Corporate Events Website Template - $180

[Dan Morgan]

(Admin code added by Palmer - D9184810)

Hello creative people!

4th contest on DO!

New personal project I need help with a template for. The site is for Company Events Limited UK.

Current site is located at:

http://www.companyevents.ltd.uk/

But the new site will be located at:

http://www.companyeventslimited.com

All info about the client is on the site so you can get a good idea of content. A logo is already done, and I have uploaded EPS and AI versions of it to this post along with a scan of one of the adverts for the company which ran in the Yellow Pages recently (note the printers messed up the colours on the print, the actual background on the EDS/AI logo files is the background colour which should be used.

http://www.ski-review.com/files.zip

Brief is something elegant, corporate which conveys an elite high regarded company. Ideally the client wants to establish a personal rapport by means of contact via email/phone so the structure should encourage contact wherever possible without ramming a phone number down their throat. Just by suggestive means. The message being one where most details will be discussed in person rather than an elaborate “contact” form.

Site should use the purple and white from the logo, and be elegant with good use of form and shapes/curves to provide structure/headings/headers. Maybe you could use the horse with lowered opacity and/or gradients/different shades in the background.

Stock photography can be used by sparingly and only to subtlety illustrate a point.

This can either be supplied as a homepage with a sub pages with a slightly different layout or as a simple one page design which the homepage and sub pages can both use. I would prefer the first option however.

Deadline in 2 stages. I narrow down all entries a week from today on the 10th and post a winner a few days after. Ideally I would like all entries in by the 10th as I will show them to the client and I would not like to risk changing his decision because a great template was submitted after this date.

Sites which convey the right ambience:

http://www.ncm.at (really like this style for text formatting ect, but with a dark background)
http://www.adtech.de/
http://www.hbinteractive.co.uk/

Any questions please ask!

Looking forward to seeing your work!

Dan

[Dan Morgan]

When I posted those links to sites I like (well the 2nd and 3rd) I was really having difficulty finding sites which I liked and wanted this template to be similar in style too. I guess the best example would be the majority of car manufacturers sites. Very often dark background with nice structure! BMW & Mini etc.

[edit]
Ooh! Found a great example. 1on1's first post on this page: http://www.designoutpost.com/forums/?showt...9&hl=lawn&st=30 - Perfect Style!
[/edit]

Also I forgot to mention that I will code (markup and CSS) this myself as I am on a 100% CSS trip at the moment so all I need is a layered native file.

Thanks

Dan

[KellyB]

Hi Dan

thanks for emailing me and letting me know about this contest...

I will be entering

[KellyB]

Hi Dan..

Here's two ideas for starters





The photo is licensed for use, but I thought it would be quite cool to change that photo depending on which page you were on... or the time of the year - ie. at christmas, christmas party photo.

Let me know what you think...

[Anne]

Here is my entry

Looking forward to your feedback

[Dan Morgan]

Well what can I say!

Wow and Wow is a good start!

You gals have captured the style I want very well. In fact the more I look at 1on1's template the more it fits exactly with the look I want to acheive.

Kelly - Great! Love the overall style and structure. Things I would change would be:

1. Remove the "The Number 1 for Parties......" text top right. Not keen on text at that size being stroked.

2. Change the "Our business is ..." text heading to a graphical text element, in white.

3. Change the font for all the system text to something else, maybe Tahoma 11px?

Great idea about changing the photo!

Anne - Again - top notch. Brilliant structure and eye pleasing layout.

Changes:

1. Black text is hard to read so can it be changed to white? The "Our business is Parties..." is nice but could it be full white and a different font? That one looks like a cross between system and graphical. Would also like to see a different font for the list of activities, both graphical and system (for SEO purposes).

2. Would love to see a lick of white to accentuate the header tracing the wavy line but varying in thickness - if you know what I mean?

3. The images top right - Not keen on the images used but very keen on the use of images there. Those particular photos do not seem to fit. Same comment as Kelly re the text over the photos.

4. Nav is nice, but does not really fit the elegant look. Can we try something else?

Thanks Impressed as always, looking forward to changes and new entries!

