Okay, so I changed the layout again. I decided to make the look as uncluttered and clean as my meager design skills could muster. I’ve tested it in Firefox, Safari and IE. I know there are some display issues in IE (shocker), but otherwise it looks ok to me. Ideally you should maybe hit shift-refresh so you get the latest version of the site on loading it. Let me know, in the comments. This is how it looks for me (as I intended):
And for the love of God don’t say “it doesn’t look right” and leave it at that. That doesn’t tell me anything. Either gimme a detailed issue or (even better) post a screenshot.
I’m a big fan of minimalist themes. Good choice.
But your image ads are not spaced properly. All the ads are on top of one another and simply not effective. They also take away from your content which is the most important thing. It looks like you’re more interested in your reader seeing the advertising than being able to find your content.
But your image ads are not spaced properly. All the ads are on top of one another and simply not effective.
I honestly have no idea what you mean by this. The ads are all the way in the corner of the page. The content is in 2/3 of the page (which was the problem with the previous layout). Although now that I think about it I guess I’m asking if you guys are having issues with this layout and not whether you like the layout. If that’s clear (because people are always going to dislike it when you change but that dies down eventually).
Looks great to me (Firefox, Mac OS10.4.11)
For one thing, there’s not enough separation between articles.
The old photo, with the Colbert eyebrow situation, was superior to the current one. Although that’s a pretty good subtle smirk you’re working there.
For one thing, there’s not enough separation between articles.
Please be clearer. Below is how it should look. If it looks like that – the space between the end of one post and beginning of another – thats how I intend it to look.
In Firefox (3.0.7) I get all the links, your pic, etc, crammed down in the bottom left corner. I doubt that’s what you intended. Hopefully I’m alone in that. Not a big deal, but it makes the page look as bare as Jay Tea’s soul or Dennis’ brain.
2nd ed and the photo..
Crusty: Your issue should be fixed now, I think. I’m using 3.07 and it looks ok to me.
First, didn’t someone tell me just a few months ago that the site design doesn’t change that much and I should quite my bitchin? And its changed like three times since then?
Anyway, I like this layout, cleaner, more elegant than, perhaps, our level of discourse really deserves.
I would say, however, that as with visual presentation of the blog content so lean, the ads have a far greater weight at the top of the page than they used to. Feels out of balance.
I thought the previous photo was also a better one.
I like the layout once you’re inside a specific article.
Front page as it stands feels too crowded to me.
of course, oddly enough as soon as I hit submit on that comment all the ads, indeed, both the right side columns disappeared. Hmmmm.
Oh. There they are. At the bottom of the page beginning under the comment preview.
Hmm the comments are in Times New Roman and the main page has no ads, but looks better than it did a few hours ago. Do I not have the right fonts?
Also, your photo now appears surrounded by three different pictures of chicas. Maybe this was your intention, but it kind of makes you look like a strip-club owner.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
Please – and I know I sound like a dick on this – but you need to be really clear on what the problem is. There’s no way the home page could be more crowded, because there’s far less stuff on it than I used to have. Does it look like the screenshot in the entry above? If so, that’s what its supposed to look like. If not, please describe or give me a screenshot.
First, didn’t someone tell me just a few months ago that the site design doesn’t change that much and I should quite my bitchin? And its changed like three times since then?
And how often did it change before that? 3 years ago. C’mon.
I’m usually not too picky about site designs but I really liked the last 2 designs and I’m not so hot on this one. I like a decent banner usually, this one lacks that. Plus the previous iterations felt tighter, both in font and how the columns were laid out.
I agree also that the articles don’t feel adequately separated. Maybe there needs to be a line, or a border or a little more space in between. Most other sites have some sort of posted by, comments or digg this thing at the bottom of the articles so that you can tell where to let your eye rest if you’re scanning (see BoingBoing, Pandagon)
Ok, but what I don’t understand is that the distance between blog posts is identical in this design as they were in the last two. I mean, is the big headline really not clear enough?
Crusty: Your issue should be fixed now, I think. I’m using 3.07 and it looks ok to me.
Actually, Oliver, it’s just moved from the bottom left to the bottom right… The key problem being the bottom, not the left or right. Top left has “Oliver Willis Like Kryptonite to Stupid”, then everything else is at the very bottom of the page (in either the main page or the individual article).
Actually, the article page also has:
« Previous | Home | Next »
Breaking News
Time To Clean Up Wall St.
at the top. Main page is blank..
Actually, Oliver, it’s just moved from the bottom left to the bottom right…
Do you have your fonts set to large or something? And also, please shift-refresh.
Actually, the article page also has:
That’s not a bug, that’s by design for now.
