[Project Complete] Due Mar 15th - Simple website redesign - $600

[NobodyYouKnow1]

Admin code added by Abby - 6KP43316CX791524F

Company Details

1a) Name of Company
Seminars for Less

1b)Company Tag Line or slogan:
Great Results, Half the Price

1c) Do you have a company logo?
Yes…below

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.)?
We have a very simplified red and white brand. The red dot that we took from our "seminarsforless.com" logo has become the "look for savings" graphic and we would like to push this further. We want to stay with red and white but keep it modern, fresh and sophisticated.


1e) What is the nature of your business?: Briefly describe your products or services:
We are a direct mail marketing firm that is primarily focused on the senior financial advising market. Most of our clients are male financial advisors (although we do not want an overly masculine look to the site) between the ages of 40 and 60. We offer design and mailing services to clients all over the country and need to keep the site flexible for adding future products and services


1f) Who is your target market? Who are you hoping to reach with your site?
Right now we want to reach financial advisors and financial planners who use seminars to gain new clients for their business. However, we are open to the possibility of reaching a broader market (ANYONE who does seminars) - we are a direct mail house and we can really do any type of marketing, so we need to be open to the possibilities in the future.

Website Details

1b) Do you have an existing website? If so, what is the URL?
http://www.seminarsforless.com

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. It aids us in determining what your design style is.) Please consider layout, colors, navigation, graphics, and typography.

http://www.keithoneill.net/
https://www.tophatgolf.com/Default.aspx
http://www.drivingethanol.org/
https://us.etrade.com/e/t/microsite/custwelcome


3b) What colors or color schemes would you like?
We want to start with the red and white from our brand, possibly add gray or black and we are really liking orange lately. Let's stick with the warm side of the palette with details in black and gray and we can move from there.

4b) List the Navigation links for your Site:
We have several pages - they can be horizontal or vertical, it just needs to be very easy to navigate through - our clients do not have a lot of time to wade through our site.
On every page there should be a bright, energetic focus on the "sign up for the newsletter" option.
Please view the current site to see the pages we have now, we would like to edit them, combine or add a few more.


5b) What type of look are you trying to achieve? (e.g. clean, high-tech, conservative, warm, flashy, etc.)
VERY clean. no clutter (ease of navigation), bold and fresh!
Our competition is waaay more expensive than us but we do NOT want our site to look cheap.

6b) Please provide the addresses of competitors' sites, if possible: N/A

What sets you apart from your competitors?

It's all in the tagline: Great Results. Half the Price. We offer our clients the same great results from their mailing but they save a TON of money.

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:
Imagery is open for creativity - please look at our current site to see what we have used so far. We need some fresh images!

Deadlines and Deliverables
1c) What is the deadline for the design of your project?
March 15th

2c) What is required breakdown of the files you require our designers to supply you with on finalization of your project?

As much as possible, PSD files are fine but we need them as finished as possible.


Are there any other comments/specific ideas we should keep in mind while designing your project?
KEEP IT SIMPLE!

[NobodyYouKnow1]

Lots of views but no replies! Anyone working on this? Let me know if you have any questions.

[carlos(esparza)]

i'm working on something for you, i should have a mockup by saturday morning at the latest.

-carlos

[NobodyYouKnow1]

Sounds great! Let me know if you have any questions.

[Zoe]

Hi there,

Here is my idea.

[NobodyYouKnow1]

---THESE CAN BE APPLIED TO ANYONE'S DESIGN---

1. I think I'd like to use larger fonts. Think 37signals.com(only sans-serif).

2. Looking above, I've noticed the first paragraph needs to be updated. I would like to make sure the design includes some kind of "news" section. Right now we use a scrolling ticker which I don't want to keep, of course, but maybe a place for headlines like apple.com's "hot news headlines". Then they could click the headline to take them to the story at a different place on the site. The first paragraph on the welcome page should be the welcome paragraph.

3. We only use postcards for mailing, so please make sure not to use any envelopes to represent mailings. I would love to see some of our own postcards in places like the "view packages" sections above. All of our deigns are available on our site at www.seminarsforless.com, click on "samples". A little treatment in photoshop should give us some depth and a "real postcard" impression instead of the flat design.

4. I know our site is left justified now, but we want the new design to be centered.

5. I really want our 800-number in a prominent location on each page. I hate websites where you can't find how to get in touch with them!

DEMEX - This is really good. It's very exciting for me to see such a good design right off the bat. Here's my thoughts.

First off, see above for any changes you may need to make. Specific to your design, I really love it, I can't seem to think of anything (besides the items above) I would change. Can you develop it a bit? Maybe it could use some more "depth". What I mean is, I really like how you did the "dot" overlapping the main heading and drop-shadowed a bit. It gives a feeling of depth for me. I'm not asking for drop shadows everywhere, but can we translate that feel into the rest of the page? Other than that, I think you've laid out the site nicely.

