[torifile]

I just rolled out my new private practice site. It's built on Drupal 6 (which I've got to say, is really nice). Layout/design is not my forte. Please give some feedback. Font choices, general layout, color scheme (yes, please!), etc. I'm still working on my "writing style" for the blog portion, so refrain from commenting on actual content.

Also, if you notice any broken links, let me know. Oh and the layout for the "book recommendation" pages needs LOTS of TLC so don't even bother with that part just yet. TIA.

www.durhamdbt.com

[Robo]

It's weird to see gradients/highlights on pretty much everything that's green (tabs, datestamps, buttons) but not the "DBT" in the (rather massive) logo/header. But that's just me.

The "DurhamDBT" logo is the only thing that really sticks out as not fitting, to me. If that's because it's an existing logo, then maybe it's time to give it a subtle coat of (glossy, reflective) paint for the web? Some would say the "web 2.0" look is becoming cliche, but I like it, and I think the most important next step for you would be to get a cohesive look wrt the logo/header and the rest of the site. But again, that's just me.

I can't help but notice that, if you were to shrink the logo/header a little bit, the "tagline" would fit quite nicely to the right of the tabs. I don't know if that would be too small for your tastes (keep in mind I'm viewing your page on a 9" screen), but your logo is quite a bit larger than most logos I see.

So yeah, I'd tinker with that one image a bit, first. Again, this is all IMO.

I like pretty much everything else. The colors are nice.

[Swox]

I think the colour scheme is a bit unsettling, personally. I'd prefer something a bit more relaxing myself, but that might just be a personal thing. Beyond that I don't have much to add, as I'm not a web designer myself.

I had to comment on the summary of "Miracle of Mindfulness": "It's technically a very easy read, as most buddhist writings are...". We obviously read very different Buddhist texts! Though it's my job to read the hard ones .

[jdcfsu]

I like it. It's very clean, the color scheme pops a bit and works well with each other.

A few things you should look at though: On the blog, there is around 100, 150 px space between the date and the actual content. This makes reading the content a bit more difficult (Safari 3.2 on OS X). My only other point of note is your logo. The anti-alias on the Durham is rather strong leaving a slightly blurry looking word, while the aa on the rest of the words in the logo is very crisp, leaving a different look. I'm not sure if that was your intension, but it comes off as odd to me.

Otherwise, it looks pretty good. Nicely done.

[curiousuburb]

First reaction...

WTF is DBT? (For all the visual punch those letters hold, I can't figure them out.)
Are these initials of the Docs and clinicians on staff?
Is this a psychology acronym I should know?
Is it related to a phobia of undecipherable acronyms? If so, is it treatable?

[torifile]

Thanks for all the feedback. The logo I just threw together last night before I posted this thread. It's v 0.1. I'll work on the AA on the letters and I'm not sure about the little slogan underneath.

Originally Posted by curiousuburb First reaction... WTF is DBT? (For all the visual punch those letters hold, I can't figure them out.) Are these initials of the Docs and clinicians on staff?

Well, DBT is my speciality, so I want them to have some punch, but I need to spell it out some place.

Is it related to a phobia of undecipherable acronyms? If so, is it treatable?

Only if you come to see me.

[torifile]

Originally Posted by jdcfsu I like it. It's very clean, the color scheme pops a bit and works well with each other. A few things you should look at though: On the blog, there is around 100, 150 px space between the date and the actual content. This makes reading the content a bit more difficult (Safari 3.2 on OS X). My only other point of note is your logo. The anti-alias on the Durham is rather strong leaving a slightly blurry looking word, while the aa on the rest of the words in the logo is very crisp, leaving a different look. I'm not sure if that was your intension, but it comes off as odd to me. Otherwise, it looks pretty good. Nicely done.

The content div is % defined, so depending on how wide your browser window is, there will be more or less space between the dates and the content. I'm not sure how to fix that. Any thoughts on that? I'm trying to make my layout table-less and all %ages so I don't have to deal with browser windows being too narrow.

[Kickaha]

Originally Posted by torifile Well, DBT is my speciality, so I want them to have some punch, but I need to spell it out some place.

FWIW, I clicked on Treatment to find out what DBT/CBT are, and... nada. :}

The green in the DBT logo seems to clash with the green at the top of the tabs, although it appears to match the green at the bottom of the tags - perhaps it's the fact that it's a flat matte color, while the tabs have a gradient texture.

