New Site Design
My site needs to be redesigned. OK, maybe I am bored of it. It's only been six months since the last change. Since the last change I went lite on the graphics and pushed more text. I think now there is too much text per page. Even the archives. So I'm looking at retooling how it works. I've been surfing the web looking for design ideas and have found no end of ideas. Too many perhaps. Mandarin Design is a good site for not just ideas, but the execution. It's a site I'm going to have to bookmark to revisit time and again to learn new tricks. Another site that I'm using for design ideas is Blog Moxie. These ladies are cool designers -- although I don't have the money to pay them to design my site.
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I think this design is quite impressive as it is.
The drawings are interesting to look through. Hope we remember to come back and see what you come up with.
Posted by meg(www) at 21:39 26/12/2004
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Oh yes, of course BlogMoxie will not let you see their code on the sites directly, so what I want to know is where is the cache on this machine that might save the source code / images for this file?
In "http://www.allsummerinaday.com/"'s case, I just want to know how they made the translucent box, or if that's just part of the background ... NEway, I have also found out a lot about BLOG design, and I prefer the simple ones. They are easy to navigate, narrow, have good spacing, and their content is well organized in terms of visual hierarchy.
Some things that are important for BLOGs (or for anything gD for that matter) is that the layout and navigation be easy for the visitor to read, and that things be extremely simple and clear. This invites the reader into the page, instead of scaring them away by using too many buttons or visuals.
Is there any way you can do without the ads, or is that part and parcel with the whole package?
For a personal site, lots of stuff is fine, but for a blog, people arrive to relax and read.
A subtle colour palette is good if you're going to use a lot of it, or go for a theme. Contrast is also a good technique for pulling elements forward on the visual hierarchy (what things you see first or are attracted to) but should be used sparingly.
Two columns can be good if you have a lot of little different things going on that you update on a daily basis (like if you're a tidbit person). If you're a reader though, it would probably be good to have most other stuff on another page. This allows others to enter into your site for the writing, and then browse it if they're interested in your links. (This is just my opinion though, as I notice many people have links, or a little bio about themselves down the side of their blog page. Keep you on a separate page from your opinions and writing).
www.buccho.com is interesting because they have left out the lines dividing the columns that many sites have, and just let the text sit on the background. This site can breathe, and comes across as very relaxed.
Backgrounds: plain or patterned? Really, it doesn't matter as long as the patterns are subtle, but if you are creating a text rich site, then just go for plain, it save the headache of the reader trying to sort through "striped text"!
Always centre your blog! It makes resizing and reading onscreen so much easier when the entire content of the site can be altered by the visitor. If they have a site on the left side, it can seem too cramped at the margin, and then too spacy on the right side. Very unbalanced.
No bullet points!
Ok, most of this stuff was just general comment, only a few things actually apply to your site, I'm just thinking in type. Let me know what you think of my tidbits, and I can start maybe sending you some thumbnails?
Posted by Vanessu at 22:27 26/12/2004
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Frames are definitely more elegant than no frames, especially if you want to incorporate images / type into a wrap-around background. If you want to take the vertical approach, your blogs diappearing into the top as the viewer scrolls down is still more professional than the top of your site disappearing. It keeps the visitor in mind of your site and identity, as it does not disappear two seconds into the page. It also allows for easier navigation. It would make this site http:// perfect!
You can also use icons as buttons, and let the rollovers reveal teit identity. This encourages the visitor to explore, and participate in your site. Try to make the icons interesting, and have a relationship with the subject matter on the page they link to. Don't get too much into your own theme that you do not use common symbols for your button graphics. Again, simple and witty is good.
Themes ... think think think. Will it be something about you personally, your opinions, a club your in, will it be illustration, type or photography based, what role will the colour palette play what shapes will be used? (*ooo I'm having fun with the ideas here!*)
Once you choose one or more answers to your theme questions in the areas you value, make sure the rest of the areas fall in line. They need to be consistent, and well-designed, but don't all need to scream at the visitor. That would be too busy. http:// Is all about theme. Design not amazing, but she lights up my point about theme!
NEway, I will come up with many cool ideas tomorrow, now my brain needs to simmer ...
Posted by Vanessu at 0:09 27/12/2004
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V -- check out the MandarinDesign site. They've got some absolutely great tutorials. The translucent images are not that hard to do. I would be OK with CSS, not frames however. Frames are not good for search engines. The only place I've used frames -- and badly, was in the gallery section. I'm going to remove them as soon as I have something better.
Posted by Andy(www) at 10:30 27/12/2004
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Thanks Meg!
Posted by Andy(www) at 10:32 27/12/2004