I'm working on something new...

[Handruin]

It's your crazy webmaster here again, looking to spice things up a bit. I was looking for feedback on a possible new design to our logo and header to the forum.

This is only a mockup of the header, I haven't had a chance to put it into HTML yet, but only designed within photoshop.


If you have the chance, can you give me some feedback.

-Doug


http://beta.storageforum.net/site_design/layouttest.jpg

[Handruin]

Just to keep everyone sane, yes you read the buttons correctly, that does say calendar. If you are interested, here is the demo calendar. It's on the beta site, so feel free to abuse it. Any data entered will be deleted in the end, so please don't post important information.

I'm not sure what we'll use it for, but I figured someone may come up with an idea, even if it is to keep track of moderators... :) It works on a submission system, so you will have to login in order to submit something.

We could even keep track of birthdays if people are interested.

http://beta.storageforum.net/phpgold/calendar.php

There are a few other items being added, one you may notice directly on the main page...just move your mouse around and you may see...

http://beta.storageforum.net/phpgold/

[James]

The calendar should also list forum member's birthdays automagically.

[P5-133XL]

I like the new look better.

Is it possible to get rid of the white background box around it and make it transparent to the light grey around it. It would look more natural if it wasn't highlighted with the box.

[Handruin]

I like the new look better.

Is it possible to get rid of the white background box around it and make it transparent to the light grey around it. It would look more natural if it wasn't highlighted with the box.

In the image I posted, it is no more then a crop of my current mockup. The white you see in the background will not be in the final version because each piece of the above image will be separate. (Each button and the logo will be their own images) If I've misunderstood your comment can you please explain further what you mean for me?

Here is the same image in GIF format. This image has white selected to be transparent:

http://beta.storageforum.net/site_design/newlayout.gif

[Handruin]

I will also fix the gap where the top right button does not line up with the end, but that will be for tomorrow...

[P5-133XL]

You understood perfectly and what you are saying is that it was simply an artifact of the cut & paste method of getting it into the post and thus was never a problem. It looks much better without the background box. Thanks

Another thing I've notice is that the Q in FAQ looks too large in proportion to the other letters.

Also the spacing between the letters seems to be too tight within the buttons: They sometimes seem to merge together. Perhaps that is simply the low contrast between the white and the light blue-grey. I think the look could be improved with an increase in the kerning spacing between those letters.

[Handruin]

You understood perfectly and what you are saying is that it was simply an artifact of the cut & paste method of getting it into the post and thus was never a problem. It looks much better without the background box. Thanks

Another thing I've notice is that the Q in FAQ looks too large in proportion to the other letters.

Also the spacing between the letters seems to be too tight within the buttons: They sometimes seem to merge together. Perhaps that is simply the low contrast between the white and the light blue-grey. I think the look could be improved with an increase in the kerning spacing between those letters.

Thanks again for the feedback. It was indeed an artifact of the cut and past. I left the white background because the top of the forum is currently white. But it certainly looks odd when placed in a post with a gray background.

The current text within each button is set to a tracking space of 12 within Photoshop. I was trying to be conservative for the resolution-impaired views. ;) (Not that the entire design is tiny to begin with) I will play around with the font space a bit more and clean up the lettering in order to improve the readability.

The Q in "FAQ" is actually the font. It's not a goof up on my part, but rather the style of the font. If it doesn't work, I will try something else.

I will try to post a few more examples with the items you mentioned. I appreciate any feedback, as I'm trying to make this site look as good as I am able to do.

Thanks,

-Doug

[Tannin]

One word, Doug: yes.

Looking good.

The FAQ should be the site FAQ, as opposed to the generic phpBB FAQ. When you get to that part, let me know, and I'll spruce up some text for you.

[Handruin]

One word, Doug: yes.

Looking good.

The FAQ should be the site FAQ, as opposed to the generic phpBB FAQ. When you get to that part, let me know, and I'll spruce up some text for you.

Do you want the FAQ to be only our site's info, or should we add on to it and remove some of the bloat that came with the forum?

In the mean time, do you want me to e-mail you their current FAQ file so you can work from that, or do you have something else in mind?

Anything is fine by me, just let me know what you need from me.

-D

[Tannin]

Ha! Now I've let myself in for it!

Probably just as easy for me to FILE / SAVE AS isn't it?

Be nice to hear some other opinions on this, but I guess the best would be for me to dovetail the generic phpBB FAQ and the current Storage Forum site FAQ into one document, yes? Then I can un-announce the FAQ in the Feedback section.

