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Site Name: Figmint
Owner: Frisby
Reviewed by: Georgina
Reviewed on: 22nd-25th July 2010
- Previous reviews:
- Figmint
Site Name
No comments here, you know of my opinion. Simple and easy to remember. I know I have reviewed you before but I’m going to have to apologise if I repeat some things over, so I’m sorry!
Coding and Validation
Your CSS validates to CSS3. I know your coding does vary a little with each layout. According to the HTML validator you are missing the <html> tag after your doctype, and there are just a few other minor errors.
Your coding is neat and organised, I don’t notice any huge problems with it. I know that you mentioned the use of textarea instead of code to allow highlighting, but it only works with Javascript enabled.
Browser Compatibility & Usability
Your website is looking consistent in Safari, Opera, Internet Explorer, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Google Chrome. All the layouts are looking okay structurally.
I do like the colour schemes you’ve got going on but it is really hard to read the text in the sidebar on the coloured layouts. White text on a light coloured background is not a good look. The high contrast layout is a very good idea, though. I recommend making the text darker on the sidebars of the coloured layouts.
I like the choice of font and the readability is just fine. Apart from the colours the website is fairly easy to navigate and the text size is just fine.
Layout
I looked through your whole site with the high contrast skin. As much as I like the other ones and the somewhat muted shades and variety of skins you have, I already mentioned the problem I have with reading the sidebar text. I do like your ability to choose different shades of the same colour, too.
I’m noticing that on all your skins, the background colour of the image differs from the background colour of the page. You can see an example in this image. I know it can be difficult, even with the right programs (I use Pixie, which gets the hex code for colours on your screen as you hover over them), to get colours to match. However, you could use a transparent image in PNG format. Most modern browsers support this and you would be able to use it in your layout with the desired shapes without having problems with colours matching up.
Overall, a good job on the layouts – I was impressed with the colours of the skins themselves, just the individual colour schemes for each layout that could be touched on.
I do like the integration of Lightbox into the affiliates/links at the bottom of the page. Very snazzy.
Content
Designs
While I do like the way you have organised the code boxes, using <code> would be preferable instead of <textarea>, as textareas are intended for user input only. On that note as well, the text does not highlight when Javascript is disabled, so you may have to include a note on this.
I like the way your pages are set out because they are indeed creative, but I think to make the links in each section stand out, you should scale it a little bigger and include a different coloured background. You could also box it in somehow. It will make all the links stand out together and it will become more obvious that these are the links and the navigation to the pages.
Quite a few of the banners don’t load/appear. You might want to check that out.
I don’t really like some of the blogs, especially the last few. The quality of the graphics isn’t that great.
The signs look good, even though I don’t see these kinds of signs being used often. I assume they are pretty popular with Neopets, though.
I believe I mentioned this in your last review but I do like that the glitters are subtle and not too flashy.
On the hiatus signs page, the layout is a little stuffed up at the bottom, possibly because of some table coding.
I really like the icons of eyes, and the scribbles. Everything else seems to be okay up to this point! I especially love the detail in your smilies and the sprites.
While I do like the range of colours available for user lookup layouts, I think the simple colours are just too bright. If you had a range of colours the shade of your current skins, they would look much better and less blinding.
The scribble guild layouts are so cute! I like the petpage layouts as well. Perhaps create these into stylesheets for personal website use as well? You have a lovely range of website layouts but you could extend that further.
I really like your use of colour and style in these layouts. I am really impressed. I’ve seen relatively simple layouts on your website itself, though, and I think you could include a bit more colour in your skins, and a bit more font styling. Simplicity is great, but when you have nice layouts to offer, I think your layouts could be a bit more stunning.
Resources
I really like the textures. The previews are obviously really organised. It’s hard to see the preview image link on the page, though, because it’s such a thin line. Perhaps make that part stand out more.
I love the stock photos – they’re all excellent and there is such a huge variety. I didn’t check that all of these links worked… but all the thumbnails work.
