$200 Famous Contest - 1 week Web Design: HeliBlog *

please check ur pm.

regards
raja

 

above entry by vinpkl
entry sent via PM

I love the design of the 'social connect' on the right. Very stylish. Probably one of the best from this contest. The ad design and layout on the right sidebar is also very good.

One of the things the owner told me yesterday was that he did not like the cloud background many of the entries used. It is a good idea but not what he is going for.

Besides the clouds, the background is perfect. The owner wants a plain light grey background and white behind the main part of the website like you have it. Everyone take note.

I did not like how obvious the dates are. This is great for a blog and in fact this website is going to be a blog but we do not want that look. Instead, remove the date (or make it really small without any fancy design, under the title). Also move the post titles under the picture and get rid of the dashed underline. I do like the 'like' button under the post as well as the font and spacing you used on your posts.

Would love to see less blue and more black.

Nice job!

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above entry by Mr.LeGeNd
entry sent via PM

I like the footer a lot, minus the testimonials. No need for testimonials as this is just a website, not a business.

I like your logo but not the line under it. If the helicopter icon in the logo could feature more 'blades' (the propeller) it would be great. Good use of colour for the logo. No need for the fading effect though. Just use the colours at the top of the text.

I liked the layout. No need for the scrolly thing at the bottom of the page. The post pictures should be the full width and have the title of the post below them and below that have just two sentences of text.

I like the menu but not the fancy effect used. Personally, I'm not a big fan of those "web 2.0" effects like the fades, mirror effect, etc. Just solid colours that fit well together and simply will work great for this website.

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above entry by SabTech
entry sent via PM

This is a great design. I like the colours used. The owner prefers these colours or something similar (but he is always open to other design choices).

The logo could be improved to incorporate something about helicopters. The biggest complaint by the owner was that a lot of the entries looked too much like standard templates. He wants to see more stuff related to his theme.

There is no need for displaying the number of comments for now as this will be a new website and will likely not have many comments for a while. We do not want to show off how sad that is

I would like to see a different design in the Facebook/Twiteer/RSS bar. I like how different this design is from many of the other website but the buttons are too dark and can be easily overlooked.

Also, you used the right types of helicopters (commercial) that we wanted! Nice job on that!

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above entry by mtbwm
entry sent via PM

I like the overall design here but the design looks a bit unfinished. I do appreciate how much time you guys put into these designs.

The owner would prefer a white background for the main content and a light grey background for the full website (see my comments above).

This design also suffers a little bit from the owner's biggest complaint which was that a lot of the designs look too much like standard templates. He would love a little more related to his theme besides the pictures

I also would like to see a little more in the sidebar and footer.

A great start. Keep it up!

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I think there is still one or two more posts to go...

I will be posting some general outlines for all designs when I am done with this. Stay tuned.

 

above entry by Kristy24
entry sent via PM

The time you spent on this design really shows. Thank you for that!

I loved the Facebook link are in the sidebar as well as the custom-made ads you use. Those are always nice just in case I get sued by Sprint or something for using their ads in these mock-ups

I loved how you stayed true to what I originally wanted. I do want some major changes to the Uncrate design just so it doesn't look too much like a copy.

Pretty much everything you changed from the original Uncrate design is great. I loved the little picture at the bottom of the page 'more cool things on the next page'. How awesome is that!

Also, I liked the footer a lot but see the picture I uploaded that the owner made. He has some specifics in mind for the footer so make sure to get all those menu items in.

One of the things I did not like so much was the logo. I like the concept but want to see some uppercase letters and no strike-through. I don't know that a strike-through is the best thing for a logo though it is a nice idea because of the theme!

Nice job and very refreshing.

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above entry by webandinkmedia
entry sent via PM

I like this design. Personally I love the red. The owner had pretty much decided on black, white/light grey, and blue for the colours of the website though.

I would love to see some of the elements from the owner's mock-up design on your design.

The titles of the posts should go under the pictures.

I think there could be a little more padding on the left next to the main content as it looks a little bit tight. The right sidebar does look a little bit confusing at first glance. I would love to have a slightly simpler sidebar.

Also, I would like to see a little bigger footer with some of the menu options from the owner's design.

This is a very nice design with lots of good elements. I think it just needs to be simplified and it would be perfect.

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above entry by amir_daman
entry sent via PM

This was one of the designs the owner focused a lot on during our discussions. He would to see blue in the 'blades' part of the logo. Also, the two helicopters in the background of the header are military helicopters. The header looks so nice but unfortunately this would certainly need to be changed as the website is being made for people in the industry and they will known. Also, the owner does not like those cloud effects. He would prefer to see some propellers to reflect the name of the website.

I really like how you used a different font for the 'featured girl' menu item. I think if you change the picture of her at the bottom to a pic with a girl and a helicopter the owner would like it more (if you can find one).

The bottom footer is very nice. The top footer just needs to list all the items in the owner's original design.

I like the 'previous pages' and 'more pages' design. Very very nice.

I did not like the design of the horizontal breaks between posts so much but that is minor.

