Looking for some guidence!

Hey, Ive been working on websites for a good 5 years now. I can type HTML freehand and am also very proficient with Graphic design, Dreamweaver and Flash. However I cant seem to get my sites to the "next level" I dont know if I know what I need to learn.

Heres links to 3 sites I currently have on the web:

www.salonjoli.com (flash still in works)
www.yonkerscd.com
www.team13band.com

I am happy with these sites but I dont feel as if im getting to the eye catching levels of some other sites I see everyday. Here are a few examples of some sites I think are well done.

www.gamespot.com
www.halo-world.net
http://codmaps.net/

How do they get their sites to look like that. Its beyond graphics alone I can see.

Recently Ive been learning DHTML and CSS. And Im picking up on a lot of tricks, but not to the extent of some of these sites.

So if anyone out there has any suggestions for me it would be greatly apprciated. Maybe even some sites or a good book that will help me learn not so much syntax, but the logic behind all this hoopla.

Thanks!

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moved to web design help....

Ok, lets look at what the sites you like have:
1. 3 column layout with banner at top (except for Halo-World)
2. Major navigation on left column or at top just below banner, and the navigation on all sites is huge and exsits on every page
3. Gamespot and Call of Duty have alot of things that move, which to me is annoying but game sites like to do this because of what audience theyre trying to attract.
4. Which brings up another good point, all of these websites are meant to attract 13-late 20s male viewers.
5. All of the graphics have a sleek, smooth, metal or gem look to them.
6. Each "window" or container holding information has either a single border or double border.
7. Colors: all have a very similar neutral grey as a base color, then pick one to two additional bright colors to accent the page with.
8. The banner generally includes the logo and a flashy picture, all of which were made in photoshop using multiple layers and filters.

Now, lets take a look at your websites:

1. Joli has a nice layout. Two columns, so the text doesn't become huge long sentances and paragraphs and don't become difficult to read. The other two have just that problem, the text is either too long or centered, both of which make main paragraphs difficult to read.

2. Two sites have the naviagtion at the bottom, which is not the most intuitive place to put it. Websites are functional first, pretty second. If the user can't find the navigation when they first look at the page, they will leave. The best place to put the navigation is always at the top or on the left, then maybe on the right, and if the entire website fits in the browser window without needing to scroll down, maybe on the bottom.

3. Nothing moves, which I prefer, but since you have the option to be dynamic, you can always put some nice flash banners in. But a few of the websites are also fairly void of graphics all together, besides a banner. Try working in some more graphics, if pictures or a nice simple, non-interfearing background.

4. The audiences these websites are meant for are not the same as your favorite sites. Your sites will ultimately be quite different. Joli has a very good look for a salon, quiet, relaxed, subdude. The others, perhaps, could use more excitement, ie more images, pictures, things moving, since theyre made for an audience that enjoys excitement.

5. Something I didn't mention above, but I know on Gamespot the web page doesn't take up the entire browser window. Usually web designers don't make their pages wider than 800 pixels for those with older browsers. They also make text on the small side, mostly because the designer thinks it looks pretty. They also all used sans serif fonts like helvetica, geneva, arial, where as yours uses all serifed fonts. Try using some sans serif fonts to get a hipper, more modern look to your sites. Use funky fonts for the navigation and then save the navigation as images.

6. On Joli, youve used a border around the containers of information. This is very common on more modern sites, and would be a good practice to continue. Most important though, is to make sure the borders are subtle, like on Joli, not bright red on a black background or such. The main point of a website is information, so you want to make sure whatever you include to enhance the look of the site does not detract from the information. That's why I don't like moving things on a site, because they attract my attention and I have trouble concentrating on what I'm reading.

7. Colors: Actually, all of your sites have a great color pallet. I don't think you need to worry about that much, except maybe on Joli making sure the colors don't get too subdue. Maybe on Team 13, think about putting it on a black or dark orange or red background instead of a white background. Black text on a white background is the most difficult to read on a computer screen, which is the exact opposite of paper. This is because the intensity of the light from a white screen tires the eyes out much faster than a black screen. So I always tend to use darker colors for the background and light colors for the text, unless of course it doesn't fit with the theme or audience like on Joli. I would not recommend using a black background for Joli.

8. Your banners are kind of floating. Theyre not well integrated into the website. Theyre not that exciting or interesting. If anything, I would spend the most time trying new things with banners than anything else. On all of your favorite websites, the banners had a logo on top, a picture under that, and then a background color/image under that. Along with a border around it. Try layering like this, and it makes the banner alot more interesting.

I really hope all of this information helps you out. Its good to critique others websites and figure out why you think something works and something else doesn't. I do this all the time while I'm thnking up ideas for websites. I always look at coolhomepages.com for ideas.

Good luck with your designs, and keep posting for constructive critiques!

Thank you so much for your help RooRoo ........any help is good. Heres a few things I forgot to mention:

1) My 2 sites Team13band.com and yonkerscd.com have literally been up and not updated in years. And team13band is only a temp site. Im in the process in remaking BOTH of these sites now...that is why I posted this message board in the first place.

2) The sites I listed as examples (gamespot.com / halo-world.com ) are just sites that I liked the layouts.....I dont like sites that are all crazy and whacked out either.....I just didnt understand how they were able to make such big sites and keep their tables nice and neat.....

Which brings me to my next point....haha..... I think I finnally understand. See I have always planned out my sites using simple HTML tables. I was always scared of CSS because people like to ram down your throat about browser compaibilty (damn netscape).......I didnt want to deal.....but I got fed-up of it and was like.....I gotta move on or im gonna fall behind.

Anyway, today I made my first site template purley using CSS and the multi column layout..........And I think I totally understand the logic ive been looking for. Use this kind of layout, make graphics blend with the background to take away that "box" look, use soft colors to ensure a nice smooth look ! Well see how things come along ill make sure I post my redone sites in the critique section! Thanks alot man, I appreciate all your help!

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