[Handruin]

Ha! Now I've let myself in for it!

Probably just as easy for me to FILE / SAVE AS isn't it?

Be nice to hear some other opinions on this, but I guess the best would be for me to dovetail the generic phpBB FAQ and the current Storage Forum site FAQ into one document, yes? Then I can un-announce the FAQ in the Feedback section.

The layout of the FAQ page is not too bad but it could be trimmed down a bit. Would you want to keep the current format that is there, and just modify the content?

Editing that page isn't too hard, it's mostly a copy and paste of the html in order to add additonal sections.

[Buck]

There should be more contrast between the white letters and the background color.

[CougTek]

You should add skulls everywhere and use the "chiller" font in red. :diablo:

[Tannin]

Were is Groltz when you need him?

[Buck]

hmmmm

[Buck]

For the color, I was thinking of something like this:

http://www259.pair.com/urlaub/hlm/images/newlayout2.gif

[Handruin]

basically a brighter color of blue is what it looks like. I can do that. I'll wip something up later tonight. Thanks for the feedback.

[CougTek]

http://www259.pair.com/urlaub/hlm/images/newlayout2.gif

While I like the color better than in Doug's first draft, the font style needs some rework. The letters are so bold that we almost have to guess some of them. If the letter frames were a bit thinner, it would be more readable IMO.

[Mercutio]

Monospace block green text on black.

The one true color scheme.

[CougTek]

It would look too much like Ars Technica Merc.

[Handruin]

Well, after all the feedback, here is the next version:

http://beta.storageforum.net/site_design/newlayout2.gif

Let me know what you think...is it heading in the correct direction, or should I scratch and start over?

-DC

[Handruin]

I also changed the font from Hemi head 246 to Dungeon and spaced out the text.

What about the silver bars at the top and bottom? Should I ditch those for some new design? I'm having writer's block, if you want to call it that.

[CougTek]

It's much better IMO, but I liked the white spacing between the cells of the previous versions.

[P5-133XL]

Looking better, the Q still looks strange, more like an O

[Buck]

Handruin, how's this without the white bars:

http://www259.pair.com/urlaub/hlm/images/newlayout4.gif

...it looks a little too symetrical, doesn't it.

[Buck]

Handruin, if you look at the first change I posted, the linear blend has a much greater contrast, I think that might provide more of the 3-D look that this nav bar needs. All I did was increase the contrast and decrease the brightness of the original logo you posted.

[Handruin]

Handruin, how's this without the white bars:

http://www259.pair.com/urlaub/hlm/images/newlayout4.gif

...it looks a little too symetrical, doesn't it.

I think there is too much blue without the silver bars, but I'm not liking the silver bars for some reason any more. It might take some time, but I'll come up with something else.

I'll have to invest in a good looking "Q". I don't know what is with the fonts I choose, they both have stinky "Q"'s ;)


Shhh, don't tell Tony I stole the seek arm from one of his pictures and manipulated the hell out of it. ;)

[Buck]

Would you mind if I took a stab at the orignal file (if it's a psd file)?

buck@hlmcompany.com

[Handruin]

Would you mind if I took a stab at the orignal file (if it's a psd file)?

buck@hlmcompany.com

Check you're e-mail.

Thanks for lending a hand, I (and the entire site) appreciate it! :)

Sorry if the Photoshop files are messy, I get carried away with layers sometimes.

[Buck]

I'm checking, I'm checking....

[Mercutio]

It would look too much like Ars Technica Merc.

Ars has a black background, but the text is white, and the trim is orange. Only their logo is vaguely tasteful. Ars original site design, which IIRC was blue and white on black, was actually much nicer.

I just remember the joy of my hercules-graphics display (green on greenish-black), and think it would be great to replicate it.

[Buck]

Handruin, I've been working on the logo, but is there some type of color scheme that we want to match?

[Prof.Wizard]

Doug, I voted for the new one. However, keep in mind that changing to the new header doesn't necessarily mean you throw away the old one (of course you knew that, hehe)... Whenever you feel like it- every 3-4 months- you can swap between the various designs...

I like seeing new designs now and then. However KEEP IN MIND that I'm expecting to find the keys in the same positions!! That's of outmost importance!

[Handruin]

Doug, I voted for the new one. However, keep in mind that changing to the new header doesn't necessarily mean you throw away the old one (of course you knew that, hehe)... Whenever you feel like it- every 3-4 months- you can swap between the various designs...

I like seeing new designs now and then. However KEEP IN MIND that I'm expecting to find the keys in the same positions!! That's of outmost importance!

