Name: Cat
Site: Silver Cat Designs
Review completed on 25/11/07, by Mallory
SPLASH PAGE
Hey there! I'm Mallory, and reviewing in Rhiannon's place. Reason being, Rhiannon's not too keen on reviewing design sites, as she doesn't pay much attention to these things --- And therefore feels she wouldn't give you fair review. So, I, loving designs sites, as well as visual kei/jRock and the like, asked her if I could review your site for her. ^^ Hope you don't mind!
So, you have no splash! Most reviewers nowadays dislike splash/enter pages, because of two completely polar opposite reasons:
A: They're pointless.
B: There's too many 'requirements', or specifications you 'must have' before entering the actual site.
However, I for one still like splash/enter pages! I usually have an enter page myself, depending on if I think it suits the current layout or not, but I guess it all comes down to personal tastes. As this is a design site, and not a personal site like my own, it's probably best not to have a splash at all, as you do, so no real problems here.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
My first impressions were that your site was fast loading, ((Which is always great,)) As well as having a cool layout, and it looks like you have a fair amount of content, too. One thing I did notice straight off though, was that you have a notice saying the site looks best in 1024 x 800 --- Not true, I'm viewing the site in 800 x 600 and it looks just fine! ((Besides, isn't the most popular resolution 1024 x 768, not 800?)) I think the notice is unnecessary and could be removed without any complaints ... Same with the browser preference bit --- I've checked it out via BrowserShots.Org, and your layout looks perfect in many other browsers, so away with 'Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox preferable'!
LAYOUT
A layout featuring GazettE layout, awesome! I love visual kei bands --- Although I admit I don't really listen to their music, I just read about them and admire their crazy fashion sense. Although I do get jealous that Japanese men are prettier than I ever could be ...
The actual design is quite pretty, and I do happen to like it a lot --- Although I'm not too sure about the colours ... I realise this type of muted, calming colour scheme is popular with design sites, but I'm getting a slight 'washed out' look, mainly due to the yellowish/greenish text you've used. Perhaps you could try a dark brown or black to make it easier to read? Or perhaps lighten the greenish background colour?
Also, and I'm not going to skip around this, I can't stand what you've done with the links. The whole 7PT uppercase Century Gothic thing? I realise this is also trendy to do, but it looks terrible. I can't stand how the text looks like it's screaming 'I was shrunken really badly in Microsoft Paint!' T_T; Gah; People need to realise this does not look good.
I notice you also applied similar coding to the text in your navigation, at the bottom of each subsection. It also looks silly. Plus, why end each subsection with '..............//SectionNameHere'? It's not insane or anything, just a bit redundant ... But then again, I guess it'd be alright if it wasn't that same 7PT uppercase business.
Speaking of your subsections, again, I'm not finding the colour choices being very easy to read ... When I hover over the links it's fine, but otherwise a little bit 'washed out' looking again.
I am, however, quite happy you've got coloured scrollbars! Many think they're 'outdated', which I don't understand. I think they finish a design, and make it look more complete. Go use FireFox if you hate coloured scrollbars so much! Jeez, man. Adding the coding for coloured scrollbars doesn't have a single bad side effect --- It's not like it makes them all neon green in other browsers; It simply displays the scrollbars in their default state. Although it might be 'invalid' ... I have no clue. I don't do 'valid', I just check my site in every browser and platform I can, and if it looks the same, it's valid enough for me. Pfft.
I'm also loving the image at the bottom of the layout, on every page! The footer, I think it's called? I have no clue how to pull off something like that, as I'm not too good with DIVs and PHP, so to be honest I think this is amazing and highly impressive whenever I see it being used. Very nice!
Not liking the 'Featured' segment so much though, it seems intrusive and messy --- In my opinion, it'd be better to have your updates right below the 'Welcome' segment instead, and do away with 'Featured' entirely. ^^;
One last thing ... I'm not fond of the way you display dates on your updates ... It should be clearer for viewers worldwide, example, '10 October 2007', as opposed to '07 10 04'. Maybe I'm just being too picky with this in general though! I've never liked 'number dates', and always found them a little difficult to read. @_@
Onto your content!
CONTENT
Site/History: Wow, you gave up webdesigning for two years? That's crazy! And then you progressed so quickly, very nice job. Your site's been around for quite awhile, I see ... Not as long as my site though! Bwehehe, just a little bragging there ... Been on the web scene for close to six years now ... Started out with a site dedicated to Ash Ketchum from Pokémon in 2002 --- That's right, I liked Pokémon before it became all trendy! XD Oh, and that's cool you live in China now! I wish there was more here about you, you seem like an interesting person, but I suppose it's best to keep it to the point, since this is a design site. ^^; Nothing wrong with this section here, it's nice and to the point. I just wish there were some screenshots of your previous sites --- Even Archive.Org links would do?
