TOB Site

[j_polo9]

Update:

http://www.norcaldesigns.com/jesse/oliveBranch_235.jpg

Here is the home page i came up with for The Olive Branch. Lemme know your thoughts http://www.pixelex.com/images/smilies/originals/silly.gif (It seems a bit busy to me but im not sure how to lessen that. Also i'm not happy with the nav but i don't know what to do differently there either.)

http://www.norcaldesigns.com/jesse/oliveBranch_215.jpg

[Tommy_S]

Too complex. Remove the pics from the header.

[j_polo9]

yea unfortunately they are there on behest of the client's wishes. So are the four pics below and the three logos below that. Also what do you think of the Fusion logo?

[innoxist]

would it work if you increased the opacity of the images in the header? so that they don't stand out so much.

[BoonDock]

I like the final logo you went with...the design has a lot .... too much going on, and I would down that by adding some borders around the images, possibly losing the banners on the bottom and put those in some section later that the user would have to click on, you want the space to be clean and precise, especially for your target audience...so try that and see what ya come up with...

[j_polo9]

unfortunately the logo is just a filler...but thats another story :S

Yea there is too much going on but i can't lose any of the pics or banners, so i dunno ill try out some more layout styles and post back. thanks :P

[j_polo9]

What do you think of the update? Any ideas on how i could make the images in the header look more like part of the layout?

http://www.norcaldesigns.com/jesse/oliveBranch_220.jpg

[Qugh]

j_polo, I'd say it's more of a coloring issue with everything fitting together. The pics up top are levelled and saturated correctly, but the big pics need to be levelled better. If undoable, just b&w them and then do an overlay of some color in your scheme to make them fit.

Also, make sure those logos at the bottom are in the right color scheme as well. BUT the layout is fitting for them. Just tighten the color scheme and you'll be there!

[Vamp9190]

Yeah - Auto level the middle pics - hidious right now.

OK here is my layout thought -- you need some white space and text!

But if they INSIST that all those pics appear on the home page - do this.

Take the 2 middle big pics & move them to the outside middle boxes -- either do
a 'picture in picture' (there is some dead space in the big ones - size the other one
down, add a border & put on top of other)
OR
make all 4 middle pics smaller - have 2 in each side box - maybe do the same border
frame as the top pics, or something similar

Use the now 2 blank middle boxes for some content - a welcome message, etc.
I say combine them into one box - use a white background or the same watermark style as top header.

Let me know if this is confusing - I tried to explain clearly.

Oh and for the 'Map' nav button - if it is a sitemap - change it to 'Site Map' ; if it is a map to the location - change to 'Directions'

[j_polo9]

thanks qugh, yea the pics are pretty different i'll try to level them. You don't think the bottom section looks too techy?

Vamp i agree some white space would help a lot but they don't want any text on the home page :S But i do get the two sugguestions, ill run it by them to see what they think. True map should be directions, thanks!

[jonbid]

i would change the vertical lines in your navigation bar, by making them say, 30% opacity. also the red pieve below the navigation, i would keep it in the grey style that is above, to me it looks slightly detached from the rest of interface.

as the images are by clients request, i would remove the black border from the central images. Maybe try and blend them all together, feather the edges? i dont like the top four images, but that might be because I cant see their relevance?

i like the logos at the bottom, especially the fusion one, the logo and the "i" character, however i would reduce their size and remove all of the background part, just have the logos themselves on the blue gradient background.

the logo you made turned out very well i think, and the colours suit the site.

good work j_polo9 i like

[BoonDock]

A lot better, I have to say that the guy on the right is freakin me out though...this is supposed to be for a church and it seems like he is up to no good...ha! :-P

[j_polo9]

thanks jon! 30% exactly. the top images they wanted there because they are pictures that people here would recognize of the area.

BoonDock, yea unfortunately i can't change that lol.

here's the update:
http://www.norcaldesigns.com/jesse/oliveBranch_235.jpg

wht do u think of my icons?

[fasterthanlight™]

Love the latest update
icon's really suit, but maybe tint them that maroon-ish colour you're using, from the blue thats already there.
Try to tie in the top four pics using design elements from the rest of the site - Maybe change the black outline to that maroon i was mentioning earlier...

[j_polo9]

THanks! I tried marooning them but they didn't look good as a whole. In order to really fit the maroon in the logo i would have to darken it as well and they don't look the same then.