Michael...
03-12-2003, 12:09 AM
(Admin code added by Palmer - D785863L)
AftermarketExtremes.com Design - PRIZE: $175.00
Summary: Ecommerce- Specialty Auto Parts
Hello,
(This is a long one... I suggest you print it and keep a highlighter handy for the really important parts! ;) However, I do include a summary at the very end of this post as a quick review and reference.)
I am working on a site for a client dealing with specialty auto parts. After having a little design block and finding the Wheelreplicas.com Redesign (which impressed me)... I decided to suggest to my client that we set up a contest to get the best results for him.
Before I get too far... you may access images I mention by name/directory below using a restricted FTP account. You may log in using the following information:
Address: ftp.aftermarketextremes.com
User: designer@aftermarketextremes.com
Pass: abcabc
[admin edit]Open up your ftp program (like ws_ftp) where it says "Hostname/address:" use ftp.aftermarketextremes.com and enter the user name and password above[/edit]
( If anyone has problems getting the files via FTP, just let me know and I will make other arrangements. )
The Site and Design Style Desired:
The domain for my client's site is: http://www.aftermarketextremes.com/ There is just a simple page there in the meantime, but if you click through to his ebay auctions, you will see some of the items he will be marketing through the site once completed. Some cars my client caters to are: Accord, Civic, s2000, Prelude, and CRX. (These are all Hondas... there are other makers too.)
Here are a few sites with similar purposes to what we are developing:
http://www.optionsautosalon.com/
http://www.polkperformance.com/
http://www.nopi.com/
http://www.civicsuperstore.com/
Some terms my client has used to describe what he wants: "clean","sophisticated","very nice looking". Case in point, my client seems to like the feel of http://www.civicsuperstore.com/ the most.
Template Integration:
This site template is to be integrated with the osCommerce shopping system. An example of the most current release of osCommerce can be viewed here: http://www.oscommerce.com/osCommerce22ms1/ Don't think that means you are limited in design to something along those lines...
Here are a few examples of customized osCommerce powered sites:
http://paulharris.paulharris.com/catalog/default.php
http://www.dvwarehouse.com/ (good example of how very customized it can be)
http://www.tozka.com/ (also selling auto parts)
http://www.dagiftbasket.com/store/catalog/default.php (a bit more traditional)
A couple points...
First off, the "Languages" and "Currencies" boxes seen in the default osCommerce design will not be needed.
Open this URL: http://www.oscommerce.com/osCommerce22ms1/...ult.php?cPath=3 (http://www.oscommerce.com/osCommerce22ms1/default.php?cPath=3)
As you can see, when a main category is clicked on, the sub-categories display on the left as an expanded tree and in the main page with text links and associated images. Also, the image associated to the category selected ("DVD Movies" in this case.) is being displayed in the upper right. Also, notice that when a sub-category is selected, it is then the sub-category image displayed in the upper right. As seen here with "DVD Movies >> Action":
http://www.oscommerce.com/osCommerce22ms1/....php?cPath=3_10 (http://www.oscommerce.com/osCommerce22ms1/default.php?cPath=3_10)
Anyway, you should provide an example of the style, if any, you would add to these category and sub-category images to match your design. ( Example: At the URL above... purple background, thick black border for sub-categories and none for the main categories.). Obviously, we won't be using the osCommerce images... so just use the provided product images (see below) to create examples of any styling.
While at the above URL ("DVD Movies >> Action"), you should note the row color display of the products within that category. You should probably provide an example of this and how it would work in relation to your design.
Product Images:
Some product images have been provided by the client and a couple taken by me from his auctions. (FTP: /products/) Some are edited somewhat, some are not. You could use these to demonstrate styling or whatever.
Links and Navigation:
I like the way http://www.dvwarehouse.com/ shows the "Manufacturers" as an expanded drop down... please leave room for that in your design.
The category links should be easy to edit as we haven't laid down the initial category tree yet... so we should try to stick with text/CSS mix for those in the final version. (with images only used for accents... rounded corners, tree indicators, whatever your design requires) If used, mouseovers for the category navigation should be provided in CSS in the final version.
Here is an example of how the category tree might work in our case with the CRX branch showing it's sub categories...
Accord
Civic
CRX
-> Brakes
-> Exhaust
-> Intake Systems
-> Lighting
-> Suspension
-> Tires
-> Wheels
-> Xenon Headlamp Kits
Prelude
s2000
Anyway, whether you stick with a traditional osCommerce navigation or a more unique view (such as http://www.dvwarehouse.com/ ), you should keep in mind how the coloring should work with categories, sub-categories, and mouseovers (or whatever).
