AnnaNeo

AnnaNeo

**--- (Rated by 4 people, viewed by 127 people)

Anime/manga, Neopets, & miscellaneous graphics, tutorials, resources, and blog site owned by Anna. :)

Added by AnnaNeo in Graphics

AnnaNeo has 4 Reviews

Below are the reviews left by other members on AnnaNeo. Jump to review form?

  1. [img: avatar]
    arrowsmash gave it ***-- on 2nd Aug 2010 and said:

    Hello, Anna, I'm going to be reviewing your website in Internet Explorer with a resolution of 1024px by 600px.

    > SITE NAME
    To be honest, I don't really like the site name. You have a staff, but the web name is basically saying this is your site, and you're the only one who runs it. But I guess it was just your site in the first place, so that's understandable.

    > LAYOUT
    Your header takes up a lot of screen space on my computer. I don't think a header should take up too much space because the visitor then has to find the content. And the header is very basic and I'm not quite sure how the dragon and the girl are related. But I like the colors. It just doens't really have a texture, nor anything fancy to make it spiffy and appealing to the eye.

    Your navigation is okay, but it took me a moment to find, and the font is somewhat hard to read. It's also a little too purple.

    CuteNews is a very unstable and unsafe blogging system, and is frequently hacked and spammed. But I know it's all you can have since Co.nr doesn't allow FanUpdate or WordPress. So, I guess that's alright.

    It's very annoying that your content scrolls on the index page instead of continueing down. I'm sure you know how to fix this, since it doesn't really require much tweaking of the CSS.

    You're missing a DOCTYPE, which I think you should have in any layout. But you do have your <html>, <head>, and <body> tags, and the ending tags as well. This is good.

    > CONTENT
    >> SITE
    No one cares if your links are alphabetized, so I don't think you need the message telling people that they're not alphabetized. But other than that, your pages here are fine. I don't really see anything wrong with them.
    >> GRAPHICS
    You make it seem like you have a lot of graphics, wihch is okay. Quality of quantity, though.
    >>> ADOPTABLES
    These are cute, but some are a bit low-quality. Otherwise they're alright.
    >>> ANIMATIONS
    Your animations are interesting, and obviously all about Neopets. I guess they're alright, but they're not very useful for anyone unless you're into Neopets.
    >>> BACKGROUNDS
    Some of the backgrounds are a bit bright, and I don't see where they'd be used, but other than that they're alright. You've done an okay job creating the plaid ones, but the rest I'm not very fond of.
    >>> BLANK AVATARS
    These are usually known as "avatar bases," and also don't usually have textures and/or text. These aren't really blank avatars, they're more premade ones. But I can see what you mean -- they don't have any text on them, which makes them a bit blank.
    >>> BLANK BANNERS
    Your blank banners are okay, but they're not of the best quality. I think you could have done a bit better, but I think you're a beginner and that's alright.
    >>> BLENDS
    Again, I think your blends are a bit low-quality, but they're alright. Some of them are better than others. I suggest looking up tutorials on your graphics program to learn how to better improve your abilities.
    >>> BLINKIES
    Your blinkies are okay, but I don't see where they would be used. Maybe make some more, though. Like, names or specific loves (like vampires/dogs/animals/boyfriends/girlfriends/etc.).
    >>> BLOGS
    I guess these are for Neopets. They're pretty good, but I don't see how they could be used for anything besides Neopets.
    >>> DIVIDERS
    The dividers look alright, but I again don't know what they could be used for. Neopets I guess?
    >>> GLITTERS
    Your glitters are pretty good actually. Good job on these. Maybe make some that aren't all-Neopets though, for visitors who maybe aren't into Neopets?
    >>> ICONS
    To be honest, your icons aren't that great. :| I would suggest looking at some icon tutorials at places like Aethereality.net. Just to improve your icons a bit.
    >>> NAME TAGS
    Your name tags are pretty nice :). I like them, and think they're your best content as of right now...
    >>> OUTLINES
    I don't understand the point of the outlines, but they're cute.
    >>> PETPAGE LAYOUTS
    Your petpage layouts are alright, but I think you should provide a live demo somewhere so that they can see the layout before copying it. But they're missing HTML basics that I think you should look over.
    >>> PIXELS
    Your pixels are okay, but I don't think they're that great. Maybe even look at pixeling tutorials. Unfortunately, I don't know where to find them. :|
    >>> SIGNS
    Your signs are okay, but they're kind of pointless. You'd do better with "hiatus" or "closed" or "moved" signs, because there aren't really points to "enter" signs.
    >>> USERLOOKUPS
    These are alright, but I think you should provide some kind of preview foor them so people know what they're going to be putting up.
    >>> WEBSITE LAYOUTS
    I'm glad you've provided link previews to these layouts. I'm not very fond of them though. I really do think you should improve your graphic and coding abilites.
    >> TUTORIALS
    Your tutorials are nice :). I like them. No comment here.
    >> RESOURCES
    You should combine your "Graphics" and "Resources" together, because they're basically the same thing. Or, at least in the way you've provided them.
    >>> ADOPTABLE TRANSPARENT PNGS
    These are the same things as "transparent PNGs," so they should really be combined.
    >>> TRANSPARENT PNGS
    Just like I said before, they're the same things as "adoptable transparent PNGs," so they should be combined in the same category, and then split into different categories depending on their type.
    >>> BLANK BUTTONS
    Your buttons are alright, and very useful. I like them.
    >>> SITE NAMES
    These are pretty good. Some are a little wild, but good job.

