- 8 Aug 2005
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looks much better already. Let me know when you've made the changes to the column widths
Chiba Beat / Article on how to get into Japan
- Thread starter Orionvortex
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Orionvortex
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- 17 Apr 2006
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- #27
I made the changes to the column widths and moved the search box and ads further down on the left column so that site related content comes first. Let me know what you think.
- 8 Aug 2005
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It's much easier on the eyes now; I almost want the two side columns to be the same width, but this is probably close enough for now. I'm not sure if the graphic at the top of the page is really related to the material of the site; can you put any image against that tile background, or are you stuck with the Victoria's Secret models?
lastly, the images in the article itself are a bit too visually dominating. Since you have a relatively short article, it might be a good idea to reduce the image size by 15-20%, perhaps making them links to larger images if that's what you have (also, remove the border around them, you already have enough squares boxing off content).
It might be too troublesome, but once those changes are made I'd like to see how those images look actually integrated into the text (flush left on the right side of the column, then flush right, then flush left again). It might just be the image size, but you're pretty much giving them their own column, and it's feeling a bit disassociated from the article text.
lastly, the images in the article itself are a bit too visually dominating. Since you have a relatively short article, it might be a good idea to reduce the image size by 15-20%, perhaps making them links to larger images if that's what you have (also, remove the border around them, you already have enough squares boxing off content).
It might be too troublesome, but once those changes are made I'd like to see how those images look actually integrated into the text (flush left on the right side of the column, then flush right, then flush left again). It might just be the image size, but you're pretty much giving them their own column, and it's feeling a bit disassociated from the article text.
Orionvortex
先輩
- 17 Apr 2006
- 47
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- Thread starter
- #29
haha yes that header was just something to put up there but nothing permanent.
Actually now my girlfriend and I are in a fight about the layout. She thinks that the page should be centered and the table under the header should not be 100%. She also thinks that the rounded images on the navigation bar contrast too much with the squared images with the rest of the tables. Anyways, she made a layout that she likes better so I would really appreciate a comparison of the two. Mine is the one in the first post but hers is this one chibabeat.com | Domain For Sale. The changes are the navigation bar, the background behind the navigation bar and the header.
Actually now my girlfriend and I are in a fight about the layout. She thinks that the page should be centered and the table under the header should not be 100%. She also thinks that the rounded images on the navigation bar contrast too much with the squared images with the rest of the tables. Anyways, she made a layout that she likes better so I would really appreciate a comparison of the two. Mine is the one in the first post but hers is this one chibabeat.com | Domain For Sale. The changes are the navigation bar, the background behind the navigation bar and the header.
- 8 Aug 2005
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One of the important elements in differentiating between different kinds of information is contrast (in color, shape, interval, scale and weight). Your layout is already a collection of rectangles; giving the menu items rounded edges highlights them as a separate kind of information from the other page contents. Also, your menu half overlaps the header, which associates the two elements together through proximity. Her version separates the menu from the header and thins the header to the point of creating two new rectangles; the hierarchy is lost in the boxes.
That herringbone pattern is just grating on my eyes; it fuzzes the edges of the text and dominates the entire page without being visually interesting enough to deserve the attention. What I like about the tiled 100% wide header in your version is that the tiles create a soft gradient that moves the eye down towards the page content, and the images (albeit unrelated) are better integrated into the pattern. Ultimately, I would settle on all other elements and imagery, then have a version with the fitted header and another with the 100% header, and decide from there.
Also I just noticed the bulleted list in the top of the left column; you already have that information boxed off, it's not necessary to bullet the items. Also, the left margin is way too thin. Try removing the bullets and leaving the actual text where it is.
That herringbone pattern is just grating on my eyes; it fuzzes the edges of the text and dominates the entire page without being visually interesting enough to deserve the attention. What I like about the tiled 100% wide header in your version is that the tiles create a soft gradient that moves the eye down towards the page content, and the images (albeit unrelated) are better integrated into the pattern. Ultimately, I would settle on all other elements and imagery, then have a version with the fitted header and another with the 100% header, and decide from there.
Also I just noticed the bulleted list in the top of the left column; you already have that information boxed off, it's not necessary to bullet the items. Also, the left margin is way too thin. Try removing the bullets and leaving the actual text where it is.
Orionvortex
先輩
- 17 Apr 2006
- 47
- 0
- Thread starter
- #32
Yes I got tired of the flash and its compatability issues so I decided not to go with it in this version.
Yes you are right about it being a pain to maintain in plain html. I don't want to use a CMS but I am looking into some sort of script to help me manage the content.
Yes you are right about it being a pain to maintain in plain html. I don't want to use a CMS but I am looking into some sort of script to help me manage the content.
- 8 Aug 2005
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Cascading style sheets are your friend. Dreamweaver is a pretty good standard program for maintaining such a site, and you can make template pages for easy content creation.
