About the New Site Design

A few days ago I updated this site with a new design I’ve been working on for quite a while. (If you’re reading this with a feed reader visit the site now!) Their are all sorts of neat features here now and the color scheme is obviously a big change from the previous design.

The previous design is something I put together in mid-2005 (1, 2) so the site was well past due for a refresh. (Especially when you consider that I have a career as a web developer… what can I say, it’s a case of “the cobbler’s kids.”)

The new design is named “Patrick,” and it’s probably not too hard to guess where the name came from. (I have built Patrick as a theme for Melody; it will be freely available when I consider it more complete and ready to share.)

The most obvious difference is surely the color scheme. The colors for the site were chosen from a photo from our recent vacation in Yellowstone. The colors of the site are something that will be refreshed from time-to-time based on a new photo; perhaps a seasonal update. (Behind the scenes, the ability to easily update the colors was a big focus for me.) Related: the highlighted entry in the upper-right points to the photo used for the site’s colors.

Facebook integration was an important addition. Facebook has become such an ubiquitous way for people to interact that I wanted everybody to be able to use familiar features (and perhaps attract a larger audience), while getting more interaction with users. In addition to the Like button on each entry you see a Recommendations window to the right, and Facebook Comments are the commenting system used here now.

The site home page is a lot of fun: the carousel cycles through recent entries. Since so many entries here are now photos, this gives a great at-a-glance view!

There are a number of minor additions and refinements I’ve already made to the site, and I expect to continue making minor improvements over the coming weeks. What do you think of it? Feedback appreciated!