I made this very basic new design for the blog. What do you think? I am looking for honest, constructive criticism.
Please share your thoughts in the comments.
I made this very basic new design for the blog. What do you think? I am looking for honest, constructive criticism.
Please share your thoughts in the comments.
This looks great. It’s so impressive that you can do all this! Wow. The only thing I found myself wondering as I examined it was where you put any pictures? And any favorite sites? Just a suggestion. The idea that you can do all this is amazing, though. I’m sure you will be VERY successful someday, Chris. Whatever you decide to do.
Hey Chris. I like your current (default?) design better. The new one kinda backtracks a decade (it’s probably the comic sans font). I like that it’s aesthetically simple, but I think you can get the same effect starting from what you currently have without losing the modern, elegant look.
Good luck!
I like the proportions of your new design. I think that your big idea makes sense. This is how I read it: the focal point is your current post with blog options located on the “prime real estate” (i.e. the right side) section of the screen with supporting “intrigue” draws located on the left side. These are vetted periodical design techniques.
Whether you stick with this design or not may have something to do with how much of the reader’s eye movement you want to control. I think that you can achieve these proportions without the think lines and contrasting colors. Sometimes if you make the division between sections more of a gesture and less of a controlled delineation the eye will move around the screen more freely. However, maybe you want to control what the reader views more strictly. In this case a serious division between sections on the screen may be in order.
Thanks for your feedback, Marsha, Mark, and Rebecca.
I agree with Mark that the Comic Sans does not work. I actually really like the current font, so I will probably stick with it. Also, staying with the current theme is a good idea, too. I could experiment with new colors.
The key points of the sketch (as you noticed, Rebecca) are the centered focus on the most recent posts, as well as easy access to the most popular posts on the left side. The heavy lines delineating blocks are a bit distracting – perhaps whitespace is better suited to more subtle delineation? Rebecca, you mentioned that the new proportion can still be acheived without such strongly contrasting colors. Do you have any suggestions? Take this current blog theme, for example: light grey on white, with one red accent (the title). How could I add some color and maintain the centered focus?
Dear Chris,
You know I’m taking that class on Design for the book and we had to cover typography for one of the sections. I like the layout of the page alright, though it does look a little dated. My greatest concern is with the type face you chose. It looks too casual for the content; I don’t think it will be taken seriously. I would suggest Chaperelle Pro for the copy. And never, never use Times New Roman for anything.
Oh I think that color is a good idea. It’s the color with the thick white line that you might reconsider. As for an example, if you’d like, I could draw a sketch when I see you. Also, I did a google search and found this blog that is one example of how to achieve your proportions in a more gentle way.
http://blog.spinstrategy.com/2008/11/quick-tip-use-vetting-techniques-like-obama.html
You’ll notice that this guy uses thin lines in light colors to break up the page. Also, he uses one sweeping graphic across the top that frames the whole page. I’m not saying that there is anything spectacular about the implementation of this specific blog design just that the principles are there (he uses way too many font sizes). Does this help?
Rebecca,
The blog you mentioned is probably more in line with my sketch, but I am pretty sure now that I will simply improve on my current theme by adding more color.
Chris
What’s a blog?
Josh – ha ha. Good question.