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My Website

Hand Lettering topics: Sign Making, Design, Fabrication, Letterheads, Sign Books.

Moderators: Ron Percell, Mike Jackson, Danny Baronian

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DAVE SMITH
Posts: 1213
Joined: Sat Jul 10, 2004 11:12 am
Location: ENGLAND

My Website

Post by DAVE SMITH »

Hope you don't mind this self promotion Mike.

In between work and trying to travel I have been slowly trying to design and build a website for clients to look at. Many customers kept asking to see my website instead of the old Yellow Pages ,well I finally finished this blog site where people can leave messages and hopefully enjoy the site it self. I found it hard trying to design my own website, especially coming up with an easy working surround and header. A close friend made the site all work and I designed the look of it.
It will be an on going process of uploading my work but I have loaded some and will carry on loading picks now and again.
This site design may seem a little over the top but I feel that this is what some of the original businesses were like many years ago with there shopfronts and
stationary, poster advertising ,ephemera and especially in our line of work here signwriting. I also never realised how much time is needed to make your own site. Please take your time looking round and check down the right side for upload dates
to see when photos were added.
Hope you like it. don't get lost!
Dave
http://www.davidadriansmith.com
Ron Berlier
Posts: 245
Joined: Fri Apr 09, 2004 3:27 am

Re: My Website

Post by Ron Berlier »

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D


Dave, holy cow :!: :!:

That's one very impressive site and the eye candy is wonderful. I, for one, certainly don't mind getting 'lost' on your site. What, if any, computer software did you use to develop all the artwork?

Again, well done :!:
Ron Berlier
Wherever I go, there I am.
erik winkler
Posts: 1097
Joined: Sat Feb 23, 2008 5:48 pm
Location: Amsterdam Netherlands
Contact:

Re: My Website

Post by erik winkler »

Congratulations!

Again a mayor step.
Looks good.
Great collection of images to show the new clients.

Now you can take that mental rest for a while, you have worked for so hard.
Or just go on full speed....

Erik
Realizing we are in the 2nd renaissance of the arts.
Learn, copy and trying to improve...
Still in the learning phase ;-)
Amsterdam Netherlands
www.ferrywinkler.nl
www.schitterend.eu
www.facebook.com/Schitterend.eu
Kelly Thorson
Posts: 502
Joined: Tue Apr 20, 2004 11:53 pm
Location: Penzance, SK Canada
Contact:

Re: My Website

Post by Kelly Thorson »

It's the perfect showcase for your work Dave.
I haven't had the chance to check out all the corners yet but what I have seen works seamlessly and is very impressive.
Now get some content on that tutorial page. :)
I believe there is no shame in failure. Rather, the shame lies in the loss of all the things that might have been, but for the fear of failure.
Jeff Lang
Posts: 68
Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2004 10:31 am
Location: Pittsburgh, PA, USA

Re: My Website

Post by Jeff Lang »

Dave,
Thanks for sharing! I'll enjoy having a site to visit often to be inspired. It looks like there is so much there I won't have a repeat for a long time.
Well done, & congratulations!
Jeff
Jeff Lang
Olde Lang Signs
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
412-732-9999
DAVE SMITH
Posts: 1213
Joined: Sat Jul 10, 2004 11:12 am
Location: ENGLAND

Re: My Website

Post by DAVE SMITH »

Thanks .Kelly,Erik, Jeff,Ron. I was'nt sure if it would get the sort of response you guy's have left due to it being too much to see. It's easy to over do things so I'm pleased you think it works well. My one question is to you all, do you think the buttons down the right side should be different in anyway? different shape,colour
maybe even all simalar to match the site design? possibly more buttons will be added as I go along. Some very early work around 1989 here also which I thought would be good to show.

Thanks again appreciate it...
Dave
erik winkler
Posts: 1097
Joined: Sat Feb 23, 2008 5:48 pm
Location: Amsterdam Netherlands
Contact:

Re: My Website

Post by erik winkler »

Well Dave I have to thank you for keeping me up last night.
It took me 2 hours at least to go through all the different pages.
Some nice new things to see and the tutorials Kelly asked about are all there to see and read when you look for them.
The icons are ok:
1. Movie icon is good.
2. Vector icon is ok.
3. LHF icon could (all in my opninion ofcourse) show more that it is about letters, maybe a corcky ABC or something.

I think you did a mayor achievement to archive all the beautifull things you done and made through the years.
Good for looking at the past and certainly good to show to future clients.

The only thing that (again in my opinion) I would loose is the google ads at the bottom.

Erik

O yeah, one other thing, ask your webdesigner (Chuck maybe?) to change the url to google friendly url's
Now if I click on the top button 'Smith Tip' i go to the page: http://davidadriansmith.com/?cat=9
Which should be: http://davidadriansmith.com/smith_tip
In that case everybody who enters smith tip in google will get your exact smith tip page link.
Realizing we are in the 2nd renaissance of the arts.
Learn, copy and trying to improve...
Still in the learning phase ;-)
Amsterdam Netherlands
www.ferrywinkler.nl
www.schitterend.eu
www.facebook.com/Schitterend.eu
BruceJackson
Posts: 251
Joined: Mon Sep 06, 2004 7:28 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Contact:

Re: My Website

Post by BruceJackson »

Very nice.

