Because while all comments aren’t long, they are all potentially useful.
I like the site for the following reasons:
1. large print
2. most pages fit onto my browser window without scrolling down
3. clarity and easy to understand links
Minor criticisms:
1. Possibly too bright
2. Some stuff might look better centered
3. The site map page doesn’t have the links at the bottom that are on all the other pages, which might be redundant but would be simpler for me to use.
Ramona Moody French
www.somatherapy.com
Pros:
Loads fast.
Immediately clear what the site is about.
Navigation immediately clear, direct, uncomplicated.
Content presented simply, directly, quick and easy to browse or find what you want.
Cons:
First page “screams” at you – too much large, bold, too-high contrast text. Needs softening of fonts and/or background.
Text lines too long – main points of sentences seem to drift away – better to divide into columns. Work on more appealing layout should be done – balacing line spacing and white space.
Text fonts: sizes, weights, colors don’t seem to be complementary creating an agitating effect. Decrease number of different size/weight/color text. Definitely too much large bold text throughout site.
Although it loads very fast it looks more like a poster than a web page.
There isn’t any real structure to the page. There are many “rules” that most websites follow and you just use the ones you like (as long as they compliment each other).
On thing I don’t like on sites is links in the middle of sentences and a different color.
If Damashi spends some time looking at sites he likes and tries to recreate some of the styles he may find it helpful.
Yours
Tony Holmes
http://www.portal5.co.uk
This site has all the info easily available, but such a “junky” looking page! Where are the graphics – there are a lot of neat oriental graphics that would go so well with this page!
A well-designed logo featuring a person doing Karate – I envision something quite stark and styalized, and perhaps a photo of a class … a small banner with hotspots for the cart, orders, etc. and they are important but not visuals that interest. First you have to “sell” the service, and I had to do a lot of skimming to find out what the site was offering! Books? Tapes? Classes? Still not sure!
Anyway, could be jazzed up a lot with color and graphics, and still maintain simplicity and spaciousness.
Dorothy
http://geocities.com/heartland/acres/8989/
Its intuitive and easy to navigate, it looks like a Karate store. Easy to read and I actually wanted to have a look through the site.
Search engine placement was okay, 1st page on Google for karate books’. There was a listing on dmoz and an assortment of complementary links. Titles and meta tags were good and all key pages were linked from the home page.
But there has to be something that can be improved!
I wonder if the owner monitors their site stats? Certainly there was no code, but that could mean they used log files.
To sum up. It certainly ain’t broke, don’t fix this one, but do make sure you monitor your site stats!
Regards
Simon Mallett
swan group plc
Not bad. It looks original. Templates look very neat and organized but many made from scratch are more personable. I like it.
What can I say…I loathe fast sells and high pressure sales tactics; and the yellow and red design at the top of the page screams that.
Why does clicking on the Damashi logo on the index page take us to…the index page?
What is there on your site that would let me know you are a good judge of quality videos or books? What is there that give you any creditibility? Nothing that I could find.
For a site that really only has two paths one can follow… to the videos or to the books…your front page is so busy it gave me a headache
Okay…after going to your “about” page I finally learned that you are the publisher… this might have been good info for the first page; it differentiates you from 1000 other sites trying to sell books and/or videos…
– Marge Clark
Your source for superb Essential Oils, Aromatherapy Accessories, Information, Books and more!
Visit us at: http://www.naturesgift.com
A Banner Site from Hell
Damashi has very few technical errors to speak of; but, other than ad banners and sales hype there is very little in the way of content to be found anywhere on the site. Actually, their privacy policy was the most interesting reading on the entire website.
Richard Mimna
Herbal Index Online
I think Damashi’s site is informative and straight to the point.
A header with the logo and re-worked navigation bar incorporating the logo’s colors would look more professional at the top of the page.
I would also re-work the bottom navigation bar to the left-hand side of the page so potential buyers can more easily see the product line. At first glance, I thought there were only three books for sale.
Best Regards, Corinne
Corinne M. Kroening, Systems Administrator
BCB International, Inc.
I think that it would be better with consistent fonts, i.e. maximum two different fonts on a page.
Not so much red and blue text.
More pictures of the items for sale in an earlier stage. Now you have to click a few times before reaching it.
Some type of navigation tool is badly needed.
Rgds
Ingvar Andersson
www.lindome-gif.com
While the site appears to be totally functional and I did not experience any difficulties with the graphics, my opinion is the site is lacking in design. When viewing the video and book pages, there are just links. Wouldn’t it be more helpful and interesting if the links were converted to graphics (perhaps jacket covers) with a little more description on each item.
– Valerie Way
I’m a newcomer to the web and the underlined text confused me Some are links and some are not, how can I find my way around quickly ?
Susanna
http://celebrant.yarralink.com
One of the better sites I have viewed. It was easy to get around, clear and concise.
Sincerely,
John J Finaldi
Anthony Finaldi & Co., Inc.
I looked over the karate site. I felt the information was presented in a uniform manner, however it is lacking a professional design. If a site is to give a customer an impression of what the business is about, especially karate, photos and graphics should abound. I was not informed about the sport after visiting. The graphic quality of the navigation and text design was very industrial absent the thought from a true design. This site should be redesigned from the perspective of a visual communication professional.
Dale Glasgow, Vice President Glasgow Media
www.glasgowmedia.com
On my screen the large fonts & different colours of font makes me move my head away from the screen. I do have a 21″ monitor so maybe this would not be the case on a 14″ or 17″ screen.
It’s not imediately obvious where to go to go shopping. Your more likely to click on the item which takes you to one book than to a selection when browsing.
Charlie Garforth, Customer Service
www.keepitkinky.co.uk
I have looked at damashi website and I must admit I wouldn’t send my credit card to this site.( karate eh! ) There is no personal feeling to the site for the customer to like, no thought to the content. Just cold “WANT TO BUY A BOOK MATE ” honest I am a karate expert. Also the copyright statement is a cracker, who in there right mind would want to copy any of the graphics, never mind the wording (where were the photos?). If the guy’s making a pound or two best of luck to him but his site stinks. He should sit down and try to think feelings (little grass hopper) and personalise his site.
– Jim Macfarlane
Tips for the site, all the book list should have pictures of book covers beside the title, so grab peoples interest. Overall content was good, layout suggestion: shorter sentences ie. 8 -10 words per line or so, more space between items, people forget that a lot of white space around something makes it stand out, not using huge fonts, smaller type, and consistent type, get rid of red type as links, to me it looks unprofessional. Hopes this helps.
– Murray LeComte
www.cornerstonecoatings.com
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