Please critique my blog/site

Discussion in 'HTML & Website Design' started by celes, Jun 12, 2009.

  1. #1
    Hi all,

    I'm looking for honest and constructive critique for my personal development blog:

    http://embraceliving.net

    It's been up for about 6 months and been through numerous layout changes. I've a nagging feeling that there's still opportunities for improvement so I'd love to hear from all of you (feel free to comment on anything). Thanks in advance! :)
     
    celes, Jun 12, 2009 IP
  2. findonline

    findonline Peon

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    #2
    It looks like you have a lot of content, which is always a good thing, particularly for SEO, but the design is a bit scarce, a few more colorful images and well-designed icons would go a long way.
     
    findonline, Jun 12, 2009 IP
  3. jaiganesh156

    jaiganesh156 Well-Known Member

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    #3
    great, i love the design/layout. even there are no images, it somewat resembles me a thesis layout of WP

    @celes:
    it would be great if you can help me getting this layout :D
     
    jaiganesh156, Jun 12, 2009 IP
  4. celes

    celes Peon

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    #4
    Hey everyone, thanks so much for your feedback! It really, really helps. I've been hearing a lot on adding pictures for my site from others as well. The reason why I'm trying to stay away from it is because I feel adding pictures is not the best use of my time, plus Steve Pavlina's site propelled to success using pure text as content. It's still something I'm debating about, but I'll definitely think over it.

    jai: As mentioned in pm, the layout is custom designed by me and isn't based on any layout, so unfortunately I can't help you there!
     
    celes, Jun 13, 2009 IP
  5. pipes

    pipes Prominent Member

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    #5
    Its tidy, but its too white for me, id break up some of the white.
     
    pipes, Jun 13, 2009 IP
  6. morg

    morg Peon

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    #6
    It looks pretty good to me.
     
    morg, Jun 13, 2009 IP
  7. LuckySamurai

    LuckySamurai Active Member

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    #7
    I think your logo needs more elements/colors. Also the empty area on the left of your logo is... just sitting there. I loved the smiley face on the bottom of the page though (the one that asks if you wish to go up) lol.
     
    LuckySamurai, Jun 14, 2009 IP
  8. sakto

    sakto Active Member

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    #8
    I like the overall design. The layout is clean and the color contrast is good. Just like what others have said you need to improve your header. Make it occupy the space on the left.
     
    sakto, Jun 14, 2009 IP
  9. celes

    celes Peon

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    #9
    thanks a lot guys!! :D On the header, I'm running a little dilemma - If I place it all the way to the left, the focus will be on the left menu rather than the center content, since the header will be right above the left menu. Happy to hear any thoughts on this.

    - Update - I decided to shift the whole content column into the left and put the sidebars all the way to the right. Let me know what you guys think about it :D

    LuckySamurai: Lol, you saw that one! :D That's kinda like a little easter egg which I put there for fun. It keeps things interesting :D
     
    celes, Jun 14, 2009 IP
  10. rebelinlove

    rebelinlove Peon

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    #10
    You should box out some of the different sections so that they stand out more. The content does not look appealing to read when it is not divided up.
     
    rebelinlove, Jun 17, 2009 IP
  11. jaiganesh156

    jaiganesh156 Well-Known Member

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    #11
    Its nice now. but the search button is appearing in the second row and not near the search text box.
    please correct it, I'm not sure if its only with my browser..
     
    jaiganesh156, Jul 2, 2009 IP
  12. Doing_Dreams

    Doing_Dreams Peon

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    #12
    nice, clean but too white for me. and maybe 3 columns is too much?
     
    Doing_Dreams, Jul 3, 2009 IP
  13. gapsapman

    gapsapman Banned

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    #13
    I like it, come off professional and has a central theme to the design and core message.
     
    gapsapman, Jul 3, 2009 IP
  14. pk1981

    pk1981 Peon

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    #14
    i like this clearn simple design, maybe a 2 collumn might be better thru
     
    pk1981, Jul 5, 2009 IP
  15. unblocker.net

    unblocker.net Peon

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    #15
    the site is pretty fine for its nature.

    by the way, we're in the same country haha
     
    unblocker.net, Jul 6, 2009 IP
  16. Ecreation

    Ecreation Active Member

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    #16
    Nice layout. Adding little more gray to the sidebars will make it look better.
     
    Ecreation, Jul 6, 2009 IP