New layout (I need unbiased opinion)

[slater]

I was hoping to get critiques from the masters of web design. Don't hold back because I need to know what I can improve on.
I can't decide whether to use frames or not.

This specific link is the only place I have the new layout. If you click on any of the links it will go to the old layout.
http://www.alumni.ouskulls.com/preview.htm

Thanks

Christian Adams

[kevin]

Christian,

My impression.... strictly amatuer design and layout.

The rotating skulls and lightning bolts add to this impression. OK...you can layer a couple of images to get a neat effect but it looks kinda silly and only slows the page loading down. It's something my 13 year old son would find cool looking but not me.
The comet cursor plugin was cool the first time I ever saw one, but now I find it a nuisance.

The flash file is cool for about 5 seconds. After that I wish I could turn it off. Loop it once or change it to something less distracting.

The interface is well done, but the colors don't all go together well. The harsh primary colors of the wires/cables doesn't blend well with the gray scale image at top or with the goldish colored nav buttons. I would change the color of those wires/cables or edit them out of the images.

I don't think you need frames for a simple layout like that but either way, frames or no frames, it would be about the same. If there will be a lot of content on the homepage causing the nav buttons to scroll off the screen then maybe frames would be slightly better to use.

Your attempts at making the page look cool don't hit the mark. Its all standard stuff that you can see on any geocities or tripod website. In my opnion, something more unique or understated would be better. It has a circus sideshow look to it... guady, tawdry, flashy... fun for an afternoon but grows old fast.

Regards,
Kevin