I would also ask to remove some text from the posts so it will reflect what the final website will look like. There will only be about 2-3 sentences per post with a large picture spanning the whole width. Make sure to really feature the pictures.

I mentioned this earlier but the little Facebook icon you created is really nice.

The YouTube, MySpace, Twitter, etc. bar looks a little strange right now since it is off-centre. No need for MySpace or email subscription. Just YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and maybe Flickr would be great!

The top menu looks a little off since it is also off-centre. Would love to see it expand just the length of the left column or the whole width of the website, but not something in between like currently

Lastly, love the separate logo at the bottom. Very nice!

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One final post to come...

 

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EVERYONE PLEASE READ THIS POST

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Okay now that I have your attention

Remember to look again at the design the owner made. He basically took what he liked from the designs submitted and combined them:



Here are some general comments which everyone should follow:

Influences: Time and time again the owner has talked about gq.com and uncrate.com. Please use those designs to influence you!

Pictures are the most important thing. Use pictures that fit the width of the main column of the website. Text will only be used to describe the picture so only 2-3 sentences will be need in each post.

Background: Use white for the content background and light grey for the website background.

Icons and themes: Use helicopters where appropriate. The own does not want cut-and-paste themes that could be used for any website. He obviously wants a unique website. Do not use military helicopters in your design. If unsure, just ask. A good rule of thumb: If a craft has a camera attached or is transporting passengers (like tourists) this it is a commercial one.

Do not use clouds as a background.

User black and white as the main colours of the website. Use a little blue in the first word of the logo.

I think that is about it.


Now let's use bizzard's design as an example since the owner had a lot of time to go over it (sorry bizzard!):





above entry by bizzard
entry sent via PM

This was among the owner's favourite designs. So he made some visual comments which are better at describing than I am.

The only thing that really needs to be changes is that Facebook icon which belongs to amir_daman's design. I should have been more clear about that before

Here are the owner's visual comments:




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Thanks for listening. I hope you guys enjoy these comments and appreciate them as they do take quite some time for me to organise and do.

Let me know if you have any questions!

The contest will end in 42 hours.

 

I know i wont win, but ill do the improvements and post it tommorow.
thanks for the replies

 

Hey,

Thanks for dropping me some valuable feedback. I really appreciate that!

Here is my update!

Logo


Dark version

Full-sized preview

Light version

Full-sized preview

Another one

Full-sized preview

I just saw your comments on other designs now and I will try to come up with another different concept like you've pointed out if I have some time to play around.

Will wait for your feedback/suggestions.

Thanks & regards,

 

Alright here is V 1.0 of the design. I have not added all the sidebar options i wanted to. But the completed design will have a few extra features and the Post Page will look different. Completely customizable for wordpress and you can even use the Thematic framework for this design. Click Here for design

Regards,
Sid
Chemicalinck

 

Thanks Raj. Your designs look good!

Just so everybody knows: I will likely not get feedback again from the website owner before the end of the contest. But I am sure if it is something minor that the owner does not like, he will just overlook it for the contest and change it later

Use your best judgement based on my previous comments especially this post.

@Sid: Love your design as well. The footer is very slick! Be sure to also check out the comments from the post above.


22 Hours Left!

 

Update:

Here is an update to my previous design. I added a few horizontal post columns, took out the 125x125 ad spaces and added an extra 300x250 ad space, added noise to the bg layer so it looks a little more fresh, added an email subscription and latest members sidebar widget. Click Here for design

 

I improved the titile, and tried to tidy the text alittle.

http://img845.imageshack.us/i/sitedesigncontestimprov.png/

I know my chances are slim but thanks for a great contest.

 

Thanks Sid, blade001, and raja for your changes.

The contest is going to end in 30 minutes.

 

Contest is now closed.

If you are currently working on a entry, stop working and post it as it is

I am going to discus all the designs one last time tomorrow and Monday with the owner and we will select a winner.

-Christopher

 

Whoa i just woke up haha... i couldnt finish logo, i was out yesterday n just saw your notice
i hope all goes well:



awaiting feedback

 

aw... no more time.. hehehe... goodluck guys....

 

Even your avatar is sad, JR...

Next time!!

@SabTech: Got your entry in on time to the owner. It was close though!! We are discussing all the options today/tomorrow (Monday) and then he will make a decision. I will post here as soon as he does and send the PayPal money right away. Just waiting on him

 

Hi,

Can i make a design entry now?

Regards
JINIL

 

any updates CH?

 

Nope. The contest is over. Join the Famous Group to be notified of my next contest: http://forums.digitalpoint.com/group.php?groupid=465

 

Yes, I do:

And the winner is...

amir_daman, please check your PM for instructions on where to send the design and please send me your PayPal address so I can send you your winnings!

A very special thank you to everyone who entered this contest. The hard work by some of you really shows up. As always I would have loved to award many of you the prize, but I cannot do it!

If you did not win, I will have many more contests in the near future. I always PM everyone who has joined The Famous Group when I create a new contest. Join the group here.

 

congratulation to amir_daman for a winner...!
this is awesome contest with awesome feedback and awesome prize too !