It's too late at night to go through completely, but I will check out more later and give feedback and suggestions if i find any weaknesses in the site. Seems to be one bad link on http://davidadriansmith.com/?page_id=17 If you click the panel "click here to view", it doesn't load the image.

Having fairly recently done a complete re-design and re-write on my website, I know how long it takes and how much work is involved. It seems to be especially time-consuming these days when there are so many new approaches and methods that must be assessed and considered if you want to understand the limitations and possibilities.

My first site, way back in the mid 90's, was just written in simple raw HTML...This last time, I had to learn about PHP, decide if I need a CMS (content management system), setting up a mysql databases for an online shop, finding the coding to make those drop down menus, learn how the code worked so I could modify it to make it function the way I wanted, fiddle with CSS, choose and tweak a lightbox solution, .,...etc, etc etc....it gets more complex all the time and my brain hurts...what is Ajax anyway? It's still not finished and needs more tweaking but it all seems to work. The structure is more logical and it has cleaner navigation than my old site.

I was a bit disappointed that the "experts" I consulted for guidance where simply suggesting a template and off-the-shelf CMS. And they want bucket loads of money for that no-brainer solution!

I know my own site isn't as clean and error-free as a professional web coder and it doesn't like redundant browsers, but it presents my work the way I wanted, which is more than a template would do.
DAVE SMITH
Posts: 1213
Joined: Sat Jul 10, 2004 11:12 am
Location: ENGLAND

Re: My Website

Post by DAVE SMITH »

Erik some good advice there thanks. sometimes when fresh eyes glance over our work it really is very helpful. Easy to miss these little details. you will probably find more but it all helps.
Bruce I seen that only yesterday and thought it was just a problem when I went on but your right it needs fixing ,hopefully will be done today.
Thanks also for your input on building these types of sites. I only did the design and had a friend do all the technical stuff.
Guess I will change things now and again but would not want to go and build graphics again that aloan took over 100 hours.
DAVE SMITH
Posts: 1213
Joined: Sat Jul 10, 2004 11:12 am
Location: ENGLAND

Re: My Website

Post by DAVE SMITH »

Managed to get that broken link sorted in the Victorian section Bruce. Thanks.. Ron you asked about the programmes being used for the artwork, well I used mainly Omega 2.0 for the artwork vectors but mostly all you see was hand drawn first .Once the vectors were ready I coloured it all in Photoshop. I said about 100 hours, it was more like 150 I think. just made the page over about 6 months now and again with other jobs on the go.
Thanks
Dave
Ron Berlier
Posts: 245
Joined: Fri Apr 09, 2004 3:27 am

Re: My Website

Post by Ron Berlier »

Dave, thanks for the info.
Ron Berlier
Wherever I go, there I am.
vance galliher
Posts: 321
Joined: Mon Apr 12, 2004 11:38 pm
Location: springfield, or.
Contact:

Re: My Website

Post by vance galliher »

............we are all in awe of your talents Mr. Smith ...........but do you know what your greatest talent and gift is of all ?................it's in the sharing it with us.........thank you
vance
dimensional and glass art signs
http://www.vancegallihersigns.com
DAVE SMITH
Posts: 1213
Joined: Sat Jul 10, 2004 11:12 am
Location: ENGLAND

Re: My Website

Post by DAVE SMITH »

Thanks Vance. I like to share with people who are passionate about this work.
Its never a problem... Alot of the people on this forum shared techniques with me over the years.
I'm still learning also, and will be for along time.......
Dave
Anthony Bennett
Posts: 352
Joined: Tue May 11, 2010 4:50 am
Location: England
Contact:

Re: My Website

Post by Anthony Bennett »

Brilliant dave, exactly as I thought it would be, and for me very inspirational.
I see that it is a a bit LHFinesque but that's to be expected.
I don't know if it's just me but on selecting any of the clickable links I get a red outline across the page highlighting the object it's in.



Joined you on FB, not suprised to see Salvadore Osbourne there :D

Thanks for continuing to be inspirational.
DAVE SMITH
Posts: 1213
Joined: Sat Jul 10, 2004 11:12 am
Location: ENGLAND

Re: My Website

Post by DAVE SMITH »

Thanks Anthony .Not sure I can get into the facebook thing, seems to take up way too much time. I think from what I can tell it seems good for creating new business ,I have friends now in Argentina , Russia, Iceland, and Brazil, no idea who they are! . crazy world hey..

Dave
Wayne Osborne
Posts: 165
Joined: Tue Jun 15, 2004 2:03 am
Location: West Sussex.England

Re: My Website

Post by Wayne Osborne »

Hey Dave- each time I look there's something new !- seems to load a lot faster tonight here too
( maybe the bit of wet string that carries our broadband signal round these parts has straightened out ?)

Salvadore. :mrgreen:
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