Brian Sacawa | Sounds Like Now

Let me answer the question before it’s posed: Yes, I did just redesign my blog. And yes, it was just a little while ago that I did. Why do it again? Although I enjoyed the starkness of SLN V.2.0 (i.e. the first WordPress version ATP (After TypePad)), it became a little too stark for my taste. Longtime readers of SLN know that I like to adorn my posts with photos, many of which are quite colorful. The photo-as-post-preface makes for a welcoming and invigorating experience for the eyes as the front page loads, especially in certain peacock-like instances. Sadly, SLN V.2.0 did not offer that same experience—for one to experience the cornucopia of color it was first necessary to click on the day’s post, which in turn may or may not have had a photo attached to it. I know that I’d be disappointed if I took the time to click on the link to read the rest of the post and was not greeted by a nice photo, as I’m sure many readers were. However, color was given a tip of the hat in SLN V.2.0 at the bottom right-hand corner of the screen in the form of a little application that displayed my three latest photos on Flickr. Ultimately though, this was not enough color.

Now let us praise the attributes that make this version of SLN the best. version. ever.:

• Easy top navigation bar provides instant access to all essential information.
• Understated colors put the focus on content, while serving to unify entire design.
• Ten posts on the front page eliminates cumbersome and inefficient clicking to get from one post to the next.
• Five Flickr photos in sidebar instead of three.
• Svelt new font is light, readable, and left-right justified.
• Single-post view frames the post like a work of art, making it feel good about itself.
• Eight headings in top nav bar fit neatly (and quite accidentally) into left column’s 450-pixel width.
• Self-portrait in header will please parents.
• Red links that underline when you hover on them, which, being nearly the same color as my jacket in the header self-portrait, further unifies entire design.
• Title font by Bauhaus 93.
• Now with more irony!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 12th, 2006 at 8:14 pm and is filed under Blog: Fall 06, Design. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.