Please rip this thing apart for me.

[Guest]

Not quite ready. I still need to add a PayPal button somewhere on the front page and I need some work on my header graphic.

By the way. Im building my graphics at 300DPI but they still come out all pixelated. Im using PS7, what can I do to make things look smoother?

Oh ya, the site: Bardwells :sourcerer:

[Guest]

Let's start with your colour scheme. This is an electronics shop. Yellow doesn't really seem to go with it. I'd use some kind of metallic color. But if you plan on sticking with yellow, you still need to redo the tops of your boxes, where there is a grey strip above the yellow base. The grey strip doesn't belong there.... Also, the side borders of your boxes need to have their colours changed to match the rest of the box.

Next, get rid of your language box, unless you plan on adding more than just English to your site...

And last (for now), you need to rearrange your view_product.php file. For some of your products, you have very long descriptions. With the image in the left column and the description in the right, you've got a lot of dead space on your page. The left column is looking pretty empty... I'd suggest adding your image at the top and then adding your description below it, to use the space available to your advantage.

One more thing I just noticed is that you have a problem with your add to cart button. It's not adding the product to the shopping cart... It gives the following error:

Warning: mysql_fetch_array(): supplied argument is not a valid MySQL result resource in /home/bardwell/public_html/shopping/view_cart.php on line 49

[Guest]

I hope when you say you're making your graphics at 300dpi, that you export them at 72dpi before you upload them. Otherwise they are way too big (file size wise) for Web use. The norm is to either make them at 72dpi directly or at 150 and output them at 72. If you're using Photoshop 7 then I'm guessing you're outputting using the "Export for Web" which automatically makes them 72dpi.

300 dpi is overkill, unless you have plans on using the graphics for print also, in which case make sure you're making them large enough (dimension wise) for your output.

Since you have PS7, you must have ImageReady, which is made for making Web graphics, and that restricts you to 72dpi. If you haven't used it, you might want to give it a try.

As to what's making stuff pixeley, it seems your product images look fine, but your text is pretty nasty. Weather in PS or ImageReady, when you type in text, a text modifier pallate shows up across the top of the screen where you define the color and font, etc. Next to the box that indicates the type size, there are two lowercase "a"s. one is hard edged and the other is smooth. This is the "anti-alias" adjustment. Your graphics look like the text is set to "None".

You have several options and you should try them all to see what works best. Depending on colors and size they can all change quite drastically, so test them all. You're shooting for readability here. Just highlight the text and change the selection in the drop-down box.

"None" is usually only used for very small type (works especially well for Verdana, Tahoma, Trebuchet and Georgia) or larger type that is composed mostly of straight lines or designed to look pixeley.

All the dpi in the world won't fix type that isn't anti-aliased.

I hope that helps!

Otherwise, I don't have an issue with the color scheme, another electronics retailer uses similar colors (outpost.com).

I think your category images don't need to be so big, and having the "featured product" category image be the same image as the only product in the category is kinda confusing. You might want to try going with text only for the category graphics or text with a "ghosted" image behind it to give the feeling of "not this product" but "products like this".

The only other thing that was bothersome was on the product page, the description is so long, it really needs to be in a wider box. Rather than have the description next to the image, re-arrange the table so the description is under the image.

That's my 2 cents - take it or leave it.

-Volkman

[Guest]

Awesome.

Thanks for the tips. I wasn't aware I could change the product set-up to put the image at top and text under instead of on the left. That was one thing that bothered me alot. I'll look into moving that around. I've only been at CubeCart for a few hours, (not including product additions.)

Didn't even realize the cart was messed up. Something must have happened when I added the "inventory" hack.

As for the DPI, yes they are exported at 72. I always use "save for web."

I haven't worked on web graphics in some time. I just fired up PS and I can't believe what a moron I was. I used to use the AA all the time. Looks 100% better.

The yellow is the wife's idea. Feng Shuei you know. It was that or red, and red kills the eyes. I like it after I put it up anyways. I kinda like the gray around the boxes. Sets them out, not just mixing with the color on top and bottom. I tried matching them and I didn't like it.

I like the idea of ghosted images in the main section. It felt like something was funny there, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

Anyone else? This is tremendous help.

[Guest twisted]

I kinda like the gray around the boxes.

I tend to agree. I think it looks good.

And you DEFINITELY have to do something about the view_product layout! If you do a search here on the forum, there is a post that tells you how to do this (put the image on top, desc underneath).

My only other complaint with your store, is the background. Soild grey from wall to wall....kinda....ummm.........dull.

[Guest]

Fixed the views, the cart, added key words and whipped up a new header graphic.

For the background, I was thinking about the light gray but a massive crack like the one in the header graphic with a circuit board under it.

It would be quite opaque so it wouldn't overwhelm the customer, but enough to be attractive.

Now to see if I can find a way to use an image as a background :sourcerer: