24th October, 2006 (9:01 pm)
The Day There Were Some Changes …
For the first time since I ported my entire personal site to FA.com about eighteen months ago, I can - albeit shyly - present to you a brand new default theme, tentatively entitled Caffeinated..
It’s always kind of scary presenting a brand new theme, but more so when a) you remove the default (particularly when the default always been popular) and b) present something that goes against your usual style. I’ve tried to keep the elements that people always comment on and seem to like, but this is actually something of a departure for me - so please, I beg you, go easy on me . . . I sweated blood over this to get it just right (the image map was beyond tricky, particularly as I wanted to keep it valid 1.1) so whilst critcism is always gratefully received, please be constructive in a don’t-make-me-blow-my-brains-out kinda way. :p
Curiously, although I’m missing a sidebar and don’t seem to have cluttered the rest of the page up with shite (at least, that’s my hope?), the only information that you now no longer have on the front page from the previous default theme is the switch-theme buttons. Personally, I don’t think they’re missed. :)
The only thing slightly screwy seems to be the comments page, and that’s because the entry text is inexplicably displaying beneath the comments - weird. Any ideas/suggestions as to why this is happening and how to fix it would be great, as would any general feedback, particularly if anything else is going apeshit in your browser. As always, feel free to comment or drop me a line via the feedback survey. Edit: Also have to fix the footer; since seeing the site on my work PC, it’s not quite sitting right. Will amend when I get home!
Oh, and before I forget - if you hate it and desperately want my original furious angel back, she hasn’t gone far. :)
Comments:
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Comment by Jac — 24 October, 2006 @ 10:12 pm
OOoooOoooOoOooo… *nods*.
I like this very much! Of course you would never catch me leaving coffee stains about the place *ahem* ;) j/k
I like the less clutter, IM LOVING the signature.. thats so cool. May have to steal that.. and err.. never ever put it on my site cos you are much clever than me…
Oh BTW.. hugs. I hope you are now feeling better, that the pain does NOT come back. That it was all a glitch in the system.
AWESOME!!!! :D
Comment by Dave — 25 October, 2006 @ 12:42 am
It took me about half an hour to find the post!! Your comments are just being dumped out before the post - can’t be a big thing?
Comment by Alison — 25 October, 2006 @ 2:32 am
Hey Vikki,
I *love* this layout! [For some odd reason, I have a thang for stains on the 'net ;p (or photo's)]. I think I like the ‘real life’ it implies, or something ;p
Anyway, I’m a fan! And, I’m also happy to see you’re in one piece. The Dutch M told me about your trial - I pray you never have it again! It sounded like a really bad kidney infection I had when I was a kid ;.; (SO NOT FUN!)
So yeah, back to your layout - the sweating blood was worth in imho :) Kudos
*hugs*
Comment by Ally — 25 October, 2006 @ 3:55 am
I love love LOVE this theme! Probably one of my favorites of yours - if not *the* favorite. But I love grey. And I’m pretending those are tea stains at the top since I am not a coffee fan.
Comment by Meggan — 25 October, 2006 @ 4:46 am
This is beautiful! I’ve always been a huge fan of the default (the little dangling legs!) but this is fantastic! I especially like the handwritten details.
The only complaint I have is that when you click on the comments, the post appears below them instead of above them and it’s… odd. But! Minor detail.
Also, smooches to you for linking me! Terribly sweet of you.
Comment by Vixx — 25 October, 2006 @ 6:57 am
Ally - I’m also a tea fan, so that works for me. ;)
Thanks, guys. :) Still can’t figure out why the comments are coming before the post as it’s the exact same page as all of my other themes, so it must be something screwy with the CSS. Will keep looking at it though . . .
And yes, am feeling better, thanks. Back to work today!
V xx
Comment by Scarlet — 25 October, 2006 @ 8:15 am
I LOVE this design! It is my favorite! Congratulations!
