstop century ride':p :p :p )

[Jaguar27]

my first ever attempt at a website. it's just the one page so far, but hopefully i'll have it done by the first or second week of january.

www.headcasegraphics.com

Not trying to be hyper-critical, but you should remove the comma after the word "running"

Good luck with it!!

[Chucklehead]

Not trying to be hyper-critical, but you should remove the comma after the word "running"

Good luck with it!!


that's ok. i didn't go back and fix my capitalization, either :)

[Chucklehead]

If you are starting out then maybe look for a 'shell' or 'template' website which you can tinker with on the graphics side of things. Places like templatemonster.com are a good starting point for small/medium size enterprises and if nothing more can give you creative ideas for your own layout.

Other adaptable options from an open source point of view include 'mambo' and 'joomla' (my preference because it has a more active development community). These platforms give you strong flexibility in terms of content management with the bonus of full backend administration that doesnt require huge html knowledge (in fact in the case of joomla no html knowledge).

You definately have an amazing graphic art talent. Make sure you have your core product on your front page.

(My ongoing advice may or may not be conditional to you having completed a 'nonstop century ride':p :p :p )

thanks for the suggestions. i didn't really see any templates i liked before i started, so i just sarted from zero. i think i pretty-much have a handle on it now, though.

as for the non-stop century business.. i better just start with getting on the bike first!

[urbanknight]

http://fixmyflute.net (still under development and needs some visual work here and there)

Awesome. Got any connections for brass/trumpets? Almost all of my favorite brass repairmen have moved out of state. Also, too bad I didn't forsee the LAUSD shop misplacing my piccolo. It's been gone for almost a year now :(

[Mo'Phat]

Ain't nothing wrong having the comma after running. Not against the rules. I make the rules, so I know. (See? Comma works.)

[DaveSANYYZ]

Ain't nothing wrong having the comma after running. Not against the rules. I make the rules, so I know. (See? Comma works.)Hmm, I think a semi-colon is a better... Hehe.

Nice site. Loads pretty fast too.

[chimivee]

Great stuff, Jason. I would disagree on the black background being hard on the eyes. At least for me, I don't have a problem with it, and have seen many sites that execute it well.

The graphics are cool... very Terminator... but perhaps a bit intense. That could be a personal thing, though. It's kinda amazing how subtle or small graphics can be, and still get the point across. Although, if the graphics represent your style with your work, then go with it!

Your site probably won't require much upkeep, but just keep the update-ability in mind as your designing it. Starting off with a PITA website, only becomes more of a headache down the road... and then you won't want to update it... and then it becomes stagnant... and then everyone hates you. For example, make it easy to add to your "Samples" section. What program are you using?

As Existence mentioned, I'd definitely incorporate your product into the design.

[1955]

Hey dog hair,

Very eye catching...I like it. And I don't mind the black backround either, of course I stare at AutoCAD all day long. Good job so far.

[Mo'Phat]

And I don't mind the black backround either, of course I stare at AutoCAD all day long.

+ an Insert Osnap

[Chucklehead]

thanks, guys. the style is pretty-much me - for the moment, anyway. that's the sort of thing that changes regularly as different projects influence me in different ways. the circuit tracer thingies are something i've been using a lot lately, so that was something that went fast and easy in terms of the design.

i'm going to try and get some pics up in the next couple of days and get rid of the greeting(or at least change it) on the front page.

i'm using the program that was provided by YAHOO (http://webhosting.yahoo.com/ps/sb/index.php). it's pretty easy to use and should be really easy to update, but i'm not following their prescribed method. that wouldn't have produced a very good look. this program really - and thankfully - dumbs down the entire process so that there's absolutely no need to learn HTML.

thanks again for the compliments. i was hoping i'd be able to get by mostly on graphics with as simple as the build and functions are!

[Brian Sorrell]

I think that the menu links are way too busy. Personally I aim for really simple stuff and low graphics, which clearly you do not. But you might profit from considering, philosophically if you will, what less graphics achieves.

If a page is too graphically busy, then it's not really possible to emphasize any particular thing for the viewer. (Compare and contrast Yahoo! and Google -- the one emphasizes linking to everything on Earth, the other emphasizes their core service. Who's winning?) To my eye, what stands out most right now is the circle in the top left, which has just about nothing to do with what you do or what you're trying to present. If I were you, I'd come up with a sort of map of where you want the viewers eyes to travel across the screen and what you want them to see -- what defines your business, then design the site to get their eyes to go there and see these things.

I don't want to say that I've succeeded in this, but I have tried:

Bluewood Designs (http://www.bluewood-designs.com/)

The goal there is to emphasize both the name and the dramatic curve and finish of the purple wood, as that is more or less what defines us. In your case, you will be defined by your graphics, so I would suggest trying to draw the viewer's eye to a particularly good graphic that represents your style. As it stands, my eye is drawn to your menu links, and you're not about menus, are you? The motorcycle helmets on your construction page are awesome! For my money, you should emphasize something like that right up front so that the viewer has a dramatic first impression of your work.

{steps off soapbox}

[Chucklehead]

i look at it like this:

well, first that it's far from done and may change drastically before it is.

it's not really about the website. anyone who is directed to the site, whether by word of mouth, business card, or whatever is going to visit knowing exactly what they're looking for: pictures of helmets painted by me. no, there's no gallery yet, but then again you guys are some of the very few that even know the site exists yet.
really, the only thing i'm trying to emphasize with the site is my vision of the month, whatever it might be. so i guess that's really the point. as an artist, custom painter, designer, or whatever you want to call me, people typically approach me for a couple of different reasons. one is because they like what they've already seen of my work and would like to see more, and the other is to see if my style/vision/philosophy is compatible with their own. all i do is try to show them what's possible, and the splashy graphics are just part of that particular train of thought. who knows, maybe the site will be white with pastels in a couple of months. but in any event, i want people to look at the details, because it's intended to be an example of my creativity. pretty soon, someone will see that little disk up in the corner, click it, and find something cool. i just haven't gotten that far yet.

like i said before, it's just an online supplement to a business card. people always ask if i have a website, so this will be my response from now on :)

[Brian Sorrell]

I dig the "vision of the month" idea. Let us know when those pics are up! I want to see -- in fact, I might have a customer for you....

[Chucklehead]

will do. it may be a while, though. i've never taken much care in photographing what i've done, so whatever pics i have are in need of some serious work in order to get them presentable. i suppose i could just post what i have, but it would make me feel cheap.