Project 1 Very Roughs

[gr8ful1]

Hi! Here are my very rough drafts. I spent too much time fighting with Paletton over color schemes as I am color-ly challenged , and working on headers. I definitely prefer the colors on my second designs. I am also looking for suggestions for these charts, I was thinking maybe a rollover that will make them bigger and readable. But I'd appreciate ideas if anyone has others. Thanks!

[rmiyashiro]

Being color blind, I feel your pain. While I like all the colors of your first design individually, some of the text is difficult to read. The colors and layout of your second design work well. All the text is easy to read and there's enough room to expand/contract.

[awesomeMF]

Kirsten,

First and foremost, I like the logo. The fish inside the text - knocked out - is creative and cute. I can even see maybe adding a nibble bite on the H or something. (I don't know if fish nibble) I like your first design because the color scheme pops with fun and excitement - just like fish. The type however, could be less bold to make it easier to read. For the charts, I suggest displaying it in a gallery format. People can click chart - view it bigger - and just click away to go back to normal view. I like the subtle bubbles following downward a little in the background - do more of it. You did a great job here and I can't wait to see final results.

[NevadaCowgirl]

I like your color scheme in rough 2. I would add the light blue to the back ground to rough 2. Nicely done.

[dnorwood]

I like the layout of the first design, with the name and picture above the navigation buttons. The sidebar with the extra links and the little fish like you you used in the logo (cute!) is a good touch.
I think the color scheme on the 2nd one has more punch and is easier to read. I also like the top picture and the way you placed the business name on it better than on the 1st one.
My suggestion would be to mix-and-match them. Use the color scheme and the top picture/name of the 2nd one with the layout and sidebar of the 1st one.
As for making the charts easier to read...I don't know. On a small screen they are going to be really hard to read. Your idea of having a roll-over (or something) that makes them larger might be the way to go.
Happy Designing!
Denise

[BecomeAHero]

Of the two designs, I prefer the second set. I think the tropical colors better suit the product, and the title is better highlighted with these colors. The only thing that I would change would be to lighten up the background with a true white, I believe it would give the site a cleaner feel. The navigation is easy and well organized as well.

[Instructor]

Eh. These are not as rough as you make them out to be. They seem like good starts.

I do concur with you that the second design works better, both in terms of color and in terms of layout. The colors on the first one are brighter and I like them each individually, but they sure as heck don't get along. I think part of it is that there's no contrast in the colorscheme. Whereas your second design has a lot of contrast, both in it's imagery and in it's colors.

I like the logo font you used on your second one as well. It looks reefy with little fishies swimming all over the place. I also like the choice of banner image. Very high contrast and it pops the colors of the fish and reef much better. It also works well with your colors. The subtle gradient behind your bodycopy really works to bring it out too. I like the dual navigation wrap around your top bar. It's easy to find and use. I also like the red rollover color with the orange upstate.

I'd say your best bet for the charts would be some sort of lightbox. Maybe put a caption below them with a little infor on the chart and then something to the effect of "click the chart to enlarge" or something like that. I don't think your bodycopy needs to be bold either. Don't forget to use a ton of fish pictures as well. The more the merrier.

Nice work!

[ravennvrmre]

I like the bottom design. The fish really pop against the black. I really like the font you used for fish net it works so well with the theme. I agree with Amy I think you should go with the blue background on the bottom design. Awesome start.

[stalksyouatnight]

I like the blue theme as it is more ocean like, so go with that one. I don't know why you went with the colors you did but I'm guessing they are related to something fish related? if not consider that as a source for inspiration?

[ravens.way]

I like the layout in rough 2 best. The colors and font works nicely with the design. The navigation on both sites is easy to see and read.