White 2001 Honda s2000:
My client would like his Honda s2000 worked in to the design somewhere.
I have cropped out and reduced one of the photos he sent me (FTP: s2000_cropped_1.jpg). The picture was taken in a parking deck... it's still needs a little more brightness. Also, because of the backlight windshield and 92 colors in that area... I am not quite sure how to edit the windshield and still have it look like a natural glass windshield. If you can edit that windshield and make it look natural... that is a major plus! ;)
OR
You may access any of the other s2000 pictures (FTP: s2000_reduced_#.jpg) and edit those to your liking. Except for taking the size from 1600 X 1200 to 800 X 600 and saving at .75 quality to reduce download time (Some were registering as 5MB before those changes!), these images are unedited. A couple are only included as reference... as some bits were cut off when the picture was taken. Now that I look at them again... s2000_reduced_3.jpg is definitely my favorite as it was taken outside and the s2000 looks great with the top up... still, it too would need some creative editing. :)
All the s2000 pictures should be high enough quality for any editing, however, should you need the original before it was reduced... just let me know.
Regarding Logo:
A logo is provided. (FTP: logo.jpg) However, don't base your design on this logo and the logo colors! If you can change this logo to match the colors and style of your site design... fine. Otherwise, just insert a generic logo... when inserting a logo, please indicate in your post the dimensions of the space it would take up. I would say a minimum would probably be 100px H X 250px W for the logo provided.
Site Colors:
We have decided not to specify colors at this time... we want to leave plenty of room for your creativity to influence your design. This may change midway through the contest if we feel we need to focus the designs more.
Shopping Cart Buttons:
osCommerce comes with default shopping cart buttons listed below. (FTP: /cart_buttons/) You do not need to create them from scratch if the default ones will match your design... editing the colors to match should be sufficient. Also, you are not expected to provide examples of all these in your submissions... 1-3 would be fine, but please keep in mind that at least the ones listed below and maybe a few more will be needed after a winner is picked.
Reviews
In Cart (adds item to cart)
Update ( 1 - seems refresh cart contents 2 - update notifications )
Continue Shopping (seems to redirect from cart to last viewed page)
Back
Write Review
Checkout
Continue
Sign In
Address Book
Order History
Notifications
Edit Account
Remove Notifications
Change Address
Confirm Order
Buy Now
Add Address
Delete
Order History
Sign In
Search
Shipping Options
Contest Details:
Would prefer to pick a winner by the evening of 3/26/03 (about 14 days)... will extend if necessary.
My client will be looking in on the contest... he may decide it is easier to post instead of relaying messages through me... so keep that in mind. To make communication between myself and the designers and the client a smooth as possible, please include in your post a template version ID. Such as: USERNAME_1, USERNAME_2. (Saw this in another contest... great idea!)
Winner should be available for small modifications, if any, during integration with osCommerce and future paid work with this design. (I figure most designers will be, but thought I should mention this up front.) I will need the template sliced into HTML... positioning should be Table based as osCommerce is still based on that model... CSS styling is preferred.
If you need any more information, please ask. ;) Thank you very much for considering our contest... we can't wait to see your designs!
Thanks,
Michael
- Quick Review Summary -
(review above for anything you are not clear on)
- General
Site: http://www.aftermarketextremes.com/
Purpose: Ecommerce - Specialty Auto Parts
Shopping Cart to be Integrated: osCommerce ( http://www.oscommerce.com/osCommerce22ms1/ )
Image Access: Honda s2000, logo, products, and shopping cart buttons via FTP.
- Site Design
Design Feel: "clean","sophisticated","very nice looking"
Design Requirement: Integrate Honda s2000 image somewhere into design.
Logo: Redesign or insert generic logo... your choice based on design. Indicate minimum space required.
Colors: Not specified at this time... use what you want.
- Cart Elements
Category/Sub-Category Images: Provide styling example, if any.
Product Row Display: Provide color example based on your design.
Shopping Cart Buttons: Provide 1-3 examples based on your design.
(Editing provided button colors to match is acceptable.)
Category Links: Text portion should be plain text. Images only for accents. CSS for mouseovers, if any.
- Misc.
HTML Code: Need template sliced into table based layout. CSS preferred for style.
Communication: Please use template IDs such as: USERNAME_1, USERNAME_2 to make it easy.
