Re: 2 NEW XARA COVID JOBS
Quote:
Originally Posted by
cmpan1
Workin' on these for a couple of Covid weeks...
This website is just a mock-up in progress —
not nearly done, but going to be presented to the website providers/developers soon... done or not.
The goal, and assignment for me was to show them the kind of look and layout the client is looking for. I lay it out in the way they do things today... in panels, blocks and columns
so it's easy to emulate. And of course package up any necessary assets for them.
The top banner is way too wide.
You have some weirdness behind the staff pics.
Your map has the left-edge cut off. I would say that the basis of the message on that page is lost in the huge amount of clutter.
What I can see is that you have no consistent style across the website. For example, you sometimes have images with thin borders, sometimes not. You have a modern-looking home page but the comparison page has thin outlines and even components nested within another thin outline - it doesn't look like the same website as the home page.
I quite dislike these sites, partly because of the text-heavy and cluttered approach and partly because of the way the content tries to manipulate bereaved families. This isn't a personal thing against you, you may be following through on what your client has dictated.
Quote:
This is a resource/manual/guide (they call it Fundraising Resource Library) is in support of funeral homes doing or considering funeral fundraising.
Again, the thing I love sooo soooo much about XARA is that I didn't have to leave the program once to do any work.... Every single thing on these works
are done in Xara... even the graphics for the short videos I did all began and ended in Xara.
From what I'm reading here and there in the forums these days about Xara... I'm beginning to wonder if I'M the only one who uses it in the way I do...
and wonder if they really keep it alive just for me.... LOL
It seems that for any web stuff, I just do the demo's, the mock-ups. Do it... Show it... (online) Change it... Show it again... Change it... etc etc etc.
Of course there must be 50 or so document documents that I'm doing for them for print also.... but this is the fun stuff....
Anyway, just thought I'd post for a little grief and get beat up some from my favorite critics.... :/ (I do get some real gems though)
The resource manual is quite retro - it made me think of newspaper classifieds.
What you are doing is quite unusual - developers don't normally expect mockups as actual websites.
One thing I would have expected is the layouts for all breakpoints.
You certainly have some niche clients!
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Aside: You can tell I don't like clients like yours or the approach to handling bereaved families, but I acknowledge that and for some elements of my comments it has coloured that.
When my father died the last thing I would ever have wanted was to read through all that content and I don't know who would want to. All I needed to know was that the undertaker would be taking care of things, a few options/ideas and an idea of cost. Layers of false sugar coating and old platitudes would make me look elsewhere.
My thoughts about websites that sell (this is one) is that they exist to get customers through the door not over-inform them with detail or attempt an old-fashioned hard sell. It doesn't matter what you are selling, but for service sales I think it revolves around:
1) Catching attention
2) Building rapport and showing empathy
3) Showing you provide what the customer wants
4) Making it easy to get in contact
It's better to get people to call in with a question than bore them to death trying to answer every question they may have.
A few weeks ago our neighbour of thirty years died. Because of the coronavirus the family held a zoom service to celebrate her life. They conducted everything themself, everything was from their heart and it was a joy. I would say it was the best funeral I didn't attend.
When I go it will be as plain as simple as possible. No ornate coffin. I might even ask for a Zoom ceremony like my neighbour.
Re: 2 NEW XARA COVID JOBS
Sometimes you (ie me) say a bit too much and wish you could delete a post or edit it like FB allows. This is probably one of those cases.
Cmpman, disregard my lack of tolerance for fancy funerals, I don't intend you to be subject of that intolerance. Your clients operate in a world I have little patience for but is probably widespread in the world of the rich where appearances matter. I don't belong in that world.
Paul
Re: 2 NEW XARA COVID JOBS
Quote:
Originally Posted by
pauland
Sometimes you (ie me) say a bit too much and wish you could delete a post or edit it like FB allows. This is probably one of those cases.
Cmpman, disregard my lack of tolerance for fancy funerals, I don't intend you to be subject of that intolerance. Your clients operate in a world I have little patience for but is probably widespread in the world of the rich where appearances matter. I don't belong in that world.
Paul
Paul, I read everything you said and it was without rancour and clearly heart-felt. Bereavement, like religion, is a personal thing and there will always be sensibilities involved. Let's assume the client knows its market.
