[ProjectComplete]Due June 1st - $350 - Poker Bracelet Ecommerce Site

[DavidSt]

Admin code added by Abby - 998087483L1832023

**Severner's final design at the bottom of this page is the winner. Thank you all for participating. Please move this project to the Revisions forum.

Company Details

1a) Name of Company: PokerChampionBracelets.com

1b)Company Tag Line or slogan: No tag line

1c) Do you have a company logo?: I don’t really have a set logo, but you can see the one I threw together in 15 seconds below. I’m not really attached to it.

1d) Do you have a corporate visual identity (a customized (non stock) logo and color scheme carried out throughout your office, stationery, business cards, etc.)?: I’m wide open to a variety of looks in general, but for colors, I'm thinking of green (standard poker tables) or a silver or black color scheme...or whatever is generally used for jewelry sites. That's not to say I won't entertain other ideas. I don't have standard colors or a logo, so I can really go with anything if it looks good.

1e) What is the nature of your business? Briefly describe your products or services: I am selling “fake” or “replica” poker bracelets similar to the World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets won at large WSOP tournaments. They aren’t exactly replicas or copies, however, so please don’t use any design elements from WSOP. When I say “fake,” I mean inexpensive jewelry. (Plated gold and silver, not solid gold.) Think of them as similar to a fantasy football trophy or a “fake” WWE championship belt.

1f) Who is your target market? Who are you hoping to reach with your site? Poker players, male, U.S. and international.


Deadlines and Deliverables

1c) What is the deadline for the design of your project?: June 1st

2c) What is required breakdown of the files you require our designers to supply you with on finalization of your project?: I am not very familiar with HTML, so I will need a the HTML site (not just a PSD design). I don’t think I have the ability to cut up a picture and turn it in to a working Web site. I plan on using Paypal as my shopping cart solution for now, if that helps. You don’t have to integrate Paypal, but the rest of the site needs to work.

Are there any other comments/specific ideas we should keep in mind while designing your project?: I want to make sure there is a main “window” with a large picture of the bracelet. Users should be able to click on thumbnail images of the bracelet from different angles and have it appear as a large image in the window. There should also be a separate button to switch to a different type of bracelet (gold vs. silver) and have a new set of thumbnails/images load up. I suppose that could be a separate page. Check out this image I slapped together below for a better idea of what I’m talking about. It’s all pretty straightforward. I think the whole idea of having a large "buy it now" type of button is important. Again, since this is pretty much a one-product site, it should be very simple and easy for someone to purchase the product. There isn't much else to it.

Note: The images below are NOT of my poker bracelet. I don't have professional photos taken of the pieces yet, so I just grabbed some random photos online.


Website Details

1b) Do you have an existing website? If so, what is the URL? No.

2b) IMPORTANT: Please list at least 3 URLs (web addresses) of high quality sites that you like the look of (these do not have to be sites who’s business is similar to yours: I only have one really. www.woot.com (one product ecommerce, simple, clean, straightforward).

3b) What colors or color schemes would you like? Anything is fine.

4b) List the Navigation links for your Site: Home, About, Order Status, Contact, FAQs

5b) What type of look are you trying to achieve? (e.g. clean, high-tech, conservative, warm, flashy, etc.): SIMPLE. This is basically a one product ecommerce site. I want the product to be the focus of the site. Customers should be able to see exactly what it is I’m selling and quickly and easily buy it.

6b) Please provide the addresses of competitors' sites, if possible: No competitors.

7b) Do you have any images for use in the design of your site? If not, do you have images, can you offer suggestions of what you type of imagery you feel would be most suitable for your website: Please see a sample site I whipped up here. It is very basic, but you get the idea of what I’m talking about. If I actually thought this looked good/professional, I wouldn’t be here, of course. So please work your magic.

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h282/Daveeyboy/site.jpg

[Severner]

Hello,

Here's my humble entry.

