back to Completed Reviews

Site Name: Begrudged
Owner: Jane
Reviewed by: Georgina
Reviewed on: 26th August 2009

Site Name

It’s easy to remember and it’s a nice name as well.

Coding and Validation

Your coding is valid.

Your CSS is valid.

While your coding is valid there are still small improvements you can make. You have a lot of embedded styling, which you can put in a stylesheet. For example, this div can be given an ID:

<div class="main" style="height: 40px; text-align: center;">

It can be specified with CSS:

#divname {
height: 40px;
text-align: center;
}

And called upon like so:

<div id="divname">

You read read more about classes and IDs in my tutorial.

It can be easier to have embedded styling, but keep in mind that it won’t load as quickly as an external stylesheet.

Browser Compatibility & Usability

Your site looks the same in most browsers, and it is navigable and functions in Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, and Opera.

You are using a large number of Javascripts. Most of them are for very good purposes, such as the one for changing font size, but they slow down your website a bit, and not all browsers and operating systems account for Javascript so try not to use them too much.

There are no complaints about the font size as it can be changed to the user’s liking. However, the navigation should be made bigger and clearer so that the size is larger than the regular text. It’s quite small as it is, and should be the first thing on the sidebar so it is more noticeable.

Layout

You have four themes altogether and I will look through them all.

I’m looking at the “Purple Haze” one first, as you put it up recently. I like how you have used purple overall with lots of white to break it up, so it doesn’t look too purple. I find that it’s hard to pull off a layout that uses a lot of brushes but you have done a great job. The detail in the header image is kept simple with simple CSS, and it’s not overdone. The text on the header image also adds interest. I like how you have used a variety of fonts but have not used ones that are too decorative.

The background is fixed but I think it would be better if it wasn’t fixed; it looks a bit weird with the horizontal lines at the top of the page all the time.

The one named “Cerulean”, I believe, is a nice brighter look. You’ve done a great job with the colours on this layout as well. The blue is just the right shade and isn’t too bright. I also like that you have included lyrics on the header image, and how they’re quite subtle.

You have also done a terrific job overlaying all the brushes and choosing a nice selection that go well together.

The green layout “Perception” has a similar style to the blue Cerulean one. I like how the background fades from the left to the right; it’s a unique idea, but it does make things look a bit uneven.

I like the layout and the arrangement of brushes, but the lyrics on this layout stand out a bit too much and look a bit out of place. I see that you like including these lyrics and words but sometimes layout will look better with a simple tagline, or without it at all. I think that this layout is an example of that.

The last theme “Bliss” is a nice twist. The background fades from left to right as well, but this time the effect is a bit less harsh and not too noticeable. I really like that you have introduced orange into the header; this layout is a nice change from the others.

It has a bit of a more modern look. The only thing that irks me about the layout is the text “blissful moments” wedged at the bottom right corner. There is so much lovely detail in the header image that I think this text makes it look a bit cluttered.

Overall, your layouts are well made, but you can make subtle changes. I especially like how you have the layouts with the same CSS but with a different header image and background – very simple and clean.

Content

Jane

Nothing wrong with this section; nice to see you have a contact form as well. You should also include your email address so people can contact you that way, in case they might not want to use the form.

Begrudged

This would be better named as “Site” or “Website”.

On this page contented should be content, and dictionary, don’t should be dictionary; don’t.

On the credits page, add-on should be add-ons.

The navigation on the past layouts page is handy as it’s on every page in the section. On a more personal note, I like the look of your past layouts. To me it seems that you have opted for simpler layouts.

Visitors

The brushes look lovely. Perhaps the imagepack could be as a large image instead of as a zip file, so visitors can take a look at all the brushes before downloading?

Nice to see a font you created yourself. I think you can add more!

The font colours are a good resource. The code you’re showing on this page is extending past the box, though.

The smilies are very cute!

I’ve seen web icons offered on websites but not very often. Yours are of good quality and you’ve got a nice range of different icons.

The WordPress themes are beautiful. On the second last pink one though, I suggest having a fixed background because it’s quite a detailed and busy background. I think you can also code these themes into basic PHP layouts.

The code box tutorial is very detailed and allows the user to customise it as much as possible; great tutorial.

The cursor tutorial is a nice reference, even though people changing cursors on their website can go a bit too crazy.

The image replacement tutorial is good. I think you should quote the image URL within the brackets with single quotes.

The quote box tutorial is also good.

The tables tutorial is simple; you could add more on how to customise a table using widths and such.

On the ordered list tutorial, depreciated should be deprecated.

On the unordered list tutorial, have been depreciated should be has been deprecated.

The breadcrumb tutorial should be a little bit clearer. Instead of showing the code, distinctly mention to place it “where you would like the breadcrumbs to appear”.

The anger management article is good; I haven’t seen anything like it. I love all your writings; they’re a nice addition to your website and add a bit of a personal touch.

On the website reviews page permission give should be permission to give, and points goes should be points go.

On the domain and subdomain hosting pages No racist site should be No racist sites.

Site Map

Self explanatory. A nice thing to add to the website too.

Originality & Creativity

You’ve got a very simple, original website. I like that you have included some of your personal writings as part of the content. You have quite a lot of tutorials which are very handy.

Organisation & Errors

I had a few problems viewing your website. Your layouts didn’t display on a lot of pages when I opened them in a new window, and I had to refresh to see your layout and CSS.

Your website is well organised and I didn’t spot many errors.

Overall Comment

You’ve got a great website that is well organised and well designed. I don’t have many suggestions but I think you definitely have the potential to add more content.

Even though I have only seen previews of your past layouts and only a few WordPress themes, I think you can make more intricate designs, and ones which aren’t too simple, whether it be for your website or to offer as visitor content. Your website is great but it needs a bit more excitement.

Rating

(out of 5)