Saffas Artworks

hey, I would like your critiques on a site I made awhile back for my grandparent's company. My grandfather is an artist and this site showcases some of his work as well as keeping people up to date on his current project.

I'm ready to make some adjustments to it, I want your opinion on what could be improved. I already have some ideas in mind but I'd like an outsider's perspective. Thanks.

Saffas Artworks

Very nice looking sculptures.

I'm not fond of the beveled links, the don't blend in well with the background, the sculpture section could use a default page with some information.

The content and the site navigation don't fit together.. the text is on one side, the beveled buttons on the other and never the twain shall meet. Maybe unify the two? Integrate the navigation with the content. Scan in a photo of sculture or print and use that to navigate around.

from the biography section

"It is said that a photographer's greatest asset is perception. I concur. I have photographed subjects ranging from the majestic Parthenon in Greece, to a rusty lock and doorknob on an old weathered door; there is beauty and interest in each.

I believe we studied that rusty lock and doorknob in my graphics class, doing a texture study.

looks like a vintage website circa 1995.

much too plain -- boring colors, boring buttons, boring logo, boring background.

the sculptures are really cool but, it is 2 clicks before we even get to see one. i'd like to see one of the sculptures on the home page.

you need to do three things...

1. you don't have a solid color scheme ... so find a color scheme. look to the art for inspiration and draw upon its colors. the bronzes and browns of the medallions are wonderful.

2. give the website some life. the site currently lacks any emotion or passion that i'm sure the artist has. its very cold...very flat...not much feeling. just looks like an out-of-the-box website.

3. find a metaphor. the buttons and logo are pretty weak. draw from the subject matter to create your navigation, icons, headers, logos, etc...

i see a lot of potential in this site. mostly because (unlike a lot of sites on here) it has actual, compelling content.

good luck!

thanks for your replies. Originally on the front page I had an image of the head of one of his sculptures as an overlay, you can see the image as the last thumbnail in the Amphitriti section. It was replaced by the big blue box because that project was most important for visitors to see. Now, however, another site has been set up for that project, so I can return the image to the front again.

The logo is their company logo that they've had for a long time. I chose the text to use with a colorized dropshadow effect using the picture I mentioned above. You really think it's that boring? I can't really change their logo, only reuse it in a new way.

I do plan on making a real interface, that was the thing that bothered me, is the buttons are on their own, not part of the background. Although I like the artistic look of the buttons themselves, I want to use them as part of a bigger interface. It's interesting what you wrote about drawing from the subject matter, Charm, because that's exactly what I was trying to do. I guess I'll have to work on that more. It's also funny because both your suggestions about using a photograph as the basis for the navigational background is exactly what I've been trying to develop for the new look, but I haven't been very successful yet.

My grandparents want a simple, clean look to the site, nothing fancy. Maybe you could elaborate a little on why the site looks "boring"? I find this interesting because I've had comments from multiple people that I don't know personally that visited the site and liked it a lot, including one graphic artist. But I'm glad I can get input from this board to help me make it better. I'll keep working on the new design and post it somewhere when I have something. Anyone else, please post your comments as well.