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A Sneak Peek at the New Look For AllFinancialMatters
By JLP | June 1, 2007
It’s time for a change. I have spent the last couple of days looking at different templates for AllFinancialMatters. I’m too cheap to hire a web designer so I will have to use an existing template. Fortunately, the selection is a lot better than it was when I first set up this blog. Anyway, before I implement any changes, I want to give you guys a SNEAK PEEK of the design I’m looking at. The sneak peek isn’t exactly how it will look but it will give you a good idea. The layout will remain pretty much the same as it is now.
What do you think? Do you like it or hate it? Should I change or keep things just the way they are? Here’s your chance to weigh in – after all, you’re the ones who read it.
Topics: Blogging | 15 Comments »
June 1st, 2007 at 10:29 am
Slick!
I see a problem, though. In IE6/WinXP, the content in the middle of the page doesn’t start until it passes the bottom of the sidebar columns…. huge white space in the middle of the page where your entries should be.
June 1st, 2007 at 10:34 am
Yeah, that’s because I was playing around with the width last night. All that will be fixed.
June 1st, 2007 at 10:59 am
I don’t mind the new look, but I will miss the somewhat unique old “yellow newsprint” look. The new format looks… well… a lot like every other generic blog format out there.
Of course, its the content that really matters.
June 1st, 2007 at 11:02 am
Miguel,
I can pretty much change anything I want. I prefer the yellow look because the white sometimes seems a bit harsh and can be hard to read.
June 1st, 2007 at 11:14 am
It’s fixed width and very wide at that. I had to maximize my browser window to see all of the right sidebar. Plenty of people run with unmaximized browser windows, so I would suggest shrinking the width of all three columns.
June 1st, 2007 at 12:07 pm
Call me crazy, but I actually like the existing version better!
June 1st, 2007 at 12:09 pm
I’m a big fan of the yellow/tan colors in the background as well, much less harsh on the eyes.
The wider format doesn’t thrill me as I like to have n-windows open at the same time. I don’t have a lot of screen real estate so if anything, I like to narrow stuff down vs widen it out.
FWIW, I was in Firefox and the site opens normally and looks pretty good. Nothing egregious (not like my site and the Meebo window.)
June 1st, 2007 at 12:17 pm
Yeah..existing version is better. Brighter and organized.
June 1st, 2007 at 12:19 pm
Looks good. Very clean. I would agree with others about the current colors you use. Also, I always have my browser maximized and still had a scroll bar due to the width of the test page. If you do change, please avoid multiple scroll bars. You have so much material, you have to have the side bar.
June 1st, 2007 at 12:19 pm
Yeah, I quite like the yellow background – definitely softer on the eyes. I have a light greyish/green background setting on my computer for Windows for the exact same reason. When I occasionally work from someone else’s computer and then say open Excel with a white background, it can be quite a contrast.
June 1st, 2007 at 12:28 pm
I design web sites (though not well) and other graphic design projects for a living, and I too like the old yellow version. It’s very distinctive and memorable, but classy. I’d do only minor changes like adding a little icon to the URL, or maybe shift the colors of the title banners slightly, if you feel like change. And you might play with a lighter shade on the title text (try white even.)
My major criticism of the new site is that you have a very conservative font matched with a more crisp and modern banner. I’d either switch to a more modern font (but that will make the site more generic) or make the background and banners a little more buttoned-down…. like with a pinstripe effect on the banner.
Good luck!
June 1st, 2007 at 12:55 pm
I like the new colors better, but the white background is harsh on the eyes. I was always a fan of like a gray background with white text, but I don’t know if that poses a problem if people have their browsers set up in a funky manner as to not display background colors. The width was also a problem.
June 1st, 2007 at 1:14 pm
Regarding the width.
I am working from an hp laptop with a 17-inch wide screen, so it makes it hard to judge width.
June 1st, 2007 at 3:24 pm
As a former web designer, I’d say that it’s an improvement on what you’ve currently got, but it’s still a little cluttered. I’m not a big fan of having info and links on both sides of the content – makes everything feel too busy.
Also, I agree with the above poster about the need for updated fonts. Pick an interesting one for the title and a common modern font for all the content except the article copy (Avenir is popular and always a good option).
Feel free to email me if you’re looking for other suggestions! And regardless of how the site looks, the content is great!
June 4th, 2007 at 2:10 am
I’m kind of used to the current look, and it’s pretty distinctive. But both seem fine to me.