Layout looks pretty good - basic but clean.

[torifile]

Originally Posted by Kickaha FWIW, I clicked on Treatment to find out what DBT/CBT are, and... nada. :} The green in the DBT logo seems to clash with the green at the top of the tabs, although it appears to match the green at the bottom of the tags - perhaps it's the fact that it's a flat matte color, while the tabs have a gradient texture. Layout looks pretty good - basic but clean.

Yeah. Gotta add descriptions of the treatments in those tabs.

About the gradient thing - not sure how to manage it. I'm not so good with color coordination so it's hard for me to figure out what "goes" with what.

[curiousuburb]

Originally Posted by torifile The content div is % defined, so depending on how wide your browser window is, there will be more or less space between the dates and the content. I'm not sure how to fix that. Any thoughts on that? I'm trying to make my layout table-less and all %ages so I don't have to deal with browser windows being too narrow.

Plus, avoiding white <wrap> tags might help subliminally avoid any straightjacket feel.
Auto-shrink columns fit the tone, too.

[ezkcdude]

No auto-playing music?

I like it. I don't mind the light green shade on the right side, but the big "DBT" logo and menu tabs are a little drab (drab tabs). And I agree the gradient effect is a little disturbing visually.

[torifile]

Originally Posted by ezkcdude No auto-playing music?

You didn't hear it? You must have your volume turned down.

[Dorian Gray]

Pretty good overall, torifile, though I agree with Roboman that the DBT logo could be spruced up a bit to match the rest of the page.

I noticed a few typos in the content (though I didn't read the blog). On the Welcome page, "state-of-the-art" has an unnecessary space before one of the hyphens. Maybe it stole the space that should be after "disorders." On the Readings page, I would spell Amazon with a capital, at least in the second occurrence where you refer to the company rather than the website. Also on the Readings page, I'd change the comma after "worthwhile" to something else.

These little things aren't that important, but some people (like I) pay attention to them and it takes the sheen off the product or service being advertised. I have developed an intense dislike for Samsung products in part because Samsung is incapable of writing a single paragraph of advertising copy without littering it with errors.

And please ditch the music. Sheesh.

[Brad]

First observation: It needs a custom favicon. Drupal's is terrible.

Second observation: Nice theme. It's rather "cozy" and doesn't feel sterile and fake like so many business websites do. I imagine you want an accessible, friendly-feeling design given the subject matter; so, that's good.

Third observation: The initial "Wecome" page needs more information in the body. Visually, the navigation on the right of that page is very heavy compared to the body since the content of the body is so small. Consider adding some more overview/summary information in the body, even if it's something like a bullet list or links.

Fourth observation: KILL THE MUSIC. How many times do we have to go over this?

More observations and comments to come once I have more time to look at it later tonight.

[Bryson]

The main header text looks like ass in IE6. But then, do you care?

[Kickaha]

Considering that IE6 users are likely to be depressed, he probably does!

[Partial]

Are pyschologists allowed to call themselves doctors?

It's a nice looking site. I like the color scheme.

Those little calendars in the blog are really ugly, though.

[Kickaha]

Originally Posted by Partial Are pyschologists allowed to call themselves doctors?

If they have an PhD, I believe they are.

Hell, I'm Dr. Smith, and mine's in CS.

[Bryson]

If they have a doctorate, sure. I have friends who are both Doctors...in steel manufacturing engineering and molecular biology. I wouldn't let them bandage me up, though.

[torifile]

Originally Posted by Partial Are pyschologists allowed to call themselves doctors? It's a nice looking site. I like the color scheme. Those little calendars in the blog are really ugly, though.

Considering I *am* a doctor, yes.

Thanks for all the advice thus far. Rev. 2 will be coming soon! And, I paid good money for that music so it stays!

[turtle]

Originally Posted by torifile ... And, I paid good money for that music so it stays!

Did we hear this before?

[Robo]

Originally Posted by Brad First observation: It needs a custom favicon.

I was wondering what that was. It doesn't really "fit" the site, needless to say. My vote for the favicon:



It's perfect. Because that's the general idea, right? Getting happy. Or maybe , to match the rest of the site?

