Redesigning a site... opinions? suggestions?
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Started by: wstonewstone
On: 1257384464|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
Number of posts: 14
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Summary:
Please take a look at my new look for HaveMyCV.com and let me know what you think.
Redesigning a site... opinions? suggestions?
wstonewstone 1257384464|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

Please take a look at my new look for HaveMyCV.com and let me know what you think.

http://www.havemycv.com/test:css

Just click on any internal link to see what it currently looks like.

Any opinions welcome. I've been staring at it for so long now; I don't know what looks ok and what doesn't!

unfold Redesigning a site... opinions? suggestions? by wstonewstone, 1257384464|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
Re: Redesigning a site... opinions? suggestions?
Ed JohnsonEd Johnson 1257393907|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

I like the new look. The only tweak I think you need that jumps out at me is that the #login-status div in the header is too dark. I'd lighten up the .printuser class text color and #login-status a color to make them more readable.

Something in the yellow color family (like the background of the code block here) looks nice, I think:

.printuser {
     color: #FCFFDF;
}
#login-status a {
     color: #FCFFDF;
}

I think the side navigation menu is especially nice!

-Ed

unfold Re: Redesigning a site... opinions? suggestions? by Ed JohnsonEd Johnson, 1257393907|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
Re: Redesigning a site... opinions? suggestions?
BrunhildaBrunhilda 1257405462|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

It is very nice, I really like it… The only thing I don't like is this add at the top of everything…

Maybe, when you finish, you can put this theme on the Themes site…


The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt. Bertrand Russell

unfold Re: Redesigning a site... opinions? suggestions? by BrunhildaBrunhilda, 1257405462|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
Re: Redesigning a site... opinions? suggestions?
RobElliottRobElliott 1257409650|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

I agree with what Ed has said and additionally think you need to look at all the link colors. For example, lightening the links and the footer color itself would make the Powered By and options links in the footer readable. At the moment the lack of contrast for the links presents a bit of an accessibility issue. I know how time-consuming it can be to get links right for all eventualities across a whole site. You don't necessarily need anything too bright but you will need to test the links when you have a white background, as well as against the blue background.

Given that you have rounded corners for the buttons, and the title image is also curved, the square corners of the top of the main content make it look (for me) a bit odd. I know this wouldn't work for IE but you might want to consider adding -moz-border-radius-topleft:10px and -moz-border-radius-topright:10px - and -webkit-border-radius of course - to soften the corners slightly for those of us on FF and Safari.

I agree with Brunhilda about the ad boxes, particularly the one in the centre at the top of the page. Given that top centre is one of the first places the eye goes to on a site, the ad box in that position slightly takes the focus away from the site itself. That's great for the advertiser but not really what you want.


ad5.png
unfold Re: Redesigning a site... opinions? suggestions? by RobElliottRobElliott, 1257409650|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
Re: Redesigning a site... opinions? suggestions?
wstonewstone 1257416959|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

Thanks guys. The ads are more of an experiment than anything else: I got banned (long story) from Google adsense so I'm trying out iframing adbrite ads.

Ok, to-do list:

  • Remove top ad.
  • Tweak link colours
  • round-off corners… could an image be used for the background of #main-content so that it looks ok in all browsers?

For the buttons, I used a wikidotted form of this: http://www.oscaralexander.com/tutorials/how-to-make-sexy-buttons-with-css.html

Unfortunately, I can't think of a way of making a fix for IE bug:

  • Push one of the drop down buttons
  • And again to collapse the links
  • Now half of the button disappears :s

Here's my wikidot version:

  • Surround the links with "button class" and the collapsed links with "indent class".
  • Then use the following CSS:
.button a{
   background: transparent url('/local--files/test:css/openpush.png') no-repeat top left;
   text-decoration:none;
   color:black;
   display: block;
   padding:4px 0 4px 8px;
   margin:0 0 -8px 5px;
}
.button a:active{
   background: url('/local--files/test:css/openpush.png') no-repeat bottom left;
   outline: none;
   color:black;
}
.indent{
   margin:0 0 -8px 10px;
}
unfold Re: Redesigning a site... opinions? suggestions? by wstonewstone, 1257416959|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
Re: Redesigning a site... opinions? suggestions?
wstonewstone 1257456291|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

Right, all ideas have been implemented, the buttons and logo have been tweaked and I think it's ready to go live.

Still have the problem with IE showing the collapsed menu buttons badly once clicked. But who uses that crappy browser anyway? :D

unfold Re: Redesigning a site... opinions? suggestions? by wstonewstone, 1257456291|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
Re: Redesigning a site... opinions? suggestions?
leigerleiger 1257522593|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

Businesses use IE… and they tend to like the older versions rather than updating as well -_-

unfold Re: Redesigning a site... opinions? suggestions? by leigerleiger, 1257522593|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
Re: Redesigning a site... opinions? suggestions?
wstonewstone 1257522753|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

Yeah I know.

Can you think of a fix for the bug?

unfold Re: Redesigning a site... opinions? suggestions? by wstonewstone, 1257522753|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
Re: Redesigning a site... opinions? suggestions?
James KanjoJames Kanjo 1257522761|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

Shouldn't we be sleeping?


λ James Kanjo | blog | photos | contact

unfold Re: Redesigning a site... opinions? suggestions? by James KanjoJames Kanjo, 1257522761|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
Re: Redesigning a site... opinions? suggestions?
leigerleiger 1257523787|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

Yes! We should! :O

I just got back from work, so I'm on here checking a few things out and wading slowly through the 80+ mails from wikidot that I got today. I'm lucky, it used to be about 150 per day until I started unsubscribing from everything.

unfold Re: Redesigning a site... opinions? suggestions? by leigerleiger, 1257523787|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
Re: Redesigning a site... opinions? suggestions?
pieterhpieterh 1257525020|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

I just got back from work, so I'm on here checking a few things out and wading slowly through the 80+ mails from wikidot that I got today. I'm lucky, it used to be about 150 per day until I started unsubscribing from everything.

:-) I'm going to start Wikiholics Anonymous, join the site and get notifications whenever we edit a page!!

unfold Re: Redesigning a site... opinions? suggestions? by pieterhpieterh, 1257525020|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
Re: Redesigning a site... opinions? suggestions?
leigerleiger 1257525655|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

Hahaha, I think I'll pass ;-)

I may need therapy… but a bunch of hyperactive editors is just going to drag me right back in. So much for losing an addiction! :P

unfold Re: Redesigning a site... opinions? suggestions? by leigerleiger, 1257525655|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
Re: Redesigning a site... opinions? suggestions?
wstonewstone 1257502099|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

Right, up and running: http://www.havemycv.com/

Although, this theme does make my front page look quite ugly so that's what I'll be concentrating on now.

unfold Re: Redesigning a site... opinions? suggestions? by wstonewstone, 1257502099|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
Re: Redesigning a site... opinions? suggestions?
wstonewstone 1257760518|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

Front page looks a bit nicer now: less white space. Also solved the problem of #main-content stretching to where the #side-bar finishes by making it float.

Maybe, when you finish, you can put this theme on the Themes site…

I'd rather keep it unique th HMVC and HMR. If / when I decide to change the design, then I'll put it on the themes page :)

unfold Re: Redesigning a site... opinions? suggestions? by wstonewstone, 1257760518|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
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