Review my new site!

[Zegg90]

Hey everybody,
I recently created a new site!

It's sort of like Open Source Web Design.org where users can submit website templates, except on my site they submit CSS stylesheets instead. I'm hoping that designers will use it whenever they are starting a new design - they can just find a stylesheet that's similar to what they have in mind, and start from there.

The website is called Download Styles, and I just redesigned it, along with a matching theme for the forum.

What do you think? I'd like some feedback on the design, and also the idea. If you're making a new site/design, would you use such a service?

http://www.downloadstyles.com/

[zealivity5]

I think the background detracts from the overall website greatly. Maybe try a repeating pattern bg of some sorts or something solid?

[Zegg90]

Hmm, some other users were complaining that it looks too boring with my previous background - plain black.

What do you mean? Is it distracting?

I was trying to make the content areas slightly translucent, so the background would still show through but be very dulled and blurred, but unfortunately opacity can't be controlled that well with CSS2

What if the background was slightly dulled a bit?

[keyshey]

ill agree w/ zealivity
try using a repeating pattern bg

maybe because its black on black, thats why its a little distracting

[zealivity5]

Hmm, some other users were complaining that it looks too boring with my previous background - plain black.

What do you mean? Is it distracting?

I was trying to make the content areas slightly translucent, so the background would still show through but be very dulled and blurred, but unfortunately opacity can't be controlled that well with CSS2

What if the background was slightly dulled a bit?

Try dulling it... that might work.

[rbfree]

Hi Zegg90,

Part of the visual problem is that the lines conflict (notice the perpendicular lines smashing into the text box). Another part of the problem is the intense contrast between the tree and the sky. It actually introduces a bit of glare. Also, the tea ad completely interrupts the color and spatial theme.

[Zegg90]

Okay, thanks for the reviews
I've taken your opinions into consideration, and I made several changes:

I've made the menu bar smaller.
I've made the header bar more visible with a translucent/black background (same with content area).
I've dulled the background image, and slightly change the colour.

What do you think of it now? Still distracting?

[keyshey]

definitely much better now

i dont think the bg image is distracting anymore
good job!

[Charles Sweeney]

Good name. Good concept, if it's original.

The black background is not for me. Hang on, I'm on a data card, it's a picture of a tree! I would get rid of it, what's the relevance? Just use a plain background, it loads quicker.

Otherwise, very good.

[CaffinePhil]

I've just looked at this site and read the first comment - good job I kept reading before I posted. I love the background with the semi translucent contents area. How have you done that?

Also what are the icon logos for browse styles and submit styles are they both the same?

[james_littler]

Really like the use of colours in conjunction with the background, i dont feel it detracts attention from the content...being a silhouette and all.

all i would say is that it may deter some impatient dial up users

[Nosfer]

the design of your website is really great. i've also seen that you've made a custom design for your forum to match your website and that's something we don't see too often. BUT i've seen a big problem there: when you're browsing forum and click "HOME" it will take you to forum.[site].com/index.php not to [site].com/index.php so i think you need to correct that as soon as possible.

the idea is pretty great, but as you know, you can't put a link in css or something and i don't know if you'll have a lot of interested users to submit their stylesheets. anyway, good luck and try to get more content. you could also add CSS-es from free templates. you'll figure it out...

[wolverinegrad]

I actually like the color scheme

[aiesh]

Text is too diffecult to read, maybe because of the small font or the background