& WebDesign & Review

Design & Publishing . / . WEB . / . Critique . / . 9803 Reviews Index . / . Charles Downer

WDR Staff:

Charles Downer & Company impressed us with clarity and honesty. Right, it's not a zoomy site. Surfers looking for a thrill ride, just pass this one by.
_ However as serious business, Downer instills confidence from the very first page. Bravo!

Special thanks to all our reviewers during March -- 78 in all -- who took the time to help out.
_ All of these are good, constructive comments, and we hope the webmasters of these websites really appreciate the time taken by these generous folks.

Anne
Very impressed with Charles Downer & Co. Excellent design, and used sparingly and with restraint, which is important in web work!
__ As far as the "webmaster" title that is commented on........it MUST have been created by a man. Otherwise, I'd be a "webmistress".
Webweaver is the closest I can come to a title that I like! Charles Downer & Company

Bernie
This site starts off with some really nice graphics and colours. The text is akin to a brochure, peppy and upbeat but not very different from other pages of this sort. More content about what they do and how they do it would be in order. As well what should a potential client need to know in order to benefit most from their services. It seems evident too that Eagle marketing has submitted this site first to this form of review before going live on the Internet.
Bernie also comments... "the site is seriously marred by the incredible time it takes for everything to download. Then after waiting for the first page they use new graphics for the next and again the long wait. "
Editor's Note: Several other reviewers said it came down quickly. We thought it loaded within acceptable times -- which goes to show a lot depends on time of day, and the viewers' Internet service provider.

Mary
Nice front page, but it should be titled something other than "Home Page." Many search engines and indexes use the title of pages for listing, so try to use keywords in your site title. But, you must remember that the title is also what appears in the bookmark, so make sure it reveals the contents of your site. In other words, Charles Down & Company wouldn't be enough.
__ You should also consider using Keyword and Description META tags for the robot spiders, expecially since your index page has virtually no text other than links and contact information.
__ Your alt tags are not appropriate to describe the graphic, although you do provide text links. The center logo animation is really too quick to be effective. It appears to be just an interleaf GIF or a progressive JPEG.
__ Either slow down the animation or loop it to increase the impact. Pages load very fast. The color scheme using just the blue and gold works very well, but the Visited Link color is a bit too light. Page banners are very effective, but the text should be centered better vertically. It's a bit too high. Nice use of caps and spaces. Site isn't really completed enough to give a complete review, but so far it's a little light on content.

"Simple, clean, fast loading site.
Nicely done."
Two of our favorite reviewers comment:

Jacki Forbes
Simple, clean, fast loading site. Nicely done. While it was loading the center image said it was an animation, but it didn't move on my screen. [Viewed with Netscape 4.0 on WinNT machine]
__ On the Contact page, consider adding "e-mail" at the bottom where you ask how visitors would like you to respond?
__ In the source, perhaps you should move "title" to right below <head> instead of in the middle of the meta tags. I think some search engines like to find it there. Usually I can find more suggestions, but this site is really quite well done.

Barbara Tipton
This is another good-looking site. The use of a grid really creates a nice look. Color theme is nice, pleasant to the eye. Navigation is clear and easy. A few pages took longer than necessary to load, but that could have been network load problems.

"Good Business Design"
Other comments from other reviewers...

Good business-to-business design. They have a very understated, clean appearance which suggests a tidy, well organized business. The typography is good. Their contact form needs a bit of work but nothing really wrong. I don't think its an unforgettable site, they are not creating a brand image, but this is not necessarily a bad thing.

Pages load fast at 33.6K

Design & Publishing . / . WEB . / . Critique . / . 9803 Reviews Index

To get started on a review of YOUR page, go directly to the REVIEW MISSION statement

Got a design or technique issue you'd like to write about?
If you'd like to publish in the pages of WebDesign & Review then capture and read our "Readers Guidelines" found here, or from our On-Demand Documents Desk by sending e-mail to Info@Graphic-Design.com ...Put the word HOSPITALITY, and GUIDELINES in the subject area.

