Help with Site Design Needed

[ttfrenzy]

Hello everyone,
I have had the site Free Financial, Economic and Stock Advice | Fiscal Frenzy and have changed the design a couple times making it more clean each time. The problem however is now that I thought I had a good design going (the current one) people are telling me that there is far too little color on the site and that it could use more color.
My problem is that I cant figure out how to integrate color into the design without completely revamping it. So if you could please give me advice on where I could add color specifically and how, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thankyou,
ttfrenzy

[mike810]

This belongs in the "Review My Website " .

Your site needs more activity. Maybe add some styles to the links so it changes color and/or the underline disappears when it is hovered over.

For example:

a:link
{
color: #e8bb04;
text-decoration: none;
}

a:visited
{
color: #d9ae00;
text-decoration: none;
}

a:hover
{
color: #d9ae00;
text-decoration: underline;
}

Another thing you can do is add more pictures and maybe some videos. You don't have to record the videos, just do some surfing and find videos related to your site and embed them.

With the colors maybe you can use some shades of blue and white for the whole layout. I think it would be more attractive and professional looking.

I noticed that your "read more" links are not very visible. I would knock the font size up a little bit as well as changing the color.

EDIT: i would also make the nav bar links images instead of text.

[TylerBakerllc]

Mike has made some great suggestions! They would improve the site 10 fold, and ultimately convert visitors into subscribers.

I would consider updating the whole site with a trendy, newer version. You may want to contact mike810 and see what he could do for you. If you are looking to take your site to the next level, this may be what is needed.

I like the idea behind the site, I just think it needs to be kicked up a notch.

[VCNetwork]

you should google web designer forum.. from my exp. ive had soo many people with great knowledge up and ready to help

[Inglesa]

Hi TTFrenzy,

Have you considered modifying the header banner? I think at the moment it's very weak. Though the fighting Bull and Bear are a nice, simple, easy to understand symbol for anyone interested in finances, the accompanying text is crying out for a shot of strong colour. The tagline is also very squashed so that it can't be read very easily.

Other than that, I'd suggest you add shots of colour with the titles and subtitles on the page. For instance the 'Free Newsletter Subscription', 'Poll' and your Google Ads boxes can all be given a strong injection of colour without detracting from the overall clean and simple look of the site.

Finally, my key comment is that since you have a page that has light grey text on a dark grey background, and black text on a white background, it's bound to have a 'drained' and uninteresting vibe to it...

Take Mike810's advice and add in images, videos and all the other bright, moving data that 70% + of surfers are searching for nowadays!

[ttfrenzy]

Thanks for all the advice!
Mike and Inglesa; thanks for the suggestions, ill be sure to try to utilize a lot of them.
Previously I had thought that any color I had injected into the site would detract from its cleanliness but now I see how those work. In terms of the header, thats a pretty simple one to solve but I would like to ask if the problem is the actual tagline or the fact that it looks squished and poorly designed.

Thanks!

[TylerBakerllc]

Good points Inglesa!

[Inglesa]

"In terms of the header, thats a pretty simple one to solve but I would like to ask if the problem is the actual tagline or the fact that it looks squished and poorly designed."

A little of both, I'm afraid. If your typical client/visitor is well versed with the concept of Bull and Bear markets then the tagline works well. However, although I studied business at degree level (it's been some years ago mind!), I can never quite seem to keep the difference between the two at the forefront of my mind. So for visitors like me the meaning will be lost on them.

In terms of the design, it is more the font that makes me wonder whether it would be worth redoing. It's funky, but a little too boxy, and doesn't say 'finances' straight off.

I know it seems like a silly thing, but you'd be surprised how much fonts and text styles inform our subconscious of what we expect to see. Think of those groovy, rounded letters of the 70's disco era!

Design features in the financial and journalistic world tend to have a certain 'look'. Many of them - not all, but many - will use a Serif font (explanation here) for the titles at least. Something to do with easier readability, and you see it all the time without being aware of it. Check the titles and sub-titles of articles. Examples:

Financial Times
New York Times

So, less squashed, a change of font, and a simple pop of colour?

Good luck with the re-design.

[Felix Trogare]

Hi Guys:
I think you could try asking for advice to a specialist firm in designing, just ask Google and you will get many options.
Felix Trogare
New York University

[ttfrenzy]

When you mention less squashed is there any way to fix that aspect through dreamweaver or is it simply adjustable through a change in font. Thanks for the rest of the suggestions.