RFC: Home page design

[Emma Jane Hogbin]

Good afternoon,

The wireframes have come back from the designer and are ready for your
feedback. For lack of inspiration I will refer to them as Design 1 and
Design 2. The first is essentially the same as the initial wireframes.
The second is a modification of the initial wireframes and includes
one new element in the banner.

Design 1: http://www.flickr.com/photos/emmajane/3877149393/
Design 2: http://www.flickr.com/photos/emmajane/3877149251/

I have a favourite. It's probably not the one you think it is. ;)

-- Design 1 --
This design carries all of the same features from the initial
wireframe. There is one major difference: the links from the four
panels have been reduced to a single action button.

-- Design 2 --
This design incorporates a javascript carousel in the header which
will allow the visitor to cycle through some of the main interfaces
available for Bazaar. The global footer has been altered to put each
of the panes into the "main content" area. Please note: this design
uses 'dummy' text.

-- Requested Feedback --
We have until the end of day Wednesday to ask the graphic designer for
additional changes. After that I can make minor changes in CSS/HTML
land. If you have time in the next 24 hours it would be fantastic to
get feedback on
(from top to bottom):

1. Utility navigation (the very top strip): do you prefer Design 1 or Design 2?
2. Banner carousel: necessary or not needed?
3. Entry points: 4 panes (Design 1) or 3 panes (Design 2)?
4. Additional praise?
5. Additional concerns?

Thank you for your feedback. My apologies for the tight time line!

regards,
emma