PixelCocktail's revised design - what do you think?

[Venetia]

This isn't an advertisement so much as I just wanted some quick feedback on my site's new layout.

I doubt many of you saw the old layout but here's an image showing it's old look:

Spoiler: The Old Look

http://pixelcocktail.com/hosted_items/images/OldLayout.gif[/IMG]
Not sure what happened with the font there at the bottom, that image is from a page saved from the internet, since all the old files're overwritten.
The buttons are so faded because they faded into being normal-saturation when your mouse hovered over them.

So anyway here's the link:

http://www.pixelcocktail.com/


Obviously there's still a lot to be done and a lot of pages under construction, and the forums aren't totally active yet, but the template is complete.

I also rather like the DHTML effects in the gallery.

Let me know what you think! :#

 

[SteelReserve]

I think the new look is fantastic! Much bettr than the old one! :D good job!

 

[Cruelty]

tbh the old one was fugly

this one is pretty fresh tho. I really like the gif rollover animation. was that dynamic gifs or code?

very attractive site man. :}

 

[Venetia]

Code for the multiple rollovers, DHTML for a few other things. Forgot to mention I got the code for the gallery from Dynamic Drive, they have some very useful stuff. I'm decent with HTML but I'm kinda old-school so I need a leg-up with code. I don't use Flash sites because they're annoying to update, and I update this somewhat often. I suppose some people like flashier sites but I prefer simplicity and personality.

Anyway a lot more will be done to it over the next few weekends. I appreciate the feedback.

 

[Cruelty]

dynamic drive is an awesome site. i used to use it a lot back when i used html. :}

 

[Jaide]

I especially like the banner at the top of the Home page with all the drinks. Very inviting and colorful. ^_^ Big fan of your site, by the way.

 

[sixtyandaquarter]

I was just as this site recently I thought, but it was the older design. Maybe it wasn't so recent... I had looked threw a thread of yours or your sig, one of the two.

I personally like it much better, but too be honest I think the drinks at the top make the bartender/barmaid look off, even a little bad in comparison. Not saying she's bad, she's not at all - especially with the animations - but I think she'd fit much more if the drinks in the upper right were also sprites.

Logo's great. Especially because it blinks/fitzes. Really nice touch. Really nice over all.

 

[Ratty524]

New one definitely looks better.

I think I'll check out your site sometime. ^_^

 

[Venetia]

Actually sixty I meant to mention that too. I initially wanted to construct a drink that looks like my logo IRL, and fashion a square-shaped cherry for it (out of clay), then take a picture and pixelize it. I just don't have the right cocktail glass and I'm too lazy to run down to Target and get one.

I really rather like the picture that's there now, but yeah, it doesn't mesh with the pixelly thing.

If I ever get the chance one day I might pixel those drinks. It'd be a lot of work though so that'll have to wait T_T.

 

[LosAngeles]

Looks very nice now. I remember the old style, which was also appropriate I think, because it had this more "pixel-look":D
The new one is still better!:yes: But I have to agree with sixtyandaquarter and the drinks on the top. Isn't it a bit too much, considering that someone might mistake it for alcohol-ads....(I mean it's drugs...XD)

 

[djzalzer]

IMO it looks stuffy. Like an old lady's house... try and lighten it up. I love the talking bartender though!

 

[Mascarpone]

the New looks doesn't hurt my eyes. Which is always a good thing. I like it much better, kudos

 

[Venetia]

IMO it looks stuffy. Like an old lady's house... try and lighten it up. I love the talking bartender though!

Well I tried to get the feel of a sorta upscale but still kinda dank/dark pub. Pubs generally aren't fun & frisky looking. If it feels like an old lady's house I guess that's the right atmosphere :p. That old lady'd be one hell of a drinker to have her own bartender though XD

 

[sixtyandaquarter]

It looks like a nice upper middle class joint if you asked me. Not the place you'd go and get wasted playing beer pong and hitting on chicks with sport jerseys on, but rather the place you'd go to discuss a business deal (no, not a multibillion dollar company deal, like getting the butcher down the street to team up with the local bakery for a softball team), or when you don't feel like dressing up and still wear sneakers, but still want to be somewhere with a little bit of culture on the wall that doesn't look like you just stepped into a family restaurant.

 

[lunarea]

It reminds me of an old English pub, or some old pub like on "Cheers".

On one hand, it has fantastic atmosphere. It feels a little nostalgic, but mostly really cool, like some kind of a local joint with a great band and just all-out comfortable furniture and people.

