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Working on a site re-design
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jrodriguez315
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Joined: 26 Sep 2006
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 02, 2006 12:12 pm    Post subject: Working on a site re-design Reply with quote

So . . . whaddaya think?

EDIT:
Option 1: http://www.voiceoverthespian.com/newdesign01.html
Option 2: http://www.voiceoverthespian.com/newdesign_bw.html

Might be some more coming as I get more creative.

I created option 2 because I noticed that many of the pros on this board have a black and white site. I guess it couldn't hurt, right!
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bobsouer
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 03, 2006 9:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Joe,

Maybe it's just me, but they both look black and white. One is just hard left and the other is centered.

In general, I'm not a fan of reverse type (white letters on a black background) because it's harder to read.

In spite of those reservations, your design looks nice and clean.
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Bailey
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 04, 2006 2:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Joe... I see your name... I see a microphone... I see a demo button... and I see the index. What I don't see is something stating what you are, or what you are selling. I guess I'm looking for the words Voice Actor... Voice Overs... somewhere in the mix.
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Bruce
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 04, 2006 4:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I hope you're not going to use that much copy on your front page. I'd say make the front page simpler for those who are just trying to track you down as a voice talent or actor and the elaborate more on other pages.

B
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Deirdre
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 04, 2006 6:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Look for the sites of successful people whose voices you admire. Take cues from those.
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jrodriguez315
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 05, 2006 12:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thank you all for your feedback. I will not use the Lorem ipsum copy for my final, I just wanted to get an idea of what people thought of the layout, colors and logo ideas. I am going to re-use most of the content that I have on my current site with whatever my new look and feel is. Option 1 was supposed to blue, not the black one. I think I goofed somewhere. I'll take a look at it again tomorrow too see if I can't get the other one back up there.

Thanks again.
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jrodriguez315
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 06, 2006 7:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

bobsouer wrote:
Maybe it's just me, but they both look black and white. One is just hard left and the other is centered.


No, it wasn't you. I posted the same thing twice. Now it's right. Take a look and let me konw what you think.
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bobsouer
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 06, 2006 7:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

jrodriguez315 wrote:
Take a look and let me know what you think.

Joe,

Personally, I like the blue one better, but if you look at my site, you'll site that I'm kind of partial to blue...so don't listen to me. Smile
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jrodriguez315
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 06, 2006 8:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

bobsouer wrote:
jrodriguez315 wrote:
Take a look and let me know what you think.

Joe,

Personally, I like the blue one better, but if you look at my site, you'll site that I'm kind of partial to blue...so don't listen to me. Smile


Thanks Bob,

By the way, I like your site. Very clean design. Did you do it yourself?

I see you decided to eschew the usual (almost requisite) Mic image or even any form of Logo. What was your thinking there?
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Deirdre
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 06, 2006 10:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

jrodriguez315 wrote:

I see you decided to eschew the usual (almost requisite) Mic image or even any form of Logo. What was your thinking there?


Hoo, boy.

It's pretty clear you haven't read any of MY website design recommendations!!
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bobsouer
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 06, 2006 1:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

jrodriguez315 wrote:
Thanks Bob,

By the way, I like your site. Very clean design. Did you do it yourself?

I see you decided to eschew the usual (almost requisite) Mic image or even any form of Logo. What was your thinking there?

Joe,

I think it's safe to say that Deirdre and I have very similar ideas about pictures of microphones and photographs of oneself on web sites: at best - unnecessary, at worst - counterproductive. (Unless you do on camera work, in which case a photograph would be necessary.)

I do use a logo, it's just not a fancy graphic. It's my avatar and the top right corner of both my site and my blog.

And yes, I did build my site myself, starting with a template I purchased from CoffeeCup.com, the people who make the HTML editor I use. My goals were to create something clean, easy to navigate and easy on upkeep. Those goals have been met.
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jrodriguez315
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 06, 2006 6:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

[quote="Deirdre"]
jrodriguez315 wrote:
It's pretty clear you haven't read any of MY website design recommendations!!

I thought I had, but I can't seem to find it again. Maybe I'm using the wrong search terms. Where is it posted?
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jrodriguez315
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 06, 2006 6:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

bobsouer wrote:
And yes, I did build my site myself, starting with a template I purchased from CoffeeCup.com, the people who make the HTML editor I use. My goals were to create something clean, easy to navigate and easy on upkeep. Those goals have been met.

I agree, your site is very clean and very easy to navigate. I like it very much. I guess the mic graphic has been used to death though I still see many of the pros on this board using one. I thought my glowing mic in the black/white design was a nice touch. The jury is still out though. I am still thinking about the overall design and may eliminate it altogether. As far as pics of oneself goes, I have done and hope to continue to do on-camera work which is why I have resume and headshot pages, but I was thinking that perhaps I'd build a separate site for that. We'll see.
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Deirdre
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 06, 2006 7:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

DB's VO Website "Rules":

Don't use a plain mic graphic. It's an old-and-busted notion. Hackneyed. Cliché. (Anyone can use a pic of a mic. If you really want to use a microphone, invent something. Mike Rhys's fab Union Jack-with-U87 is one of the best artistic statements I've ever seen)

Do not use a picture of yourself unless you are either
A) going for on-camera work, or
B) so famous already that people WANT to see what you look like.
Otherwise, you're blowing all their perceptions away and establishing prejudice before they even hear you.

Don't use embedded sound. It's abrasive and is an instant turn-off unless your demo is such a flat-out slam-dunk you've got listeners hooked in the first 3 seconds.
Most of the time—even when they're coming to your site because they KNOW you're voice talent— people are NOT expecting to hear sound unless they click a button somewhere, so sound that plays as soon as the site loads is nearly always startling.

Use one typeface. Your website should not be a carnival handbill.
Notable excptions are excellently-chosen Sans-Serif for Headlines/Serif for Body Text combos, but they are rare, rare.
- - - - -
I say these things with the full knowlege that some of my best pals on this board, some of the people I admire most, break some or all of the "rules"-- SOME of these folks are so astonishingly good they'd be great on a cassette demo, so they can do whatever they damned well please.
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Last edited by Deirdre on Tue Nov 07, 2006 1:16 pm; edited 2 times in total
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bobsouer
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 06, 2006 7:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Deirdre wrote:
DB's VO Website "Rules":

Don't use a mic graphic. It's an old-and-busted notion. Hackneyed. Cliché.

Do not use a picture of yourself unless you are either
A) going for on-camera work, or
B) so famous already that people WANT to see what you look like.

Don't use embedded sound. It's abrasive and is an instant turn-off unless your demo is such a flat-out slam-dunk you've got me hooked in the first 3 seconds.

I say these things with the full knowledge that some of my best pals on this board, some of the people I admire most, break some or all of the "rules"-- SOME of these folks are so astonishingly good they'd be great on a cassette demo, so they can do whatever they damned well please.

Deirdre,

Agreed. And I'm neither that good nor that famous yet, nor will I accept on-camera work, so I follow your rules, one might say, religiously. Smile

(Though in my case, I was following them before I even knew they were your rules!)
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