Site/Current Layout: Hmm, very good idea for a page! I haven't seen it done before. I might 'copy' you here with this idea; People are always asking me questions about my current layouts, and it'd be much easier to politely redirect them to such a page, instead of re explaining over and over again.
Site/Links In/Out: You've got this page very neatly displayed! Oh, how I love neatness ... Neatness is my friend an my enemy, however. For example, if my room gets slightly messy, I'm agitated for days until I fix it, but during that agitated state, I'm too lazy to fix it. -_- Lordy.
One thing though, in the Link Exchanges segment, you should have the phrase, 'email the mistress' as a link to your eMail address, for convenience of the visitor, or possibly even a link to a form --- For lazy people such as myself!
Site/Staff: Again, very neatly display, nothing to complain about here. Wait, I lied, I need to complain. Sapphire should really try to update when you're too busy to do so! It makes sense, right? And she hasn't appeared to do much for ages ... Unless she just does a few graphics now and again? At any rate, this is why I prefer working on sites alone ...
Site/Contact: Ah, here's the form! Scratch what I said before about Links In/Out page, just chuck in a link to the Contact page instead. ^^ Also, a little tip for you, and anyone else who uses forms on their sites ... Check it and make sure it works now and again! Forms are tricky little buggers sometimes. I'm not going to test the form, though, because I don't want to spam your eMail Inbox. ^^;
Site/Credits: Neatly laid out, seems in order --- Here's another tip! ((Oh, aren't I full of lovely tips today?)) Check all the links on forgotten pages like credits and such now and again, because it's amazing how many dead/broken/moved sites you'll find.
Site/Reviews: Whoops, this is an entirely different site! I won't be
reviewing this as it's an external link and is against PSGR policy to review
such pages. Of course, I can do whatever I want, because Rhiannon is
my bitch but I'm just too lazy. I will, however, note that the layout
looks freakin' uber kawaii when I glanced over it! ^_~
Site/Network: Not as neat as the other pages, somehow, seems a bit crowded ... Consider using those little boxy DIVs for each site instead, perhaps, as you've done in Credits? It looks way nicer! ^^
Site/TagBoard: Eek, you're using ShoutMix? It looks so unprofessional because of the OMGZ TTLY CLASHIN' shades of grey ... Consider cBox.Ws instead, the colours are much more customisable! ^^; It takes a little longer to change every time, but the end result is much more pleasing than LOLCLASH. o_o;
Site/Terms Of Use: Nothing to mention here, all in order.
Site/Clear: Leads back to the main page. It would be much more fitting if this link was at the top of the Site section, and was labelled 'Home' instead. I don't like this 'Clear' nonsense I see everywhere, it doesn't really make sense. Another goofy trend!
Wallpapers/Regular Sized: Hmm, why not create wallpapers that are
640 x 480? It's extremely easy to do in PhotoShop
or a similar graphics program, as I'm sure you know! And I know for a fact
that a small percentage of website surfers still use this resolution ...
Better to cater to the visitors! And Jesus Of Suburbia, you have a lot of
wallpapers. O_O I've looked through every single one of them, and they're all absolutely
perfect. I'm quite jealous of your graphic skills! My favourite would be the
one I've displayed to the right, there. XD! There's virtually nothing the
matter with your graphic designing, you seem to have honed them perfectly over
the years, and are way above my own PhotoShoppin' Skillz. Which makes me feel
very depressed, being the nerd that I am. T_T
Wallpapers/Widscreen: Okay, yup, you gotta have 640 x 480 sized wallpapers if you've went to the trouble to create widescreen ones! Which, BTW, are all fantastic as well --- You should offer cropped versions of these on your Regular Sized wallpapers page fortotals! My favourite's on the last page, called 'Bad Little Kitty'. =3 I might crop it myself and use it on my own desktop!
Other/Avatars: Wow, I've only seen a couple so far, but I can tell your avatars are just as beautiful as your wallpapers. I have absolutely no complaints about your graphic designing after looking at every single avatar page --- Everything's been flawless. ^^
Question, though: Why only display fifteen ((Or three?)) on each page? Why not put them all on one or two? Same goes for the wallpapers section, now that I think of it ... Avatars and wallpaper thumbnails are both small in filesize, there's no need to hide your gorgeous work.
I never understood why design sites did this, and it does become kinda irksome --- I get tired of browsing quickly because of this. Which is a shame because, hello, talent? You could at least make the page links/numbers bigger via CSS. T_T I'm using 800 x 600 and even I find the page numbers difficult to click on!
Other/Bullets: Hmm, this page is fine, but it's not as good as you could make it! Just think of all the lovely bullets you could design ... Little cats, anime faces, 'antique' swirls, pistols, shoes --- Or even just a wider variety of the ones you currently have! ^^; Some people can't change the colours of things very easily, so it'd be best to have a wider colour choice, y'know?