You should have a title on the “Make a shop blog” page.
its transparent should be it’s transparent
loose quality should be lose quality
of the internet should be on the internet
it’s code should be its code
On the “Make a user lookup” page, there should also be a title.
differentt parts should be different parts
begining should be beginning
It’s been a while since I’ve worked with skinning personally. On your skinning website tutorial I think you need to make it a little more clear when you state this:
Make sure the path to the skin directory is correct. (Its in the third line of coding.)
That was a little hard to spot. Perhaps make it in bold or make it the first thing before you write in the code.
On the mySQL database tutorial, eachother should be each other.
On the page of website tips:
begining should be beginning
your creating should be you’re creating
its hosted should be it’s hosted
Lets say should be Let’s say
The splatter brushes tutorial appears with a different layout instead of the skin I’ve chosen.
The glowing text tutorial needs a title, as does the outlining tutorial.
The tutorials on removing fringe, cutout effect and glossy text also appear with a different layout.
I like the glossy icon tutorial but the image you’ve used is a bit too pale and washed out so I can’t really see the effect. This page also has no title.
The grunge text and bleeding ink effect tutorials are also shown with a different layout.
Mine
On the internet career page, things like PHP and Neopets should be capitalised.
its not smooth. Its sharp should be it’s not smooth. It’s sharp
ayout should be layout
seceret should be secret
substancial should be substantial
On the fast facts page:
cncert should be concert
frusturated should be frustrated
thier should be their
its not Rojo should be it’s not Rojo
On the writing page:
rewritting should be rewriting
Its a bit should be It’s a bit
On the projects page impliment should be implement.
Surplus
The affiliate application page has no title. I really do like the graveyard of affiliates though – quite cute.
The contact, partnership and staff application pages have no title either. On the partnership page:
grpahics should be graphics
estc should be etc
On the terms of use page, Figmint needs to be capitalised in some places, and if its not should be if it’s not.
Under Uberment, you have a few mistakes:
beofre should be before
comete should be compete
On the winter contest page:
Thats it! Lets see should be That’s it! Let’s see
recieve should be receive
Its much should be It’s much
The retired content page could do with a title as well.
Originality & Creativity
You’ve got a lot of content here. Save the Neopets graphics, you do have a way with CSS and I love some of the styling you’ve got on your layouts. I do like the variety of content you have as well, which I find evident of you dabbling in many different styles/types of graphics.
Organisation & Errors
Everything is really organised. I’m still not liking the links on your subpages – maybe if they varied a little in shade as well as size, they would be easier to differentiate. I do love the idea but I feel that it could stand out a little more.
Some of the pages didn’t have titles and naturally there were some mistakes but there’s nothing else I find a major problem.
Overall Comment
Your site is really organised and unique and if I remember clearly it is a lot more organised than last time. You have a lovely variety of content and tutorials. I like that you have quite a few competitions and the uniqueness of a calendar as well.
I like your coding and graphics together and your wide range of stock photography impressed me. Mostly because it must have taken a lot of time and patience to upload all the images/thumbnails and code them!
I think you’ve done a great job. My only suggestion would be to make a more interesting layout – something with a bit more colour. I do like the simplicity but I think it could be more interesting, because I know you do have those skills.
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Frisby
26th July 2010 at 1:25 am
Thanks Georgina! I appreciate all the suggestions and pointers. I’ll be sure to fix all those typos and glitchy stuffs.
That thing with the wrong bg color to match the image is not as easy to fix as it may seem. I cannot simply make the top transparent because the layout’s midsection is made by a repeating white and grey image that would show through if it was clear at the top.
Also, right now the bg color matches the image for me (safari and firefox on a mac) so if I change it it still will not work for everyone. I guess I’ll just try to make it so it works for the largest audience though.
Where are the “Quite a few of the banners [that] don’t load/appear”?
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Georgie
8th August 2010 at 2:04 pm
I thought I’d replied to you, but strange that my comment doesn’t seem to be here now. :S What you can do about the background is to make a separate div for the top part, and put it before the content section. That way I think you could use a transparent image.
I think it might have timed out during loading, but the banners seem to be okay now.
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