I hope the memories of your Father's life are still with you. I recall that when my Father suddenly died, everything became black and white and decisions had to be made that could never appease everyone so I just did what had to be done.
@cmpan1 - I always appreciate your sharing and I applaud your drive and dedication to the cause.
I, too, found a lucrative niche for Xara within corporate Intranets simply because there was no server configuration needed. When I was able to "integrate" Xara designs into SharePoint, my work expanded into business process and QA documentation. All simply because the internal tech staff said none of it was possible.
Acorn
Re: 2 NEW XARA COVID JOBS
Hi Paul... thanks for the 'extensive' review and critique of my 2 posts..... I have to say that the ONE and ONLY point you're spot on is this....
"I quite dislike these sites, partly because of the text-heavy and cluttered approach and partly because of the way the content tries to manipulate bereaved families.
This isn't a personal thing against you, you may be following through on what your client has dictated."
Paul, I was a professional musician my whole life.... made my living in NYC... In my early years, I was quite the artist and 'elite' jazz type of player. Spent quite a
long time sticking my nose up at any type of musician who for instance 'played weddings' and some such type of gig... I sat in judgement of these types....
Then I met a couple of VERY successful musical/executives types who loved my 'talent' but thought I was still a bit young and a bit of an a-hole. It was taught to me that...
"On a paying job", if the client wanting to hear 'Hello Dolly' 50 times throughout the night, then you do it with a smile. Why? THEY ARE PAYING YOU!
If you DON'T want to play 'Hello Dolly' 50 times during the night.... DON'T TAKE THE JOB! — rather then stick your nose up at the hand that's feeding you at the time.
Now I'm not saying that if these were solely my creations I would have done much better, and your comments would not have been valid... but man, you must have a
ton of time on your hands to have so extensively tore up the clients likes and wants. And I guess you missed this...."This website is just a mock-up in progress — not nearly done"
Last point... 90% of your critique goes right in the can because you have no idea of how and why (the intent) of funeral home websites exist... they're a completely different animal.
If I pointed you to 100 of the biggest most successful Funeral Home websites, you would then look back and my (incomplete) mockup and think it was PERFECT!
Paul... take a pill and relax... :)
Re: 2 NEW XARA COVID JOBS
Quote:
Originally Posted by
cmpan1
Hi Paul... thanks for the 'extensive' review and critique of my 2 posts..... I have to say that the ONE and ONLY point you're spot on is this....
"I quite dislike these sites, partly because of the text-heavy and cluttered approach and partly because of the way the content tries to manipulate bereaved families.
This isn't a personal thing against you, you may be following through on what your client has dictated."
Paul, I was a professional musician my whole life.... made my living in NYC... In my early years, I was quite the artist and 'elite' jazz type of player. Spent quite a
long time sticking my nose up at any type of musician who for instance 'played weddings' and some such type of gig... I sat in judgement of these types....
Then I met a couple of VERY successful musical/executives types who loved my 'talent' but thought I was still a bit young and a bit of an a-hole. It was taught to me that...
"On a paying job", if the client wanting to hear 'Hello Dolly' 50 times throughout the night, then you do it with a smile. Why? THEY ARE PAYING YOU!
If you DON'T want to play 'Hello Dolly' 50 times during the night.... DON'T TAKE THE JOB! — rather then stick your nose up at the hand that's feeding you at the time.
Now I'm not saying that if these were solely my creations I would have done much better, and your comments would not have been valid... but man, you must have a
ton of time on your hands to have so extensively tore up the clients likes and wants. And I guess you missed this...."This website is just a mock-up in progress — not nearly done"
Last point... 90% of your critique goes right in the can because you have no idea of how and why (the intent) of funeral home websites exist... they're a completely different animal.
If I pointed you to 100 of the biggest most successful Funeral Home websites, you would then look back and my (incomplete) mockup and think it was PERFECT!
Paul... take a pill and relax... :)
Wow cmpman.
First of all there's a lot of my post that has nothing to do with my dislike of that industry and it's still applicable - namely a header/footer that's way too wide, mismatched styling and text-heavy pages.
