Website and Business Card Critique

[Simon Yates]

Well i finally plucked up enough courage to put my business card and website on here for all you Technibblers to critique.

I know there are some here who aren't afraid to say it like it is and give honest opinions, and that is what i'm looking for.

So here's my stuff...

Business card.

Website
http://www.residentit.com

Thanks,

Simon

 

[Velvis]

I like it a lot. However I find the logo a little hard to read. The font looks a little too squished or too bold. I would fix that and make the Resident IT part a little bigger than the Computer Solutions, LLC part. Make Resident IT like a headline over everything else.



With that being said, none of it is the end of the world. I like it.

 

[FoolishTech]

I rarely even read these critique posts but for some reason I did this time...

and I must say I like it! (except I also agree withi Velvis about the squished Resident IT bit.) It's not a show stopper by any means, though.

 

[Simon Yates]

I appreciate the reviews on the business cards guys!

Just curious if either of you checked out the website?

 

[FoolishTech]

I appreciate the reviews on the business cards guys!

Just curious if either of you checked out the website?

I did, but I'm completely website design impaired. Like my wife seems to think I have no fashion sense, but worse.

 

[Simon Yates]

I did, but I'm completely website design impaired. Like my wife seems to think I have no fashion sense, but worse.

Haha! I can respect that answer!

 

[PCX]

The Site:

It looks a bit dated, but knowing how most tech sites are, you probably got about 7 years on your competition.

It looks fairly professional, but I would consider adding some more color / contrast and add some more pictures.

At this moment, I do not have a whole lot of time to go over it with a fine comb, but those were my first thoughts when I looked at it.

 

[Simon Yates]

The Site:

It looks a bit dated, but knowing how most tech sites are, you probably got about 7 years on your competition.

It looks fairly professional, but I would consider adding some more color / contrast and add some more pictures.

At this moment, I do not have a whole lot of time to go over it with a fine comb, but those were my first thoughts when I looked at it.

Thanks for the review, i greatly appreciate it!

I'm still running Dreamweaver CS4
At some point i'll drop the cash to get CS5 and get stuck in to HTML5.

I really want to get rid of the Flash rotator and switch to HTML5 but the online conversion tools are sloppy even with that simple banner.

Simon.

 

[PCX]

Thanks for the review, i greatly appreciate it!

I'm still running Dreamweaver CS4
At some point i'll drop the cash to get CS5 and get stuck in to HTML5.

I really want to get rid of the Flash rotator and switch to HTML5 but the online conversion tools are sloppy even with that simple banner.

Simon.

Two words, wordpress template.

 

[Simon Yates]

Two words, wordpress template.

Indeed! Agree 100%

I've got my hands dirty with a couple of blogs using Wordpress.

My wife's blog is one i've done using a template that i just tweaked and customized to match her color scheme and logo.

http://www.kreationzbykristy.com/blog (incase you're curious) remember it's a girly site

I guess i just enjoy the creation process a little too much to make the jump just yet to Wordpress.

I wouldn't consider myself a graphic designer by any stretch of the imagination. I know i'm not very good!
I just know enough photoshop, html and CSS to be dangerous LOL

Regards,

Simon

 

[PaulRome]

I like your site and your biz card. Just dont like the font used for your logo.

 

[SCS75]

I like it a lot. However I find the logo a little hard to read. The font looks a little too squished or too bold. I would fix that and make the Resident IT part a little bigger than the Computer Solutions, LLC part. Make Resident IT like a headline over everything else.

I agree with Velvis. Tweak the business cards a little bit and I think it'll make more of an impression.

One thing I did with my business cards is that I added a QR code that links to a mobile version of my site (although, admittedly, I'm temporarily using a Facebook business page). Might be something to consider.

 

['putertutor]

As others have mentioned, your logo name does seem a bit squished which makes it a little difficult to read. Not a huge deal, but there it is. I might, if I were you, consider a double sided business card, just to make the front less cluttered. The front should have company name, contact info, tag line, and that's about it. On the back you can list all your services. Double sided cards are just the way to go in my opinion.

The website looks pretty clean and overall is a good site. Like PCX said, maybe a little dated, but nothing horrible. There is more than one mention, however, of what you don't do (no apple repairs, no emergency call outs are the two that I recall right now). I would stick with the positives, what do you do, and not mention what you don't do. You might want to reword the 'we won't nickel and dime you paragraph.' I'm not a fan of trash talking other shops, even hypothetical ones, to prop up my business. Just ends up making all of us look bad, in my opinion. I did notice a typo in your second testimonial. The last sentence says, "i couldn't give a higher..." and the i is lower case.

 

[Simon Yates]

As others have mentioned, your logo name does seem a bit squished which makes it a little difficult to read. Not a huge deal, but there it is.

I agree with you and everyone else that has mentioned it.

When I was first designing my logo I spent hours trying to find the right font.
The one I ended up with was on my short list. I was spending so much time on it that I decided to just pick one and go with it...so there it is.

My business is fully branded with this logo now, including embroidered polo shirts and other promotional materials, so I doubt i'll change it now.
But I do totally agree with you all!

I might, if I were you, consider a double sided business card, just to make the front less cluttered. The front should have company name, contact info, tag line, and that's about it. On the back you can list all your services. Double sided cards are just the way to go in my opinion.

Agreed.

I just had a whole bunch of cards made, but the next time I order cards I will go with your suggestion.

The website looks pretty clean and overall is a good site. Like PCX said, maybe a little dated, but nothing horrible.

I agree, it'll keep me going for a while, but at some point I will be moving to HTML5 and CSS3.

There is more than one mention, however, of what you don't do (no apple repairs, no emergency call outs are the two that I recall right now). I would stick with the positives, what do you do, and not mention what you don't do.

Hmmm, you know I am a believer in focussing on positives!

However, I used to get quite a few calls asking if I fixed MAC's. Since putting that statement on my site those calls have dramitically reduced. I felt that providing a link to where someone could find an Apple Authorized Service Provider was a little goodwill on my part, making it a positive.
I'm still on the fence about this particular suggestion

As far as no emergency call outs, that only refers to residential customers. I do provide after hours services for business clients.

You might want to reword the 'we won't nickel and dime you paragraph.' I'm not a fan of trash talking other shops, even hypothetical ones, to prop up my business. Just ends up making all of us look bad, in my opinion.

This I 100% agree with you! I will be changing that for sure!
Edit *FIXED!

I did notice a typo in your second testimonial. The last sentence says, "i couldn't give a higher..." and the i is lower case.

Thanks for pointing that out, i'll get that fixed too!
Edit *FIXED!

Thank you SO MUCH for your input!

Kind Regards,

Simon.

 

[PaulRome]

Personally I wouldn't worry too much about how "outdated" your site may or may not look, it's clean and easy to navigate. Remember who your target audience, just because someone say in Port Washington may understand a more high tech site doesn't mean someone in Germantown will.