asymilate.co.uk needs a template $150

[asymilate]

Asymilate Ltd (Admin code added by Palmer - D520333M)

Profile : Asymilate Ltd is a provider of Consultancy Services to the Banking community in the area of Software, Consulting and Integration services. The main assets of the company are the people who have many years experience and indepth knowledge of finance and technology. They are able to work on projects amongst Client teams to deliver solutions on a variety of briefs.

The idea of Asymilate is of a company that is able to assemble solutions by bringing together technology / people / software and services in order to provide solutions in a constantly changing business environment.

Target Market : Banks, financial institutions involved with implementing third party software for trading, settlement and risk management

Location : Based in London but providing services globally

Image : Consultative, bold, efficient, experienced and professional, team minded, quality

Appeal : Site must appeal to buyers of consultancy and professional services for the Capital Markets ie banks / financial institutions. Main buyers will be financial institutions that need to buy external assistance for technology services to augment their existing projects.

Logo : Colours – Blue / Black / Orange to create a bright company with fresh ideas and but not too ambitious to frighten the conservative buyer. Messages should convey an ability to compete with bigger rivals through knowledgeable staff and tailored services. Would like a suggestion for a catchphrase / caption to attach to the logo eg 'Solutions for Capital Markets' etc (being developed in the Logo's forum)

It should really work on a wide range of media - business cards (black&white or maybe limited color), website, print. Preferably a vector based format, and it should degrade gracefully with color reduction.

Companies to research for ideas :
www.capco.com
http://www.dc.com/
www.ma-p.com
www.accenture.com
http://www.cmc-change.com/
http://www.riskcare.com/

Main Sections of web site: Home, Company, Services, People, Contact

[motiveX]

So this $150 is including a logo design AS well as a template?

[Palmer]

No he is running 2 contests, one for the template and one for the logo.

[motiveX]

Originally posted by Palmer@Mar 12 2003, 02:08 PM
No he is running 2 contests, one for the template and one for the logo.
Thanks for the clarification Palmer.

I tend not to venture into the Logo thread anymore, cause I tend to suck at branding for some reason.

:ninja:

[asymilate]

What is the usual turn around for someone to post repies to the template sections ?

[Palmer]

You're being spoiled by your logo contest :) They really have given you a lot to look at in a short time. Template contests usually take 2 or 3 days before the first entry. It takes longer to make those.

[asymilate]

Many thanks - since I might not be around in the weekend I just wanted to get a feel of whether or not to login over the weekend. You are right the response from the logo contest has been very speedy. :)

regards

[Jeremy W.]

I'd prefer to wait until the logo contest is done, as the template would need to reflect that :)

J

[motiveX]

I am putting something together right now for a template, just using the logo I made.

Pretty sad that I am spending my lil free time doing design work, when I could be outside shoveling or something.

:lol:

[motiveX]

Here is an idea.

*removed*

[john]

I used the latest logo i created for this one. Another version in white coming soon.

[john]

Maybe ive missed it, but did you say were you are based? (so i can try to reflect that in the template)

[motiveX]

Originally posted by john@Mar 14 2003, 10:59 AM
Maybe ive missed it, but did you say were you are based? (so i can try to reflect that in the template)
Location : Based in London but providing services globally

:)

[john]

Thanks, i knew one compeny here was based in london but couldnt find it anywhere.

[john]

In that case ill change the templates to match a london based company.
Here is the lighter (though not quite white) version.

[asymilate]

Some of the important aspect of a webtemplate I feel are consistent navigation / branding / content / look and feel. As one browses from one page to the next, it should be easy to pick up where the images are / navigation / content is etc etc and subconsciously pick up information.

Bearing this in mind I have the following comments :

Xterior motive - It is nice that you have quite different navigation from most webstites effectively splitting the site into half. This however means that there will need to be a large graphic on each page to occupy the top right hand corner of the screen. Just wander what the consequences are for loading the graphics. It is nice that there is a lot of white space since this gives the impression of simplicity. the Logo is too big and the proportion split between written content and graphic needs revising.

Regarding the content of graphics, we would like to be seen as a people company showing team work in a fastmoving environment proviging solutions to banks particularly in software. The London image is quite nice but perhaps people in the london stock exchange or the bank of england or people in a trading floor etc etc.

John - Pls see comments above + images of a software consultancy in the banking environment would be nice rather than the London eye which is more on tourism.

