[polish-ceramics]

Hello Everyone,

My name is Jacob. I'm a web developer and photographer from Opole, Poland. I would like to ask for an opinion on website I created for local ceramics manufacturer.
They wanted a website where they could present one of their main product lines - ceramic bottles.

I would like you to tell, what do you think about the photos and website look overall.

Please, don't treat this as some kind of advertisement. There is no online shop and I believe they don't even do retail sales, only wholesale. I hope nobody will take this as spam, and I'm sincerely sorry if so.

Anyway, the address is: www.ceramic-bottles.com

Thanks in advance for your opinion!

[Natania Hume]

Looks good. I'd like to see more pictures of the bottles though...a picture is worth a thousand words.

[trina]

I thought the opening page was great, however I did think that the photos in the products page where too dark, and I think that the use of props ie the corney flowers and the alarm clock dont make sense. T

[Chris Campbell]

First of all, I like the clean look of the site. It is easy to navigate and very modern looking.
What is missing for me is content .
For instance on the company page you should be building on your past and telling more of your story. Surely there was a founder, some colorful characters etc. The image of the factory got me interested but you didn't tell me much. If I like your story I am more likely to contact you.
Also in the technical area it would help to have more technical info or an image of your bottles on an assembly line somewhere being used by a client.
In my opinion web sites need to meet the expectations of those who just want bullet points and the people who want to read more before they decide to contact you.
However, this is a north American point of view and your audience might be very different.

[Marcia Selsor]

I noticed the products for American companies say "Made in USA" on them. I have to question that. It reminds me of some Spanish majolica at a factory I visited before Spain joined the European Common Market, later the European Economic Community. The pottery in Spain was signing the bottom of Majolica platters "Made in Italy". When I asked the factory owner about that, he laughed and said they can sell them for higher prices when signed that way.

Marcia

[Matt Oz]

Marcia Selsor, on 07 January 2013 - 11:45 AM, said:

I noticed the products for American companies say "Made in USA" on them. I have to question that. It reminds me of some Spanish majolica at a factory I visited before Spain joined the European Common Market, later the European Economic Community. The pottery in Spain was signing the bottom of Majolica platters "Made in Italy". When I asked the factory owner about that, he laughed and said they can sell them for higher prices when signed that way.

Marcia

I saw that too, and I'm guessing it's for what goes in the bottle, maybe.

[Marcia Selsor]

Matt Oz, on 07 January 2013 - 02:51 PM, said:

Marcia Selsor, on 07 January 2013 - 11:45 AM, said:

I noticed the products for American companies say "Made in USA" on them. I have to question that. It reminds me of some Spanish majolica at a factory I visited before Spain joined the European Common Market, later the European Economic Community. The pottery in Spain was signing the bottom of Majolica platters "Made in Italy". When I asked the factory owner about that, he laughed and said they can sell them for higher prices when signed that way.

Marcia

I saw that too, and I'm guessing it's for what goes in the bottle, maybe.

you mean what it pass through it briefly in the eternity of existing ceramics.
I expect it will hold something like moonshine or Vermont maple syrup sold at a tourist location.

Marcia

[Denice]

I noticed the Made In USA and was slightly taken back but then I remembered buying a American flag for a couple in England and noticed a tag in back when I was packing it that said Made In England. I tore it off before mailing it.

[polish-ceramics]

First of all, thank you for all your comments. I appreciate it.

I agree with you that there should be more content. Unfortunately, the information about company and services is so far all I got from them. Also, I didn't have much time to work on the photos. However, they seem happy with the first results, so chances are I get some more info and new products to photograph soon.

About the props - I tried to make the photos a little more interesting. Sure, I could take each bottle isolated on white background, just like in most online stores... but I thought it would be boring. What I tried to achieve on the photos was more personal, unique look... a look that would reflect uniqueness of these products. Maybe it turned out a bit silly... I'll work on that.

Obviously, the "Made in USA" tag on whiskey bottles refers to the whiskey itself (which really is made and bottled in USA). As far as I know, these bottles were made for American distillery, McCormick. So, I guess, it's part of their branding.

[Chris Campbell]

Re: your comments on the photos.

There are two kinds of photos you can take of a product. One is for promotions, magazines, glamor ... And the other is for sales. So use the glamor shots on the site for setting a mood but when it comes to sales, you have to show the product in a straightforward way.

[polish-ceramics]

Chris Campbell, on 08 January 2013 - 04:44 PM, said:

Re: your comments on the photos.

There are two kinds of photos you can take of a product. One is for promotions, magazines, glamor ... And the other is for sales. So use the glamor shots on the site for setting a mood but when it comes to sales, you have to show the product in a straightforward way.

We can say that this website is a kind of promotion. The purpose of this site is not to show full offer of the company but to promote single line of their products - ceramic bottles. As I said before, it's not an online shop and (as far as I know) they don't even have any retail store. In fact, most of these bottles (if not used) are available only in beverage related retail stores, filled up with liquor.

But thanks anyway, I'll consider focusing more on showing the products. Maybe I'll take two or three photos of the same product, to show some detail...

[Isculpt]

polish-ceramics, on 07 January 2013 - 04:39 AM, said:

Hello Everyone,

My name is Jacob. I'm a web developer and photographer from Opole, Poland. I would like to ask for an opinion on website I created for local ceramics manufacturer.
They wanted a website where they could present one of their main product lines - ceramic bottles.

I would like you to tell, what do you think about the photos and website look overall.

Please, don't treat this as some kind of advertisement. There is no online shop and I believe they don't even do retail sales, only wholesale. I hope nobody will take this as spam, and I'm sincerely sorry if so.

Anyway, the address is: www.ceramic-bottles.com

Thanks in advance for your opinion!

Very nice and direct. I like the opening photo conveying handcraft, then the smooth and elegant fade to the other photos. The only thing I didn't like was the woodgrain backdrop for the opning photos. It seemed distracting, given that it's a site dealing with clay craftsmanship, not wood crafstmanship. And I agree, some of the images could have been photographed just a bit better, but the overall site is excellent. I'd welcome it for MY website ... with a few product changes, that is.;)src="http://ceramicartsdaily.org/community/public/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif">

[Dancing Potter]

polish-ceramics, on 07 January 2013 - 04:39 AM, said:

Hello Everyone,

My name is Jacob. I'm a web developer and photographer from Opole, Poland. I would like to ask for an opinion on website I created for local ceramics manufacturer.
They wanted a website where they could present one of their main product lines - ceramic bottles.

I would like you to tell, what do you think about the photos and website look overall.

Please, don't treat this as some kind of advertisement. There is no online shop and I believe they don't even do retail sales, only wholesale. I hope nobody will take this as spam, and I'm sincerely sorry if so.

Anyway, the address is: www.ceramic-bottles.com

Thanks in advance for your opinion!

Nice website. Easy to navigate. Products are easy to see.