Help me choose my colors

[SCgreenscapes]

Hey guys. I know this is in the wrong forum, but i wanted to get the most responses and opinions before making a final call. My web designer sent me four proofs today for my new web site. which one do you think? They don't show names, so just call them #1, #2, #3 or #4. thanks for all the help.

[cgland]

I like either 1 or 4. 2 is too over the top and 3 is computer-y.

Chris

[STLPONDS]

1,3,4 in the order that I like.
The first one caught my eye!

[Colonial]

I like 4,1,3. I think 4 and 1 and very similiar just that the color from 4 frames everything in a bit more.

[SCgreenscapes]

I appreciate all the responses so far. If anyone has any ideas for some colors that would match my logo and look better than these, let me know. He told me he is willing to try out what ever combinations i want.

[Colonial]

Honestly i think 1,3,4 compliment your logo nicely on colors. Its neat and clean and not busy. I really dont know if I would even try an orange color like one of your colors and green... well you saw the green:)

[zedosix]

Bizzare, I would of chosen the green one. I think your fonts stand out better and it suits your name also.

[HRLand]

I'm with Zedo on this. Maybe you could tone it down by darkening the background of the logo area like it is in #3.

[SCgreenscapes]

you mean like this one, but with the silver behind the logo and text instead of the white?

[HRLand]

Yes, I would try it out.

[Andrew Hardscape]

I do not like any of them, and here's why:

I have no problem getting FREE info from others!

See, a few years ago, BELGARD conducted a survey to female homeowners. Where one of the questions they asked was "what color(s) do you associate with the landscape / hardscape industry"?

And the the majority of the answers were: "BROWN"

See, it's been researched (via BELGARD) that the woman of the home is the one that really pays attention to the graphics. Belgard found out that women love reading brochures, web pages, etc.

So, with that info provided to Belgard, and passed on to their contractors - I used it! :spy:

It's the women that are going to notice the simple things.

So gear your site towards women.

Thats how I did it. I had a graphic designer build my site, and I told the designer "I want this site to appeal to women".

Go BROWN! Statistics show thats the color that our target user relates to in terms of our industry.

Gear your site towards your target audience. Not to what a bunch of lazy, overweight, lawn jockeys turned artists THINK should be done :dance:


http://www.outdoorfinishes.com

[zedosix]

I do not like any of them, and here's why:

I have no problem getting FREE info from others!

See, a few years ago, BELGARD conducted a survey to female homeowners. Where one of the questions they asked was "what color(s) do you associate with the landscape / hardscape industry"?

And the the majority of the answers were: "BROWN"

See, it's been researched (via BELGARD) that the woman of the home is the one that really pays attention to the graphics. Belgard found out that women love reading brochures, web pages, etc.

So, with that info provided to Belgard, and passed on to their contractors - I used it! :spy:

It's the women that are going to notice the simple things.

So gear your site towards women.

Thats how I did it. I had a graphic designer build my site, and I told the designer "I want this site to appeal to women".

Go BROWN! Statistics show thats the color that our target user relates to in terms of our industry.

Gear your site towards your target audience. Not to what a bunch of lazy, overweight, lawn jockeys turned artists THINK should be done :dance:


http://www.outdoorfinishes.com


Nice to know, I am in the process of building my website now, and have sent my designer a template that I really liked, and it is mostly a brown background. I may have to stick with that one.

[Colonial]

:)

Hey Andrew then why is there aguy sitting on a chair in your flash intro???:noidea:

Sorry had to after the lawn jockey comment, lol. that and the fact that your right about gearing it towards the target audience.

[HRLand]

Who you callin' fat?:boxing:

[Andrew Hardscape]

:)

Hey Andrew then why is there aguy sitting on a chair in your flash intro???:noidea:





Colonial!

Because studies have shown that women like men in BLUE socks!!!!!

[Colonial]

LMAO!!

great another guy with an answer for everything.