Other than that, it's nice that you link to Amazon but recommend supporting your local bookstore too. But you could also sign up for Amazon Referrals and be all like, "If you order from Amazon, you'll support us "

[torifile]

Originally Posted by Roboman I was wondering what that was. It doesn't really "fit" the site, needless to say. My vote for the favicon: It's perfect. Because that's the general idea, right? Getting happy. Or maybe , to match the rest of the site? Other than that, it's nice that you link to Amazon but recommend supporting your local bookstore too. But you could also sign up for Amazon Referrals and be all like, "If you order from Amazon, you'll support us "

All my links have referral IDs in them. I've made about $30 or $40 in the 2 years I've had them up.

There's a great independent bookshop within walking distance of my office and they do great stuff in the community. You'd appreciate this, Robo - I went out there for the midnight release of HP7. It was a zoo even though there is a B&N and Border's within 10 minutes. It's called the Regulator. I should put a link to it on my site...

[torifile]

How the hell do I *make* a favicon? I've created a 16x16 image but I can't find a way to save it as an .ico in Illustrator.

edit: I found an online converter. It's changed but 16x16 is really small! I'll have to tinker with it to make it recognizable. It's a play on the that robo suggested - Double D's for Durham DBT. After I came up with it, I realized it reminded alot of the Daredevil logo. Oh well.

[torifile]

I made a few changes to the masthead thingy. More soothing colors and less in your face. It still needs some tweaks and feedback about it would be much appreciated.

edit: I just went through the feedback thus far and I think I've addressed all of the points made. I really appreciate the help.

I've now got a couple specific questions for you gurus:
- See the search button in the right sidebar? Does it move around between being on the same line as the search field and the next line? When I resize my window, it goes from being on another line when the window is small to being on the same line when the window is slightly larger to being on another line when it's larger still and finally the same line when the window is at max width. What gives there? I get that it'd be on another line when the window is less wide, but why does it not stay on the same line after it reaches a certain point?
- My masthead logo is 600px wide and the background for the header div is the same color as the background on the png but there's a very faint white line where the png ends and the background color kicks in. How do I fix that? The logo was made in Illustrator, exported for web with no transparency.
- I'm torn about my navigation scheme. I've got my primary links up in tabs and some duplicated in the sidebar. What's best practice with respect to duplicating nav links? Should all primary links also be in the sidebar in addition to other less important stuff?
- I'm struggling with the layout of my recommended readings section. The sort of list form that I've got is not very attractive. I was thinking something tabular with mouseover actions for my descriptions (like they've got on netflix if you've seen their site recently). Is that too much and am I risking a compatibility headache by doing it?

Thanks again.

[scratt]

Drupal is nice.. I am re-branding our main web site using it at the moment.

Your site looks nice dude. I think it cuts the right style for it's subject matter.

Depending on who you want to read it, you may find that the text is a little small by default... I personally like small text, but could see it as being a little hard for some people...

It's actually a very interesting read also. I enjoyed nosing through your blog.

[curiousuburb]

Don't neglect your metadata.

SEO/pagerank notwithstanding, clear page titles and keywords won't just benefit engines, but users, too.
Another place you can explain DBT and CBT - the <meta-description> tag - which might help weed out CBT searches expecting 'computer based training'. You might leave DBT as a 'design by torifile' easter egg, though.

If your link tree was deep enough to require breadcrumbs, I might suggest throwing them in, but with only a few categories and a relatively shallow tree you might get away without one.

Accessibility rules in some places (Sec 507/508 in the US) may require you to have links as text and not solely as graphic buttons, but YMMV on local/state/federal regulations. Still good practice...

e.g.: BBC web guidelines include provisions for screenreader support, too... not sure you'll need to go that far unless you've got visually impaired clients.

Are you also testing for WAP or iPhone support?

[torifile]

How the fuck do I hyperlink my header image? I just want the user to click on the header and be taken to the front of the site. I tried wrapping the header div in a href tags, but that doesn't work. Drupal only links when you display the site name in the header but you can't do that with an image in lieu of the site name. Any ideas for a workaround?

[torifile]

Can someone tell me what's going on with this page? It's the only one where my layout gets borked. None of my categories show this behavior and the second page of my article listing (http://durhamdbt.com/category/1?page=1) doesn't do it. Weird.

edit: fixed it. There was an open tag in one of my excerpts throwing off the layout.

[ezkcdude]

In the past I've looked into using Plone and Django for this type of thing (content management). What are the advantages of using Drupal?