Review: Kitti @ Sensory Overload Designs

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Site Name: Sensory Overload Designs
Owner: Kitti
Reviewed by: Georgina
Reviewed on: 9th December 2008

Site Name

Sensory Overload is not a bad name, but your URL is unnecessarily long.

Coding and Validation

Checking your site through the W3C Markup Validation service, you only have two errors. Basically you are missing your character encoding. Paste this at the top of every document after your doctype:

<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" />

Your CSS is validated, but only on your enter page. Your main blog page has just a few errors.

Browser Compatibility & Usability

According to Browsershots.org your site looks the same in almost all browsers, at least the common ones.

Centered layout; well done. The width is just fine, keep it that way!

The navigation is clear but I would make the text a tad bigger, and change the hover colour to something that’s not the same as the background.

Your font is of a good size and colour and easy to read.

Layout

You have an enter page, or splash page. It’s something very unnecessary. Why would someone want to click a fancy sign just to enter your site? Can’t they see the goodness in the site right away?

A clean and neat layout, but you’re using celebrity images which is actually illegal. I’ve seen the same Kelly Clarkson photos time and time again. Be original! Make a layout no one else would make.

I like the use of the pink-red to add variety and to make certain parts stand out. It’s a colour not used in the header image itself which is a nice twist on the layout.

The header is a good size and everything looks in the right place.

Content

In your sidebar, ADEVERTISING should be ADVERTISING. And if the orders are completed, then there is perhaps no need to keep them in the sidebar!

About

Simple organised page here.
is a design should be has been a design
a freewebs should be a Freewebs
domain as should be domain, as
do with on freewebs should be do on Freewebs.

You should not be referring to your site as a domain, it’s a subdomain as it’s an extensin of Unadjusted.net.

Content

In your challenges:
Onle should be Only
Onle should be Only
work, it should be work; it.

You don’t need to put the rules on a page and then link to each challenge. Just have links to all the challenges, putting the rules on each page. This will cut down unnecessary subpages.

You shouldn’t be redistributing these fonts. Sometimes this is not allowed and it’s best not to redistribute.

Your icons lead to a separate site so I won’t be reviewing it.

The tutorials are alright, there’s not many and I didn’t think this subpage was necessary.
Type font should be Type font.

Order

Now your navigation is getting a little confusing. I understand you may be trying to put your navigation in alphabetical order, but this form is getting me confused as to what I should be ordering.

Packages

A couple of errors:
paypal should be PayPal
professionall should be professional
x35. Or should be x35 or
x35. Or should be x35 or
header the should be header; the.

It would be much better to list the contents of the package rather than saying ‘I will make a button…’. Saying one button, any size would be better, because there’s a lot of information on this page that needs to be taken in.

Portfolio

Your galleries are all on separate sites or as separate sections. This can get a little confusing at times so try to keep things a little more consistent.

Generally your graphics are quite well made.

Premades

Yet another section of your site where I get confused. Premades? Portfolio? Are you offering both? Are the things in your portfolio just for people to look at (which it should be)?

I am guessing that premades are layouts you make that people can simply request straight from, and portfolio is just a display of what you make?

Reviews

You should include a rubric of what you follow in your reviews, and how your particular reviewing service works.

Rules

These are so important and should really go at the beginning of your navigation!

order be should be order by
paypal should be Paypal
then will should be will then.

Services

Self explanatory.

X

Interesting, this page leads to affiliates. Why don’t you name it as such? People could be confused as to where this page leads.

Originality & Creativity

I can’t say I saw much. Most of your designs contained celebrity images. I can see that you’re great with graphics and your graphic skills are great.

You’re definitely creative but I can’t say you’re very original. You offer a unique service, but I wouldn’t say original is the word for the graphics you make.

Organisation & Errors

A few errors, but no broken links.

Fairly well organised but I suggest putting the navigation in an appropriate order, as to where people would go first (rules!) then what they are to browse (premades), then to where they would go next (order).

Also, consider adding an introductory paragraph to some pages, for example, ‘If you would like a layout made just for you, apply here’.

Overall Comment

Kitti, your site isn’t bad, and you definitely offer a unique service for people who aren’t able to make their own layouts. I trust that you satisfy your customers with what you provide.

I haven’t seen sites like yours but unfortunately sites that sell graphics for a small price are usually not so popular or successful.

You also use celebrity graphics which is illegal and since you are distributing them to individuals it may not be such a great idea.

Aside from the copyright violation which is becoming a more serious issue nowadays, you have a good site with a good service. Just a few tweaks with organisation and user friendliness and you’ll be fine!

Oh, and remove the enter page. :)

Rating
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(out of 5)

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