Comments on: Community Spark blog redesign

By: Martin Reed - Blog Author

Martin Reed - Blog Author — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 17:00:56 +0000

Hey Jon – Thanks for dropping by; it’s really encouraging for me to know that you are still reading my blog when you get the chance!

I am glad you like the new design – thank you for your kind comments.

By: Jon - SmartWealthyRich.com

Jon - SmartWealthyRich.com — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 07:51:22 +0000

Holy wow! I missed that? man it looks good!
I like the color scheme, although I liked your old theme, this one fits better with your blog imo. Grey is a “sad color” this new one fits more with “community”

I have a lot of catching up to do I think, been pretty busy since the last 2 weeks (new blog, and project and all), ok off to read your other posts!

By: Martin Reed - Blog Author

Martin Reed - Blog Author — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 15:22:20 +0000

Biddy – Thanks for your comment. I think the new design does come across as a little more professional. I may well use the darker theme for a different project in the future as I think it really was unique.

Josh – A lot of people feel the same as you; I am surprised there seems to be little between the two designs – I was expecting people to much prefer the new brighter design as it is easier to read the main content of the blog (ie the text!).

By: Josh Buckley

Josh Buckley — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 14:39:19 +0000

Nice design, but i really really liked the old one. Not sure which i like more. This one is still really good, though.

By: Biddy

Biddy — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 20:45:36 +0000

I liked the old design, but I like this better, especially considering your content. This is probably easier to read, and it certainly feels more professional: I’d expect a dark background on, say, a gaming or music site, but for here, the white feels more appropriate.

By: Martin Reed - Blog Author

Martin Reed - Blog Author — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 15:13:52 +0000

Thanks for your comment, me. The previous theme was completely custom, as is this one. I did like the uniqueness of the dark theme, too but was concerned about the number of comments I was getting from users claiming they found it difficult to read and uninviting.

I guess you can’t win them all, eh?

By: me

me — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 08:38:49 +0000

I agree with “Dave”, though I love dark themes in general (my KDE desktop has a light gray on dark gray theme on everything and I use a custom dark stylesheet in opera for many sites) – your dark theme was actually one of the cooler I had seen lately (was is a template, if so where could I find it?). The current gives me a much more blog/run-of-the-mill template feeling. It’s not bad.. it’s just.. generic.

By: Martin Reed - Blog Author

Martin Reed - Blog Author — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 14:01:46 +0000

Thanks for your comments, everyone. The main reason for the change was due to the number of comments I received from people telling me that the dark theme made the text harder to read.

A blog relies on its content – if it is difficult to read, something is very wrong! I was a fan of the previous theme, but if this one means the text is easier to read then it will be here to stay.

In any case, please keep your comments and feedback coming!

Smiley – Your community relies on its members. If they are happy with your site’s design, you should be too. That is not to say you cannot redesign or tweak your site; get your visitors involved in the process by posting previews and inviting feedback.

By: Tim

Tim — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 12:49:45 +0000

You can never please everyone Martin,
I didn’t particularly like your other skin, but I found it more stylish than the current one. But putting the emphasis on the center is kinda neat though.

By: Comfy - Educational toys

Comfy - Educational toys — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 10:46:37 +0000

i like the new design, it centers the eye to the middle. i like the features it makes it very easy to move around in the site. but it is not as important the texts. keep up the good work