Contemplating New Design

Not that original a subject, but I figured I might at least talk about it, and solicit some advice.

Due to a number of reasons I’m looking to update the look of Aarrgghh!.

  1. It’s not looking good cross-browser these days.
  2. Dave Konopka just did a redesign that looks awesome.
  3. I’m spending a fair amount of time dealing with a redesign of a site here at work.
  4. I do this about every 6 months or so anyway, to keep my skills sharp.
  5. I might add a little Ajax-y stuff to practice it.

My process until now has been very haphazard. I basically go to CSSZenGarden, WebdesignFromScratch, and OpenSourceWebDesign, and browse. I shop for little things I like from various examples there, and try and tie the whole thing into one design.

This tends to leave me with a site that mostly works, but doesn’t really feel right, but I put up with it until I decide to do it all over again.

So instead, I’m going to take a longer look at all this. Then, I’ll actually try my hand at wireframing before even look at design.

Anybody got any advice out there?

6 thoughts on “Contemplating New Design

  1. Sometimes I go to TemplateMonster.com. 99% of their stuff is total crap (and waaaaaay too busy), but every now and then you see something that just clicks, or you see a great color palette. To me, sometimes the hardest part is just coming up with a color palette that is simple enough yet satisfying enough.

    Like

  2. I often have a go at Open Source Web Design ( http://www.oswd.org/ ) for inspiration. Once I find something I like, I begin to customize and who knows what i’ll end up with. I just don’t like starting with a blank slate.

    dw

    Like

  3. Thanks for #2 – glad you like the design. I’m a big fan of mocking up before hitting html. I do a lot of free form sketching on paper to work through initial ideas. Then I move to a graphics app. Sometimes I pick a display font, or sometimes colors if I don’t have any previous logo or other visual element to work with — just something to set the tone on the screen. It helps me to lay out five, maybe seven column lines to guide the process. I find that helpful in establishing a balance, but also in finding subtle ways to break out of boxy design.

    Like

  4. azokon, can you buy viagra side effects, >:-OO, online viagra without over the counter, %-D, buy viagra online next day pregnancy, >:-O, acheter viagra sur le net, xqzt, purchase viagra in canada canadian pharmacy, pmbg, can i buy viagra side effects, :-(((, viagra vente libre, 9373, comprare viagra 2005, svvlml, viagra bestellen per nachnahme, :)), cheapest generic viagra ajanta pharma, 8]],

    Like

  5. evaporazione, cheap generic viagra japan, xwm, music viagra cheap, 21244, viagra for sale book, avv, online viagra without medical, 984475, buy viagra online hotmail, 744, can you purchase viagra online, 11734, achat viagra espagne, :-OO, generic viagra 50mg upset stomach, >:]], comprare viagra europa, xlp, cashiers online pharmacy viagra, axv, order viagra from vancouver, 064,

    Like

Leave a comment