Wed, 2005-02-23 20:41
Ok, I've gutted my past color scheme and added a nifty little background. The content is still very thin because, well, there isn't any in my hands at this point. The company page is empty at this point as well. I would like your input on the overall look and colo[u]r scheme though.
http://www.dustyroaddesigns.com/testing/abc/
Thanks,
Wed, 2005-02-23 21:17
#1
2nd iteration - tear it up like soft bread
Yup - testosterone level rising. 
The horizontal menu could do with a bit of beefing up - perhaps bold text would help and keep the background at #fdfdfd.
I realize you have taken onboard Roy's comment about the blank left space in the header - but somehow the search bar looks out of place. Is there any chance of getting your hands on a panoramic image of, say, their premises to go in there and run it into the logo?
Before you go too much further, Andrew, I'm afraid the layout doesn't stand any text enlargement in FF or any re-sizing (increase or decrease) in IE. 
Wed, 2005-02-23 22:05
#2
2nd iteration - tear it up like soft bread
So, for a fixed width layout like this, how would one go about adjusting the layer to withstand text enlargements? I mean, if the width is fixed, how would there ever be any extra room for larger text? I'm a bit confused about this concept.
Wed, 2005-02-23 22:55
#3
2nd iteration - tear it up like soft bread
This article explains the concept and principles of fixed - liquid - elastic design far better than I could:
http://www.autisticcuckoo.net/archive.php?id=2004/07/21/fixed-liquid-elastic
Thu, 2005-02-24 00:02
#4
2nd iteration - tear it up like soft bread
Well, I read it, but don't feel much better off than I did before. I suppose I'm at a crossroads.
Thu, 2005-02-24 08:22
#5
2nd iteration - tear it up like soft bread
You are not alone - there is a great debate going on out there. Many designers are switching back to fixed from fluid and many are going the other way. It seems the choice is yours depending on the site content, client and typical users. But as this forum seems to 'prefer' Firefox, it is as well to appreciate what Firefox users can do to the site if text is enlarged. There are also some users who know how to resize pixel-sized text in IE.
Just a tiny bit of the debate:
http://www.stuffandnonsense.co.uk/archives/fixed_or_fluid_you_decide.html
http://webstandardsgroup.org/features/richard-rutter.cfm#liquid
http://www.stopdesign.com/log/2003/12/15/fixedorliquid.html
http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum83/4029.htm
You can always use max-width. That doesn't work for IE but there is a workaround here towards the bottom of the page: http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum83/1685.htm?highlight=max-width
Don't be disheartened - do what you believe is right. BTW Dusty Road Designs resizes almost perfectly with just a smidgeon of a problem in the horizontal nav bar which is easily sorted. 
Thu, 2005-02-24 08:52
#6
2nd iteration - tear it up like soft bread
L,
How does max-width figure into the picture for my fixed-width site? Will it play some role if users resize the text? I should know what you're talking about but, for some reason, don't. Please shed some light on this when you get a chance.
Thu, 2005-02-24 17:33
#7
2nd iteration - tear it up like soft bread
Sorry there Andrew - I missed out one stage of logic. I should have said - If you use fluid/elastic design, you can always use max-width - to keep the window at the width you want it to display.