Secondly you invited criticism but seem to be upset by it.
Thirdly even for a site in progress we can only comment on what you present and not what you might do.
Fourthly because everyone in a certain industry makes copycat sites, doesn't make them good or the best they can be.
I think you could learn a lot from this https://www.dignityfunerals.co.uk/
No inconsistent styles, no dense text-heavy pages, empathy for the client without platitudes, easily digested relevant information.
Yes, we all have time on our hands. It's a holiday in the UK.
My criticism of the way your client operates wasn't personal to you, I don't require your advice on chill pills. I would never work for your client and I would be happy to work for the business behind the link that I gave you. I am not a person who can do good work for a client I can't get on with or whose business model is one I can't approve of. I have turned down work on that basis.
"If I pointed you to 100 of the biggest most successful Funeral Home websites, you would then look back and my (incomplete) mockup and think it was PERFECT!" there's no chance of that being the case.
Rest assured I will never comment on any of your work again.
Re: 2 NEW XARA COVID JOBS
Quote:
Originally Posted by
pauland
Wow cmpman. I don't require your advice on chill pills.
I would never work for your client and I would be happy to work for the business behind the link that I gave you. I am not a person who can do good work for a client I can't get on with or whose business model is one I can't approve of. I have turned down work on that basis.
Correct, you DON'T need my advice on "chill pills". That should come from one's therapist. Pardon me.
And yes, you would never work for a client such as this. Why? Because you sir, are too 'good', too 'special', a one of a kind who can 'choose' whom they will work for...
I only hope that some day I'm able to do the same... No, I hope I never perceive my worth to be 'above' such clients... That would make me a 'paul'.
And I did not "take this personal". I was in amazement that you did not even pay attention to the premise of my post and went off on a rant... A 'pauland' rant...
one of the reasons I spend as little as necessary time in this forum as possible.
Well paul, you can have the last word. I'm sure it will be clever, articulate, elite and trite... if not a continued arrogance. Well, I have to get back to work for those clients
"you could never get on with", the ones who PAY ME! Which has me doubt how busy you are with any of your 'chosen' clients as you seem to spend a huge portion of
your day here. (must have a great pension or something)
See you in a few months - maybe - and if you took this personal, then finally you perceived something correctly.
Re: 2 NEW XARA COVID JOBS
Have a good day.
Moderator: don't panic, no histrionics from me.
Re: 2 NEW XARA COVID JOBS
@cmpan1. I really like the Monarch mock up. Quite respectful.
One line I do like is “currently under our care” I’ve never thought of it that way, and is a nice approach.
I’m viewing on an iPad which loosely translates to a full site on a desktop, at least the way I build. As mentioned the header and footer are a little too wide but very fixable.
I like it. In fact I’m redoing a sticky header myself and you gave me a couple of ideas. Incidentally I’ve lost two family members to Covid, a 74 yr old, and a 60 year old.
Thank You.
~Bill
Re: 2 NEW XARA COVID JOBS
Quote:
Originally Posted by
bwood
I’m viewing on an iPad which loosely translates to a full site on a desktop, at least the way I build. As mentioned the header and footer are a little too wide but very fixable.
~Bill
Hi Bill, thanks for the post. I'd like to give a 'very' short (once again) explanation.... this site is not about 'phones' 'ipads' 'responsivness' 'SEO' etc. etc.
It's a 'brainstorm' from the clients. A brainstorm that will handed to 'their' website provider company to grasp the ideas THEY would like implemented.
That's it. No more... no less... it will be 'fully' developed by their people... I'm the guy that they can sit on the phone with and say to me, "what would it
look like if..." "maybe that picture could go...." etc. and get instant gratification by a ten second upload for them to see. I give my input when & where I can...
but it is ultimately up to the paying customer to envision something nice... or disgusting... either way, the check is in the mail.
And Bill, truly sorrow for your loss. I too have lost two friends and one that is just barely hanging on...
Stay safe...
Cliff
Re: 2 NEW XARA COVID JOBS
Hi Cliff, just an observation on the website. On my iPhone the logo and navbar all show up, however on my iPad the logo and navbar are truncated, thought you might like to know being that you are in the preliminary stage.
Take care
Roly