[KellyB]

Hi Dan..

Here are the changes... plus a few changes of my own too

I've changed the colours slighty. I've realised that my monitor is set really dark - and saw the colours on my partners monitor and they were a bit in your face oh well

[Dan Morgan]

Hey! What can I say but it looks great!

Maybe a bit dark overall. If you fancy trying to lighten it then that would be good but I can see the overall effect of the design and can convey that adequately to the client when I meet to show him the designs.

Any more coming from anyone?

[1on1]

Hi Dan, I will try and get something for you to see soon, now that I can get back on the site

[KellyB]

A bit lighter

[Dan Morgan]

Much nicer

[1on1]

Dan I just noticed the deadline and I will be away on holiday from that date, so I don't think it would be wise for me to enter something. Sorry about that.

[DesignGeneral]

I'm in

[Dan Morgan]

[Dan Morgan]

[Anne]

Here is the revision. I am not sure about the text you pointed out ... the only graphical text now is the menu.

I would like some feedback on the design before I start searching for other pictures to use on the top. Do you have any suggestions on what kind of images you would like to see there.

Thanks
- Anne

[1on1]

[Dan Morgan]

Well that seems cool 1on1. If you enter before or on the 10th and win, I can always wait til the 17th to start coding.

Either that or you could send Palmer the file just in case?

Anne, looks good! Would still change the "Our business is..." to a more ornate/elegant font, and I am not sure about the nav, preferred the old one to the new, but do not like the old one much. Very very nice though!

[Anne]

[Anne]

Made som changes to the menu (left side) and the heading.

[Dan Morgan]

Anne! Awesome, really love that! I can see my client is going to have a hard time deciding this one already and we only have 2 entries!

Fuerteventura is supposed to be nice (depending which part you stay in), my 2 housemates went last year.

Anne, how can you be sick of snow? I would kill for a hill and some white stuff

[KellyB]

I wish I was going somewhere hot - we're going to Aviemore up North Scotland in May :blink: cold cold cold

[Anne]

[DesignGeneral]

here is my entry.

feedback will be appreciated.

Thanks B)

[DesignGeneral]

and with the logo on background ...

[Dan Morgan]

Hey!

Great work!

With the header, not sure I like the 2 ovals - would perhaps look better as one or as a single irregular shape? Is the feathering around the image intented?

Nav looks really good, nice concept with the icon of the horse.

I am really anal with fonts, so would change the "Next time your company.." to something else as well as the lists of activities and the font you have used in the footer. However love the font for "Our business is events".

The pointed bit in the header looks a bit too much like an Indian temple, not really keen on that look, same for the grainy background on the footer.

Overall, really nice concept which will be great with a few tweaks!

[DesignGeneral]

Hi,

The 2 ovals suggest a pair of sunglases B) . (that's mean fun, party, elegance ...)

The feather around the image is intended. The 2 ovals have a nice focus on the page. This way your logo and the image get the attention.

The texture from header and footer can be changed(that's not a pb).

About the fonts...

I used Arial for the middle and footer of page because is a common font. I can use other fonts if u planning to have text on images. If you want to have text in the html than you will use a common font and u can customize this from the css or html coding.

My idea is. The headline "Our business..." can be made like an image. The left nav will be made from rollover images. The middle will have background with the faded logo and the footer will have also background and company text, navigation and copyright will be html.

I'll wait your feedback before I'll make the changes.

Thanks

[Dan Morgan]

Ah I see!

I would still lose the Sunglasses idea and try and incorporate that photo in some other way. I think the logo 'lens' would work well on its own. And definately lose the feathering.

The "next time..." text; can it be changed to normal Tahoma 11px as I think that will work well. Same with the text in the middle of the page (bold) and the footer. Agree with the "Our buinsess...", that can be left as it is.

And obviously the pointed bit in the footer to be removed. And the copyright text to be white too.

Thanks

Dan

[DesignGeneral]

ok,

I'll be back with changes

[1on1]

*Image Removed