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skiddy · 30 Sep 2005, 13:21

Stop hosting the images for screenshots on Imageshack or whatever. Write an upload script for your users and host them locally to the website.

Imageshack is amature and makes it all look crap.

Font needs changing, as already mentioned.

The red text outline with the blue background does not work. Makes the site look like it should be dedicated to Thexder (ancient game, go Google)

Whilst on looks, there's nothing on the site apart from content and URL that would suggest it is a fansite for GTA. The colour scheme and design would work well if you were targetting Shadowrun roleplayers or the next Terminator game, but you're targetting GTA. Look at the colour schemes on GTA - they're mostly all pastel colours, bright and vibrant yet with the shine taken from them. Ethnic, you could say. Look at the box art. Look at the game art. Look at the game itself. Use the colours, visually link the design to GTA.

Take for example the Planet-whatever sites. PlanetHalfLife was oranges and blacks. Colours are the most memorable effect of a site. It's what your brain uses to link memories with.

Example.
On my laptop, I use Retro v1 for my forums skin. It reminds me of PA, it reminds me of the forums, it reminds me of the whole history of the site. The colours bind the visual side of the site to the actual reason it's here.

At home, I use that one that was paid for by s|K? It has nothing remotely similar to the Retro v1 skin, other than content which is independent of skin. When at home, I think of it as the forums. I know the users, I know the threads, but I rarely link it to Planetarion as visually it does nothing to remind me of Planetarion.

That's just my two cents, not having worked in the design industry for the past six years or anything...

30 Sep 2005, 13:21	#13
skiddy wild one Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: River Edge, NJ Posts: 3,313	Re: Rating Web Design? Stop hosting the images for screenshots on Imageshack or whatever. Write an upload script for your users and host them locally to the website. Imageshack is amature and makes it all look crap. Font needs changing, as already mentioned. The red text outline with the blue background does not work. Makes the site look like it should be dedicated to Thexder (ancient game, go Google) Whilst on looks, there's nothing on the site apart from content and URL that would suggest it is a fansite for GTA. The colour scheme and design would work well if you were targetting Shadowrun roleplayers or the next Terminator game, but you're targetting GTA. Look at the colour schemes on GTA - they're mostly all pastel colours, bright and vibrant yet with the shine taken from them. Ethnic, you could say. Look at the box art. Look at the game art. Look at the game itself. Use the colours, visually link the design to GTA. Take for example the Planet-whatever sites. PlanetHalfLife was oranges and blacks. Colours are the most memorable effect of a site. It's what your brain uses to link memories with. Example. On my laptop, I use Retro v1 for my forums skin. It reminds me of PA, it reminds me of the forums, it reminds me of the whole history of the site. The colours bind the visual side of the site to the actual reason it's here. At home, I use that one that was paid for by s\|K? It has nothing remotely similar to the Retro v1 skin, other than content which is independent of skin. When at home, I think of it as the forums. I know the users, I know the threads, but I rarely link it to Planetarion as visually it does nothing to remind me of Planetarion. That's just my two cents, not having worked in the design industry for the past six years or anything...