Oliver, you are one dedicated blog-designer, which is one of MANY reasons I read this site. But my problems with the look are the comments are in 1998-style Times New Roman, different than the blog posts; and the comments are in a blank white-space netherworld. I’m using Firefox 3.0.7. But keep up the good work man. Do what feels right!
comments are in 1998-style Times New Roman
I’m fixing this.
comments are in a blank white-space netherworld
Don’t know what you mean. Please gimme a screenshot or more detail.
I tried different fonts, zooms, and shift-refresh. Still screwy for me. Am I the only one?
Actually, the article page also has:
That’s not a bug, that’s by design for now.
Didn’t mean that as a bug/criticism, just wanted to clarify what is at the top vs bottom of the page.
Maybe I shouldn’t complain, I am completely ad-free…
Ha! Can someone else tell me if they’re seeing what Crusty Dem is? I’ve tested in Safari, Firefox, and Chrome on Mac and PC. I know I’m getting the same bug in IE, but I’m pretty sure that’s because IE is a piece of crap. Otherwise I simply can’t duplicate it.
Ok, but what I don’t understand is that the distance between blog posts is identical in this design as they were in the last two. I mean, is the big headline really not clear enough?
But the fonts are different and the spacing is different. My recommendation wouldn’t be increasing the space between articles but rather a marker of some sort. Nope, the larger font isn’t enough, that’s why most blogs do more to separate the beginning and ends. I’d say this is the biggest issue with the site design right now because it makes scanning articles more difficult which is a major usage issue.
I agree that Times New Roman is the wrong choice for the comments. I’d probably also recommend separating out the comments a little bit more too either with a line or background colors.
K, for starters — your masthead (Oliver Willis, Like Kryptonite To Stupid) is rammed right up against your posts. Very ugly and confusing. Needs spacing.
Another vote for the old photo. This new one looks like you’re up @ 2:00am, scowering the internets for the latest on Vicki Iseman.
On the other hand, the green ‘Kryptonite’ in the masthead is one of those subtle things that’s so pure genius, I can’t believe noone thought of it sooner.
Oliver –
I know exactly what the problem is. Check the math on the width parameters and the alignment parameters in your stylesheet. It’s very likely that the individual column widths add up to being wider than the container width. Or the alignment settings are mixed up.
Bob
Times New Roman (and other serif fonts) work for books and documents. Not so much for websites.
Internet explorer. You were right.
Website designs are not easy. What you probably didn’t do, Oliver, is check to see what your site looks like on Firefox and Safari, two faves of Mac users. Safari looks OK, but on Firefox–my browser of choice–there’s too much white space, and no Oliver photo. Even considering my minimalist background, it seems strangely blank to me. I don’t think it’s what you want. Check with an engineer to make your designs compatible with the different browsers.
Oliver, I like it. It’s cleaner and easier to read. The one thing I might suggest is to leave more horizontal space between the masthead and the ad. They tend to run together (at least on Safari.)
Oh, and IMHO think you should use that picture of you & your wiener dog in the profile.
I just belatedly read other comments. Some other-version-of-Firefox users (I’m using the latest for my Mac – 2.0.0.20) see it differently than I do.
I sent a screen-capture of what I see to your gmail addy.
You need an engineer to tinker with the site so it’s more uniform on the diff browsers. Then leave it alone, fer gawd’s sake!
You need more space between your logo and your top ad.
Screenshot (WinXP; FireFox 3.07)
Maybe I shouldn’t complain, I am completely ad-free…
Me too. But I’m also running Ad blocker 2.0 on Firefox.
And for me, your picture, contact info and blogroll are waaaay down the bottom below the comment preview.
Also, please bring back the Recent comments link.
And I like your picture, Oliver. You’ve lost some weight, haven’t you? Looking good.
Here’s what mine looks like.
>
<
Here’s the link.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3426/3387653904_ea0859a9b4_m.jpg
Shit.
Embiggen.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3426/3387653904_3c4503a6b0_o.jpg
On IE 7 for me everything except the comments – search bar, photo, ads, contact info, tags, etc. – starts down below, about 1/4 inch below comment preview.
Awesome. Recent comments is back.
Thanks, OW!
I swear I give up. I’ve looked in Firefox, Safari, and Chrome on PC and Mac.
It’s behaving as if the CSS box for the comments is too wide, kicking literally everything else down below. It looks almost like the right side of the box is unbounded; comments run almost all the way to the right side of my screen.
Again, this is all IE7.
What just happened?
Back to the old?
Not that I mind.
Oh, this is making me all nostalgic.
Hah! Your screenshot is exactly the part of the page that got me. I think it’s because there’s as much space below the title as above it. I kept reading “so that’s your modern conservative movement” as a lead in to the Steele bit.
Oliver, Duros is seeing exactly what I do. I am running Adblock Plus, which I probably should’ve mentioned before. Is the adblock ad removal messing with things? Do you have adblock on your version of Firefox? I disabled adblock (I had no idea it was doing so much), and I think that might’ve been the issue, but it now appears you’ve reverted to the old format.
Oh well..