| Author | Message | ||
| flaxattack
Senior Member Username: flaxattack Post Number: 2195 Registered: 4-2004 |
some of the older members might remember that i make Tiffany lamps. What was once a hobby is now my profession. i don't feel like waiting in line for a job. so here's the website link. Any constructive comments on its style is appreciated. i bought serif web x-2 to design the site and had some help from one of our members. www.tiffanylampdesign.com maybe after my next project i will make the alembic logo in glass. | ||
| jacko
Senior Member Username: jacko Post Number: 2143 Registered: 10-2002 |
Good luck with this Jeff. I'll take a look at the site when I've more time. In the meantime, do you ship to the UK? graeme | ||
| mike1762
Advanced Member Username: mike1762 Post Number: 275 Registered: 1-2008 |
I was a little confused by the inclusion of so many "actual" Tiffany lamps... a casual browser would probably think you were selling them. Your creations in "My Gallery" are beautiful... I would display them a little more prominently. I gotta tell you... I think I prefer your "Dragonfly" to the "real" one. Good luck with this venture. Anytime you get to make money doing something you enjoy... | ||
| flaxattack
Senior Member Username: flaxattack Post Number: 2196 Registered: 4-2004 |
well mike if you start from the beginning it may not be so confusing. the lamps are reproductions. i dont think there is more than 5 actual tiffanys in the site- btw-but it was something i was thinking about. the actual lamps are so people can see the designs available for production. i may go back in and throw something on each page. if you notice on the bottom it does say "for reference only, i spent weeks culling the net for photos. this might be one of the most comprehensive out there are far as count is concerned. most sites i found only show the owners works, i chose both- thanks for the feedback! graeme- for you? sure! | ||
| flaxattack
Senior Member Username: flaxattack Post Number: 2197 Registered: 4-2004 |
the other reason it may be a little confusion is i couldnt figure out how to make the nav button open and drop down the lamp sizes. i will call serif on monday | ||
| terryc
Senior Member Username: terryc Post Number: 729 Registered: 11-2004 |
Flax...ever tried or thought to put the Alembic logo into one of your lamps?? I bet the the crew at the mothership would be interested | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 2214 Registered: 3-2004 |
Jeff, I took a quick glance and came up with a few things. 1. The title of your "home" page is "page 2", you'll have to figure out how to tweak titles in your app as it will help with readability and search engine priority. 2. The text on your nav buttons is a little too fragile combined with the shading, for easy readability on my screen. It also appears to vary font size across the buttons. Not sure how others see it, but I would look to make them consistent. 3. The pics of your lamps should probably go to individual description pages rather than just open as images, and you'll want to work to resize the images for consistency. 4. There's no pricing anywhere. I would like to see some ranges on a per-size basis, if not particular prices for the various items you display. 5. I don't know the protocol, but is referring to these as "Tiffany" lamps appropriate when selling yours, or is that an owned brand? Can you legally show a bunch of pics of actual Tiffany lamps to sell from? 6. I'm not sure I would do business with anyone with a no-refunds policy. I know you need some protection, but you might consider if some partial refund policy might be in order if requested before work starts, or if the completed piece doesn't meet expectations. Is there any guarantee of satisfaction or warranty? 7. You might want to review the copy on your home page. Try reading it out loud to make sure it flows the way you want it to. 8. The page your home button links to isn't your entry page. That was a bit confusing. The home link actually goes to a page I would call something like "philosophy" or the classic "about us". Do you want a link back to the entry page? 9. Your footers don't have your name on the copyright and the terms of use/privacy policy links don't work. 10. The gallery page refers to the 14" dragonfly, but I think it might actually say !4". 11. There are some extra spaces between words on the first line of your work in progress page. Maybe elsewhere, but I didn't see others. 12. At a basic level, you should rename your images and pages more meaningfully. You should also create some sort of directory structure to make it easier to manage your images. Images and their thumbnail-sized versions should have a common name with some extension to differentiate. For example: dragonfly_14.jpg and dragonfly_14_thumb.jpg. 13. Some of your text looks like it was converted to images. You're better sticking with the pure text for search engines. Using key words, like "tiffany lamps" on your various linked pages will help you get better rankings. 14. Clearly, you're using quality stuff to put these together. Would it be appropriate to identify the brand name or other info about the actual electrical parts, or describe any higher-than-typical quality construction processes? Soldering? Wire gauges or types? Switches? Bases and fixtures? 15. Are there any common options that can be substituted into the designs? Maybe dimmers or touch switches, or different materials for the metal pieces for example? 16. It might be good to have a specific "contact us" page in addition to the order info page. You might also consider a PO box for your business if you don't want to publish an actual address. A PO box could be tough if you're going to be accepting UPS packages. You may have to let out your address, at least to confirmed customers. 17. Do you need a toxic materials statement of some sort? Is there lead in your glass and/or solder? Probably more than you wanted, but we're watching the Gladiator extended edition with director's commentary and I had some free brain cells. Good luck! -bob | ||