Is it possible to submit designs without logo to show navigation / colours and a placeholder for the logo ??

many thanks ...

[john]

Nex version;

Version #3 (http://www.the-laptop-and-notebook-store.com/asymilate/asymilateanitemplate.gif)

NB - Whatever logo you use can be positioned wherever you would like it so no problems there.

[motiveX]

Not to show bias or anything, but I replaced my logo with the design which I liked the best out of the logos which were presented. It enables the design to come together better than simply having a 'place-holder' within the design. As a designer, it is easier for me to have my concept work best, actually having a logo.

Secondly, if you have an image you might have in mind for the header image, please feel free to send it to me or post it here. I don't have the time to venture outside of the stock images I already have on my computer.

Here are some adjustments.

Nothing major. I am all about subtle changes.

:P

*removed*

[john]

Same version but with generic logo;

version #3 (generic) (http://www.the-laptop-and-notebook-store.com/asymilate/asymilatetemplatewhite2.gif)

Greyscale version of the template;

version #4 (http://www.the-laptop-and-notebook-store.com/asymilate/asymilatetemplategrey.gif)

PS- Dont worry about the load times. They will be greatly reduced in the final version should you choose it.

BTW, you cant see it on these image but the blue colour will be at whichever section the user is at.

[john]

And last thing i just noticed. The size on the final version will be adjusted to whatever size you would like (just as it seems small at the minute)

[geofharries]

Asymilate,

Just to let you know, I am beginning work on an entry for you as well. Should have something to post in the next few hours or so.

thanks

geof

[QSDA]

Me too! :D

[geofharries]

Asymilate,

Here is my entry for the template. I used one of the logos from the other contest as a placeholder, and to give me reference for colours, and style. We can switch this out and do any adjustments if another should be chosen.

thanks,

geof

http://www.kwota.com/designoutpost/asymilate.jpg

[asymilate]

geof harris - i wasn't able to view your post. John - I think your designs look too dated like a wallpaper for the pc. :huh: xteriormotive do you think such a big portion of the page devoted to a gif works well ? Perhaps a smaller portion but which has a rotating gif showing rotation of people/services/technology for example. Not sure about what a header gif should contain but I can point you to some designs ... for example have a look at www.calypso.com. they are one of the companies whose software we specialise in. The site has some good points : - on the header page there is a small gif which is changed each time a different page is selected. The menu bars have inteligent drop downs with two tone colours that work well, the navigation is clean and simple. What are your thoughts ???

[Palmer]

His server must be down, I had it in my history, here is geofharries entry...

http://www.yourwebbuddy.com/misc/asymilate.jpg

[geofharries]

Server is up again :) woohoo

[motiveX]

Originally posted by asymilate@Mar 16 2003, 07:09 AM
geof harris - i wasn't able to view your post. John - I think your designs look too dated like a wallpaper for the pc.  :huh: xteriormotive do you think such a big portion of the page devoted to a gif works well ? Perhaps a smaller portion but which has a rotating gif showing rotation of people/services/technology for example. Not sure about what a header gif should contain but I can point you to some designs ... for example have a look at www.calypso.com. they are one of the companies whose software we specialise in. The site has some good points : - on the header page there is a small gif which is changed each time a different page is selected. The menu bars have inteligent drop downs with two tone colours that work well, the navigation is clean and simple. What are your thoughts ???
I understand your comments.

In saying that, I tend to design more out of the box for clients, since they tend to be entertainment based; this tends to show when I make the attempt to become more reserved or provide a more 'corporate' feel to some of the designs I create.

I will work to create something more along the lines of the Calypso site for you when I have a spare moment. This may, however not be until Wednesday since I have a very intensive chain of events over the course of the next couple of days.

-----------

Per the navigation...I don't see this really being a necessity for a site which is as small as yours appears to be. The Calypso page has a lot of sub pages...etc, which as far as I understand the scope of your project...is not something that is on the table just yet, no? So in that regard, drop downs would basically be a function with no purpose. A bell without the whistle?

[Palmer]

Here is my entry in your contest. Let me know your thoughts so I can make any changes.

Thank you,
Palmer
http://www.yourwebbuddy.com/templates/asym/1.png

[asymilate]

Some comments :

The templates are definitely getting better :rolleyes:

Palmer : We liked the pictures since they conveyed teaming and consultancy as opposed to geofharries where the immediate impression is of a hardware company. The template comes across simple and gets good messages across and it seems to have a dynamic feel to it. The navigation is not very desirable and geofharries and xterior mofive are better.

