OK, so I have this website...

nssone

OK, so I have this website that I started back in July or so and I want to update it's look. My web programming skills are limited and I don't much like web programming either but I may as well learn some more. I was wondering if anybody would bother looking at my site GP32US.com[^] and make some suggestion for its look and some tips on what to research to make it look better. I really want to make it a good looking site and to try and attract more attention to it I'm not looking for real advanced programming or anything huge where I may as well be a web developer for a career (I don't), just some nice things to rearch to spice up my site a bit. I do the coding by hand mostly and I don't mind that because I wouldn't pay for an overly expensive development/office suite (Front Page or InterDev), so I may as well do it all by hand. I remember someone suggestion a book once on web design and code, but I can't think of it anymore. I wish I had bought that book way bakc when I asking for suggestion on webhosting and such back in like July or August. Anyways, thanks for any help you may be able to give me.

Who am I? Currently: A Programming Student trying to survive school with plan to go on to Univeristy of Advancing Technology to study game design. Main career interest include: Multimedia and game programming. Working on an outside project: A game for the GamePark32 (GP32) portable gaming console. My website: www.GP32US.com

Sebastian Benitez

Ohhhh, man... it's horrible :laugh: Take a look at this: http://smarty.php.net[^] "semper aliquid haeret", Bacon. -- Sebastián.

Roger Wright

Firstly, yuck! Not a bad first effort, and I'm certainly no expert, but the current site needs some loving care badly. At the very least, white text on a black background is one of the worst choices you can make for a website. The little textbox is also a bad idea. Both look harsh, and though they work well enough for disseminating facts, they're hard on the eyes. Try for some softer tones, pastel backgrounds with san serif fonts work well. One of the more visually pleasing sites I've visited is www.8028finder.com[^]. The combination of soft visual effects and simple graphics make for a very comfortable site to visit and spend some time exploring. On the bright side, it can be fixed. The banner is good - keep it. Then get a copy of Creative HTML Design.2[^], one of the best books I've seen on website design. It's a bit light on the details of HTML coding (though there's a fairly complete reference section in the appendices), but it does a great job of illustrating styles and techniques that are attractive. Even though you're not a web developer by profession, I think you'll really enjoy the book. The one thing definitely lacking in the book is any reference to CSS - Cascading Style Sheets. I have yet to find a decent book on the subject, but there's plenty of info on the web. Check out www.w3schools.com[^] for a tutorial. CSS allows you to separate visual effects from content, and gives you the ability to impose a consistent style on an entire site without complicating the individual pages. Have fun! Website design is a nice, relaxing break from hardcore programming, and a great way to let your artistic side out to play.:-D "Another day done - All targets met; all systems fully operational; all customers satisfied; all staff keen and well motivated; all pigs fed and ready to fly" - Jennie A.

nssone

Thanks for taking the time to look at it, though you people could've been a little less harsh with your comments on it. This website was pretty much just an attempt at using some HTML programming I learned in school. It was my first attempt and I like to code by hand instead of using WYSIWYG type design apps. It wasn't meant to be the prettiest thing at first, just needed to get it up at first. Then I got stuck with school/work/everything else so I couldn't devote any time to researching better design and working on it at all. Again, thanks for the advice, and I'll look into this HTML Design book. And after this week all should be good for a few weeks so I can devote time to it.

Who am I? Currently: A Programming Student trying to survive school with plan to go on to Univeristy of Advancing Technology to study game design. Main career interest include: Multimedia and game programming. Working on an outside project: A game for the GamePark32 (GP32) portable gaming console. My website: www.GP32US.com

Roger Wright

nssone wrote: though you people could've been a little less harsh with your comments on it. :-D Sorry - it's early and I haven't had my first pot of coffee yet. If it's any consolation, my first was far worse, and I'm not too sure I've gotten much better. Like you, it's a sideline for me - not something I intend to pursue as a career. And it's damned hard to force myself to get better at it when there are so many other distractions demanding my time.:sigh: Do take a look at the book; it's quite good, though at the time I was looking for an HTML primer and it isn't a great tool for that. The W3 Schools link is one you'll want to bookmark, though. It's free and very thorough. Most of all, have fun with it.:) "Another day done - All targets met; all systems fully operational; all customers satisfied; all staff keen and well motivated; all pigs fed and ready to fly" - Jennie A.

nssone

Oh, well, I'm not being a crybaby and you didn't really hurt my feelings, it just felt like that comment was a little mean. It's good to know that you too had a hard time at web design at first. And I will keep in mind those websites and that book.

Who am I? Currently: A Programming Student trying to survive school with plan to go on to Univeristy of Advancing Technology to study game design. Main career interest include: Multimedia and game programming. Working on an outside project: A game for the GamePark32 (GP32) portable gaming console. My website: www.GP32US.com

perlmunger

When you ask people to comment on aesthetics, don't be surprised when they are honest. I don't think it was anyone's intetion to hurt your feelings, but if people (what we call back home) "blow sunshine" ( - which means giving compliments in order to not make the person feel bad), it doesn't benefit anyone. It makes the complimentor a liar and gives the person who asked a false sense of their skill level. Truthfully, the site looks like it was created circa 1995 when the web was still fresh and the "blink" tag was a standard on all pages :-) . My suggestion is that if you want to get into graphic design, go for it--pursue that with tenacity!! However, if you are wanting to be a programmer (as your sig mentions), you will have to choose. You would not have time to get really great at both--especially once you're out of school. Keep in mind--most game manufacturers have programmers *AND* artists--rarely will you find someone who is great at both because they both require skill, dedication, and (eventual) mastery (you know what they say about the jack of all trades--he's a master of none). A word to the wise--decide what you like to do more and pursue that with a vengence. As a guy who has done a lot of web programming (and design for that matter), I can honestly say that I am a skilled programmer and a terrible graphic artist. I have come to that conclusion over time and I'm ok with that. I now use templates or custom designs created by professional designers when I get a new web development gig. I use Template Monster for the most part, but sometimes I just outsource the design work to an artist and do all the programming myself. It works very well that way. Best regards and keep working on your site. Don't give up because a couple of guys think it needs work. Adversity is your friend. ;-) -Matt ------------------------------------------ The 3 great virtues of a programmer: Laziness, Impatience, and Hubris. --Larry Wall