Thank you for visiting WebDesign & Review at http://www.graphic-design.com/web/
Notes: The screen shots herein represent the copyrighted works of their respective owners, and are used here for editorial demonstration purposes. please read and be aware of our Legal Properties & Disclaimers document. Not all areas of the online environment allow special characters such as the registration and trademark marks. This file will alert you to proprietary works that cannot be duplicated or distributed. Copyright 1996, 1997, 1998, Showker Graphic Arts, for the The Design & Publishing Center, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. WebDesign & Review, Pixelsmith, WebEye are all trademarks for The Design & Publishing Center. Other products mentioned in these pages are the registered trademarks of their respective owners.

WDR Staff: Charles Downer & Company impressed us with clarity and honesty. Right, it's not a zoomy site. Surfers looking for a thrill ride, just pass this one by. _ However as serious business, Downer instills confidence from the very first page. Bravo! Special thanks to all our reviewers during March -- 78 in all -- who took the time to help out. _ All of these are good, constructive comments, and we hope the webmasters of these websites really appreciate the time taken by these generous folks. Anne Very impressed with Charles Downer & Co. Excellent design, and used sparingly and with restraint, which is important in web work! __ As far as the "webmaster" title that is commented on........it MUST have been created by a man. Otherwise, I'd be a "webmistress". Webweaver is the closest I can come to a title that I like!	Charles Downer & Company Bernie This site starts off with some really nice graphics and colours. The text is akin to a brochure, peppy and upbeat but not very different from other pages of this sort. More content about what they do and how they do it would be in order. As well what should a potential client need to know in order to benefit most from their services. It seems evident too that Eagle marketing has submitted this site first to this form of review before going live on the Internet. Bernie also comments... "the site is seriously marred by the incredible time it takes for everything to download. Then after waiting for the first page they use new graphics for the next and again the long wait. " Editor's Note: Several other reviewers said it came down quickly. We thought it loaded within acceptable times -- which goes to show a lot depends on time of day, and the viewers' Internet service provider. Mary Nice front page, but it should be titled something other than "Home Page." Many search engines and indexes use the title of pages for listing, so try to use keywords in your site title. But, you must remember that the title is also what appears in the bookmark, so make sure it reveals the contents of your site. In other words, Charles Down & Company wouldn't be enough. __ You should also consider using Keyword and Description META tags for the robot spiders, expecially since your index page has virtually no text other than links and contact information. __ Your alt tags are not appropriate to describe the graphic, although you do provide text links. The center logo animation is really too quick to be effective. It appears to be just an interleaf GIF or a progressive JPEG. __ Either slow down the animation or loop it to increase the impact. Pages load very fast. The color scheme using just the blue and gold works very well, but the Visited Link color is a bit too light. Page banners are very effective, but the text should be centered better vertically. It's a bit too high. Nice use of caps and spaces. Site isn't really completed enough to give a complete review, but so far it's a little light on content.

"Simple, clean, fast loading site. Nicely done."	Two of our favorite reviewers comment: Jacki Forbes Simple, clean, fast loading site. Nicely done. While it was loading the center image said it was an animation, but it didn't move on my screen. [Viewed with Netscape 4.0 on WinNT machine] __ On the Contact page, consider adding "e-mail" at the bottom where you ask how visitors would like you to respond? __ In the source, perhaps you should move "title" to right below <head> instead of in the middle of the meta tags. I think some search engines like to find it there. Usually I can find more suggestions, but this site is really quite well done. Barbara Tipton This is another good-looking site. The use of a grid really creates a nice look. Color theme is nice, pleasant to the eye. Navigation is clear and easy. A few pages took longer than necessary to load, but that could have been network load problems.
"Good Business Design"	Other comments from other reviewers... Good business-to-business design. They have a very understated, clean appearance which suggests a tidy, well organized business. The typography is good. Their contact form needs a bit of work but nothing really wrong. I don't think its an unforgettable site, they are not creating a brand image, but this is not necessarily a bad thing. Pages load fast at 33.6K
Design & Publishing . / . WEB . / . Critique . / . 9803 Reviews Index