new site layout comments

[spower]

No offense to the designer (really, i'm sorry, i'm not trying to be mean), but this new site layout looks amateurish, low-budget, and frankly horrible compared to the prior site layout.

what gives? why the change? whats with the new logo?

[Linkster]

Obviously, its impossible to please everyone. The new design was intended to reduce complexity and improve customer experience, and in that it has done its job. As for design, thats a purely subjective thing :).

[DayCuts]

Not overly keen on the design, but its not terrible or messy, so it is what it is.

I do think maybe the 'simple' was a little overdone, a site can be clean and easy without looking... i dunno... oldschool... but thats just a personal view of the design i guess. (to be honest its probably in large part the stary night themed header/footer that make it seem 'amateurish' at the OP put it).

I do think the customer portal integration looks a little ugly (looks out of place with the layout of the site, like its just been slapped on like a big sale price sticker on a dvd box)

From a technical stand point, It also doesnt check your cookies and log you in to customer portal when you visit the page, you have to click the login link before it does that.

Personally, i quite dislike the visual design aspect of web developement, i work with web sites a fair bit but i much prefer the code to the visual design... it tends to just irritate me.

All in all, not a particularly professional looking design (its not the easiest job to make a clean clear professional visual design thats not the same as every other site out there), but its uncluttered and functional (making it easy for those that are less of a nerd than the rest of us).

Anyway, im just rambling coz i've got time to kill before i head out... lol

[Linkster]

Thanks for your input DayCuts...we're working to resolve many of the fit and finish issues. I'm sure you can appreciate the complexity of splitting everything out and moving everything to a new server, design, etc. It's going to take a little while to get everything just right.

[DayCuts]

Indeed, personally i have never had to take on such a task, and im glad because im sure it would just irritate me having to do it.