seasoned professionals network
Hi everyone,
This is a site dedicated to network activities for professionals 40 and over.
This is part of a series of websites, kind of like a subwebsite.
This is the parent website http://www.thingstododc.com/. I know it's awful.
Please let me know what you think
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grammar
socialising or socializing, not sosialicing
"events and activities for professionals 40 & over" the way you have it now makes it sound like it's for a quantity over professionals, not their age.
other then that, it's a nice clean site, simple, good for easy looking navigation. all VERY important seeing as the 40 and over crowd is often the "less computer savvy" crowd as some may say..
i like the colors and feel of it, just needs some minor details to be looked over.
____________________________________________
Architectural Technician - Multimedia Designer
www.ArchMedia.us
thanks a lot, I overlooked
thanks a lot, I overlooked the grammar. Your right about the 40 people instead of years
Nice Site
The site is clean and looks good!
Lou Lou
Great work. Like both the
Great work. Like both your palette combo and fonts you've selected.
It reads well as a site geared towards the professional 40+ crowd, and I believe you'll attract those who live and breathe the electronic world...computer savvy CEOs and higher up execs.
Only comment: downplay the thingstodo button, even though it's the link back to the parent (ha!) site. I'd have it more subtly placed at the base rather than right in the midst of signing the older generation up. Also, I'd probably replace the two ladies in the pool with a couple of women in their early to mid-forties hitting the links. I'd also lose the underlined text in the titles...little too early '90's. Love the dancing feet shot!
ciao
3dogmama
Yeah, I agree about the
Yeah, I agree about the women in the pool. Looks like aquatic therapy for the geriatric crowd.
What what you say about people over 40 being computer-challenged. I'd say that's more the problem of the 70+ crowd.
Mara (60 years old, and entirely capable of clicking Web site buttons, thank you very much ;-)
Sheesh! What is it with the double postings lately?
Must be my age (ahem).
Mara
By the way in the older
By the way in the older drafts, I put younger people, but they said they look too young, and they wanted older people as well.
Thanks again for your comments
Thanks a lot, I know what
Thanks a lot, I know what you mean, but they want the things to do dc link to be in that place, since its there in all of the other subwebsites. But I think you have a good point, if I get to redo the other websites as well, I will try to convince them to do that
This is one of their other subwebsites http://www.jewishpro.com/ Pretty awful huh
I sincerely hope you get the
I sincerely hope you get the opportunity to bid on and do the work on those other sites...they're bloody awful!
I like your work, dsauna.
Cheers.
3dogmama
Thanks a lot, I like your
Thanks a lot, I like your work too. :)
agreed on losing the
agreed on losing the underline/rules. i do like the color palette and the big blocks.
i'd probably rework the line breaks on the main title to be:
events and
activities
for 40+
professionals.
40+ looks really lonely all by itself.
btw, this site made me realize you're local to me. i lived in arlington for 7 years (in falls church now). do you go to any of the AIGADC events?
Thanks I'm really awfull at
Thanks I'm really awfull at writing as you can see by my not so well written posts. lol. Your adivice helps me a lot
Ohh really Arlington. I'm actually planning to subscribe to AIGA, i've been planning that since last year, but don't have money right now lol, but I definitely will. Stay in contact
By the way is any of you going to the How Design Conference in Boston?
About AIGA
I think AIGA is expensive, but if you really want to do it remember you can write it off as a business expense on your taxes for the year. Helps ease the pain of paying the money. :)
AIGA was a great networking resource for me and the events were definitely inspiring. I just wish they'd redirect the money spent on printing brochures back into making the event fees cheaper.
Well done on the website! I'd only say that there's no real hierarchy in your design. What's the most important point on this page?
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Powerpoint is not a design application
"I just wish they'd redirect
"I just wish they'd redirect the money spent on printing brochures back into making the event fees cheaper."
That is very true
" I'd only say that there's no real hierarchy in your design. What's the most important point on this page?"
I was actually thinking about that, so I changed the logo a little bit in the newer version so now it's the most important element.
One more thing, they want a flash animation with the four pictures and the text, I'm not a big fan of flashy things, but I'll do my best. I will keep you posted.
they want a flash animation
Have you asked them why they want this? :) I'd make sure they have a purpose other than 'we want some animation on our site' before just moving ahead with some pointless, bandwidth gobbling flash animation. He he. Also, I'd make sure your audience is going to react positively to their page constantly moving... :)
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Powerpoint is not a design application
I know. The thing is that I
I know. The thing is that I work in a marketing company, and they work with the client, so I don't have direct contact with them, but the point you make is very true
I remember that you work
I remember that you work with an agency in Bethesda, right? I'm about 40 miles west of Washington. I'm also put off by the cost of AIGA membership and event attendance -- plus it really is a bit of a drive for me to get into DC; the traffic on the Virginia side of the Potomac River is awful at all times of the day or night. Maybe we locals should have a little gathering some Saturday, maybe up on Capitol Hill at the Eastern Market . There are several good coffee shops there with sidewalk tables, and it's right at the Eastern Market Metro stop. That would be fun!
I agree with you that Flash animation would be a mistake on this site. BTW, I like the point about the hierarchy; glad you changed it a little. I'd noticed something about that, but couldn't quite put my finger on what the problem was, just that the page seemed too unfocused or something. The suggestion about moving "for" to the same line as 40+ is an excellent one. I would do that.
