SITE REVIEW: t3ch.l33t Image Arena

Hello everyone, here is my website. I am hoping to get some artists to join so we can get some competitive contests going. So far we have a few members but only just opened a few days ago. Tell me what you think (and join if you think you got what it takes ).

t3ch.l33t Image Arena

When i first came on your site i began to read the general idea, the general idea was a good one unlike some websites which actually have no meaning at all, i see that you are looking for artists to compete over Adobe etc.... That idea is a really good one but i thought ummm... when i saw the layout of the site because when you come on the colours are dark and a little depressing, the layout just goes down in a straight line, try putting your pictures and text spread across the page, it reminds me of shelves or something looking up and down at the information, back to the coloursm, try using some brighter colours for an artistic site, when i first entered i thought it was some hell worshiper who had created it.
The Logo design is really good but that is expected from a pro in artistic work on Adobe etc..
I think the general site is really good and try improving on them points that i given you I'd give your site 8/10!

When I read your post I have to admit I was really cracking up (the whole dark, devil worshiper thing...). Anyways, point taken, I guess my intention was, more or less, to make the site look techie (hence the name t3ch.l33t) but it must not come across that way. I will give your comment very serious consideration in changing the color scheme. I have to ask however, does my avatar on this site have an influence on what you thought of t3ch.l33t? Reason I ask is because the avatar is a bit crazy, my first "evil" looking picture I've ever done, just had to try it. Anyways, thanks for the comments, you shed some light on things.

Ok, I made some major changes, no longer is the site dark and satanic looking

Wasn't my intention anyways so I changed it drastically. Tell me what you think. You might need to hit refresh a few times if you have already viewed the page. Please don't comment on the colors of the forum board just yet, I haven't finished making the final tweeks to that board. Thanks.

Much cleaner and brighter look now. I vaguely remember the old scheme. The 0s and 1s you use as a backdrop to your announcements on the front page confuse my eyes a bit as I try to read what you've written. The League of Extraordinary Americans site looks really cheesy. I'm not sure if it's the color scheme or the 90s era moving background behind the images. Forums are quick loading, I had no problem navigating in there, but you might be able to make them match your home page a little bit better color wise. Also look into adding a border on the left and right to make the forums the same width as your home page.

Thanks for the comments, I took them into consideration and changed the background on the home page so they would be easier on the eyes. I used a different font and lightened the 0's and 1's up a bit. I think the forum board looks pretty good taking up the full page and I changed the colors to match my home page. The logo for the forums is also from my home page so that should help. Anything else you noticed?

The backdrop on the announcements looks much better, not distracting now. The League of Extraordinary Americans really doesn't fit with the theme of your site, is there a reason it needs to be a link at the top and not just a link on a referral page that opens up that site in a new window?

The blur on the navigation tabs is WAY too much. You need to have some way to bring focus to the text. As it stands it fades too much and for some may be difficult to read at a glance.

Thank you for the suggestions placid psychosis. I went ahead and made the font clearer on the buttons. Any more suggestions?