1st proper design for client- critique please

DeadlyByDesign

so this is my first proper mock up in photo shop. As a design aspect is this impactful yet minimilist enough? The rectangles at the bottom will eventually house stock photos of a gym. The bigger rectangle will be that of a spartan helmet (worn and "stamped" on).

tell me what you think guys, i know there are more people in the know than me here.

tricky D

Consider not using the scratched effect for the logo text in particular. That text would be much better with a flatter colour scheme.

DeadlyByDesign

tricky D wrote: »

Consider not using the scratched effect for the logo text in particular. That text would be much better with a flatter colour scheme.

Thanks, that particular decision is still 50/50 at the moment

Giblet

You can see where you used the burn tool. Paper doesn't burn just beside the edges leaving a white line.

DeadlyByDesign

Giblet wrote: »

You can see where you used the burn tool. Paper doesn't burn just beside the edges leaving a white line.

i should smudge that a bit then. THanks for that spot

smash

I think it's quite amateur looking, but it's just my opinion.

DeadlyByDesign

smash wrote: »

I think it's quite amateur looking, but it's just my opinion.

thanks for that

Placebo

http://browse.deviantart.com/resources/textures/paper/

Bluefoam

OP, it appears that you are exploring the capabilities of Photoshop, which is a good thing. But I would recommend designing the website first and then start producing the graphics...

I think you also need to refine how you are using those filters. Think about what you are trying to achieve and concentrate on the quality of the final result.

Also, think about the content. At the moment it looks as though you could fit the whole site on one page. Think about how it could be more dynamic.

Lantus

needs work.....

a website is always function over form. question every element and the reason why it is there.

some interesting ideas though, dont lose heart.

Trojan

I think there are several different issues here. One is the visual graphic design which you've shown us here. The other, which I suspect you haven't addressed in depth, is the overall design of the site - the layout and elements, their meaning in terms of the objectives of the site.

I think you need to go back and wireframe it up before getting into designing the visual.

Have a read of Ultimate Guide to Website Wireframing from Six Revisions.

Personally I do that on paper but here's some software links to help you put a wireframe together:

Gliffy

Best for flowcharts and similar type diagrams - "Gliffy is an online diagramming service that helps users communicate with a combination of shapes, text, and lines."

http://www.gliffy.com

Balsamiq Mockups

Using Balsamiq Mockups feels like you are drawing, but it's digital, so you can tweak and rearrange controls easily, and the end result is much cleaner.

http://www.balsamiq.com/products/mockups

Pencil

Open source and Free, the Pencil Project is a great tool for making diagrams and GUI prototyping that everyone can use. It runs as either a Firefox plugin or in a standalone XUL runner.

http://www.evolus.vn/Pencil/

HotGloo

The Online Wireframe Application

http://www.hotgloo.com/

MockingBird

An online tool that makes it easy for you to create, link together, preview, and share mockups of your website or application.

http://gomockingbird.com/

(source: http://www.selfassemblysites.com/training/sketch-out-your-site/ )

Hope this helps.

DeadlyByDesign

Trojan wrote: »

I think there are several different issues here. One is the visual graphic design which you've shown us here. The other, which I suspect you haven't addressed in depth, is the overall design of the site - the layout and elements, their meaning in terms of the objectives of the site.

I think you need to go back and wireframe it up before getting into designing the visual.

Have a read of Ultimate Guide to Website Wireframing from Six Revisions.

Personally I do that on paper but here's some software links to help you put a wireframe together:



(source: http://www.selfassemblysites.com/training/sketch-out-your-site/ )

Hope this helps.

Thanks for that info i will use some of those

p

There's no content - you need to design with real content in mind:
http://uxmyths.com/post/718187422/myth-you-dont-need-the-content-to-design-a-website

Cianos

Hey OP,
I'd recommend experimenting with bringing in various textures and working from them as a base. Instead of building a design from scratch it can often look better to import, say, a paper texture and seeing what you can do with it to suit the design. It often gives a more realistic look and can be much quicker too.

For pretty much anything you want to do on photoshop, someone has probably written a tutorial on how to do it. Someone above mentioned the burnt paper. Google for something like "making burnt paper in photoshop", and follow through some tutorials to pick up tricks and achieve a better result.