I put together a fast-raster-logo, just to fill the gap. I think black, white and red express poker quite well.

Also photos will be changed as soon as original high-quality photos of selled items appear.

I personally enjoy patterns as backgrounds,
what do You think?


Thanks,
Sev


PS: I removed the image, as it is not needed anymore.
Hope it's okay..

[DavidSt]

I think this is a good start. It is very simple, clean and professional. My issue with the design is it looks too standard. It would work very well as a product page for a site with a lot of different products, but as the main page with only one product, I think it is lacking something to draw a customer in.

Red is an interesting color choice that I don't normally associate with poker or jewelry. It doesn't look bad, but I don't think it represents the product. I'm thinking of green (standard poker tables) or a silver or black color scheme...or whatever is generally used for jewelry sites. I apologize, I should have put that in my original post. I will update the guidlines now.

Thanks for the first try!

- David

[pod]

Hi
Here is my idea

[DavidSt]

pod,

Thanks for the entry. I like the small thumbnail showing the gold and silver versions instead of just a button with text. I think there really should be a section that has the details of the bracelet (width, length, weight, etc) and an area for a long enough description that will allow me to use enough keywords for better SEO. It looks like your design won't allow for that.

Also, you put the smaller thumbnails at the bottom right and labeled them "collections." I may have not been clear enough, and the different type of bracelet pictures may have confused the matter, but the thumbnails are supposed to be different pictures of the same bracelet (from different angels). So it would make sense to keep those closer to the main picture. I'd also like to prominently feature the price.

I think the main issue I've had with the two entries so far is they are both lacking personality. Nothing has really caught my eye yet. I do like how it is clean and simple though, but I think you can spice it up a little bit.

The product is somewhat goofy...a novelty. It is a "fake" bracelet after all. But at the same time, it is jewelry and not completely a "joke" product. It's a tough mix of fun and seriousness.

Thanks,

David

[Fabian]

Hello David

Here my take on your project :)

Cheers
Fabian

[DavidSt]

Fabian,

Thanks for the submission. I like your take on the site. Like I mentioned before, your version has some "personality" that I'm looking for. It still needs some cleaning up, but you're on the right track.

- I would really like a large "Buy it Now!!!" button incorporated into the design.
- I also think you can list the "more details" directly on the page instead of making someone click a link to see them.
- I would like the navigation bar to have a little more style to it, instead of just default text.
- The price could also use a little more style.
- The thumbnail area needs some polish. It looks too blank.
- I would also like to see the "gold" and "silver" options as a thumbnail like the previous entry.
- I assume the gold circle surrounding the picture at the top (which we would presumably change) is supposed to be a bracelet. Interesting design element, but I think it needs to be cleaned up a bit.

Overall I like your idea. As opposed to the previous entries, the site grabs my attention. However, it is lacking considerable polish (maybe because it is just a first draft). I'm looking forward to seeing your next version.

Thanks,

David

[DavidSt]

To all designers, I'd be interested to see a black version if possible. I've noticed a lot of jewelry sites use black and gold for a more "elegant" look. I can't say if I want to use a black version for certain. It is just a thought...

[Anne]

Here is my entry

Anne

[DavidSt]

Anne,

My initial reaction is I like it.

I'd like to see a different treatment for the "gold" and "silver" red boxes. The placement seems a little off (too close together maybe?) and the red doesn't really look quite right. The placement in general seems a bit like everything was just thrown in the box.

I'll have more feedback when I get some free time, but I like how things are progressing.

In general I think some of these entries need more polish. Maybe I'm not aware of how things are done, (first draft supposed to be more "raw" and give a general look), but I've noticed a lot of these entries are not quite "there" in terms of the little things, details, etc... For the record, I think Severner has done the best job in that category.

Thanks,

David

[Severner]

Hello again,

A bit different this time..


Only 3 images at Angles because 4th angle is always the big picture.
Photo is taken from http://www.sxc.hu .