| glocke
Senior Member Username: glocke Post Number: 570 Registered: 9-2002 |
Wow Jeff... Nice work. I think tiffany lamps. If you ever make one that is Alembic related you can put me down for one. | ||
| adriaan
Senior Member Username: adriaan Post Number: 2137 Registered: 6-2002 |
I seem to remember that Tiffany's will come down hard on people selling this type of stuff using the "Tiffany" name, so don't be surprised if you get served a cease-and-desist notice. Even your domain name may already get you into trouble. Anyway, to this casual observer, it doesn't look half bad. | ||
| lbpesq
Senior Member Username: lbpesq Post Number: 3581 Registered: 7-2004 |
Prices? Shipping costs? (I'll bet you have to pack one of these REALLY carefully.) Bill, tgo | ||
| flaxattack
Senior Member Username: flaxattack Post Number: 2198 Registered: 4-2004 |
thanks for the critique bob. i am new to web design. adriann thanks for the heads up, worse case i buy another domain. bill- you cant price something that involves different types of glass etc. each lamp gets priced individually= shipping costs are included in the price. i love the crack about toxic materials-totally asinine | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 2215 Registered: 3-2004 |
It wasn't a critique, Jeff, just a bunch of ideas that came to mind from the perspective of someone who helped build a website that was among the ten busiest sites on the internet in the mid 90's. I was hoping you could use the list as a set of things to look at and tackle them over the course of weeks or months as you learn how things work. Having an idea about something I want to improve always helps me to dig into manuals and figure out how to do it. The result is usually an improvement and a better understanding of what is possible. Of all the things I pointed out, I don't believe any of them are critical in terms of the site functioning, but thinking about them will get you to a more professional presentation of your products even if you don't use them. I was serious about the toxic materials, Jeff. You can't buy crystal today without it having a sticker on it that says "contains lead". As I understand it, solder is used in all the creases between the individual pieces of glass. If you're not using lead-free solder, then you might have to mention that to cover yourself. If you are using lead-free, then you might call attention to it as a selling point. If none of this pertains to the selling of lamps, then I apologize for wasting your time thinking about it. | ||
| flaxattack
Senior Member Username: flaxattack Post Number: 2200 Registered: 4-2004 |
thanks bob | ||
| flaxattack
Senior Member Username: flaxattack Post Number: 2201 Registered: 4-2004 |
ps- i have absolutely no prior training in website design. Thought i did pretty good for a novice. i'll be tweaking as i learn more. i already changed the properties of the nav bar to show the category instead of the page number. i corrected the ! instead of the 1. i linked some photos that i overlooked and added a for sale section, general info, restructured the terms etc. look i understand about the pricing issue but none of the "quality" shops advertise them. i did put a price on the poppy of 1250. if you need a price?- you probably cant afford it! lol | ||
| lbpesq
Senior Member Username: lbpesq Post Number: 3584 Registered: 7-2004 |
Flax: Your first web site ever???!!!!! VERY impressive! I've been kicking around the idea of an online guitar store. I just might have to pick up a copy of the software you used. Good luck! Bill, tgo | ||
| flaxattack
Senior Member Username: flaxattack Post Number: 2202 Registered: 4-2004 |
serif is pretty easy. they are great on the phone for the 2 times i called. one time they didnt have the answer and i got a reply from the mothership the next day. its cheap only 90$. i picked it out of a web design review site that said for the money its a no brainer. i did use one of their templates. if i would have started with a clean page i might have had some issues. trust me- the instruction book is huge but their help files are fairly simple to read and do | ||
| hydrargyrum
Senior Member Username: hydrargyrum Post Number: 470 Registered: 3-2004 |
I have a chemistry degree, and work in the field of Hazardous materials management, and in my opinion, the lead in the crystal is of no concern health-wise. I would doubt that eating off the crystal itself would give a person a lead exposure. The solder on the other hand may be a bit more tricky. I am not sure that even the lead free varieties are truly free of heavy metals, so I guess I probably wouldn't eat off the solder  . I would also mention that virtually every electronics circuit board ever sold contains lead, silver, and trace mercury presence. A funny anecdote (well, to me anyway), it is my understanding that elemental lead in brick form will pass a TCLP (total concentration leachate procedure, the standard used by the EPA to determine whether the concentration of lead in solid material is sufficient to call the material "hazardous"). This must be how people get away with throwing their old cathode tube TV's and monitors in municipal dumps. (Message edited by hydrargyrum on March 11, 2009) | ||
| lbpesq
Senior Member Username: lbpesq Post Number: 3592 Registered: 7-2004 |
Kevin wrote: "I am not sure that even the lead free varieties are truly free of heavy metals" Well I happen to know that Flax is a Deadhead and really is "truly free of Heavy Metal"! (nyuk, nyuk) Bill, tgo | ||
| hydrargyrum
Senior Member Username: hydrargyrum Post Number: 471 Registered: 3-2004 |
Well Bill In that case he should turn on his lights, and let them shine on me. (Let it shine, let it shine). | ||
| flaxattack
Senior Member Username: flaxattack Post Number: 2207 Registered: 4-2004 |
when it happened bill i trembled and exploded and left a bus stop in my place.... |
