Openpandora Website

[grif]

uuurrhm.... isn't that the whole point of css? that you can change the theme of the page easily withougt messing with the content?

pretty much.

 

[zaoin]

Please add RSS feeds in openpandora.org

 

[Edy]

Would you like to experiment with openpandora.es first? It's Wordpress-based, and it really needs a redesign!

 

[Yamara]

I did not want to post my work originally because I did not want people to think i was trying to spam the boards but here is my stuff:

www.andymangold.com <-- this is my blog and portfolio, started VERY recently and there actually isn't any web based work on there yet

I have messed around a bit with a few of my ideas, here is one of them. (still very rough)
http://fc05.deviantart.com/fs32/f/2008/226...andymangold.jpg


I'm also a graphic designer (with a degree in it, and it's part of my job, though not with a design firm). First off I'll say, kudos to you for actually offering maintaining the site in addition to redesign (no really, I'm serious).

I think it's a promising rough draft. I like it no more nor less than the present site. I think both have good and bad points, but since this is a thread on a new design, I'll focus on that.

• I think the site looks quite a lot like your blog. Nothing wrong with that, just an observation.
• The ratio between the logotype and the size of the box-logo feels wrong to me, and I think the ratio of these two items on the original site is more balanced. (I realize you said you didn't have a good copy of the actual logo to use; this is outside of that consideration.) I like the way the "ultraportability" line is tucked a bit closer under the logotype though.
• I think the contrast of blue and white with black is nice, but overall a bit stark. I'd like to see black as a background, with the content over a medium to lite grey, with most of the body text in black. And with less of a large border between screen edge and content. If people want less wide content, they make their browser windows smaller
• The close-up of the pandora is nice, but overwhelming, and it pushes more useful content down quite a bit. A lot of space is also lost to the right of the logo, though I do like that the navigation is a bit more obvious below the logo. Perhaps the newsletter sign up could be placed to the right of the logo, but made more subtle. I'd keep the idea of the image next to the specs as on the original site, and you could overlay the quote smaller over parts of the less interesting hardware (like the LCD edge and hinge). Thus you could have the same intensity of the close-up Pandora, but with better information in the same amount of space.
• The grey-on-black of the numbers is too subtle, though I like the idea you're going for. It feels very much like a print idea though, and I'm not sure how I feel about it on a web page.
• I don't like the title FAQ. Graphically, it bothers me, but also some people may not understand the meaning. The original site's "Questions and Answers" is okay, or perhaps something like "Product Info". I don't have a fantastic suggestion for a replacement.
• Something about the ratio of the width of the Latest Updates section to the FAQ section bothers me. I'd play around with it some more, perhaps switch them. I expect the text content on the front page will change heavily as the product comes to release, so it's probably moot.
• It's not clear whether the four bulleted items under the newsletter signup are links, or if they're information you'll get when you sign up for the newsletter.

I'd be curious to see something less rough.

 

[andymangold]

I did not want to post my work originally because I did not want people to think i was trying to spam the boards but here is my stuff:

www.andymangold.com <-- this is my blog and portfolio, started VERY recently and there actually isn't any web based work on there yet

I have messed around a bit with a few of my ideas, here is one of them. (still very rough)
http://fc05.deviantart.com/fs32/f/2008/226...andymangold.jpg


I'm also a graphic designer (with a degree in it, and it's part of my job, though not with a design firm). First off I'll say, kudos to you for actually offering maintaining the site in addition to redesign (no really, I'm serious).

I think it's a promising rough draft. I like it no more nor less than the present site. I think both have good and bad points, but since this is a thread on a new design, I'll focus on that.

• I think the site looks quite a lot like your blog. Nothing wrong with that, just an observation.
• The ratio between the logotype and the size of the box-logo feels wrong to me, and I think the ratio of these two items on the original site is more balanced. (I realize you said you didn't have a good copy of the actual logo to use; this is outside of that consideration.) I like the way the "ultraportability" line is tucked a bit closer under the logotype though.
• I think the contrast of blue and white with black is nice, but overall a bit stark. I'd like to see black as a background, with the content over a medium to lite grey, with most of the body text in black. And with less of a large border between screen edge and content. If people want less wide content, they make their browser windows smaller
• The close-up of the pandora is nice, but overwhelming, and it pushes more useful content down quite a bit. A lot of space is also lost to the right of the logo, though I do like that the navigation is a bit more obvious below the logo. Perhaps the newsletter sign up could be placed to the right of the logo, but made more subtle. I'd keep the idea of the image next to the specs as on the original site, and you could overlay the quote smaller over parts of the less interesting hardware (like the LCD edge and hinge). Thus you could have the same intensity of the close-up Pandora, but with better information in the same amount of space.
• The grey-on-black of the numbers is too subtle, though I like the idea you're going for. It feels very much like a print idea though, and I'm not sure how I feel about it on a web page.
• I don't like the title FAQ. Graphically, it bothers me, but also some people may not understand the meaning. The original site's "Questions and Answers" is okay, or perhaps something like "Product Info". I don't have a fantastic suggestion for a replacement.
• Something about the ratio of the width of the Latest Updates section to the FAQ section bothers me. I'd play around with it some more, perhaps switch them. I expect the text content on the front page will change heavily as the product comes to release, so it's probably moot.
• It's not clear whether the four bulleted items under the newsletter signup are links, or if they're information you'll get when you sign up for the newsletter.

I'd be curious to see something less rough.



Thanks a lot for the professional input, you have many a good point and I will be taking another crack at this if someone from the top at least shows some interest. I cannot exactly validate spending a lot of time on this if its going to amount to nothing.

If given the opportunity I would hope to continue getting great feedback like this from members of this community.

 

[greenmikey]

craigix commented. I don't know if he runs the site but hes one of the few main pandora design gladiatiors as well as cheif pandora monger extrordinaire.

 

[cowai]

Craig: What do you have to say?

 

[Spirit]

I think:

A better looking website equals More sales.

It would be nice if that was true, but it is not. People have different tastes, so "better looking" is hard to measure. There is much more to a website than looks.
A "better website" equals more sales, maybe.

 

[cowai]

I think:

A better looking website equals More sales.

It would be nice if that was true, but it is not. People have different tastes, so "better looking" is hard to measure. There is much more to a website than looks.
A "better website" equals more sales, maybe.



I would say that the general internet user thinks openpandora.org isn't perfect.

 

[TaG]

I think:

A better looking website equals More sales.
It would be nice if that was true, but it is not. People have different tastes, so "better looking" is hard to measure. There is much more to a website than looks.
A "better website" equals more sales, maybe.I would say that the general internet user thinks openpandora.org isn't perfect.It is not perfect: not many sites are. Tastes also vary.

The imperfections are not just the visual / design element, they are content / wording related.

For visual improvement the elements are structure, CSS and images. Anyone can have a go at saving the existing page(s) and modifying. Good designs take time though, echoing andymangold's point.

Improving the content / wording also requires more time spent getting it just so. That requires the time of the developers or the developers would need to allow somebody to make changes to their site.

There are people out there that can and would volunteer to help, myself included, if the developers want external/community help.

 

[javaJake]

What's there to be said that hasn't been?...

• Thanks for offering to do this!
• I like the structure of the proposed design a little more than the old.
• However, what we need is a website with character. Something that, when you say "Pandora's website", a particular image pops in your head.

 

[Kyo]

when you say pandora's website I think of pandora-girl