stgphoto.com re-design

[iBrightDev]

well, it has been a couple years since the since was re-designed, so, http://www.stgphoto.com got a whole new face lift. i incorporated my CMS with my template engine to create the site. if you would like to see the admin panel for the CMS, you can reach me on MSN or gtalk, otherwise, please give an honest opinion of the front end design and functionality.

and to those interested in the CMS, Bright will be released to the public soon for free. :D

also, to give a little insight to how the CMS works, and get a better idea of how things are being displayed...

the headers are able to be changed through the cms, and set per page section.

the menu is able to be organized however you feel fit, and you are even able to set how many menu items you want to show up.

all images for the gallery are managed through the admin panel. you can create categories for the images to be in, rename categories, turn parent categories into sub-categories, change sub-categories to parent categories, hide/show categories and sub categories, hide/show images, move images between categories/sub-categories, remove images, and set images to be purchased (need valid paypal account for purchase function to work).

there are currently 2 plugins incorporated into the CMS. (gallery and contact page with php mail form) you can turn the plugins on and off. in order to make them work, you simply need to create a new page with the name Gallery or Contact, and active the plugin through the Plugin Manage section of the admin panel.

more options are being configured. i am working on a hosting plugin, but, it is far from finished, and will come out in a later release.

so, i feel you guys will have a good understanding of the cms without even seeing the admin panel.

thanks in advance for the review guys.

[stuffradio]

It's pretty good. There is a nice Aero interface(Like what vista has), and it's simplish yet looks good. The photo displaying is good too.

8.5/10

[iBrightDev]

well, you hit on the exact look we were going for with this layout. thanks for the feedback Carl.

anything that you see that can be improved. keep in mind them some things may be limited due to the template system or the CMS, but, there is a ton of things that can be done, so, i will try to make things work if there is anything you would like see changed.

[JonnyH]

Very simple mate, but I really really like it. Especially the translucent navbar and the headers.
8/10

[JohnN]

ok, its pretty nice overall but it needs some tweaks, several are fairly minor.

the bottom footer does not look great - especially with default links.

the top gradient looks a little harsh, I'd suggest using a different solid color.

I *might* be wrong on this but in my opinion if you're going to have a black and white page you need to have a colored focal point, like your other pages.

[TSO]

Very nice! I like simplicity. The site is very easy to understand and navigate. :)

[iBrightDev]

ok, its pretty nice overall but it needs some tweaks, several are fairly minor.

the bottom footer does not look great - especially with default links.

the top gradient looks a little harsh, I'd suggest using a different solid color.

I *might* be wrong on this but in my opinion if you're going to have a black and white page you need to have a colored focal point, like your other pages.

any suggestions for the bottom footer. Johnson said the same thing, and i am not sure what to do there. i agree that the header should have color on each page, but, that is not something that i have control over, but, it is something i will mention to my dad since it is his site and he will be putting the headers up. thanks for the suggestions. :D

[h0ster]

It's quite nice. How about a rollover on the .img tags though (.img:hover).

There's an extended version of that lightbox as well. With more info at the bottom. ;)

[JohnN]

just make it a block color, change text to white and change the link:)

[iBrightDev]

It's quite nice. How about a rollover on the .img tags though (.img:hover).

There's an extended version of that lightbox as well. With more info at the bottom. ;)

the background on the nav is what i assume you are talking about, and i will look into it (i know ho to do hover, there is already one for the link ;)). the lightbox version that is being used was chose because i didnt want a ton of info at the bottom. might be better in certain cases though, so, i might look into it. thanks.

@JohN, i will look at some other footer options, but, explain "block color". :S

[JohnN]

just a solid color:) no gradients.

i should have said block of color, please excuse me:)

[iBrightDev]

ah, ok, thanks. i will see how it looks.

[Johnson]

Still haven't fixed the safari background problem. The distance between the h1 and the navbar should coincide with the distance between the h1 and the content box below it. Still not crazy with the footer.

3 - 4 - 5 - 6

[iBrightDev]

i have been focused on other bugs in the admin panel instead of the background. :p i might look into it later. i got some footer ideas i will mess with later. thanks Devin.

[AMC]

Very nice and simple. I do love the way the photo at the top contrasts with the black and white theme.

Im not sure about the Dialog boxes on the front page however, maybe they need to be rounded or spiced up somehow :p

[iBrightDev]

could round it, but, that is the clients job. not in the actual template file. all dont in the admin panel through the cms. :D
client has control over css, as long as they know what they are doing. ;) they can even add the images though the admin panel so they can link to them in the cms properly.

[Dan]

I really like this design. Very simple but effective. Love the navbar and the header section. Very well put together.
What I really like is you did not go OTT with CSS etc. Kept it simple. I like that in designs.
Well done.
10/10 from me mate.

[iBrightDev]

thanks Dan. i really appreciate the kind words. this site has really been a test of all my skills from design simplicity to coding. many challenges have arisen, in the coding, and i have had to hold back a lot of actual things i want to add in to the cms final release that i will be putting out just to get this site done. :P thanks again.