# Classic Professional Look **URL:** \ **Category:** design\ **Created:** [February 8, 2004, 8:43pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/classic-professional-look/42398 "2004-02-08T20:43:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Yeldarb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/51bf81/32.png) [@Yeldarb](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/Yeldarb)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 8:43pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/classic-professional-look/42398/1 "2004-02-08T20:43:08Z")
I have a client who wants a professional, modest looking site. He wants it to be subtle, and have the content be the main focus. I am having trouble getting this look without making it look too simple. Does anyone have any suggestions or any really good examples that I could look at for inspiration? ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 8:52pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/classic-professional-look/42398/2 "2004-02-08T20:52:35Z")
what I normally do is ask the client if they have seen a site that they particularly like, or an advertisement. Also if there are any magazines they prefer. ALot of clients preferences come from their likings. Or maybe you think of a site that you have seen that foots the bill. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 8:56pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/classic-professional-look/42398/3 "2004-02-08T20:56:26Z")
He’s not really giving me any help lol > I don’t have any preconceived notion of how the site should look, but it should be easy to use and navigate for the average joe. and > I can’t think of any sites off hand. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 8:57pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/classic-professional-look/42398/4 "2004-02-08T20:57:38Z")
go to [www.coolhomepages.com](http://www.coolhomepages.com) go to like the corporate section. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 8:57pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/classic-professional-look/42398/5 "2004-02-08T20:57:57Z")
ok thanks, i’ll have a look ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 9:15pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/classic-professional-look/42398/6 "2004-02-08T21:15:03Z")
Check out some of the sites in my portfolio - [http://www.bleutuna.com](http://www.bleutuna.com), but also: ![](http://www.bleutuna.com/tra_mpdesign_a.jpg) ![](http://www.bleutuna.com/servicegroup_flyout_mockup.jpg) ![](http://www.bleutuna.com/mmspecialevents_mainpage.jpg) [http://www.bleutuna.com/mmspecialevents\_interior.jpg](http://www.bleutuna.com/mmspecialevents_interior.jpg) ![](http://www.bleutuna.com/howardelliott_mainpage.jpg) [http://www.bleutuna.com/howardelliott\_interior\_zoom.jpg](http://www.bleutuna.com/howardelliott_interior_zoom.jpg) ![](http://www.bleutuna.com/lauralewis_mainpage.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 9:52pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/classic-professional-look/42398/7 "2004-02-08T21:52:55Z")
[http://www.favoritewebsiteawards.com/](http://www.favoritewebsiteawards.com/) > **[Internet Tiny Awards - Awards For The Greatest Memes on the Internet](http://www.internettinyawards.com/)** > > Awards For The Greatest Memes on the Internet [http://www.mocnyweb.pl/katalog/show.php?gid=4](http://www.mocnyweb.pl/katalog/show.php?gid=4) (some Polish ones:)) Good dose of inspiration from those sites… ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 9:56pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/classic-professional-look/42398/8 "2004-02-08T21:56:49Z")
also try [www.netdiver.net](http://www.netdiver.net) good stuff there. I would not look at one persons style as you may be tempted to copy a lil too much…but put together inspiration from a few sources then tweak those and you should be good to go. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 10:55pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/classic-professional-look/42398/9 "2004-02-08T22:55:22Z")
grrrr, thanks guys but this client is pissing me off, now he doesn’t want that > I _don’t_ need any navigation! All I want is the database! No layout. I don’t need a layout. He doesn’t understand that for the database to do anything you need a front end grrrr ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 11:18pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/classic-professional-look/42398/10 "2004-02-08T23:18:31Z")
Then tell him that. Tell him, “You have to have a way for the users to interact with the database.” If this is an intranet site, it can be very simple. If it’s customer facing, then it has to be useable. If you haven’t taken money from him yet, back out of the project, and tell him you refuse to work with someone who won’t understand simple, basic concepts. I’d have done so on my Aladdin job, but unfortunately, I had already taken the money. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2004, 12:02am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/classic-professional-look/42398/11 "2004-02-09T00:02:40Z")
no, i haven’t already taken the money, but i really need the work i’m just going to make a simple layout, no big deal and not charge for it ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2004, 7:39pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/classic-professional-look/42398/12 "2004-02-09T19:39:49Z")
don’t know how basic your client wants it but here is the site i use when some one wants basic and content focus. http:www.jimeverettcompany.com Basic, clean, easy to navigate. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 4:34am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/classic-professional-look/42398/13 "2004-02-10T04:34:05Z")
if anyone was curious, I ended up doing something _extremely_ simple. here’s the link: [www.barbdwyer.com/dad](http://www.barbdwyer.com/dad) 😛 ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 4:39am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/classic-professional-look/42398/14 "2004-02-10T04:39:58Z")
that is a little too simple in my opinion. Dont forget when you release this site your name and reputation is on it ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 1:49pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/classic-professional-look/42398/15 "2004-02-10T13:49:19Z")
yes, i know, but it’s better than having it all be text based. I may add a little flare to it when I’m done w/ the backend stuff though. Maybe a picture here or there… hmm, I’ll have to think about that.