    > ORIGINALITY & CREATIVITY
    Your site is original, and somewhat creative, but I think you should improve your graphic abilities. It would really make your site more appealing.

    > OVERALL COMMENT
    I think your website has potential, but like I said you should improve your graphic abilities because it will really help improve your website's overall appeal. I've never been into Neopets, but I'm sure it's popular, and I'm also sure improving your graphic abilites won't be that hard. :) I bet in no time you'll have an even better site!

    Review by: Katarina @ Arrowsmash

    Using MSIE on Windows | Report This?

  2. [img: avatar]
    inexorable gave it ***-- on 22nd Jul 2010 and said:

    My name is Taylor & I'll be reviewing your site in Firefox.

    First Impression: 9/20
    I'm not entirely impressed by your image. I would suggest something colorful, and abstract. I'm not saying that your current image isn't good, but I believe you need to add more to it. I like the image of the girl though; it's unique. Perhaps you could blend your header image into your background. It would look much better. :) Also, I can't really read your navigation links too well either.

    Graphics: 20/45
    I can start off by saying that all the categories make it look like you offer a lot.

    'Adoptables': Your adoptables are quite cute. I would suggest adding more, though. And another thing, you might want to put a Neopets trademark or copyright sign somewhere on the page because using their images without giving the site credit is against their rules, and if someone reports you for that, you could get in some serious trouble. Even if you're still just editing them to make them your own in a way.

    'Animations': I don't quite understand your animations. They seem more like constructions of drawings to me.

    'Backgrounds': Your backgrounds are plain. I would suggest more of a "rainbow" type of thing. Maybe one that changes color too.

    'Blank Avatars': They are fairly good. Since they're avatars & aren't icons, I think you should definitely offer more than the 100x100 size.

    'Blank Banners': Your blank banners aren't of the best quality. They're rather plain and seem to have no life in them. :/

    'Blends': You've blended them well. I would add more color to them though. They seem plain.

    'Blinkies': You don't have many of them. I would make your mermaid blinkies more fluid with their movements. It's choppy.

    'Blogs': I like your blogs! Some of the images seem a little blurry though.

    'Dividers': I have nothing bad to say about them. :)

    'Glitters': I like them! Some of your images glitters seem chopped around though and don't come out to what they should be.

    'Icons': I don't really like them. It doesn't look like you put much effort into them. Your 'Let it Rain' one is my fav. :)

    'Name Tags': I like your name tags! More variety? Looks like you have nothing past the 'S' names.

    'Outlines': They're good! But remember to add Neopets credit.

    'Petpage Layouts': I REALLY like these! I have nothing to say about them. Your Illusen's Glade one is my definite favorite.

    'Pixels': Your pixels look more like drawings. . .and I don't understand your last one of the faerie paint brush.

    'Signs': Now this is what I'm talking about! I think these are colorful and creative. Do this with the rest of your graphics! Lol.

    'Userlookups': They aren't too bad. The text area alignment in them looks a little off though.

    'Website Layouts': The quality of the images could be better. And what's with the google search engine in the middle of your layouts?

    Tutorials: 20/20
    They look neat & helpful! :)

    Resources: 20/30

    'Adoptable Transparent PNG's': Adoptable Transparent PNG's? I think you should just have it named Transparent PNG's. I also think you should combine it with your other category. . .and then just split your content within the link into different categories. Anyways, I can definitely tell you have an artistic side. Commendably done!

    'Transparent PNG's: Your PNG's are good. I would suggest adding more, though.

    'Blank Buttons': They're very cute!

    'Site Naming Ideas': Very helpful!

    Total: 69/115
    60%
    I think you're off to a great start & can make your site better by just touching up on a few things! I hope I helped & great luck with your site!
    - Taylor

    Using Firefox on Windows | Report This?

  3. irinovna gave it ***-- on 17th Jul 2010 and said:

    I see you are a begginer. Your design is simple and i have nothing to add to it. You need to grow.
    The menu
    You should have space in thebetween the name of the page . The arrows needs to be not that close to the text.

    The submenu is moving to the bottom of the page if the page content is long. For example, photoshop lesson :Making Text Outlines and Photoshop lessons: Several Text Effects
    In the news graphic header, the text is too small for me to read. I see you are using tables and you do have valign=top.So maybe add valign=top to the tr tag as well.
    Please add names of pages on all pages, but just in the menus.
    The avatar in the news section is good, but the space to the right in just too much.

    The logo of the site header does not blend into the background of the header.

    Clean graphics of the adoptable section and good quality.

    Code:

    All of your stylesheets need to be in the <head> tag.

    Using MSIE on Windows | Report This?