[SCgreenscapes]

That must be why all the UPS guys get lucky with the women while their husbands are out driving the fed ex truck...Go brown...lol.

[SCgreenscapes]

hey, just fyi...Belgard's website is green...

http://www.belgardpavers.com/

[Andrew Hardscape]

LMAO!!

great another guy with an answer for everything.


Colonial - please do not EVER compare me to MRusk EVER again :boxing:

[cgland]

You talkin bout me?

Chris

[SCgreenscapes]

Hey guys, here is an article i found when researching color preferences by men and women. It may be of some help to you guys.

http://www.grokdotcom.com/2007/07/24/web-design-colors-do-men-and-women-respond-differently/

and

http://www.joehallock.com/edu/COM498/preferences.html

[Andrew Hardscape]

Belgard taught me to make my marketing collateral appeal to WOMEN.


Someone allied to the industry taught me that when I am meeting with a prospective client - to include the Mrs in ALL converastion. Look her in there eyes. Talk to her. Listen to her. And be sure to shake her hand goodbye. Contractors have a habit of talking to the man when they meet with their clients. You have to win the MRS over.

If the MRS does NOT like you - you can be assured you WILL NOT get the job.


And I have found this to be 120% true.

Win her over from the get go. And that starts with your web page. Just like an add on E-Harmony.com! It's the same principles.

[SCgreenscapes]

yeah, but you said belgard found that brown was the best color and their website is green. then you read the article that i posted and it shows that brown is right in there with yellow and orange as one of the least favorite colors. if it is working for you, that is great, but out side of this site and ups, i have not run across to many brown themed websites. but i do cherish everyones opinion. If there were not opinions from all aspects of the spectrum, we would not think out side of the box.

keep them coming...i think there is more to this than meats the eye. the more i look online, the more i find in relation to color.

[Andrew Hardscape]

SCGREENSCAPES -

Lets be realistic.

I can not type in present tense 24/7.

This was 2 years ago when Belgard told us such, at a seminar in Annapolis MD in January.

Since then, Belgard has been through some management changes, as well as changes at the corporate level.

Infact, they now are using their Betco name, instead of Old Castle.

My point is, web design is not something to be taken lightly. I have found that most web designers lack in graphic capabilities, and SEO expertise.

Take my advice - gear your website towards the female surfer/visitor/reader.

[SCgreenscapes]

Alright guys. here is the last two color revisions before i tell him to put it to press. We enlarged the fonts to make it more legible and changed the back ground on one of them. any final critiques over this weekend will be taken into consideration and i will make a decision before next week. If you think anything needs to be changed, post it.

Thanks for all the help guys...

John B.

[Andrew Hardscape]

on the website, get rid of th jbell@greenscapes.com e-mail address.

Make it be: SALES@greenscapes.com. Your server can set the sales@greenscapes.com to automatically forward to jbell@greenscapes.com.

It'll look more professional.

[GroundScapes]

on the website, get rid of th jbell@greenscapes.com e-mail address.

Make it be: SALES@greenscapes.com. Your server can set the sales@greenscapes.com to automatically forward to jbell@greenscapes.com.

It'll look more professional.

I second that.

Also John,
The picture of the hardcape at the Golfcourse is a good one, nice work.
James

[kris]

Bizzare, I would of chosen the green one. I think your fonts stand out better and it suits your name also.

I agree.......

edit... I posted that after reading the first page... if you are down to those two... I dunno... I find the font hard to read.

[zedosix]

I don't want to be a stick in the mud, but I find the font blurry and hard to read. It is NOT clear. I thought the green showed best. Either way, it will only benefit your sales.

[SCgreenscapes]

Hey guys. I think the bluryness of the fonts is b/c it is just a screen shot of the real thing. Here is a link to the guy who is building my site and you will notice the fonts are not blury here.

www.atierone.com

I know the first thing you will notice is that my colors are the same as his. He has shown me so many different choices and never showed me mine with the same colors. then i asked if he would mind doing mine in similar colors just to see what it looks like. well, i liked it a lot. Anyway. thanks for the post so far. Keepem' comming.