But ... At first glance, I really couldn't tell at all that this is at all a website with pixel art. In fact, were I not familiar with the word "pixel", I'd wonder if it wasn't a website for a jazzy band or some kind of bartender hangout.

I still think it looks cool, though, so it's not anything major to worry about. Good job!

 

[Minkoff]

DON'T USE A SPLASH PAGE.

Also the gifs and shit are horribly annoying and distract from the content. The background pattersn (all THREE of them!!) are busy and distracting too.

Additionally, frames are generally considered bad.

 

[Venetia]

I appreciate your feedback, guys.

It'll eventually go through a few more small changes, like an update to the banner and stuff, but I think I'll keep it as-is for now.

@ Minkoff: There's a splash page as a spambot precaution. When there was none, I got 400% more spam from bots. I'm not entirely sure why. Someone recommended a splash to help it out and it worked immensely for some reason. I'm not changing that because I don't feel like dealing with more spam and asking people to click on a picture to gain access isn't much.

There are only two patterns: the wallpaper, and the black/pixel fade. The wallpaper just has two shades. I didn't think it looked terribly busy because the contrast values are similar. I tried a solid set and hated it. This wallpaper scheme is the product of much trial and error in patterns, and I wanted a pixel-pattern, to further the pixel-thing.

I rather like the bartender GIFs and other people seem to as well. I think I could quicken/delete the mouseout animations on the buttons. The GIFs were the best alternative to Flash animation I could determine. If you have a better idea outside of embedding video or Flash, I'd be happy to hear it.

I guess I kinda see your point about frames, and I was trying to configure something using DHTML scrollbars instead, but I couldn't get it working right, and it was annoying as hell to edit. Again, if you have any recommendations there, it'd be great.

Pointing out nothing but negatives isn't really constructive criticism, especially when it involves entirely changing everything, but I do appreciate criticism nonetheless. I'm not out to please everybody, but there's always room to improve.

Thanks again :')

 

[Minkoff]

Don't use scrollbars at all. That's a really badass feature that MOST BROWSERS HAVE BUILT IN.

Pointing out nothing but negatives isn't really constructive criticism

That's what constructive criticism IS. It's more constructive than drooling over your INCREDIBLE PIXEL SKILLS.

 

[Venetia]

I don't quite understand why you seem so angry with me ... It's a little strange. Maybe it's the caps.

I never said I was "amazing", I said I appreciated the criticism. But constructive criticism is finding positives and reinforcing those, and giving advice for how to fix negatives. Offering only negatives is just picking something apart when you don't offer alternatives.

Example: "I like ____ and ___, but ____ needs work. Why don't you try to lighten/darken/simplify/see this tutorial/check out this code/etc.? Perhaps that would ______ the overall look."

That's much more constructive than "I don't like ____ and _____."

And I wanted my page to be fixed, I didn't want to make the entire page scroll.

Please stop posting in this thread if you're just going to act angry and not offer any good advice. That's just a request, but please, I don't like trolling, and I wasn't looking for an argument.

 

[Minkoff]

i'm not angry and i'm not trolling. caps are for EMPHASIS something i probably picked up from writing comic book scripts.

also yeah don't debate about criticism because my criticism does everything you said just in a SLIGHTLY HARSHER WAY. there's a lot to be said in the absence of words don't forget that.

first i shouldn't HAVE TO sugarcoat stuff by telling you that i like something in order to SOFTEN THE BLOW or whatever. if its purely negative it can still be constructive. i mean if something is GOOD then you don't have to change it so what is the point of mentioning it.

and by saying that the gifs and the background are distracting from the content, it should be apparent that the suggestion is to GET RID OF IT or at least CUT DOWN A LITTLE

and for the scrollbars, you really DONT want a fixed page like that. there are articles and shit about WHY but i'm too lazy to find them for you right now.

it wouldn't be hard to just let the page scroll. it'll actually be EASIER for YOU and more EFFICIENT for your VISITORS. if you're so dead set on keeping that animated sprite on the side (which seems to be the ONLY REASON that you're keeping the content in a frame right now) there looks like there's plenty of room in that big space above it or somewhere on the banner and if you move it up there would be no problem having the page scroll. the content has to scroll ANYWAY in the frame AND the page has to scroll because of the huge banner

Keep the background pattern if you want but AT LEAST make the background with the main text over it plain black. you don't want a background (especially not such a busy one) behind the bulk of your text

so yeah good luck etc etc

EDIT
and i didnt even realize it at first but WOW THOSE ROLLOVER EFFECTS ON YOUR LINKS ARE ANNOYING. that must be why the page takes so annoyingly long to load.