  4. [img: avatar]
    Sillyish gave it **--- on 10th Jul 2010 and said:

    LAYOUT
    Here's what came to my mind when the site first loaded:
    01. Header is very large. I'm very much a fan of the theory that the header should take up no more than 20% of the verticle page. Having to scroll down for content is a huge turnoff, and there's lots of articles about Designing above the fold, common blog header mistakes... Just some food for thought. There's varying opinions on this, but I stand pretty firm on: Don't let the header take up too much space. I'm much less likely to return to a site with a too-large header.

    02.Graphic effects: Kind of random. Slightly clashy thick pink lines at top and bottom of header, then purple gradient that quickly goes to white... Green dotted background BEHIND the header... It all seems quite busy. I think this would benefit from being cleaned up.

    03. Frames... Are practically obsolete. And there's lots of reasons for this. There is a small article here about it, but what really gets me about frames: Multiple scrollbars = so freaking annoying. I have to scroll DOWN to see the entire page, and then I have to scroll the frame as well. Frustrating? Very. One scrollbar is a very key aspect to having a pretty site.

    -------

    So that was my first impression of the layout.

    Some smaller things worth mentioning: I'm never a fan of hovering over links and having them change size on me. In this case, the links go to lowercase, which changes their positioning a bit. I find it disorienting because things move around a bit.

    Also, the main content text is quite small and have a low line-height plus are fairly light in colour, which isn't so great for readability.

    I find that when I navigate to different content pages, the layout changes a little - while the main page blog area has a white background, the rest are on top of the purple gradient. The lack of consistancy seems very odd to me.

    Under the partners/affiliates sidebar, you have an "Applicants: OPEN" which I would expect to be a link to an affiliate application page, but instead it links nowhere. I think this is poor HCI, and would suggest making it into a link :)

    --------

    CONTENT
    Site - I think that making a comment about alphabetical order is a little unnessicary. No one is going to notice how the links are organized, as long as it makes sense. Also, the links seem to get smaller - the first section of links is quite large, and then the 'Other' and 'Staff' sections are noticeably smaller.

    The fact that 'news' just takes me back to the main page seems a bit silly too. Maybe just put in brackets (the home page) or something. Or leave the link out altogether, because you have that link at the top of the page anyway. Credits is so short that it seems pointless to devote an entire page to it.

    The toolbar links offsite with no warning, another turnoff. And why "Request a graphic" is under the site section when it seems to be a service offered rather than a site informational piece, I'm not sure.

    I would say that the site page could be revamped with the following:

    A paragraph or two, followed by credits, followed by link back buttons.

    THEN, a subsection of links to other relevant things, like the toolbar and Staff info.

    Graphics - I checked out a lot of the graphics you provided and they don't really interest me too too much, but I'm going to say that probably if I were a neopet fanatic I might be interested. You seem to have a lot availble, which is great. Much of it is... possibly not too original? Graphics provided by neopets and just added animations by you? This, to me, isn't the greatest but I'm a critic :) I'm sure people like what you're providing.

    Tutorials - Your neopet tutorials I'm sure are very useful. Your HTML tutorial is a little outdated - <b> and <i>, and pretty much all the tags you have listed have been depreciated ... You can learn a little bit about depreciation at this article if you're interested, but basically, the tags have been replaced by new tags and the plan is to eventually have them no longer supported.

    Some of your tutorials, and "How to make better graphics" comes to mind, is very text heavy, and the text is quite small, so it's hard to read. I think it's important to break tutorials up so that they're easy to understand, point form, involve some nice pictures, etc. No one wants to read a huge block of text when following a tutorial. They want a step by step, short and sweet.

    Resources - Some of these could just go in the graphics section - like buttons and transparent pngs...

    Site naming section: whoo, that green is SO hard to read on the purple.

    -------

    CODE
    I tried to validate, but no luck - the validator says 11 errors in your html, so maybe check that out and see if you can bring it down to zero! The CSS, however, is error-free, which is great!

    You have some really weird stuff going on with your html, however...

    Example:
    You have a </body>
    </html>

    and then a bunch of STUFF After that.

    There should be NOTHINg after </body>
    </html> ... That is the end of the document!

    So look into fixing that sort of stuff :-)

    Also, some of your css was a little redundant:

    b {
    font-weight:bold;
    color: #cf9094;
    }

    Well, the font-weight of a <b> tag WILL be bold, no need to specify it in the CSS...

    --------

    Whew. Okay. I think that's enough for now. I know that I probably come off as quite harsh in my reviews - I always do. I just like to launch in and list off everything and let you pick out what you want to work on and what you want to ignore. I swear I'm not a horrible meanie, I'm just... reviewing. This is what reviewing is for :)

    Hopefully you can put some of my comments to use for the betterment of your site. Good luck with everything!

    Using Safari on Mac | Report This?

    AnnaNeo's Response:

    Thanks, this was quite helpful. You're right about the header being to big...It takes up about have of the page. I've also been trying to make the side nav shorter so that there isn't as much scrolling involved. If you'd seen some of my old layouts you'd be horrified. :P

    Also, the "Applicants: OPEN" link idea is good. A lot of sites look for a link there to apply, so good point. Thank you for the thoughtful review!

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