Redesigned my photo zine website - comments?

[sar-photo]

Hi,

I've just redesigned the website for Fistful of Books. FoB is the name under which I self publish photo zines. The old website was a simple WordPress.com blog affair. I was never that happy with it so I decided to go with WordPress.org and use a custom theme.

There are still a few things I need to do but I'd appreciate any feedback.

The address is www.fistfulofbooks.com.

Cheers
Simon

 

[sepiareverb]

Nice. That Mexico Dress shops book is beautiful, I may go for the animals next.

 

[sar-photo]

Thanks!!

I'm extremely pleased with the finished zines but it was a long journey. I had a hell of a job with the printers. I wanted to keep the printing local and as I was working in Glasgow at the time I approached a Glasgow printing firm. I told them what I wanted and they said 'no problem'. So they produced sample after sample and each one had some problem - not folded down the centre, not stapled in the right place, front-back registration was out, lines from the printing machine, not cropped evenly. It was doing my head in!! Finally I told them to forget it and I went to find another printer. I live in rural south west Scotland and there are two local printing firms - one was way too expensive and the other wasn't confident that they could produce the zines to the standard I expected (well done them for admitting that right away - I worked with the Glasgow printer for 3 months before they admitted it!).

I ended up going with a printer in Preston who I knew could print zines to a high standard as Craig Atkinson of Cafe Royal Books uses them. I had a sample of each zine in my hand within a week and they were perfect!

Cheers
Simon

 

[68degrees]

... I'd appreciate any feedback....

Cheers
Simon

To us it seems natural to use the sliders to scroll around but horizontal scrolling will confuse most visitors. I would make it scroll vertically like visitors expect. I realize you are trying to make the books page like left to right as if they are leafing through the book but it will cause problems. Also make the max width 1024 or even 800.

Since you are very pleased with your site you probably wont like to hear this but you did ask.

I like the minimalistic look and the your photography is excellent IMO. The best Ive seen in a long time. I love it. Also sar-photography.com looks great too.

 

[sar-photo]

To us it seems natural to use the sliders to scroll around but horizontal scrolling will confuse most visitors. I would make it scroll vertically like visitors expect. I realize you are trying to make the books page like left to right as if they are leafing through the book but it will cause problems. Also make the max width 1024 or even 800.

Since you are very pleased with your site you probably wont like to hear this but you did ask.

I like the minimalistic look and the your photography is excellent IMO. The best Ive seen in a long time. I love it. Also sar-photography.com looks great too.

Thanks for your comments, and your right - I don't want to hear it 😀

I don't think people will be confused (at least I hope not). Anyway, I'm sticking with the horizontal scrolling - but thanks for your feedback!

Thanks for the nice comments on my other website as well.

Cheers
Simon

 

[jesse1dog]

Site doesn't work for me at all.
Wording, what there is, flashes.
The pictures are on the screen for too short a time.
I scroll horizontally for one book and find I have to do the same for the next, and the next, and the next.

What I get is an unmitigated disaster, and you know I'm a satisfied punter of the 'zines'. I've tried the site more than once and get the same result.
Might be me! Hope it is!!!
Sorry, I know you don't want this feedback, but ....

jesse

 

[MartinP]

The site works fine for me on Ubuntu Linux and Mozilla 18.0.2.

The initial auto-previews go past quite quickly, but they are only previews after all. The site is simple and clear and works well on my up-to-date browser. The only thing you might add is a little paragraph of what a "zine" is, instead of (or in addition to) the link on the About page. That could give confidence to those new customers who are unsure of the concept, and perhaps provide the possibility of some mutual cross-links with someone making a different style of "zine", to the benefit of both parties? 🙂

 

[jamesj]

very cool, Thats awesome that you are making these, I love Zines! I like the site but honestly am not a fan of side scrolling, but it works fine to me, It gets the point across. Im going to try and pick up a couple when I get some extra cash!

I have made one so far just using regular paper and my office laserjet printer. I would like a better version but my scanner is not that good so I think it would not make a difference. I am also working on another one that I shot last summer using a assortment of toy cameras, im going to call it a "toy camera odyssey".

here is a little bit of the one I put together.

http://jamesjay.wordpress.com/2012/05/08/i-love-the-world-i-see-photo-zine/

 

[shadowfox]

Thanks for the education.
I had no idea what a 'zine' is.

Definitely like the photos shown on the website.
Good luck with it, Simon.

 

[jmilkins]

Hi Simon - the site works for me. I like the horizontal scrolling, and the full zine preview is generous, as is the pricing!

It looks like a lot of work went into them. The full site works for me too. Great images & a diverse way of getting them out there for us to appreciate.