Website design ideas appreciated

[J.M.]

I'm shocking at design. Really. Completely terrible. Colour blind too.

When I redesigned my website I liked it. Looking back at it now it is so dull, the HCI is practically non-existent and I feel embarrassed when people look at it/link to it because the design is terrible.

I've been wanting and wanting to redesign it for ages, but every time I open photoshop I just sit there with a blank canvas.

The current design is live at: https://www.jordanmoore.co.uk/
I want the new design to host the same content mostly. The URL is not an important aspect - I can redesign this and create permanent redirects to the new content using my 404 script.

I'm thinking about dropping the tutorials/examples sections, because I barely do any, and just creating a generic projects section instead. Fortunately enough for me those sections aren't too popular - I can just keep the bits that are and move them in to a project section.

I've come up with two potential designs so far. I'm still not very happy with them, but they feel like an improvement, at least.

I'm all for going down the HTML5 route as well.

Potential Design 1:
I still have the tutorials/examples headings in these.
https://jordanmoore.co.uk/design_feedback/1/blog1.png
https://jordanmoore.co.uk/design_feedback/1/blog2.png
https://jordanmoore.co.uk/design_feedback/1/contact.png
https://jordanmoore.co.uk/design_feedback/1/home.png
https://jordanmoore.co.uk/design_feedback/1/projects1.png
https://jordanmoore.co.uk/design_feedback/1/projects2.png

Potential Design 2:
I only have 1 screen design for this design. I'm going for the simplicity look in it.
https://jordanmoore.co.uk/design_feedback/2/1.png

Does anyone have any feedback/ideas/suggestions for me? I like doing all the code that the user never gets to see, not this pretty stuff up front.
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2004 R1 & 2018 XSR900

[Frost]

Design 2 ain't good it looks like it's going to hide too much of the functionality. Though CSS3 has introduced new features like edge rounding, drop shadow and animation the worst thing you could do it to over use them. It will become the modern day version of scrolling text and a javascript mouse cursor
Design your site for 1024px width the centre it on the page to avoid sizing issues.
The background texture is a little strong and constant. maybe just have a pattern at the bottom or along a side? Transparent gradients are also cool:

https://www.deviantart.com/download/95499957/Jessy_Maus_Personal_Website_by_alisalem.png

[J.M.]

[Jayy]

Take some inspiration from this site: https://www.thebestdesigns.com

[Alpha-9]

I'd liked to have checked them out but

Gateway Timeout

Server error - server 79.170.44.77 is unreachable at this moment.

Please retry the request or contact your adminstrator.


Doesn't work
The screenie up there looks very generic word-press type thing
i'm more impressed by creative unique looking sites
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Fzr-600 1999

[Jayy]

I agree Alpha but the more creative a site, the more work and effort has gone in. If it's your personal portfolio and you have the time to do it, great. When you get to building for clients, they don't have the budget to let you go mental most of the time.

The other thing is designing functional websites. Content dictates the design unless it's very minimal and more of a snazzy marketing tool, you have to fit a lot of text / images etc.

[Frost]

He's pitching himself as a coder, not a designer. So portfolio and functionality should be top priority, originality of design is something a designer would aim for.

[J.M.]

[Jayy]

[Frost]

I thought it a portfolio site to show employers rather than a site to silicate independent work?
In which case including jQuery is good to show that you know it, but doesn't need to be made to integrate into the design in some pretty way.
The same goes for the Java code, though applets are horrible sticking one on the site is a great idea.

[J.M.]

Yes, sorry Jay. The website isn't so much for freelancing work, more of something to show potential employers what I can do.

I've got Uni coming up next to get myself a degree in my subject - but all that does is get you the interview - the purpose of the website is to show them that I really can do the work, I do the work and they should hire me.

I do want the website to look the part though, too. I'm just stuck for ideas. I sat with photoshop open for hours last night with a blank canvas. It's still blank.

Frost, do you think that it's worth me including my interests in the website too, or keep it strictly to the code side of me? I was thinking that it could show potential employers another side of me and that I'm an interesting person to be around. It would open up a lot of good coding opportunities too; I could create myself a HTML5 image gallery for bike photos, etc.
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2004 R1 & 2018 XSR900

[Redoko]

[Frost]

He's not yet started.

Employers like to see you're a human being and not just someone who has set up a web page showing them what they want to see. So the more stuff you can get on the site and the more used you can make it look and feel the better.

Don't worry too much about the design as your employer will be a coder, he will get one of his minions to look over your site (also a coder), and none of those guys will ever have made a pretty looking site in their lives.
The reason for the separation of HTML (content) and css (design) is to let the developers get on with making stuff work, and just give the thing to a designer to pretty up

I had an interview and coding test a few hours ago. Spotted a familiar face sitting at the back. Guess who:

https://www.alfa-pages.co.uk/pictures/avatar00.gif

[J.M.]

[Frost]

Nah he was just working at the back talking to my possible next boss

Don't ever talk to him about bikes. You can only seem like a mouth breathing moron by comparison.
https://www.dailyhaha.com/_pics/listen-here-noob.jpg

Try getting yourself a github account. It'll show them you know version control, and allow them to see some of your code.

[Redoko]

[J.M.]

Ah, I see

Can't see that picture... I get a lovely message coming up saying "Filtered by the JANET Web Filtering Service". I hate Janet.

[Frost]

Use tor, should get around anything Janet has set up to block things. Lets you bit torrent too

[J.M.]

Downloading the browser bundle now - I'll see if it works tomorrow.

Chrome seems to be terrible with Janet for some reason, whereas Firefox doesn't get half as many pages blocked
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2004 R1 & 2018 XSR900

[Frost]

Once you get tor running look up a site called 'the silk road' It's part of what the media call "the dark net" *roll of thunder* and allows you to buy anything from weed, to unregistered fire arms, to a US visa

[J.M.]

[Kingstondavo]

Hey Jordan,

Bit off topic - but I've had a look at your site and I think you should check this out: www.workforsky.com/techapprentice

And yes I do work at Sky, and I am helping to find some great young developers to start on the tech apprentice scheme this year (and next!).

If you are interested and want to ask me anything then feel free to DM me on here.

*EDIT* - Just saw you may be off to uni in the Summer - so that may be completely irrelevant, but here is another option for the distant future... https://skygraduates.com/technology/software-academy/
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Current Ride - 2010 Hornet 600

[J.M.]

[Kingstondavo]

Ah no probs, you will have the time of your life anyway, I went to Uni in Birmingham (Aston) and its an incredible student city. Got to be one of the most underrated places to live in the UK!

Enjoy it
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Current Ride - 2010 Hornet 600

[J.M.]

Aston, that's my second choice!

Well second choice if the University of Birmingham give me an offer; it'll be the only choice if they don't!
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2004 R1 & 2018 XSR900