Geofharries : The navigation is good and the three boxes could be good links to important case studies and linked articles. The red colour should be toned down however as it tends to suggest emergency esp the big red box in the bottom left. We are very much into soft edges and wonder if the tool bar at the top could be shaped so that it is not triangular - similarly for the box labled 'we are changing the rules of finance technology'

Xteriormotive - clean and shapely - a combination and balance of the three would be nice to see. We are thinking of a blue logo if that helps with colours

let us know if you need more info

Looking forward to your comments

[Palmer]

You caught me :blush: I completed the template, uploaded it, went to your thread and then noticed the last line. I couldn't believe I forgot the links. Could be because it was around 1 in the morning :) So I opened up the file and put those in. I can do a better job with those. I'll make some changes to the navigation and post an update.

I'm also glad you weren't upset I went with a different color than what you wanted. You mentioned blues and oranges in your first message.

I'm pretty happy with the logo, I'm going to simplify it for your logo contest and enter it in that in a few days.

Thanks for your kind comments,
Palmer

[geofharries]

Asymilate,

Here is a revision to my template. I changed the red colour (I am on a Mac, so it is much more subtle than on Windows; I checked...yeah ouch! that was bright) to a more subtle hue. I rounded all of the corners as you asked, found some new photos, and took it upon myself to switch out the logo to one of the more current ones in that contest.

Hope you like the revisions. Looking forward to your feedback.

thanks

geof

http://www.kwota.com/designoutpost/asymilate-3.jpg

[asymilate]

The templates look like they are moving in the right direction. Some comments and questions

Please confirm that any pictures / images presented are royalty free. What would be the size of the templates that are delivered. Would they work for IE / netscape / apple equally. Can they be sized so that they fit on a portion of the page so that they cater for the lowest resolution screen of between 800 x 600 ~ 1074 x 768. In your experience what resolution do you design for other sites ?

Geofharries: Regarding the design it is better with the softer edges and the second one of your new templates is most attractive. However the picture below the logo should strongly convey what the whole company is about. Currently (although he is a very handsome guy) the impression is of somebody on holiday in the park. The other picture suggests that we are targeted for the Japanese market. Could you find some other subtle pitures to fill these slots ? Regarding the header how what would be preserved between one page and the next - for example, would the two pitures holders be kept the same between all the pages but with different content so that the reader would see different images between different pages ?

Regarding the navigation at the bottom of the screen, wouldn't this be more appropriate along the left hand side for instance ? Then that leaves the main body of the template for content. Would it be possible later on for us to modify the text that is on the three dialog boxes (Seamless solutions, professional services , Front to back office ) or would we need photoshop for instance ?

[geofharries]

Asymilate,

The photos I have in my templates are not royalty free at the moment. I will search around for some that are, and fit more in line with what you have now requested...in the other designs submitted in this contest, were they ones that stood out as appropriate?

The templates I've designed are made to fit inside a 800 x 600 screen. The width of each one is 770 pixels, meaning they snug up inside a maximized 800 x 600 screen resolution's browser window, with room to spare for the horizontal scrollbar, and a bit of extra breathing room (about 10 pixels) on the right. I don't design for 640 x 480 anymore, and prefer to use the aforementioned size as my standard.

My design will work on all modern browsers (IE 5+, Netscape 7, Mozilla, Phoenix, Camino, Safari), and on all platforms (Windows, Apple, Linux running Mozilla), and I have many years of experience coding them to do so. Actually, I went back to the original announcement post, and it does not say if you want the winner to cut up the template into HTML or XHTML (I prefer the latter). Is this required?

Glad to hear you like the blue, purple & white version of the template. It's my favourite, too. :) I will design you a secondary template demonstrating what one of the inside pages should look like, and what elements will be carried over from the homepage to the rest of the site. I can probably have something up here for you to see in a few days.

Regarding your comments about the navigation at the bottom: I don't quite understand your question. Do you mean that you'd like to see the small links, such as Home | Company | Services... on the left hand side of the page, such as beside the light blue box that describes your company? Please correct me if I'm wrong. I typically add a "footer" to the bottom of every template I design, and I like to visually demonstrate that to the client. When the site is built out in HTML and seen in a browser window, the footer floats at the bottom of the screen, and is always below any content on the page. If there is lots of text on said page, you may not be able to initially see the footer until you scroll down.