I'm not very satisfied with the 'Buy Now' button, so maybe I'll edit it later.


But what do You think so far?


Sev

ps: Thanks.

[DavidSt]

Severner,

Looks a lot better. I like what you've done here.

Few quick notes:
- No need for the dice...we're just poker here. Did you put them in or were they in the image of the cards you grabbed?
- I think you can move the subtotal and view cart buttons down to the same line as the nav bar.
- I had four thumbnails so customers could go back to the original view. If you can code the site to work seamlessly your way, that's cool too.
- I would like to see a different buy now button like you mentioned. Maybe something that stands out a little more.
- I like the background. The dark green felt looks great. I think the dark colors in general are looking good, so let's stick with that from now on.

As I mentioned before, I have not yet taken photos of the product, so I can definitely do them on a black background. Please don't feel confined to a white background for the pictures/thumbnails. Also, feel free to use whatever images you want as examples...I just grabbed those off a google image search.

- Can you try to do a thumbnail version of the gold vs. the silver? I kinda liked that idea. Let's see if it looks good incorporated into your design somehow.
- I noticed you don't have a "send to friend" button.
- Btw, I like the reflection effect you did. Nice subtle touch.

Thanks,

David

[Anne]

Revision

[Anne]

Another version

[DavidSt]

Anne,

I think your new design is better than your last, but I would like to take it a different route. I noticed you darkened the background a bit to match my earlier comments. It would be great to see it even darker. I was thinking dark green felt that faded to black maybe (similar to Servener's design). Now that I've seen some designs, I would like to go with the dark color motif so the gold really stands out.

*Edit: Sorry, I didn't see the first submission out of the two you just uploaded. I like the first (second overall) submission more. The right justified nav bar is different, but interesting. In all, I think the first looks cleaner and more organized. However, please see my general notes above and below. I would like to think about the general layout of the site (right nav, left nav, top nav) a little more as well. Good job.

Everyone,

In general, I'd like to see a larger focus on a more elegant design. I think we've gotten the right idea with personality. All the recent entries have definitely shown that. Now if we could narrow that idea down to an elegant design that one would expect from a nice watch or jewelry store, I think we'll have it.

My suggestions:

Colors: dark green/black, gold/silver highlights (fonts, boxes, etc) maybe some red in there as well... Dark background colors really make the gold (and silver) stand out.

Design elements: poker related images, large "Buy" button, large price, bracelet images w/ reflection, possibly black background.

** I'm sorry I don't have any bracelet images with a black background to give you...if I find some free time, I can search for some and possibly photoshop them. I will get professionally done photos of the bracelet on a black background with reflection when I have it complete, but for now, a good placeholder image will be very helpful. Since I haven't seen any designs with a black background for the bracelet photo, I'm not sure how it will look. It's an idea though...I'll leave it to you designers.

I appreciate the little touches like the three card image beneath the "buy now" button in Servener's design. I'm not creative enough to tell you what I would like to see, but I do like little things like that.

I apologize for not being able to tell you all these details from the beginning. The truth is, I didn't know exactly what I wanted and how it should look from the start. From all of your designs I've received over the past few days, I've been able to develop a better idea of what it is I truly want.

Thank you for your submissions so far. I'm looking forward to seeing what you can come up with in the coming week.

- David

[Fabian]

I'll be posting a new design in a day or two:)

[DavidSt]

I'm looking forward to seeing it, Fabian.

Everyone,

I will be away and unable to access a computer beginning Friday morning until sometime mid-Monday. Please don't expect any feedback during that time. I'll respond to everyone's entries when I get back. If you have a design that you would like feedback on before that, please post it today/tonight.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend!

Thanks,

- David

[Severner]

Hello,

Abit changed version.

Dice were in the photo, but I managed to get rid of them.
Didn't change the location of "view cart" button, but added a mailbox&send_button there. They wouldn't fit on the same level with the menu, I think..
Also rather unseen "buy bow" button, what do You think?


