Hey people,
Just thought I'd post up a few of my websites for people to tear to pieces

www.sonicadesign.com - My freelance web portfolio
www.cwatson.org - My personal website
www.sonicadesign.com/hybrid - A prototype website for my band
www.wwry-london.co.uk - A fan-site
www.ukthrash.co.uk - Thrash metal community site
www.marketingperformance-ltd.com - A freelance client
www.tony-bourke.com - A freelance client

Any design tips appreciated - I thought I'd combine all of my sites into one thread rather than spam the boards with multiple requests. I'd be really interested in feedback for the sites in bold but if you've got anything to say (good or bad, but constructive criticism is always preferred ) about any of them then feel free.

As a bit of a background, I hand-code in XHTML, CSS and PHP. The only software I use is Macromedia Fireworks 8 and Adobe Fireworks CS3 for graphics, otherwise everything is hand-coded. I've been coding for about 6 or 7 years, started off in HTML 4.01 and moved over to W3C-valid XHTML 1.0 and CSS in the autumn of last year. All sites are tested in Firefox 2 (latest version) and IE7.

Cheers
MaidenFan

I dig your designs but to be honest, I think the structure looks rather generic. You could save time and achieve the same or even better results by using (a hand coded template, perhaps?) RapidWeaver if you happen to have a mac or hac.

Keep up the good work!

hecker

how many times can you use a template and still make it all look just the same?

seems like alot.

damn cookie cutters.....

It seems while you may have quite good xhtml/css skills your design skills are exceptionally poor. Now I don't mean to beef you, but your design really, really, really needs a lot of work. I would suggest studying graphic design or at least studying examples of good design (www.cssbeauty.com or www.stylegala.com).

Also stop using Fireworks for graphics. Just go straight to your applications folder and delete it right away. Instead install Illustrator and Photoshop, for they are REAL tools unlike Fireworks which is a piece of crap. Seriously here.

You typography needs heaps of work, it is one of the most important elements of websites. You'll find if you increase line-height to something like 1.6em on .8em type and stop justifying text things will look a lot better. Underlined text is pretty shabby too. Instead use border-bottom:1px solid (or dotted) that looks way cooler. Don't make links bold either.


It does help to go and get professionally trained from people who know what they are doing. But if you do not have the time or cannot afford to go get a diploma or certificate in graphic design, but you still want to be a good web designer, just spend your days looking at sites that are renowned for being well designed and take notes.

I won't however post any links to my own sites because they are in a dire crisis as well. Good luck.

As Jackt said in the beginning of his post, you seem to be a good template coder, but just lack in the design area.
I think that you should team up with someone who is skilled at design who you could work with... He designs, you code.
You could definitely fetch more clients that way.
Happy coding!

That's exactly what I was thinking

It's also the reason they all look generic and boring

I try to make my designs look as far from a template as I can, while still keeping it usable and accessible.

I agree with everything Jackt says. Ironically, I was going to mention the typography. For instance on your personal site, the headers are closer to the previous paragraph, instead of the paragraph to which the header applies.

take a low cost design course to learn a bit about design but more to see how other students approach design. you learn a lot just by being in the same physical space as others.

keep it up.

I'm a straight forward person.. You suck at web design.

A junior High student would design the same as you did.

hey i think you need to take a look at your color schemes most of them seem off.

www.cssmania.com - www.smashingmagazine.com
go learn.

As someone said before your design skills are not the best, but they can become better. Not just by looking how others did it. You just need to get a feeling which type of design looks right and which doesn't. I know its hard. But if you need some help, just pm me, and i'll do it.

A method of getting good things done is like:
0. Expand your horizont. (important to make something new)
1. Analyze your client and the target group. Analyze yourself. What do you want to do? What kind of content do you provide?
2. Make scribbles of different designs. Whether they are sketches on a paper or some brushwork in PS. It helps you get a feeling what you do.
3. Make two or more variants of your desired design (different colors, different fonts, graphics, headers ect). Do big font graphics in a vector based program (i.e. Illustrator)
4. Export your design out of PS, tweak it to your needs, upload it and you are done.
Steps between: Often talk back to your client(s) to ensure you are doing stuff that they actually want.

Important step: Speak to others, people with different skill levels and experiences.

And don't forget: Every design student learns a bit of web coding while he/she studies. Actually there is no need to say: Im a good coder. 'Cause designers have to be multi-talented individuals.

The Art Design are no limit, bad or good. olny like or unlike...
Find out kind of favorite web design today... (3 year ago web design trends are flashy, yesterday simply flat css, today ???)
However Art Design are about feel, talente,...

Learn more from this site http://the.master.web.id/

I agree, it all seems so '80s so "frontpage"

you asked.....?


SticMAN