[Zoe]

Thank you very much for the fast feedback. Here are the revisions.

[NobodyYouKnow1]

Demex: Looking better and better! Here's the feedback:

Make the phone number bigger. Maybe the whole tab bigger and the red line across the top thicker. I love a thick line at the top of a page.

Make the footer a tad darker.

Make the header links "home, free resources," etc. darker and bigger.

Make all the text bigger. (Can you tell I'm into big fonts?) Here: http://xhtmlized.com/
http://www.37signals.com/svn/

I want 50 year olds to NOT have to squint at all when they read it.

Make the first paragraph stand out from the rest of the text somehow. Not a lot, just a little.

Make the link for the headline say "More..." instead of "view article" and don't put a date there in case we don't update it that often.

I really like the way this is looking!

[NobodyYouKnow1]

Anyone else jumping in on this? I would like to see some different takes on this site.

Any different layouts are welcome!

[Zoe]

Hello,

Here are the revisions.

[Zoe]

and a black version... worried it could be becoming a little too red.

[Carl]

:)

[NobodyYouKnow1]

DEMEX: OK, just a little more tweaking and I think we're ready to see an inside page. I like the red stripe at the top, not the black. Let's make that line just a little thinner.

For the headlines section, move the "more" button to the place where "January 2005" was in message 7.

Then take the style of the title "seminars for less headlines" from message 7 and:

Put it before the first paragraph as "Welcome"

Put it before the 2nd paragraph as "Services"

Put it before the headlines paragraph as "Headlines"


Then remove the stripe form the bottom as you had it in message 7, only make the text just a TAD darker. Just a tad!

That's it!

[NobodyYouKnow1]

Carl: Very interesting! Here's the feedback:

Can the bar be red instead of black?

Can we move "great results half the price" below the black (soon to be red) bar and above the "welcome" paragraph?

Remove the two news paragraphs, the "we can use your list" paragraph, and the "seminarsfor less is not affiliated" paragraph.

Move the "our services include" list to the right and give each bullet point a check mark and make each one a link to their corresponding pages.

Then move the big dot to the left, remove the paragraph beneath it, and move the postcard photo underneath the dot on the left, with a link to "sample invitations" instead of "packages and pricing".

Then make one text line at the bottom sit on top of the red line and say "Headlines - " followed by one of the headlines that stretches the length of the line and trails off with a "..." and "more" link.

Center the phone number.

Let's see how that looks. You definitely have my attention!

[Zoe]

Thank you for the feedback. Here are the revisions.

Should you decide upon my design concept, I will be quite happy to work with you further, creating the inside page.

Thanks

Zoe

[NobodyYouKnow1]

Demex, I like it, I don't think there is anything left to change.

I'd like to see some more options from different designers, of course, but this is very nice!

[carlos(esparza)]

hi, here is my concept:

(the photography is temporary, and while it's possible i could get the rights for it on the final website, i can't guarantee that, it's just for illustrative purposes)

http://carlos.errorproductions.com/outpost/seminarsforless.gif

[NobodyYouKnow1]

Carlos: I like it a lot, its very clean and well designed, but I'd like to see how you would incorporate the other elements into the site.

1. I need a place to sign up for the newsletter on every page.

2. I needs a place for updated free resources like the podcast section in demex's design.

3. I'd like a place for headlines as well.

You can remove "forms: and "press room" from the red bar and place them in the navigation below the phone number.

I'm really interested in your ideas for the changes. Looking good!

[carlos(esparza)]

Hi, thanks so much for your comments.

here are the requested revisions, and i've switched the images to stock photos.

http://carlos.errorproductions.com/outpost/seminarsforlessII.gif

[NobodyYouKnow1]

Carlos: Looks very good. Can we have a footer with our contact info like we do on our current site? www.seminarsforless.com

Only not our design, of course!

Thanks!

[NobodyYouKnow1]

To Everyone: For the photos, if you are using audience pictures we need pictures of full seminars, and not business seminars, these are seminars for the public, 50+ age group in particular. Thanks!

[BrianDove]

my entry,im open to any modifications of course :)

rgds
Brian

[Carl]

:)

[NobodyYouKnow1]

Carlos: I like this, let's work on it...

We need to make sure the red matches our logo red, it's looking a little pink to me.

The photos need to be of a consumer crowd, not a business meeting.

Can we have a footer with our contact info like we do on our current site? www.seminarsforless.com . Only not our design, of course!

From the links under the phone number: Remove "client endorsements", remove "free resources", remove "press room". The only links should be "home", client login", "Place an order", and "contact us".

The red bar should have these links in this order: Design, printing, mailing list, postage, reservations, results.

The star-burst needs to have the words "Included in all packages" instead of its current phrase, and should be moved straight up to the left side of the bar.

"Our most popular package is our" can be kept the same size, but increase the size of "5,000 piece mailing for $1,995" to make it stand out. Instead of "be sure to check...: just put a link "View all Packages & pricing" and we can remove the postcards to save space, because we need to remove the "breaking news" section...

