My Website Design Critique

it looks like it's a template and a quick look at the source shows you've got scripts being loaded from another web address....

My view and many others on here will likely be the same.. if your job is web design then you should wow your potential clients with what you can do, it's a very competitive field.
Yours doesn't do that to me... sorry
 
I agree. The copy is quite wordy, you could easily cut half of this down.

It would probably work for clients, but other designers can spot these things.

7 out of 10
 
Agree.

Looks too copy heavy, and the stock images don't do you any favours either, makes it feel rushed.

Cut down the copy, sort out the stock images and possibly change your profile image (looks a passport photo).


My thoughts...
 
Thank you for all your comments and your advice on how to improve the look of my website. I have made it look less template like with a new design layout / structure and by cutting down on the amount of text on the homepage, getting rid of the stock images, deleting the 'passport' image and adding more JQuery functions to show off my skills better as a designer.

Please take a look at the new site at - wayneambler.co.uk - and let me know what you think.

Thanks again for your advice
 
You are gonna hate my finickiness but in your 'Location' Description:

I am located on the borders of Leeds and Wakefield so I am very central and have great access to many towns and vilages in the area including Bradford, Bramley,

You have spelt villages wrongly ;o

Other than that it looks pretty good, I am wondering why you need two lots of reasoning with many paragraphs of why you should be 'the one to design my site'
(meaning on the home page, the "here are a few reasons why you should" and at the bottom you have "Web Design Services I Provide")

"Freelance web designer. Leeds" I have to say, doesn't stand out too well against the blue under your name on the top left, either because of the script font or how small it is.

Just one little thing, I don't know if I am wrong in saying this but your description of your site making skills are very ..lets say ..puffed up? Don't get me wrong, it's important that you exude confidence in your abilities, but it's a balance because sometimes it can intimidate the customer into feeling like you aren't going to listen to their opinions, something that you could consider is a mixture of points about what you provide and testimonials. More bullet points doesn't necessarily make you more attractive..

The sites you have created seem very nice, just seem a little lost in the masses of text.
 
It still has exactly the same issues as I posted about the first time....
 
screenshot4copycopy.jpg


Lets start from the top:

Personally, I like the texture, colours and layout. The navigation seems to be clear and simple. I would suggest making sure that your facebook and youtube channels are updated and have some content before making the public.

Red box: I would move this down. The viewer will get a faster and better picture of what you do if you show them, rather describe it to them. These are good for keywords of course, which is useful. However I wouldn't make such a big emphasis on them. As a subheading it would work better I think.

Green box: Huge text block. Very few people will read this, from my experience of hearing others comment on sites. Usually people (clients) look for two initial things when on a design: 1. Examples of good work that they like and want you to design for them and 2. Helpful info about designing that shows them that you know what you're talking about. I'd say 1 is the most important and needs to be emphasised.

Blue box: This is the purpose of your site, is it not? To show and promote your service by proving through your experience that people do need you. I think this should span across the entire width of the site and needs to be more clear. (ie: Frame it in a screen, find some sites you designed with larger images etc) It needs to be clear this is your work and you can do this for them too.

Purple box: This is better layed out than the green box thanks to the icons, however I would still say way too much text. If you really want this in your home page add clear bold 1 or 2 word subtitles, rather then emboldening the key word that the sentences are about. It helps sign post the viewer to what they are looking for.

Orange box: Adding a photo is always debatable. Personally I don't add it on my site to avoid judgement on impact. Rather, if people want to know more about me they can do so (twitter facebook etc) I like the map, although a little dot on your actual location (Leeds) would be a nice detail to add.

Hope this helps.
 
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