Please--critique my new website!!

misspenni · Joined: 19 May 2004 Posts: 30 Location: San Diego CA

I have finally managed to get my website going!!

www.p-starr.com

Please, Crafistas, have a look around and let me know what you think of the actual site and/or my handmade products. Keep in mind I am a HTML newbie, and as my site-building skills improve, so will my website. Also, I realize my inventory is a little sparse; I plan to add A LOT MORE stuff SOON!

I would love to exchange links with anyone who is interested!

felt · Joined: 09 Jul 2004 Posts: 236 Location: New York City

Hi misspenni! Very cool logo, really like it.. Your website is very nice because it's very clean and simple, not to mention the great merchandise. The only suggestion I have is to perhaps create a navigation system in your pages. It's a bit cumbersome to have to click on the 'back to homepage' link to access the other areas. And maybe place the links on top of the page instead of at the bottom, this way your visitors won't have to scroll down. I hope this helps a little.

Kudos for learning HTML, much success with it and P-Starr..!

P.S. Since you mentioned the links, I'm assuming this is why that page isn't showing up..?

purple_glitter · Joined: 14 Aug 2004 Posts: 22 Location: Canada

Cool site - it's nice and clean and loads quickly. I love your guitar straps!

ursonate · Joined: 23 May 2004 Posts: 133 Location: Austin, TX

I get a 404 error on your links page

CraftyChicaAZ · Joined: 14 Apr 2004 Posts: 686 Location: phx, az

very nice site, clean and hip. makes me want to play the electric guitar! i get an error on the links page too, other than that - pardon the pun - it rocks!
_________________
***
<a>CraftyChica.com</a>
See my new product line in Michaels stores this August!

lagata77 · Joined: 02 Jul 2004 Posts: 21 Location: dallas

Hi there!

Misspenni, I have some thoughts. Have on your tough skin, because I want to help you make yourself a rockin website to match your rockin products.

Your bags are lovely, they're very funky and hip. I must say, however, that your site is not. Rather than being clean and simple as it's been suggested, I say it's bland. It's excellent that you're learning HTML so you can fend for yourself in the world wide web. But your website needs to speak for itself to sell your products. As a serious web girl myself, I admit that I'm entirely more likely to walk away (or click away) from an online store if the site is lame. I feel that if the seller didn't have the time or care to make their "storefront" look nice, why would I want to stick around and browse? You want to provide the richest shopping experience as possible, since they can't meet you personally and be sold on your exquisite customer service. Know what I mean?

The site seems very unfinished and novice (which it is, as you've said you're still adding stuff). But you can make an empty site look much fuller by giving the user more to look at; such as colors, background images, cool fonts, etc. And though you're still learning, you can still implement the basic elements of design in your website.

Browse the web, find other websites that offer something similar to your product. Find websites that sell funky girl stuff. Think rock & roll. What comes to mind with the thought of guitar straps for chicks and funky satin hand made bags? What kind of things do you envision? Once you think of them, find websites or books on those topics and get inspired.

As you're designing, consider if you were shopping on your site, what would you like to see? How would you like the site to work? Would you want to see a title on the page you're on? Would you like the links readily available and in the same spot on every page for easy access?

But above all, before you start with the HTML, you must make some sketches. I swear, sketching out 3 or 4 different layouts can be tedious but it will give you the greatest direction. After all are done, you may decide that the first one was the best, or you may find that you can take a little from each comp and make a new one that's totally bad ass.

PLEASE know that I just want your product to sell, there's nothing more satisfying than reaping the fruits that you sow (is that the right phrase?!). With a little more time invested in your online shop by cruising the web and bookstores for inspiration, I'm sure you have it in you to make a great website. I mean, look at the art you sell...for sure you have an eye for design, you just have to figure out how to express it digitally in this case.

Here a few websites that I frequent for inspiration:
http://www.designiskinky.com
http://www.groovy.co.uk
http://www.csszengarden.com
http://www.pixelsurgeon.com

Best of luck misspenni!
~Sara
_________________
www.limajellybean.com
when you're green you're growing, when you're ripe you rot

misspenni · Joined: 19 May 2004 Posts: 30 Location: San Diego CA

Thank you, everyone, for your kind words and suggestions! I have gotten a lot of feedback regarding the lack of quick navagation on my site and I have updated it to be more accommodating.

And a special thank you to lagata77. This is exactly the type of critique I was looking for; someone who possesses professional skills in web design to tell me what my site needed in order for potiential customers to want to shop there. I realize that my site is a bit lackluster, and in need of a shot of rocknroll adrenaline. I will be constantly working on updating my skills to incorporate graphics, colors and other "eye candy". I viewed the site links you listed and I see what you mean by deriving inspiration from them. Look for changes to be coming soon!

Again, thanks to all for your help!

felt · Joined: 09 Jul 2004 Posts: 236 Location: New York City

Love what you did to the navigation. Good luck with furthuring your HTML skills. Let me know if you have any q's, I'm a web person myself. :)

eatgoats · Joined: 04 Sep 2004 Posts: 4 Location: Lawrence

Hi. Just wanted to say I dig your products, and I agree w/ lagatta77 about the design. I'll comment on the logo. You have two really recognizable elements, "p" and a star. They don't feel like one complete logo, they pop out at me as just two elements sitting inside each other. You've got a pseudo-dirty hand drawn look (computer drawn) that it orchestrated very carefully, too carefully, making the wobbly edges seem like a mistake. I say dirty it up or clean it up. Maybe use a solid fat "P" with a solid star whiteout (although, that may have been done before). Another suggestion might be to go w/ "p-starr" inside a star, like on the bags. Anyways, good luck to you.