On the left change "seminar newsletter" to "newsletter", remove seminar from "seminar podcast" as well, and add another section called "headlines".


PHEW! I think that should do it!

[NobodyYouKnow1]

Carl: I like the layout, can we make it a little less "flat"?

[Carl]

Some depth.

[carlos(esparza)]

Hi, here are the revisions you asked for:

how do you feel about the "click here buttons" using the postage lines from your logo? I'm sort of on the fence about them: on the one hand, it's nice to use an established design element—on the other, they're a little "plain-jane."

just curious . . .

http://carlos.errorproductions.com/outpost/seminarsforlessIII.gif

[NobodyYouKnow1]

Carlos: The only info in the footer should be -


Seminars For Less
Phone & Fax 1-800-909-9894
3840 Belfort Road Suite 301
Jacksonville, FL 32216
info@seminarsforless.com

But I do like it laid out horizontally like you have it.

Then...

Newsletter should have under it: Sign up for our e-newsletter filled with tips and seminar deals.

Podcast should have: Listen to seminar experts share their secrets.

Headlines should say: Owner of Seminars For Less Featured on cover of Senior Market Advisor Magazine.

Basically I'm trying to keep those items to two lines or less.

We need to either left justify "our most popular package" or right justify the other three paragraphs beneath it... it might be interesting to see all 4 paragraphs right justified...

Remove "breaking stories" and its two paragraphs.

Before "design" add a link "unlimited consultation" and change "design" to "Invitation Design".

And yeah, let's keep the wavy lines on the click here items...

And for the main header photo, lets use this:

http://www.istockphoto.com/file_closeup.php?id=408753

[carlos(esparza)]

here are those revisions, though, i'm not sure we were both thinking of the same "main image" in the header.

http://www.1384.net/DO/mockiv.gif

[NobodyYouKnow1]

I think I wanted the 1 photo to stretch across the entire header. Will that work? I want more audience, less white screen. Other than that, I think this is what we are looking for.

[NobodyYouKnow1]

Demex: I wanted to give your design a final shot because it's running a close second, but I think its the buttons that are hanging me up. They feel a little dated. Is there a way to make them more modern feeling? I am referring to the red header link, and the red buttons on the right side.

When you make those changes you might as well include this minor re-shuffle: The 4 links in the header should be "home" "client login" "place an order" and "contact us".

The links in the red bar should be: seminars consultation, invitation design, printing, mailing list, postage, reservations, and results.

Finally, move headlines to the right under newsletter and podcast.

This has been a great contest and its down to these final two designs!

[Zoe]

Thanks - I will work on these changes as soon as I get home this evening.

[Zoe]

Hello,

Here are some changes with a few variations of buttons.

[carlos(esparza)]

i'm pretty sure this is what your looking for, yes?

http://www.1384.net/DO/mockv.gif

[NobodyYouKnow1]

OK carlos, I like it but the feedback I'm getting from my in-house designer is that the back ground is too drab. Can we do something to make it brighter?

[carlos(esparza)]

hmmm, some kind of pattern perhaps? i can see that. i'll post an update in the next hour.

[Zoe]

Is there any other feedback on the changes I have made?

Thanks

Zoe

[carlos(esparza)]

if there's one thing i'm told often regarding my work, it's being "too subtle." after much deliberation, i chose this texture, but don't exactly anticipate it being what you had in mind. any specific thoughts?

http://www.1384.net/DO/mockvi.gif

[NobodyYouKnow1]

Demex, can you make the footer have our info in it and give it a drop shadow to make it look like the bottom of the page?

Also, can you make the fonts more smooth and not so jagged?

And I like the button used under "seminar podcast".

And we need to capitalize the first letter of each link on the red header bar.

And can you give me one more stripe option for the background, something tighter?




Carlos: It still looks dark. I like yours, but the rest of the crew is leaning towards demex's because it is brighter...

[Zoe]

Here are the changes and a few different background ideas.

Thanks

Zoe

------------------

[NobodyYouKnow1]

Wow. I am very impressed. Just excellent. I will put the options up for a vote in the office today.

[NobodyYouKnow1]

Congrats, demex, you really impressed the office with that last round. We are going with layout-a. When you deliver the files, could you change "seminars consultation" to "seminar consultation"? That's it. Also, I imagine the inside pages will be the same as this page unless you have any other suggestions?


Thanks so much to everyone who contributed to this... it was extremely close and I ended up putting it to a vote in the office. Very good job, everyone!

[Zoe]

That's Great! thanks!

I will start organising the files tomorrow. I get home early from work so should have them ready tomorrow night.

Zoe

[carlos(esparza)]

hey, demex--great job!

[Zoe]

Just updating thread to say that the files have been recieved via PM and already live. :)

[BlueCherryGraphics]

PROJECT UPDATE: This thread has been moved to Template Archives.