I'll give you a great example of a masculine, minimalist website from my own back yard
Www.laytonreidblog.com
Girls love good design. The truth is that I've bought products I don't even use because the packaging was so awesome. It doesn't have to be feminine, just current and stylish
Juliewhitlock wrote:
I'll give you a great example of a masculine, minimalist website from my own back yard
Www.laytonreidblog.com
Girls love good design. The truth is that I've bought products I don't even use because the packaging was so awesome. It doesn't have to be feminine, just current and stylish
See, that's the kind of help I'm looking for. It's completely different than my site, but there are elements I like. And since your friend is also using the ProPhoto/WordPress platform, I know exactly how he's doing that stuff.
Jamesbjenkins wrote:
Glad to know you have such a broad definition of n00bish.
WTF does that even mean? Where I come from, multiple gradients, lighting effects and custom typography aren't exactly n00b. I have no intention of getting defensive since I asked for critique, but that's a pretty ridiculous statement. Does the shape of a logo automatically make it inferior simply because 14,700 people before me have drawn inspiration from the same shape? Serious question.
I think that this is the point. Your brand should be yours and uniquely yours. It should be identifiable instantly and not confused with others. Everyone has a logo and agreed some look similar in many cases. The basic point however is that any great brand doesn't get confused with another. You can go through as many major brand labels as you like and they foremost want to distinguish themselves from others immediately. Just to illustrate would someone remember your logo as unique out of all of these which were found online in one simple search? Personally I'm not sure but ultimately it is for you to think about, and really to decide what your image and brand is.
Jamesbjenkins wrote:
Glad to know you have such a broad definition of n00bish.
WTF does that even mean? Where I come from, multiple gradients, lighting effects and custom typography aren't exactly n00b. I have no intention of getting defensive since I asked for critique, but that's a pretty ridiculous statement. Does the shape of a logo automatically make it inferior simply because 14,700 people before me have drawn inspiration from the same shape? Serious question.
It makes it an inferior choice because it is ridiculously overused by brand new photographers. I thought my remarks were self explanatory. Most people know what "noob" means. I never meant it derogatorily. I simple used the best term to describe how it comes across. Take offense if you want, but that doesn't change most people's opinion of such an overused logo. It doesn't distinguish you from anyone else. Be unique.
JAHU - On your wedding info page, I am not sure what that picture is but I believe it is part of the fountain picture from your home page. Not sure why you are only using part and the out of focus part. The picture is very tall and took about 45 seconds to load over a 24mb per second connection.
1) the "Weddings" services page starts off with the same image that's on the home page. Consider making that image visible only on the home page, and starting the "Weddings" page with a fresh one. Come to think of it, I'm not sure it's a very strong image, in any case -- it's really a photo of part of a fountain, with a couple visible in the background. It's suggestive, and I assume you chose it because you sort of thought anyone could see herself in that image, but it doesn't do much to catch attention. So perhaps the better option would be to push it back in the order and replace the home page image with a stronger choice.
2) Delete the phrase "We strongly believe that" from your first line on the Weddings page. You wouldn't be saying something on your Weddings page that you didn't strongly believe.
3) Keep working on that info paragraph. It's a lot like content you see on a thousand other photographers' sites. Start looking for what sets you apart from the majority of other wedding photographers. Caring about photography a lot, wanting to meet with your prospective clients, "timeless, elegant, and journalistic" images -- many, many photographers claim these things. Your non-trendy style is useful info, but it just means you're in a broad sub-category, not that you're unique or unusual. Get my meaning, here? Something about how you shoot, or what you shoot, or who you are, or how you behave, is probably a stronger differentiator.
4) I'm not sure you were looking for logo critique, but I agree with tdurnan about the logo -- the aperture is done to death. I see you were going for a "C" shape. What's it look like if you darken the third blade? I'm not getting "C" from that shape with just the first two blades blackened. In any case, using an aperture graphic is problematic for a few reasons: 1) it's common among photographers, and it therefore lacks distinctiveness; 2) it suggests a technical orientation which is probably not great for the target market of a wedding photographer; and 3) it's redundant: the words "Captured Photography" more strongly suggest photography services than does the aperture graphic, which adds no useful additional meaning.
And how many young women these days even know what aperture blades ARE? How many of them are using cameras where they can peer into the lens and see the aperture blades as the lens is stopped down? The aperture logo may be outdated in today's i-phone world.