I will also add a black version of this design in couple of days.
And probably a totally new black one was well.


Thanks,
Sev

[DavidSt]

Severner,

I like the new design a lot. The bracelet information layout on the left looks good. I like the new little...I'm not sure what to call them..."designs" on the price and the top line. I think they're a little too much on the "buy now" button though. I'd tone them down there a bit.

The "view cart" and "email" buttons can stay on a seperate level now that the dice are gone.

I think I would like to see the price ($29.99) and "buy now" given a different font/color/text treatment. The orange isn't quite gold and isn't complimentary...so it looks a little off. As for the buy now button, I thought maybe something like a gold plate as a background image for the button...what do you think? I could be completely off here...

Overall, I'm very happy with the way your design is coming along. I also appreciate your attention to detail. I'm looking forward to seeing how the site would look in black.

Thanks,

David

[Severner]

Hello again,

Here's an updated version of the white one:
http://www.diip.co.uk/temp/poker3_11.jpg


and here's a black version.

I guess I just don't get along with buttons much, I'll try to make something that looks more like a gold plate in a couple of days.


Sev

[Fabian]

Hello

Here is my lastest design :D

Cheers
Fabian

[Severner]

Hello again,

Here's a bit different version.


Thanks,
Sev

[Anne]

Here is another version

Anne

[DavidSt]

I'm back! Thanks for all the hard work over the weekend.

Serverner: I like your white version more than your black version. The black "stripes" in the info section on the left look a little weird. I like your black/grey version the most. I think I like the smaller version of the cards up at the top. I kinda miss the dark green poker felt though. I think the design on the grey areas are nice, and seem to fit the site well, but is there a way to incorporate the green felt in there instead? You probably tried and it didn't look right, but I'd like to see it anyway. The flowery accents on the buy button and the price aren't really working for me anymore. Let's take them out. The $29.99 font isn't really working for me either. It doesn't seem to match with the rest of the site. I understand why it looks the way it does though...it definitely stands out. I'd like to see a different look, but I may want to go back to your original choice.

Right now it's looking very good. I'm a little worried about the black to grey gradient on the bracelet picture. I don't think I can actually do that type of background when I take the photo, and fixing it in photoshop may not be easy. I know you seemed to do it, but did you do a replace color or something? (explaining why its a darker gold)

Fabian: I appreciate your efforts, but your design just doesn't seem up to par with the other designers'. You may want to concentrate on a new contest. I don't want you to spend more time on something that you probably won't have a chance at winning.

In general, your design just doesn't seem as polished as the others. The main layout seems good enough, but the placement of the text and its treatment is rather mediocre (relatively speaking). The design hasn't incorporated a lot of the things I've mentioned I liked/wanted in posts above.

Anne: I'd like to see the nav bar a little thinner and the buttons differentiated a little more. Keeping in line with your previous design, maybe you can make the nav bar tabbed and have the page the customer is on a different color than the rest. (gold and silver) I'd also like to see the "buy" button a little higher in the design. I will build out the description later, so it could end up being quite a bit longer than what is there currently. That would place the buy button too low. The "choose bracelet" section should really be labeled something like "multi view" or something similar. I won't be selling different bracelet styles at this point, just one. The extra thumbnails are just different angels/views of the bracelet.

I know it may be a lot of work, but I think your original right nav bar design may look pretty good with the new black/gold design (taking into consideration all the other small design elements I've mentioned over the past week). I liked the balance of the poker chips/cards with the right nav bar you had. I think it works a little better than what you have now. Overall, the design looks a little too "squished" horizontally. Things could be spaced out a little more...it looks like you're cramming things together.

Thanks for all the entries while I was out. Things are looking great. We only have a few more days before the contest is over and I think we're getting close to having a winning design. Let me know if you would like more feedback or if I am being unclear about anything I've said.

Thanks,

David

[Severner]

Welcome back David,

Here's a version with green background.