They call them keys over in Italy? :wink: I'll try my best to keep the menu in order. I would rather not like to change the design too often or else people will not become used to an established logo. I would not throw out the old logo, I usually archive old media somewhere.

[Handruin]

Handruin, I've been working on the logo, but is there some type of color scheme that we want to match?

My idea was to create the color scheme in the logo, then I can adapt the forum to match. I think it would make the job much easier to do it that way since changing the forum colors is a #@$!#.

I didn't have any specific colors in mind, so I'm no help in that area. I always like blue, but I want to keep us separate from SR.

[timwhit]

Make it a dark color with lighter lettering. I don't care what dark color, but the darker the better. Black is the best, but very dark green or blue will do also.

Look at Tannin's site for help on this.

[Buck]

http://www259.pair.com/urlaub/hlm/images/new-logo7.gif
http://www259.pair.com/urlaub/hlm/images/DOSlogo.gif

Just some ideas...probably more to come.

[timwhit]

The bottom one is good, except I'm not sure if I like the green text on there.

[P5-133XL]

I like the top one

[Mercutio]

The bottom one is freakin' cool. ;)

[Prof.Wizard]

The bottom one is freakin' cool. ;)
Wow! The bottom one rules! :)

Here comes again the discussion of the other day. You don't have to renounce one of the two (or more!) designs. Just alternate them every month or two... Leave, of course, the buttons ("keys") alone...

[Tannin]

Euuuuch!

It's bad enough having to look at Bill Gates' pig-ugly mug every time Mercutio posts, but surely we don't have to look at that bloody windows word every time we see the forum logo. No! No! No! Anything but that.

Seriously, I really do find the gratuitous use of that "W" word offensive.

[Tea]

You guys will have to excuse Tannin. The poor old fella gets a bit emotional at times. (Don't tell him I said so, but he's past it.)

What he should have said, had he been thinking with his brain instead of his digestive system -

(Hey! How can I not think with my digestive system when Buck goes and makes me barf all over the keyboard?)

(Shutup Tannin! This is my post.)

(But -)

(Look, I agree, the text is barf material, OK? Just go and make up a cup of tea or something, and let me deal with this.)

Now, as I was saying, or as I was about to say before Tannin interupted, the idea of the green text logo is good, it just needs to be thought all the way through. The old green text mode background is a winner, Buck, but you need to get your eras straight. Green screens were in from the early 1980s through to about 1985 or so. Before that it was white on black, from about '84 or '85 amber came into fashion, and in the last dying days of the mono screen, that ugly and hard on the eyes colour called "paper white" came into vogue. Whichever way you look at it, the green screen era ended in the Eighties, or 1990 at the latest.

(Will you stop waffling and say something to make them change their minds, for god's sake?)

(Tannin, just wait!)

And at the time in question, gentlemen, no-one had a Windows directory. DOS ruled. So the correct text to use in that very spiffy looking logo background of yours, Buck, is this:

c:\> attrib *.* -r -h -s -h
c:\> del *.*
deleting...
c:\command.com
c:\ibmio.com
c:\ibmdos.sys

That's from memory. I'll check and get back to you with the exact filenames. Notice that this not only avoids offending people with delicate digestions, it also is readily understandable even to youngsters who have never known anything else except Windows (poor creatures), because the Windows files have the same names. (More or less.)

[Buck]

I would prefer to stick with green text, as it interferes less with the entire design. The amber color reminds me of ArsTechnica, so I’ll pass on that. White would distract from our name. The syntax used was a release for my contempt towards Windows. It was more of a DOS vs Windows battle, and DOS had the upper hand. I could somehow picture CNN Sports doing a play-by-play broadcast of this fight, and the first blow thrown by DOS was below the belt, as a DELETE in the Windows directory would take out RUNDLL.EXE and RUNDLL32.EXE. For the knockout, we’d CD\ SYSTEM and run DELETE *.DLL. Obviously, the chronology is inaccurate, and my message was misinterpreted.

BR

[Mercutio]

Nice to see that you maintained the proper sequence of attrib options as well (-r -a -s -h).

Rather than Windows - so as not to show a bias, why not something simpler, like the output from running an old-fashioned
config.sys or autoexec.bat?

Or we could go all the way

c:\windows\attrib -r -a -s -h .
del *.da?
del .
cd system
del .
cd ../inf
del .

etc.

[Handruin]

Here's another logo:

http://beta.storageforum.net/site_design/new-logo5.jpg