Reworked site - your opinions?

[Foamcow]

I've just updated a site I built last year for a National competition to find great builders.
Had to base the look on the main sponsor's site this time around.

I'd be interested in your comments/opinions.

http://www.buildersfromheaven.co.uk/index.php

Foamcow Heavy Industries - Web design and ranting
Toccoa Games - Day of Defeat gaming community
Target Marketing Communications - Advertising, Direct Marketing and Public Relations
"I'm making time

 

[ChrisHunt]

Pretty slick, mate. I like the way you've used that limited pallette of colours to tie it all together.

Three teeny tiny points...

The image you've used for the Daily Mirror logo in the headlines box has the alt text "Headlines from the Mirror". But you're already saying "Headlines from" in normal text, so anybody surfing without images will get "Headlines from headlines from the Mirror". I suggest you make the alt text "the Daily Mirror" so that this reads correctly.

You've not defined height and width attributes for images, so the site can jump around a bit as pages are loaded for the first time. Maybe less of an issue in the broadband era than it once was.

I'd consider having the "Case Studies" and "Contact Information" menu items link direct to the relevant page, rather than drop down a second menu with one item in it.

-- Chris Hunt
Webmaster & Tragedian
Extra Connections Ltd

 

[Foamcow]

You mean there are more colours other than blue and yellow?
/me checks Pantone book.. hmm pages missing.

Yeah, good points there. I'm on it like a Hobo on a Ham sandwich.
I won't change the case studies and contact info though as there may well be more content going in there soon (haha - I've heard that before).

Cheers

Foamcow Heavy Industries - Web design and ranting
Toccoa Games - Day of Defeat gaming community
Target Marketing Communications - Advertising, Direct Marketing and Public Relations
"I'm making time

 

[PaulBricker]

When I open it in IE, the "What it's all about" menu expands all the way to the left. When I hover my mouse over any of the menu's in that bar, it pops back so that the "What's it all about" box lines up with the Jewson header. If I click the Restore Down button to shrink the view back down, the box on the Right (with no menu in it)shifts to the left until I hover my mouse over the it. Then it jumps back to the right where it should be.
Other than that, it's very clean. I like it.

Paul

 

[Foamcow]

what version of ie is that please?

Foamcow Heavy Industries - Web design and ranting
Toccoa Games - Day of Defeat gaming community
Target Marketing Communications - Advertising, Direct Marketing and Public Relations
"I'm making time

 

[PaulBricker]

IE 6.0.2900.2180


Paul

 

[audiopro]

IE6
Page open less than full size, then maximised, the screen aligns to the left hand side of the screen.
Mouseover any of the menu items forces the whole page to centre

Keith

http://www.studiosoft.co.uk

 

[Foamcow]

Ahh I misread you first time Paul.
Yes I know of that problem. It's down to the way IE supports or rather doesn't support CSS properly.
I decided it was a problem I could live with on this project.

There is another intermittent problem I see in IE. Sometimes it doesn't display the background colour of the dropdowns properly and the menus flicker. But if I open the site in a new window the problem disappears.

Foamcow Heavy Industries - Web design and ranting
Toccoa Games - Day of Defeat gaming community
Target Marketing Communications - Advertising, Direct Marketing and Public Relations
"I'm making time

 

[PaulBricker]

I didn't notice any flicker when moving around the menu. Just the mainNavigation div moving around. It wasn't particularly distracting for me and once you get into the site, it isn't an issue at all.

Paul