Yesterday I decided to update the look of the site. I had several concerns about the old site layout:
- The blue on blue was just too blue. I didn’t feel that there was enough contrast between the text and the background. A darker text color (like black) is easier to read on a white background.
- The old layout did not degrade well in lower resolutions. The main navigation menu at the top of the page and the header image would overlap other key items on the page.
- The menu at the side of the page was difficult to read; there wasn’t enough contrast and the font used was very pixelated in the menu area.
- We need to recruit more students for class; potential students visit this site and I feel that it’s important for the site to have a professional, clean, and as Sher puts it “happy” look.
I decided to use the same WordPress template that I used on the photo blog by Vladimir Simovic. Here I opted to alter the template, graphics, and CSS file, rather than using the existing color scheme and graphics provided by the original template. Use of the new template gives me the ability to change the color scheme while maintaining a clean layout and text readability quite easily.
So why orange? Is I like it a good enough reason? 
Here is some information about orange:
“Orange symbolizes: endurance, vitality, play, creativity. Orange is a power color. It is one of the healing colors. It is said to increase the craving for food. It also stimulates enthusiasm and creativity. Orange means vitality with endurance. People who like orange are usually thoughtful and sincere. Lady luck’s color is orange.”
If you want to learn more about orange or any other color, try modifying this Google Search.
I still plan to make some changes to the site, this weekend I will probably work on a different header image. The current image was inspired by looking at the first photo in my photo blog (the dragonfly); I think I need to put a little more thought into it. I also plan to streamline the categories to the right and I want to add some “about” content somewhere on the page.
I plan to discuss the design process in further detail in class this afternoon. If you have suggestions, thoughts, complaints, please let me know.
On to some good sites to visit today.
Here is another use of Google Maps, now you can Map a zip code. Speaking of Google, did you hear the news? Google plans to build a 1 million square foot complex on Nasa Ames Research Center.
Ok, this is pretty cool, GahooYoogle allows you to search Google and Yahoo at the same time. The search results are displayed on a split screen.
WebProNews has an article on How To Add A Search Engine To Your Site, this should be helpful when you’re creating larger web sites and want to include search functionality.
Microsoft has released service pack 2 for Office 2003.
If you’re interested in taking a look at the new Web 2.0 applications that are being developed, visit TechCrunch for the latest Web 2.0 news and reviews. To see more of these applications in action, review Top 10 Ajax Applications.
