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Site Name: Nights On Broadway
Owner: Lupi
Reviewed by: Georgina
Reviewed on: 5th July 2009
Site Name
I like the name. It’s a bit long but I have to admit that I like the song you got the name from.
Coding and Validation
Your coding is valid.
It’s good to see you’ve finally sorted the errors out. Many of your other pages are also valid; I won’t check them all but I know that you’ve put in the effort.
Attempt to use <strong> instead of <b> and <em> instead of <i> from now on, for semantic – more meaningful – purposes. This is useful for screen readers as it provides more meaning and emphasis rather than the more physical <b> and <i>. You may have noticed FanUpdate coding your entries using strong and em.
Your CSS is valid.
Browser Compatibility & Usability
Looking at your site at Browsershots.org, your layout is looking consistent in most browsers.
You have a rather narrow layout, which is a good thing, but your text is a bit small and hard to read. I recommend making it larger, but in doing so, the layout width also needs to be increased a bit to even it out. You do have a good eye for size and proportions, though.
Similarly, the navigation should be made larger, and if possible, larger than the main text. It is the navigation so it should be easy to spot.
Layout
I like the use of the bold black border. It stands out a lot, which is why I have mentioned it first. However, it doesn’t really suit the layout, especially the ethereal-like header image. It should be made thinner.
The website name also stands out. However, while these elements of the layout are bold, the image itself is extremely pale. It is of good quality, but it needs to be darkened. The girl in the layout can barely be seen. I am not sure what program you used for this layout, but if you just make the girl stand out more and make her less bright, the layout would look a lot better.
In addition, a few decorative elements like brushes or shapes around the website name would add interest.
The styling of the layout is very simple, using minimal font styles and colours, which has its advantages. This allows more focus on the header image and places an overall simplistic but well designed look.
Content
You don’t need two copyright signs in the footer – one is fine.
Content
The coloured textures are very nice, but they don’t look great in full size. They are quite blurry and personally, make my eyes feel funny. The previews actually look a lot better. I have looked at your icon backgrounds and these would honestly look better as icon backgrounds.
I love the effect and general look of the light textures. However, the quality of some of these isn’t very good. Especially around the edges of the lights, the images are fuzzy. I am not sure if you resized these but often, resizing can reduce quality. Be sure to save them as an optimised JPG, or if that isn’t possible, a PNG.
The icon backgrounds are very cute and colourful. I don’t like the colour combinations on some of these but they are quite nice.
The scribbles are well made and very cute. I am not sure where one would use them but they are well done. You have also done a good job on the transparent background.
The name blocks are quite nice. I don’t like how the bottom fades out though. The request form fields could be spaced out a bit too.
The CGs are not as good as the scribbles. The shading is a bit rough. These can improve, but again a good job on the transparent backgrounds.
I don’t really like the effect of the advanced picture tutorials. They bring out the wrong colours and don’t give very nice effects; they are a bit harsh.
Site
Space out the fields a bit in the link exchange form.
Credits page is alright – don’t forget some of the sources you’ve learned HTML, and the FanUpdate website, even if it is redirected.
No problem with the site history or site name pages.
Girl
No problems here.
Originality & Creativity
You don’t have a lot of content and your site is relatively new but it’s good to see you keep it updated. You’re off to a good start with the original content. Some of the graphics, particularly those in the advanced tutorials, could be improved with softer and less harsh effects.
Organisation & Errors
Great job – well organised with no errors!
Overall Comment
Lupi, you have a great website here. If I recall correctly, I think I remember your old website at Taking-Chances. You have definitely improved since then.
You have a small website, but the content you have is good so far. Keep adding content, and make sure you save in the best possible quality. Your scribbles and “cuter” (for want of a better word) graphics were a lot more impressive.
The layout could do with a few tweaks; watch out for the colours and styles in your next layout. Increase the font size as well. Keep up the good work on the organisation and best of luck with the site.
1 Comment so far — leave one?
Lupi says:
Thanks for the review, Georgina! I went and changed a few of the things you pointed out, such as making the border smaller, and getting rid of one of the copyright signs.
I’ve heard from so many people that my textures are blurry. I’m just going to take the color ones down. As for the light ones, they were taken on my phone, so they probably aren’t the best of quality.
I love scribbles, they’re just so cute. I really need to make more of these. I agree, I could have done better with the shading of the CGs.
The advanced picture tutorials work differently on different photos, so it could come out better according to the lighting that a picture is taken in.
Actually, my old site was at Oh-Sassy, but the two sites were affiliated.
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