Other/Layouts: Your layouts section should be displayed higher up in the navigation, because this, baby, is the main attraction! These are beautiful ... And gah, not the numbered pages again! T_T +She struggles through the difficult and challenging clicking procedure.+ I need complete silence folks ... This is a very delicate operation ... O_O
'Free Fall', one of your newest designs, seems to have a coding problem. Click here to view the screenshot, and see what I mean. Is it because I'm using 800 x 600? Hmm, perhaps you should note next to each layout what resolution and browser it's designed for ...?
OMFG, the layout 'Happy Day' is so cute! The background doesn't match up
exactly with the header image, though ... Click here
to see what I mean. It's nothing major, more a curiosity than anything else!
Again, is it because of my 800 x 600 resolution? Goddamn, I wish I used free
layouts, because these are hotter than Paris Hilton's cooch a
volcano.
'Advocatus Diaboli' is a notable layout as well --- I love how you made him sitting on a cross. I've seen him all over the Internet, on various free layouts, but I must say this is the best design/concept I've come across yet. ^^ ((Although I have no clue who he is, either! Perhaps a random CG character?)) Oh, the little crosses to match with the navigation system? Genius touch!
'Colour Paradise' is brilliant as well! The rainbow colours make me feel happy. XD The white main text could look a little better bolded, though ... It's a bit hard to read against all those neon colours. And maybe Verdana as opposed to Arial?
'Sadistically Beautiful', wow! I love how you patterned all the little squares across the header image, that's fucking awesome.I haven't really seen anything like that done before, and it's a neat technique. ^^
'Objet Abstrait' is ... Well ... Okay, it's the only design I dislike on your entire site thus far. XD; I guess I'm not fond of the neon green and the burgundyish pink? x_x; But I applaud you for trying to do a non anime/jRock design! It's always good to have a variety, perhaps more in the future?
'Grateful' is adorable! I love Fruits Basket, I only have the first manga though ... My mother got it for me last Christmas, and I still haven't finished it! o_O; The whole 'reading it backwards' thing confuses me ... I love it because it's a more authentic and Japanese, but I get lost easily. -_-; I'm so hopelessly Western.
I'm also loving, once again, the 'footers' being used on almost every
design. ^^ It is freakin' hawt, and turns me on heavily
impresses me still!
Affiliates: Nothing wrong here! ((Although you could move this page to the 'Site' section with it's own page, but I understand you're probably trying to give your Affies more traffic by displaying on your main page. However, what if you lose visitors because of this? Click click and away they go!)) I appreciate how you've made all the links open in a brand new window! ^^ I hate when such links open in the same page of the original site ... Doing the whole 'right click/Open In New Window' thing gets tiresome.
Link SCD/More?: This leads to the same page that I reviewed earlier called 'Links In/Out'! Why the redundant repetition bbykns?
SUMMARY
As a summary, your graphic designing abilities well surpass mine, and I can't believe I even dared say anything negative. o_O; After looking at your site, I feel inspired to try and spruce up my own site a little --- It seems so plain in comparison! I don't believe there's any true pointers I could give you in this department, aside from keep experimenting and trying out new things! Different anime, bands, perhaps even some of your own photography or drawings? Scans of flowers, coins, or stamps? Perhaps even try your hand at another couple of abstract designs!
Your CSS stylesheets, however, sometimes seem a little rushed or thrown together ... Don't forget, the CSS is an important part of designing too! ^^ I always try to pay close attention to mine. Try to reconsider the pixelly 7PT uppercase Century Gothic, for example.
You could also have a lot more content here, considering Silver Cat Designs has been around for so long! You have a decent amount, but more could definitely benefit your site. Maybe you'll have more content than Aethereality.Net one day, if you keep on adding! =3
Don't forget to also consider the whole numbered pages bit ... It's silly to have everything spread out onto so many pages, and I'm sure it'd be easier for dialup/slow Internet connection users if you displayed more content on a single page, amirite? That way, they could click, wait for the page to load, and have a whole slew of things to look at, instead of click --- Wait --- Click --- Wait --- Click --- Wait --- Click --- Wait --- And, er, so on.
Another thing to think about to add, as I mentioned already, would be notes beside each layout, or in the layout's description itself; Of which browser/resolution it'd look best in. Really, it would be wise to test each layout in every browser and platform that's available to you, or use BrowserShots.Org before you upload the design.
Other than these few things, and others I may have minimally mentioned throughout the review, your site is beautiful, so don't forget that --- No matter what anyone says. ^^ Because at the end of the day, it's your site, and you can do whatever you please with it! I hope your site's around for many more years, and good luck with whatever you have in mind for it!
