Per request, we have removed the glass tab from the previous home page layout.  Below you can see three different variations.  The first screenshot shows a partially transparent bar of color underneath the logo.  This allows the logo to stand out and the images in the "self promo" area easy seen.

The second screenshot shows the logo without any bar underneath it at all.  The problem with this layout is in having to crop the image(s) specifically so that the entire logo can be clearly seen - this could prove to be limiting when selecting images to use for the "self promo" area.

In the third screenshot we've placed a solid bar of color across the "self promo" area.  After trying several different color schemes, the one you see in the screenshot worked the best.  However, we feel this color just does not quite mesh with the overall layout.  Again, several color variations were tried including the darker blues, grays, and many variations on the various tans.

Our recommendation would have to be with screenshot #1.  The logo would be clearly visible no matter what image is used in the "self promo".  ...and the "self promo" images would not be obscured.

The updated home page layout for Capital Realty ADVISORS has been completely overhauled to accommodate a more commercial approach.  The overall color scheme has been taken from the finalized logo provided to us.

While researching other commercial realtor sites, we were asked to take notice of many of the layouts which included a sky or city line with the logo placed over top.  This of course limits the designer to cropping the image in order to best accommodate the logo.  For our take on this approach, Studio4Squared has created a tabbed pane of glass layered over top of the photographic image.

Below you will find five screenshots of the updated home page layout.  Each of the layouts are exactly the same, except that each show a different image being displayed in the new "self promo" area - which is now the header graphic with the logo layered on top.

Instead of being limited to cropping the image to best accommodate the logo, we were instead able to concentrate on the best way to crop the image as the logo can work with virtually an image placed underneath it.  In some of the images, you'll notice that the word "ADVISORS" begins to become lost because of the color chosen by the logos designer.  This actually works out to our advantage as the word "ADVISORS" is actually meant to be played down whenever possible.

Below the main navigation is an updated search field and login form, each containing new icons accordingly.  We've also assigned icons to the News, Calculators, and Industry Links call outs across the bottom of the page.

In the right column of the page is the Featured Listings section which is not contained within any sort of frame, but instead uses a reversed frame methodology allowing the entire area to freely breath.  In fact, each area contains a generous amount of white space making the entire layout very simplistic and easy for the readers eyes to flow from one module to the next.

At the bottom of the page is the copyright notice along with a duplicate text based version of the main navigation.  This allows users to quickly access a different section of the site, even if they're at the bottom of a page with a lot of information. 

The Capital Realty Advisors Web site design is a fixed width site, and is currently the widest width Studio4Squared has ever designed.  Below you'll find four screenshots depicting the same layout in various stages.

The first screenshot shows the tagline in the "self promo" area.  This area has a large area of flat color allowing the users eye to easy find and quickly read the tagline.  The following screenshots show possible imagery which the "self promo" would run through - all controllable through the NEATO administration utility.

In the header area, we've purposely made the word "ADVISORS" slightly blend in with the background to bring emphasis towards the words "Capital Realty".

There are four modules within the content area of this layout: The search field, News, the "self promo", Calculators, and Industry Links.  You'll see that the majority of the information displayed in these modules is "filler info", meaning we're not exactly sure what the content will be displayed in these modules - but all the content will be completely editable using NEATO.

The fourth screenshot is actually exactly the same as the third screenshot.  However we've made the browser window size a bit larger so that you can see what would happen on a larger/wider monitor.  The layout will remain centered on the screen while the background design will stretch on filling up the remainder of the window.

At the bottom of each screenshot you'll see copyright information followed by a duplicate of the main navigation.