Review Graphic Design Prelim Website-Help! We don't agree!

[dcPIXEL]

We are an established graphic design firm who has recently made a name and image "face lift." We are in the process of creating a new website, but we can't all agree. The cleverness of design seems to be negatively influencing the navigation. Please give your opinion. The site is still preliminary. www.pixelcreative.com/pixel07

Thanks!:)

[Mania]

Yup, I'd say navigating the pages is the biggest challenge on that site.

Some concerns overall:
- Flash only
- 'Mystery meat' navigation including main and in-page navigation
- Teen English like 'R Approach' instead of 'Our Approach'

[redbeef88]

hmm why does it still animate when i want to 'skip intro' ? :s

overall, the cleanliness of text-less-ness is offset by the difficulty it creates in navigating the site.

EDIT:
Also, overused leetspeak makes the little available text hard to read, and the main body of text in the landing page looks like a navigation system when the nav is actually hidden in the squares on top of the page.

Rollover elements are not obvious interactive elements, which is a concern for users looking for specific information. Lack of labels was really frustrating.

Anyway, hope this helps improve the site, good luck!

[dcPIXEL]

Thanks so much for your replies. You are basically echoing what my argument has been! Please continue to post more feedback about our "rough" draft site.

[LeeU]

While the navigation is "clever", if I am the client, I'm not going to wait while it sets itself up and then rolls out each time I do a mouseover. All of that stuff you can show your client later. They just want to see basic good design and talent.

(Someone should write an article on creating Web designer/developer Web site ... )

[tracknut]

I voted for "I figured it out", but I echo the comments above. I don't actually want to have to "figure out" your navigation as if it's a puzzle challenging my IQ. I actually ran out of IQ on your advertising page, I can't figure out how to make those ads display.

It looks like you've got some really creative ideas, but I'd say tone down the "games" on the site in favor of the crisp professional content (and spelling)

Dave

[dcPIXEL]

Thanks for your comments all. Any suggestions on what type of navigation may work with our site?...especially within the "pixel" rotating section. Any comments on what information is provided? Do you feel your questions (assuming you were a potential client) are answered here?