Website Help Request

[Keith W]

Hi All,

When I initially designed my small family website I was pleased with the results, it is simple yet functional.

However I am now not so happy with it, mainly because I now see it as being to dark and not really welcoming.

What I would like is a nice bright and vibrant website.

So I was wondering if you great guys and gals could give me some suggestions on color schemes etc. to help achieve the bright and vibrant look I am after.

Before I forget here is the link to my website: www.wapshott.com

Any and all help, suggestions and advice will be greatly appreciated.

Take care, Keith

[gwyneth]

It is a little grim--if the theme lets you switch colors, maybe go to blue or something else temporarily?

Anyway, here are some useful online tools.

These help you generate color schemes--at least one from a photo or other image:

I Like Your Colors - Red Alt

Color Palette Generator (from picture)

colr.org/color scheme tools

Then when you have your colors, you can use:

Tartan Designer - Tartan Maker - Tartan Background pattern generator

(By the way, a quick search of Tartan Ferret shows none for your surname, at least as you spell it--somewhere on its site is the link to register one [it is absolutely amazing to see the diversity of who and what have registered tartans])

[amki]

Hate to be a wet blanket, Keith, but I love it! Black and white and neutrals are 'me,' and I am rather grim and dreary, so I'm not qualified to solve your problem.

I agree with Gwyneth, though, that blue would be nice as it is considered the 'warm and friendly' color. That is, if you really want to change it--in which case I think it will go from classy and sophisticated to 'just another WP blog,' in other words, nondescript.

I think it would look super with just a spot of color in the content, like a picture with content wrapped around it in just one post per page. No color in the header, though.

[Keith W]

Thanks for your input Jo

Just to add though that it is not a wordpress web site.

The web site is made up of CSS and XHTML 1.0 strict code

[amki]

More... I forgot about this neat little tool called Pixie at http://www.nattyware.com/?m31

When loaded, you can point to any color wherever you happen to be, and it will give you the codes for the color. The info is contained in a movable box that you can push around to get it out of your way. It doesn't do anything fancy, just enables you to identify colors that you like.

[gwyneth]

If it wouldn't cause an explosion, maybe you could ask your wife to help your daughter pick three colors that go together. (Not pore over hexadecimal codes--they could show you a sock, hair clip and stuffed aardvark, for example.)

Or adapt some color schemes that have been time-proven in non-web use, using much more white and less color than seems logical:

navy blue, forest green, burgundy (Gucci)

aqua and orange (Miami Dolphins)

navy, purple and silver (Millenium Barbie)

scarlet and gold (Gryffyndor)

maroon and gray (unnamed Wash. DC prep school)

brown and orange (A & W Root Beer)

You get the idea.

[Pazeh]

Since your target is very close, you should choose stuff that you know better than anyone else here.

A color-scheme that goes with what the family does (mainly) will be interesting, like green if they are (or used to be farmers). something to connect the family with the roots.

Beside the color, I think you need to put some images.

Like in the header, if you don't want to put public group photos or old family photos on the site, a landscape photo of last reunion / a lunch table / bbq / camping... will make them "relive" the memories & fell @ home.

[Pazeh]

after a re-check, I see you have put family photos on the site.
I guess one of the Amie's pics will be a great header 2009_05300016 copy.jpg?? if you have a pic of her n the grandma (just guessing) will be a great & welcoming header that all the family will love.

you can use gwyneth's link to generate a pallet from the photo & when I did, I did find some interesting colors that will go perfectly with the pic.

I guess the hard job will be to convert the blog, album, forum... to that new color scheme!

[Keith W]

Hi Everyone,

Many thanks for everyone's input and suggestions.

I have had a go a re-designing my website, please let me know what you think: www.wapshott.com

Take care, Keith

[gwyneth]

Originally Posted by Keith W

I have had a go a re-designing my website, please let me know what you think: www.wapshott.com

It looks great--did you make that beautiful header?

Although I like purples, they're very hard to use successfully as the basis of a color scheme, and you have.

Now, if you could fix several run-on sentences...

[Keith W]

Thanks Gwyneth!

The header was made from some images I had purchased.

Sorry for being dense but I am not sure what you mean by run on sentences, can you give me some guidance please?

Many thanks.

Take care, Keith

[gwyneth]

Originally Posted by Keith W

Sorry for being dense but I am not sure what you mean by run on sentences, can you give me some guidance please?

There must be a term for them in UK English; over here, it's the term* for a sentence that needs either punctuation, a conjunction, or best, to be two sentences. Here are several from your front page:

Hi my name is Keith and I am your host, to find out more about me and the website please see the about me page on the blog

Better: either "your host; to find..." or "your host. To find..."

As you can see the Wapshott.com web site has undergone a major design change, the idea behind the change was to make the web site more web compliant.

Again, either use a semicolon; make it two sentences; or change the 'was' to 'being' (correct, but not as strong as 'was'.) Even better: ax the words in red and go straight from 'change' to 'to'.

There are some others, but this should give you the idea.

*Preferred to "comma splice" because not all run-on sentences have commas.

[Keith W]

I have made the changes you suggested.

Thanks for all your help

[Keith W]

Just to add the blog got a make over as well so that it matches the main website a bit better.

Styling the forum is a bit more complicated so I may just leave that as it is, it is hardly used anyway.

Once again many thanks to everyone who has offer help and suggestions, it is very much appreciated.

Take care, Keith

[Pazeh]

Since you don't have any different content on the first page, I was just wondering, why don't u make the first page, a static page inside the WP? & put your welcome msg in there.

this will save you alot of editing / design time & you won't have "duplicate content" on your site.

[Keith W]

I understand what you are saying but I like to keep the blog separate from my main site

The content on the blog pages does change from time to time - this is where I post my "news" and other items I find of interest

[gwyneth]

Originally Posted by Pazeh

you won't have "duplicate content" on your site.

I'm guessing SEO isn't a huge priority for Keith's family site. In any case, the search term that is probably most relevant, Wapshott, would almost certainly result in a high position for wapshott.com.

[Keith W]

You guessed right Gwyneth

Also if you search the name Wapshott in Google my site is ranked top.

[Keith W]

I finally got round to styling the forum as well, it now matches the website and blog

[gwyneth]

Originally Posted by Keith W

Also if you search the name Wapshott in Google my site is ranked top.

Keith, it may be a name to you, but to Google it's a term (thank goodness its "intelligence" hasn't stretched that far--I hate to think about the affect on searches if Google's already goofy new algorythms started deciding some terms were names.)