help make this site look better

[unwashed potato!]

http://www.mammalianmedia.com/eloises/root/index.php

this is the site for my dads gf, some small changes i need to do for instance at the bottom of the nav bar will be another nav button but it will reveal the login bit, news part needs to be changed as i stupidly replaced the wrong file with an old version. other then that my dads gf is fine with the site, but the troulbe is, im not. I don't like how simple a boring it is and every site i do i do for my portfolio so this can't do.

what im asking is for an idea on stuff i can make better looking, effects etc without changin positions too much.

I know the header can do with a much better look but the trboule is for a horse website i think i should add horse stuff, but she dont' want it, so what else could i do for it to look nicer.

thanks all

 

[unwashed potato!]

Firstly use a different colour scheme, yellow and black is harsh. Use http://colormixers.com/mixers/cmr/ for help with schemes.

Secondly change the banner as its abit simple, dabble in some ps, maybe have a fading background pic of a horse mid jump.

Thirdly, the site is a little large for lower res' decrease all its size abit.

all three things i know are problems, but she doesn't want them 2 differnt, maybe if i just lower size a lil but she wont realise, but colour scheme shes pretty certain (is that right word) on, well its the yellow black she likes and watns, any suggestions to make it not as bad, differnt ways of putting them together?

 

[unwashed potato!]

Also can you tell me what icon pack your got your icons from (or did you just rip them from another site?)

the icons are not the ones being used in the final version, i liked the look of them from another site, i forget which one, so as an exmaple for her to see what i'd be like having different icons next to the text i just copy and paste the bottom three icons onto it. saved me wasting my time for her to say yuck dont do that idea.

the white space at the bottom is not supposed to be there, i did mention in my first post but dont think clearly enough that i did woprk to the site, but when uploading the files to the server at a later point, i uploaded the older files which meant that the newer version with the news system and other things fixed has gone.

i will do some stuff on it now though i dpn't know really what improvments i can make as she is set on yellow and black for her website some reason.

thansk for the suggestions people. I'll post tomorrow after speaking top her some more and show updates and all.

 

[unwashed potato!]

I'm sorry to say but I can't find one part of that website I like.

The background makes my eyes funny, the header looks aweful and the colours used aren't nice either.

yeah tell me about it. it doesn't look like a site i can add to my portfolio but she just isn't helping me at all with any design accept when she gives me really rubbish stuff like yellow and black header etc.

I may have to end up putting it down as my first site or something for my folio.

 

[unwashed potato!]

im working on a small portfolio at the moment, i may be able to help..

but can i ask why its written as php?

if you want to check out some of my sites Click Here

i dont really understand the post, your saying because your working on a portfolio you may be able to help?

also checked out the provided link and all i get is an image that says heavy load?

its php because of the news system, check it ouit again and i think you will now be able to see the news bit just not looking like it should but its there.