Prize: $175.00 Contest End: 3/26/03
AftermarketExtremes.com Design - PRIZE: $175.00
Summary: Ecommerce- Specialty Auto Parts
Hello,
(This is a long one... I suggest you print it and keep a highlighter handy for the really important parts! ;) However, I do include a summary at the very end of this post as a quick review and reference.)
I am working on a site for a client dealing with specialty auto parts. After having a little design block and finding the Wheelreplicas.com Redesign (which impressed me)... I decided to suggest to my client that we set up a contest to get the best results for him.
Before I get too far... you may access images I mention by name/directory below using a restricted FTP account. You may log in using the following information:
Address: ftp.aftermarketextremes.com
User: designer@aftermarketextremes.com
Pass: abcabc
[admin edit]Open up your ftp program (like ws_ftp) where it says "Hostname/address:" use ftp.aftermarketextremes.com and enter the user name and password above[/edit]
( If anyone has problems getting the files via FTP, just let me know and I will make other arrangements. )
The Site and Design Style Desired:
The domain for my client's site is: http://www.aftermarketextremes.com/ There is just a simple page there in the meantime, but if you click through to his ebay auctions, you will see some of the items he will be marketing through the site once completed. Some cars my client caters to are: Accord, Civic, s2000, Prelude, and CRX. (These are all Hondas... there are other makers too.)
Here are a few sites with similar purposes to what we are developing:
http://www.optionsautosalon.com/
http://www.polkperformance.com/
http://www.nopi.com/
http://www.civicsuperstore.com/
Some terms my client has used to describe what he wants: "clean","sophisticated","very nice looking". Case in point, my client seems to like the feel of http://www.civicsuperstore.com/ the most.
Template Integration:
This site template is to be integrated with the osCommerce shopping system. An example of the most current release of osCommerce can be viewed here: http://www.oscommerce.com/osCommerce22ms1/ Don't think that means you are limited in design to something along those lines...
Here are a few examples of customized osCommerce powered sites:
http://paulharris.paulharris.com/catalog/default.php
http://www.dvwarehouse.com/ (good example of how very customized it can be)
http://www.tozka.com/ (also selling auto parts)
http://www.dagiftbasket.com/store/catalog/default.php (a bit more traditional)
A couple points...
First off, the "Languages" and "Currencies" boxes seen in the default osCommerce design will not be needed.
Open this URL: http://www.oscommerce.com/osCommerce22ms1/...ult.php?cPath=3 (http://www.oscommerce.com/osCommerce22ms1/default.php?cPath=3)
As you can see, when a main category is clicked on, the sub-categories display on the left as an expanded tree and in the main page with text links and associated images. Also, the image associated to the category selected ("DVD Movies" in this case.) is being displayed in the upper right. Also, notice that when a sub-category is selected, it is then the sub-category image displayed in the upper right. As seen here with "DVD Movies >> Action":
http://www.oscommerce.com/osCommerce22ms1/....php?cPath=3_10 (http://www.oscommerce.com/osCommerce22ms1/default.php?cPath=3_10)
Anyway, you should provide an example of the style, if any, you would add to these category and sub-category images to match your design. ( Example: At the URL above... purple background, thick black border for sub-categories and none for the main categories.). Obviously, we won't be using the osCommerce images... so just use the provided product images (see below) to create examples of any styling.
While at the above URL ("DVD Movies >> Action"), you should note the row color display of the products within that category. You should probably provide an example of this and how it would work in relation to your design.
Product Images:
Some product images have been provided by the client and a couple taken by me from his auctions. (FTP: /products/) Some are edited somewhat, some are not. You could use these to demonstrate styling or whatever.
Links and Navigation:
I like the way http://www.dvwarehouse.com/ shows the "Manufacturers" as an expanded drop down... please leave room for that in your design.
The category links should be easy to edit as we haven't laid down the initial category tree yet... so we should try to stick with text/CSS mix for those in the final version. (with images only used for accents... rounded corners, tree indicators, whatever your design requires) If used, mouseovers for the category navigation should be provided in CSS in the final version.
Here is an example of how the category tree might work in our case with the CRX branch showing it's sub categories...
Accord
Civic
CRX
-> Brakes
-> Exhaust
-> Intake Systems
-> Lighting
-> Suspension
-> Tires
-> Wheels
-> Xenon Headlamp Kits
Prelude
s2000
Anyway, whether you stick with a traditional osCommerce navigation or a more unique view (such as http://www.dvwarehouse.com/ ), you should keep in mind how the coloring should work with categories, sub-categories, and mouseovers (or whatever).