The text in the 3 dialog boxes will be modifiable by you, without Photoshop or any imaging software. This goes for most of the page, except for the main navigation up top, and "We're changing the rules...". As of right now I am using a font that does not allow for this, but in the next revision I will show you what this looks like, in a web-friendly font (i.e. Arial, Geneva, Helvetica, etc.).

Best regards,

geof

[asymilate]

Geofharries -

Regarding the pictures, we quite liked the one that Palmer used with woman demonstrating things to clients with her laptop. It shows consultancy and teamwork. There weren't a great deal of pictures to choose from actually :unsure: so we were rather hoping there would be a few samples created by different people to choose from. However the layout of yours seemed to work well but we didn't really like the pictures.

On navigation, we were thinking of having the navigation bar at the far right beside the box describing the company - or infact removing the box describing the company since the same box would not be replicated from one page to the next. However perhaps it is better to have the navigation as you ave laid it out at the bottom of the page.

Glad to hear that we could tailor the words on the boxes. It would be nice if we could do the same for the box "We're changing the rules" since then this text caption could be changed by us month by month like a motto of the day or something.

It would be very good to see how the site design would carry through to further pages and yes we would like to see a HTML version - just keen to make sure it would fit all browsers and a suitiible size

look forward to your next post

[Palmer]

I'll add more comments later about the other questions you had.

Regarding the pictures, I have full rights to those from a membership subscription I purchased from a stock photography site. I have permission to use them for any sites I design. As of yet, I have not used those photos on any other sites or templates and if you wish, I will only use them on yours.

More later...

[motiveX]

*removed*

[Palmer]

Ok, answering the other questions you had...

Please confirm that any pictures / images presented are royalty free.
Answered above in my last post

What would be the size of the templates that are delivered.
I design all of my sites with tables with 100% width so they will stretch to fit the monitor size of the visitor. If requested, I can make the design a "fixed" width, just tell me what width you would want.

Would they work for IE / netscape / apple equally.
Yes, my design is basic hand-coded html. It will work/look the same across all browsers and operating systems.

Can they be sized so that they fit on a portion of the page so that they cater for the lowest resolution screen of between 800 x 600 ~ 1074 x 768.

Yes, as stated above, if you would prefer they have a fixed width, that can be arranged.

In your experience what resolution do you design for other sites ?
My computer is set at 800x600 so that's the space I work in but like I said above, the design is "liquid" is stretches to fit the resolution of the users computer.

Hope that answered everything :)

[Palmer]

I've made some changes to the navigation (top right).
http://www.yourwebbuddy.com/templates/asym/2.png

[geofharries]

Asymilate,

Here are my revisions to the template. I've made it so you can edit every word on the website, including any of the feature graphics, because the font is either Arial or Verdana, which the majority of computers have by default. I've also provided the inside page as you asked. Photos are royalty-free.

If you were to proceed with this template, it would be helpful if your programmer could enforce limits on on how much text could be typed in certain areas, such as where it reads "We're changing the rules..." or "Increase the value..." just to keep the spacing, and overall design intact. This is easy enough if you're building the site with a database-driven backend...simply set limits in your page admin's text box and it will only allow a certain number of characters to be inserted. That way nothing will get "blown out" if someone types 12 words instead of 6 :)

geof

<img src='http://www.kwota.com/designoutpost/asymilate-5.jpg[/img]

http://www.kwota.com/designoutpost/asymilate-6.jpg

[motiveX]

Where does this contest stand?

I need to know ASAP.

[Palmer]

Ok, we have a winner! Asymilate contacted me and he is in South Africa so is not able to get connected very well to the 'net. He wanted me to thank all of you for entering and it was a tough decision for him to make.

The winner of the template contest is...

geofharries

Congratulations Geof! :tup:

He did not tell me what version of yours he liked the most but he did tell me to use the attached logo when you convert it to html. I will contact you privately to give you his email address so you can find out which one he wants you to convert.

Nice work guys! :)

[Zoe]

gongrats Geof! Nice design!

[geofharries]

Thanks Zoe and Palmer. woohoo! I finally won a contest (ok, I've only entered a couple, but nonetheless).

Now for the fun part....the code. :rolleyes:

geof

[Palmer]

I know what you mean, I spent most of my day on the Sales Appliance (http://www.yourwebbuddy.com/templates/sa/template.htm) template. I need to get Dreamweaver :P Hand coding just takes too long.