Hope you can reel in the gig! (And yes, those other sites are hideous!)
Mara
Thanks a lot for the
Thanks a lot for the comment, I would love to do a gathering and exchange some ideas.
Best.
Daniel
a gathering might be
a gathering might be fun.
mara, i *think* there's a shenandoah chapter, or something like that. but i don't think it's anywhere near as active as DC, so it may be more difficult to get your money's worth there. but it might be worth looking into for going to an event now and then.
A Shenandoah chapter? Hmm.
A Shenandoah chapter? Hmm. That's interesting. I imagine that might be even farther away for me, though, if a pretty drive. Probably would be Winchester, or Harrisburg. I'd rather do DC. I lived there for 35 years, started my business there etc. But I'll check out your suggestion. Wouldn't hurt!
Mara
If you're going to introduce
If you're going to introduce Flash, why not have one of the pool ladies winking and puckering up at the viewer?
Ha! Sorry--couldn't resist. :)
ciao
3dogmama
You're really sick! ;-)
Mara
Thank you. ciao 3dogmama
Thank you.
ciao
3dogmama
"If you're going to
"If you're going to introduce Flash, why not have one of the pool ladies winking and puckering up at the viewer?"
lol to that
nope, i'll be at a work
nope, i'll be at a work conference at the same time. :(
you can still go out to events if you're not a member. DC does a pretty good job of keeping event costs down, particularly for members (usually $10-25 less than nonmembers, sometimes free for members, sometimes member-only). and happy hours are always free. as well as volunteering makes getting into the event free, too.
haven't been as good about going to them lately, but i've been trying to get back into the swing. i did spend some time on the local board about 5-6 years ago and, even more than just membership and going to events, that really helped me with networking. got me one full-time job and, when i was full-time freelancing, a bunch of freelance work (including getting to work as a freelancer at a couple of well-respected studios, like beth singer design in clarendon). but i'm the kind of person who's probably better off being forced into introductions like i was on the board, since i'm not as good at walking up and introducing myself.
yeah I know what your
yeah I know what your saying. I definitely be a member. Being a member $230, conferences $20-$100, networking priceless :)
It must have been
It must have been interesting being on that board. And hey -- it's good to know that you know what you're talking about when it comes to the DC AIGA! Yeah...I really should look into that.
Mara
it was interesting. and fun.
it was interesting. and fun. and a ton of work. and i was doing too many other things at the time, so i hit the burnout point and decided to leave after 3 yrs. but i met a lot of great people, both locally and nationally (some really cool speakers). overall, i'd do it again if i could go back, but i probably wouldn't do it again if asked in the future. i've helped with things when asked, but i won't go back on the board.
since i was looking for something else on the site, i found the link for you. it's the "blue ridge" chapter.
http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/chapter-blueridge
http://blueridge.aiga.org/
AIGA fees, SoCal
This is what bugs me the most about AIGA's fees. Why spend $300-400 on a Pro membership for the year AND pay for the events when for $5-10 more per event you can attend as a non-member any time you want without paying the membership fee? Where's the benefit to the membership fee if it all the extra money seems to go to printing brochures I don't read, need or want rather than bringing the event fees down to make it worth my while?
Anyway, for the 3 years I was a member I did get a lot out of it, I just got discouraged with the waste that went on. Maybe it's more 'green' now (HATE that word now!) and fewer brochures are printed? That might help bring me back.
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Powerpoint is not a design application
can't speak to the local
can't speak to the local cali chapters, hopefully the spending on that is minimal now. i know the local chapter here sends out mailers for programs, but i also know we don't pay for anything but the postage (printing/paper is always donated).
the national office doesn't seem to send me that much in print any more. the annual competition book and some materials on professional standards, for the most part (from memory).
i'm working from memory here on the numbers, but iirc, the local chapter got something like $75 of each member's annual dues. and even if you leave out the postage for announcement mailings, the programs aren't necessarily inexpensive. flight/hotel/expenses for speakers (don't know if it's a national thing or if it was local, but we never ever paid a speaker, just their expenses), venue, food... it adds up pretty quickly, even with event sponsors (which are a lot harder to find now than it was 7-8 years ago). our goals were always to break even for the year and leave a couple thousand in the account to cover costs for starting up the next year.
like i said, that's how the DC chapter did things 5-6 years ago. can't speak for any other chapters.
as far as the national portion of the fees, the idea is that it's for supporting the national organization and it's advocacy and support of the industry. everyone has to make up their own mind as to what that's worth to them. i can easily see both sides of that argument, as to value to the individual. maybe that's why i was never a membership guy on the board. ;)
as far as the national
AIGA could stand to better communicate this more regularly to their membership and the public at large...Good points!
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Powerpoint is not a design application
yes, i think they could,
yes, i think they could, too. i know it's part of the membership drive stuff here, but i don't think it's emphasized enough. and there was, at one point, a flash presentation showing the benefits of joining, which included that info. let me see if i can find that on the aigadc site, i know it used to be there...
can't find the flash piece, but here's the benefits page on the aiga site:
http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/benefits
if i see one of the people i know who was involved, i'll try to find a link for you.
btw, for those not freelancing, it's always worth asking your company if they'll pay. mine does.