White 2001 Honda s2000:
My client would like his Honda s2000 worked in to the design somewhere.
I have cropped out and reduced one of the photos he sent me (FTP: s2000_cropped_1.jpg). The picture was taken in a parking deck... it's still needs a little more brightness. Also, because of the backlight windshield and 92 colors in that area... I am not quite sure how to edit the windshield and still have it look like a natural glass windshield. If you can edit that windshield and make it look natural... that is a major plus! ;)
OR
You may access any of the other s2000 pictures (FTP: s2000_reduced_#.jpg) and edit those to your liking. Except for taking the size from 1600 X 1200 to 800 X 600 and saving at .75 quality to reduce download time (Some were registering as 5MB before those changes!), these images are unedited. A couple are only included as reference... as some bits were cut off when the picture was taken. Now that I look at them again... s2000_reduced_3.jpg is definitely my favorite as it was taken outside and the s2000 looks great with the top up... still, it too would need some creative editing. :)
All the s2000 pictures should be high enough quality for any editing, however, should you need the original before it was reduced... just let me know.
Regarding Logo:
A logo is provided. (FTP: logo.jpg) However, don't base your design on this logo and the logo colors! If you can change this logo to match the colors and style of your site design... fine. Otherwise, just insert a generic logo... when inserting a logo, please indicate in your post the dimensions of the space it would take up. I would say a minimum would probably be 100px H X 250px W for the logo provided.
Site Colors:
We have decided not to specify colors at this time... we want to leave plenty of room for your creativity to influence your design. This may change midway through the contest if we feel we need to focus the designs more.
Shopping Cart Buttons:
osCommerce comes with default shopping cart buttons listed below. (FTP: /cart_buttons/) You do not need to create them from scratch if the default ones will match your design... editing the colors to match should be sufficient. Also, you are not expected to provide examples of all these in your submissions... 1-3 would be fine, but please keep in mind that at least the ones listed below and maybe a few more will be needed after a winner is picked.
Reviews
In Cart (adds item to cart)
Update ( 1 - seems refresh cart contents 2 - update notifications )
Continue Shopping (seems to redirect from cart to last viewed page)
Back
Write Review
Checkout
Continue
Sign In
Address Book
Order History
Notifications
Edit Account
Remove Notifications
Change Address
Confirm Order
Buy Now
Add Address
Delete
Order History
Sign In
Search
Shipping Options
Contest Details:
Would prefer to pick a winner by the evening of 3/26/03 (about 14 days)... will extend if necessary.
My client will be looking in on the contest... he may decide it is easier to post instead of relaying messages through me... so keep that in mind. To make communication between myself and the designers and the client a smooth as possible, please include in your post a template version ID. Such as: USERNAME_1, USERNAME_2. (Saw this in another contest... great idea!)
Winner should be available for small modifications, if any, during integration with osCommerce and future paid work with this design. (I figure most designers will be, but thought I should mention this up front.) I will need the template sliced into HTML... positioning should be Table based as osCommerce is still based on that model... CSS styling is preferred.
If you need any more information, please ask. ;) Thank you very much for considering our contest... we can't wait to see your designs!
Thanks,
Michael
- Quick Review Summary -
(review above for anything you are not clear on)
- General
Site: http://www.aftermarketextremes.com/
Purpose: Ecommerce - Specialty Auto Parts
Shopping Cart to be Integrated: osCommerce ( http://www.oscommerce.com/osCommerce22ms1/ )
Image Access: Honda s2000, logo, products, and shopping cart buttons via FTP.
- Site Design
Design Feel: "clean","sophisticated","very nice looking"
Design Requirement: Integrate Honda s2000 image somewhere into design.
Logo: Redesign or insert generic logo... your choice based on design. Indicate minimum space required.
Colors: Not specified at this time... use what you want.
- Cart Elements
Category/Sub-Category Images: Provide styling example, if any.
Product Row Display: Provide color example based on your design.
Shopping Cart Buttons: Provide 1-3 examples based on your design.
(Editing provided button colors to match is acceptable.)
Category Links: Text portion should be plain text. Images only for accents. CSS for mouseovers, if any.
- Misc.
HTML Code: Need template sliced into table based layout. CSS preferred for style.
Communication: Please use template IDs such as: USERNAME_1, USERNAME_2 to make it easy.
Prize: $175.00 Contest End: 3/26/03