need some critique

[gonzales]

hi all,

i need some input on this mock up. its for a client who has a semi-religious drug rehab / guidence center. he wants something that is warm and inviting.

http://www.msalcido.com/newJourney_mockUp.jpg

[apetrie]

I think its lovely. The only thing I don't like is that the menu isn't always visible, thats just a personal preference though.. I find people need things a little more spelled out for them, of course I'm being hypocritical because my portfolio doesn't have an obvious menu but still.. thats the only thing I would personally change.

Ah.. I lied, one more thing.. I'd have the scroll bar on the right, if not more obviously a scroll bar as well.

Love the colours and general layout.

- Adrienne

[gonzales]

Adrienne-

thanks for your input. the menu is still being worked out inside my head. although i would like to keep it hidden unless the mouse is present just to alleviate much of clutter it will cause (the menu he would like has more than 20 parts!!!). you dont think theres too much purple going on? (i just noticed it matches my footer...!)

[apetrie]

No, I like the purple.. if it was any pinker I think it would be too feminine but the shade you're using is quite nice. I noticed it matched your signature too but hey, we all have our colour combos that appeal to us the most. :)

Perhaps getting the client to pick 5 or fewer main sections that you can divide the menu into would be a good first step in dealing with that problem? I know it can be tricky when theres a lot of content to organize. Good luck!

[CanadianGuy]

EEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!

That background has to change. Seriously that is really sick.

Other than the background I like it.

[Kristopher]

Yeah make the background of the scroll bar a green color that is just a tad darker than the background.

[gonzales]

EEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!

That background has to change. Seriously that is really sick.

Other than the background I like it.

any suggestions for another color? remember: its gotta look warm...

[bwh2]

the photo coloring really doesn't go with the color scheme of everything else. you've attempted to pull them together by including the colored words over the photo, but it isn't working. pulling off a gradient purple with lime green is a very difficult combination to pull off. i'm just not sure a rehab clinic site is the best forum for that.

i would also recommend showing the menu at all times.

it looks like you're going to build the site in flash; what sort of special flash aspects will you have to justify using flash over standard html/css?

[gonzales]

yeah, the photo is pretty wack. but its what i have to work with. ive been messing with a monochrome look for the images as a better solution for the color scheme. as for the slogan, each page will have a different slogan with a similar typographic look. it has no relavance to the image. yes the site will be in flash and as i mentioned this is a mock up. one big reason is (as i said) the gigantic menu this client wants to have. the site (when it goes into production) will have a lot of movement and flash is also needed for the way i want to implement the gradient.

[apetrie]

I tweaked the background in photoshop and liked Hue + 110 Saturation + 40 best. Kind of a slightly coraly orange. I'd also make the lime green a touch more yellow if you were going to do that though. I can post a pic if you like though my editing job was not exactly stellar since I did it in about 30 seconds.

[Disco-Stu]

My buddy made a church website that uses a similar color style. http://www.vitalimpact.org

[gonzales]

thanks for the link disco. i think im going to keep messing with the background color as that seems to be the area that needs the biggest improvement...

[Neil]

Dude, change the background color to maroon. That would be tight :).

[gonzales]

i tried maroon but i wasnt really into it. i think im going to settle for a soft yellow, or lime-esque green...

[kidrock]

Hey try adding a 1px boder around the banner img.

[gonzales]

okay so i made some more changes based on suggestions from everyone (thanks, by the way...) any other comments?