The gradient on the bracelet should not be a problem in any way.
As everything can be done with photoshop. :)

The only reason the bracelets gold looks darker, is because I intended that this way.
The light gold just looked too weak/strange on black background.
But if You like, I can show a version with lighter gold bracelet.

I'm more worried about other pages. how would they look with this gradient background.

+ changed couple of other things.



Sev

[Severner]

.. Made a version where the black area, that used to be under the text, is now covering the whole page.

This way there's no gradient under the photo.


Other pages would look something like this:
http://www.diip.co.uk/temp/poker_page.jpg


Sev

[DavidSt]

Severner,

I like the gradient on the main page, as it breaks up the design and look a little bit. I think we could go with the non-gradient black background for the other pages. I know it wouldn't be totally consistent, but I'm not too worried about it. 90% of the traffic will be at the main page anyway.

Green felt on the top looks good. Let's use that. I like the new font for the price. What do you think about trying to make it a little "snazzier" and giving it a metallic gold look (similar to the buy button). Also, I noticed the gradient on the buy button is a little rough. Is it because it is only 256 colors? Can it be smoother?

I think this design is **** good. The only issue I have with it is the left "information" section. I have no idea how else to design it, but it seems a little out of place. The black bars (needed because the photos are on a black background, I know) break up the grey box in an almost jarring way. Perhaps there is another way to approach that part of the design? I wish I had an idea on how to do it other than "please fix it," but that's all I can come up with right now. =) Are you with me on this one? Do you know what I'm talking about or am I crazy?

I'd like to see what the bracelet would look like if it were a little lighter. Since we aren't really using real photos of the actual bracelet right now, it is pretty hard to tell what the final design will look like. However, I don't believe the real bracelet will be quite as dark as what you have.

All in all, it looks real good, Severner. It's down to you and Anne right now. I appreciate you thinking about the other pages in the site and designing accordingly. You didn't have to do that and the effort is duly noted.

One day left! I'm looking forward to seeing some of the changes.

Thanks,

David

[DavidSt]

Severner,

I thought maybe you could try moving the "colors" pictures and the "different angles" pictures to the bottom...or somewhere else away from the rest of the info box. That would allow you to not have to do the whole "black stripe" thing.

I also really like the dark green felt look. Is there a way to incorporate that more into the design? I don't know if you've already tried and found it to look silly...but it's just a suggestion.

[Severner]

Hi,

I had very little time, but came up with something like this.


Sev

[Anne]

I will post a revision tomorrow morning.

Anne

[DavidSt]

I'll wait till tomorrow to choose a winner.

- David

[DavidSt]

Anne,

Are you going to submit your entry? The deadline was yesterday.

[Anne]

Sorry about the delay.

Here is the revision

Anne

[DavidSt]

Thank you everyone for your submissions. I appreciate the time and effort you've all taken in this design contest.

The winning design is Severner's. It looks the most professional and polished. I like the straightforward layout and attention to detail. I still have a few revisions I would like to make, but I think it's close to being done. Congratulations.

Anne, thank you for your submission. I like what you've done, but there can be only one winner. Thanks.

- David

[Severner]

Hello,

Thank you =)


I'm ready to make revisions.

Sev

[DavidSt]

Sev,

I private messaged you with my AIM screenname. I think we can be more productive using that.

Thanks,

David

[Severner]

Job done,

All files delivered.

Enjoy ;)


Was nice working with you.


Good luck,
Sev

[DavidSt]

I just wanted to say what a pleasure it was working with Severner, the winner of my project contest. He was incredibly responsive and helpful throughout the whole process of finalizing the design and getting it converted to HTML. In fact, not only did he convert the main page to HTML (as was the deal), he also did every other page in the site and included some additional features that came up during the design discussion without me even asking!

I couldn't be happier with the level of service and the final product I received. Severner did far more than required and was a joy to work with the entire time. I highly recommend his services to everyone looking for a talented, professional designer.

Thanks,

David