Dark design help

syrus69

Junior Member
hi guys, currently working on a website for a friend, the website is for his company which supplies performance and prestige cars and have just started with the home page layout and have changed it numerous of times as nothing seems to catch my eye,
just want a fresh set of eyes to point out some feeback or criticism
 

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its not finished yet, just the background of the homepage, need to arrange where to place the content but wanted some feeback thus far
 
In my opinion it is very difficult to give feedback on a half finished design...
it looks half finished
my feedback would consist of telling you how to complete it, which should not be the way designs are done
 
Thanks renniks,
i will plug away at it some more and get back on here once the home page is completed,.
cheers matey
 
ok I'll critique what's there

the logo needs to be applied now or the design could be a complete waste of time, also the drop shadowed box doesn't work.

the menu seems to be like, ah I need to stick a menu here somewhere, er black bar at the top with text in it will do

the background image fade doesn't match the car image, it doesn't even compliment it.

the background image has got to be the least prestige image you could have found, ignoring the fact I don't see merc's as being prestige it's got a drainpipe for an aerial and it looks like it's left an oil leak on the road.

the background image just looks stuck on the page, theres no fluidity to the design.
 
Levi said:
ok I'll critique what's there

the logo needs to be applied now or the design could be a complete waste of time, also the drop shadowed box doesn't work.

the menu seems to be like, ah I need to stick a menu here somewhere, er black bar at the top with text in it will do

the background image fade doesn't match the car image, it doesn't even compliment it.

the background image has got to be the least prestige image you could have found, ignoring the fact I don't see merc's as being prestige it's got a drainpipe for an aerial and it looks like it's left an oil leak on the road.

the background image just looks stuck on the page, theres no fluidity to the design.

yeh there's all that too
 
Ok, I really don't like the font, try either Arial or Tahoma at Size 12/14. Those fonts are more 'square' or whatever you might say and would suit the sleek well-cut feel you'll want for a website like that. It's an AMG Merc that you're featuring on the front page so the theme has to snap around that..

The logo is pretty good imo, but the font looks tacky. Try putting a 2/3px inner stroke with a metallic gradient, then have another gradient on the inside which is lighter. Not sure how to explain this.
If you're using photoshop, select the default black/white gradient. Put it on 'reflected' and then 'reverse' so the white strip goes down the middle. Make sure the font is set to white, and lower the opacity of the gradient until it suits you.

Position the items in the box more carefully, use padding.

The background looks a bit dingy? Try using a Soft Brush to lighten areas, such as behind the logo box and underneath the navigation, that works effectively to guide the users attention to more important areas..
 
Look at (not copy from, just look at) the competition. Sites such as Volkswagen, Honda, Audi etc, are all trying to convey visually, aspects that people find desirable in cars. Clean, Precision, Performance, ... shiny bits. etc.

I can see that visually you're aiming for cool, but you seem to be landing on grubby.
I like the way the car looks, and the menu is clear and easy, but I feel like the background wants a damn good scrub.
 
Guys many thanks for the input, i have been away from my computer for a few days, just been sketching ideas, so will start will a different approach
do you guys think i should steer away from a dark website ?
or just develop the current concept?
 
nothing wrong with dark websites, they just have to be done right as if it's not hey can look really bad due to it being in essence shades of black
 
Dark is fine, as Levi says. I just think, with "performance and prestige car" services, a cleaner approach might appeal more to clients. Unless you're targeting boy racers. Just my thoughts though. Keep trying things out until you happen across something YOU think works.
 
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