posted on Apr, 12 2006 @ 02:39 PM
I like your site~it has a consistent style that is in-line with your music style. After you get settled on your paid domain and your fine-tuning of
the site is done, I think you will have minimal maintenance and easy updating, since the layout is simple and clean. That manner of layout is also a
plus as far as your visitors are concerned~especially since your pages are few, not cluttered, and your navigation is simple and straightforward.
I do have several suggestions, which are mostly furtherances of those design principles that I mentioned above.
- Unlike Sanctum, I actually like the thin-lined boxes that you've framed your copy in--but only for your copy (which is basically the text in the
body of the web page--I think that your headings would be better without any borders at all. On the borders you do keep, adding anywhere from 4 to 8
pixels of padding on all 4 sides would make them sharper (attraction) and make the copy more readable (duration).
- I do think that a bit of red (or any bold color that you prefer) would really do some good--your color-scheme is cool, but monochrome is sometimes
just a heartbeat away from monotonous. A dash of white or very light gray (such as #CCCCCC) would help, too. The color would be good to add to the
main heading, somehow, and maybe rollover links, too.
The red that is in your photo on your bio page is exactly what I'm talking about--just a smudge here and there really livens up a black and white
photo (which I think are cool, too--goes with your whole theme.)
- I'd also limit the paypal logos to only the music page ~ where the actual selling is taking place. If, for some reason you are obligated to have
the logo on your home page, if possible it would be better done at the bottom, and as small as possible.
Also--the two sample tracks you have on the music page would be excellent promotion on the first page--because the #1 rule for sales is Free
offerings first, and the sales pitch last (even though you are selling your creative harvest instead of vacuum cleaners). You've got an
advantage, promoting music: people buy based on emotions, regardless of what they're shopping for. Music is an emotional experience for most, so
let your visitors listen to your music right away!
- Finally, I did notice a couple of misspellings, and overlooked grammar--it might not seem important to many people, but I think that on a
subconscious level, just about everyone makes some sort of judgment, overall, based on those type of things--even if unaware of doing so.
It seems like a bunch of stuff, but really it is just minor stuff--I think your site is going to work very well for promoting your art--and because of
that, I was kind of nit-picky. It's a great start and I think it will be a success for you.
About the last item--that's something most people avoid because it can take a lot of time, but if you don't have any resources in the 'language
arts,' I would be glad to donate a little time for your cause--about 15 minutes is all it would probably take and it is really important. Let me
know!
And good luck to you!