[zedosix]

So what color theme did you go with?

[SCgreenscapes]

This is the one that i went with. I can't wait to see the final product. But that means that i have to get on the ball and finish all the wording. I have never paid money for something that i have to put so much work into. I hope that it all pays off in the end.

[-EGLC-]

Looks good.

[SCgreenscapes]

Here is a link to what we have so far. Some of the content is there and some is still in the works. any critiques are welcome.

http://designs.atierone.com/scgreen/portfolio.htm

[Meanix]

Thats a nice site. Pics are real clear. I had a buddy do mine did you have to pay an arm and a leg?

[SCgreenscapes]

i traded a paver walkway for it. we are trading landscaping for SEO later towards march. It was valued at around $2,800.00

[Meanix]

It takes a while for the "spiders" to pick it up for the search engines. You could pay extra for that but in about 6 mo or so it should show up on most. I get leads other ways an tell the customer to look me up to see picks. Is that screenings the pavers are sitting on in the pic with the steps?

[SCgreenscapes]

I understand what you are saying to a degree with the spiders. I recongnize some of the terminology that he has been telling me about, but i have not gotten too deep into it. I figure that is his industry and he is the pro. i am paying him for results and if results don't happen, then i choose another method. so far i am happy.

yes those are screenings. very fine screenings.

[Meanix]

Do you get a more solid patio with the screenings. I have seen people use it before but I have always used concrete sand. Doe the pavers get pushed down into the dust?

[JZap]

Do you get a more solid patio with the screenings. I have seen people use it before but I have always used concrete sand. Doe the pavers get pushed down into the dust?

Seeing screening in pavers is almost an instant sign there will be problems down the road with the patio IMO. Screenings are too big to create interlock between pavers unless you're using a natural product or paver with bigger seperation for the grit to fully get into the void. Concrete sand should be used for the bedding and joints. And who wants to re-sweep joints every year? :noidea:

[SCgreenscapes]

Screenings is very loose terminology that is used in our area. there are different levels of screenings. there are some that are anything from dust size to 1/4" pieces. this material is obviously not suitable for the interlock process that John Z was refering to. the product that I use is 90% coarse sand with 10% 1/8th" or less material mixed in with it. Granted their may be better materials to use in ICP situations, it is suitable material and is what all our local yards carry for this application.

[Meanix]

Understood.

[zedosix]

Do we have a website up and running SC? I would love to see it, I'm working on mine and should have it ready to go in a few weeks.

[SCgreenscapes]

here is what we have so far. I have been busier than anticipated and have not finished typing up the copy for it. i hope to have it live in at least time for Hardscape NA.

Let me know what you think. Now is the time to change things while it is free.

http://designs.atierone.com/scgreen/

[cgland]

SC - Did you do all of the work that fades in and out on your home page screen?

[JZap]

I like your revision. I think matching up with your logo colors is key.

[SCgreenscapes]

CG. Those pics are from pavestone and unique lighting. I did not have the time to get professional pictures made of my stuff, so i opted to use stock photos. My hopes are to get some professional pics made later this season and replace what we have put in there. Everything in the portfolio section is mine and the page that is named "Design Ideas" will be stock photos of uniqe and cool ideas to spark interest with customers. I figured if i put a lot of pictures i use on a regular basis to show customers, i would not have to lug my laptop around to show people some ideas for thier yard.

[zedosix]

Looks good SC. I have one beef though, when you bring up your pictures and follow on to the next, if you don't close each one separately you have to close them all at the end. Know what I mean. Just something I noticed. Maybe good in a way cause you have to look at them twice!

[SCgreenscapes]

I may see if he can set it up so that when you go to open another it replaces the last one.