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need some objective eyes on my new website

vanguard machine

Stainless
Joined
Dec 20, 2011
Location
Charleston and NYC
hey gang,
disclaimer: i am NOT a web guy, i can barely get through putting work pics on facebook but an opportunity presented itself to me that got the fire lit, this had to be done by tuesday so i spent 14 hours yesterday and another 6 today and i think i'm mostly there.

so, what would you change? what looks good? etc.

i know the pictures kind of suck but i am absolutely terrible at remembering to take pics so these were just whatever i had in the misc work folder of my shop hard drive.

VANGUARD

thanks in advance
 
check your video on the home page it is making a really weird noise. . . might be my connection, but haven't had any problems lately.

edit, is that part of the song?
 
no it's the video, first five seconds or so then it cleans up. i guess i missed something on the sound levels when i was editing.
that was my first ever attempt at full on filming and video editing
 
You did ask..
Looks good..But the music doesn’t seem to flow the same as the video.. I am thinking show some welding then boom, boom a flash row of still photos going with the music…then a bike. Next some polishing then a flash row of shots and another bike. Next some milling and a flash row of photos and another bike..

"You can't be what you were" that simple piece and bit of work Boom, Boom, Boom turns into a bike.. Wow!

"it is making a really weird noise.." I thought that was the welding..
 
i appreciate it and yes i did ask, i edited it with a friends editing software and he is on the opposite coast now so there is no changing it at this point. that was done last summer anyway, may do another one soon but for now it's not an option.
i may take it off entirely if enough people think it should go, it doesn't really tell a story or anything anyway.
but... i'm not really asking about the video per se, more looking for feedback on the content and general layout of the entire site
 
I was expecting it to be awful since almost all homemade web sites by machinist/fab guys are.

It's not pro, but it ain't bad. Really good for a guy that says he can't do shit like that.
 
I didn't look at all the pics, but I didn't see any that sucked. I thought the site was really pretty good. I find the font used for your logo a little hard to read, but that's just the style of the lettering.
 
well holy shit, a complement from John ;)
i must have dome something right

seriously though, thanks guys.
i have no clue how to build a website but a knowledgeable friend, trial and error and lots of patience got me there.
 
well holy shit, a complement from John ;)
i must have dome something right

seriously though, thanks guys.
i have no clue how to build a website but a knowledgeable friend, trial and error and lots of patience got me there.

Nice looking bikes too. Looks like you really care about them.
 
First impression, I would blow the main logo up to fill the page better and add an actual map somewhere. Having your location and phone number on the main page is always nice, I hate looking at a page and can't even figure out what state the guy is in. Looks like a fairly good first effort, I have seen much worse pages from so called "professional web developers."
 
I didn't try the video, so can't speak to that. I thought the rest of it was just fine, even the photography.

One thing that is borderline for me is the light-colored text on the dark background. Such a contrast can be difficult to read - white text on a black background being the absolute worst.

The overall feel of the site is (to me) that it was designed by someone who is mature and has experience dealing with the general public - as opposed to a teen or twenty-something who has never worked in the real world and has no clue regarding sales and customer service. No flash-bang and fluff - and that's a good thing.
 
I think the colors are a winning combination. I did NOT hear any music but I may have the speakers turned off.

I will say that music I don't like always trumps an otherwise favorable impression of a web site or video that I otherwise would like. So, choose your music with care. I almost think music is a "can't win" choice. It may win you one demographic and lose you the others.

I also thought the old time font in the logo was a little er.. old time. But that wasn't a big negative. The only potential negative might be the music, which I did not hear.

V
 
I think it looks good. Well done, easy to navigate and fast to load. Once you fix the sound on the video you should be good to go. The video locked up on me about 30 seconds in too. Until you get it fixed I think it's a huge distraction and very unprofessional. I would get rid of it until it's right, you can always put it up later.

Also, I would lose the "Coming Soon" text under the Store link, and replace it with some simple text about some of the items you will be offering in the future, and mention your name in the Text as well. My website developer toild me you never want to have the words "Coming Soon" or "under Construction" anywhere on your website...something to do with search engine algorithms...

Keep up the good work...looks great!
 
thanks guys, i really didn't think it would go over so well
as for the font on the header, i changed that design literally 16 times in illustrator before i decided on that one, while i agree it is a little too busy it's the font i used in my logo so i was trying to keep things as seamless as possible. the only thing i can do semi decently on the computer is illustrator and vector drawing so i will most likely keep tweaking it until something hits me just right.

John, yes i do care very much for them..MC fab is my passion in life, the rest of the metalworking just pays the bills.

Alonzo, that was a good video, thanks for sharing. the next try will hopefully be much better..i need to get some of my film industry friends to come help
if you haven't seen this one you should definitely take a few minutes to watch it, his shop, the music, the filters on the camera, his work..it's all so awesome and was an inspiration for me making that little video.
FROM STEEL: The Making of a Soulcraft on Vimeo
 
...looking at a page and can't even figure out what state the guy is in.
Absolutely. It is on the main page; however, I have to scroll down to see it. It took me a moment. I first clicked the "Contact" tab, thinking it would be there. I would definitely add at least "Charleston, SC" somewhere on the contact page.
 
Just kill the store off the site completely until it is ready to go. Even then, make it a separate page. It confuses your message.

The rest of the website says "fab shop." I know how to interact with that if I need some stuff (like shown in the pictures) fabbed up. Maybe a few machined portions made up and welded on, you're the guy. I get that.

Alluding to a store (without products) confuses things for me. It raises questions. Are you a failing manufacturer who is job shopping to keep the doors open until his next hit product? Are you a bored fabricator who wants to get out of doing one-offs? If I have a clever design that I have you make, will I see my design in the store later for public consumption?

I am not saying any of those things are true. But they are thoughts that someone looking at the site might have.
 
Nice Job! One comment, you may want to reconsider your choice of font for the company name, it's kind of busy.
 
ok, makes sense,

1) 'store' page is gone for now until i can get pics of the few things that i usually sell and do it right.

2) i added a map to the contact page

3) the header is giving me fits, no matter what res i save at it still looks like shit..gonna need to discuss that one with one of my web savvy friends.
in the meantime i took the 'maching-welding-fabrication' tagline off of it and replaced it with 'charleston sc'

really appreciate all of these great suggestions guys..thanks so much!
 








 
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