Comment by Sasha — 25 October, 2006 @ 10:30 am
It looks great, V! Am mightily impressed - awesome job!
The only thing I would note for something to perhaps think about, is that it took me a moment to realize I had to click on the number behind the title to get to the comments page. It would be more obvious to click on if the number had a different color, or was underlined, or something like that. :)
But otherwise, awesome theme!!! Yayness!
Comment by Jem — 25 October, 2006 @ 10:33 am
Oh, oh, OH! Now this, I like. Bigger than like - oh yes! Coffee (tea) stains, big blocky borders, colour, contrast, sleekness.. just: *dribble* !!!
Got to say Vixx, you’ve gone above and beyond my ‘expectations’ of your abilities here. I really like this. The single column look is very Web 2.0, so you’re trendy too ;)
If I get chance I’ll take a peek at the CSS/XHTML and see if I can spot why it’s gone bananas on this page :)
Comment by Jem — 25 October, 2006 @ 10:36 am
Just taking a peek at the code - you’re missing an h2 closing tag after the post title on this page. I think the entry positioning might be caused by something in the WP template though - if you want to send me single.php or whichever file it is that deals with the posts I will have a lookiedoodles for you :)
Comment by Amanda — 25 October, 2006 @ 11:02 am
I must say…yay! Huge thumbs up from me - it’s wider than I’m accustomed to, but the coffee stains are really effective, as is the paper clip effect.
Comment by Vixx — 25 October, 2006 @ 11:39 am
Jem - weird, I can see that too now, although it doesn’t when you examine comments.php on its own - bizzare! XHTML code check won’t work on this page either. Hmmm. May indeed send the pages your way later when I get home, but I’m genuinely puzzled, as the templates are the same!!
And of course I’m trendy. Duh.
Sash - that’s a great idea. I was wondering how people would find the comments page, but figured that, as people were commenting, that it was working! I think that I may indeed change the colour though.
Amanda - is it too wide? It barely fits in 800×600, but my stats show that only 4% of my visitors still use 800×600, which is why I expanded somewhat. Does it affect your browsing?
V xx
Comment by Grax — 25 October, 2006 @ 1:07 pm
I am very, very impressed. I love the whole ‘cluttered work office’ look (especially the coffee stain ring). It’s something I’ve always wanted to recreated by always ended up looking crappy.
The only oddity I find is that you’ve placed the entry you wrote AFTER the comments form. I was looking for it and spotted it after I finished writing my comment and JUST before I pushed the submit button. It’s not where I was expecting it. Very controversial. Still it’s only a minor personal fault.
All in all kudos Vix. *thumbs up*
Comment by Tanya — 25 October, 2006 @ 1:43 pm
Looking good Vixx! Glad to have you back.
Comment by Amanda — 25 October, 2006 @ 2:23 pm
No, it’s fine on my 1024×768. :) It’ll only be when I’m on an old computer with 800×600 (like at university) that I would really be affected…but if it’s only 4% of your visitors, I think they can deal. ;)
Comment by Bonnie — 25 October, 2006 @ 4:45 pm
I absolutely *love* it! I’m a big fan of layouts that look like desks. I’ve always liked JK Rowling’s layout for that reason, although hers is extremely “busy” - yours is lovely and uncluttered and just fab. :D
Comment by Dave — 26 October, 2006 @ 12:25 am
Vixx - the XHTML is in a different order with this theme. I really don’t think it’s anything to do with the CSS but most likely the templates? must be added before the post template (it is WP ya?)? I’m sure Jem will sort you out!
Comment by Dave — 26 October, 2006 @ 12:27 am
<?php comments_template(); ?> should have been in that comment…
Comment by Claire — 26 October, 2006 @ 1:32 pm
I wanted to leave it a couple of days before posting, so that I could get over the “Oooh, it’s all neeeew!” shock and get used to how it all works.
On the whole I really like it; clean, easy on the eyes, different, but still completely “Vixx” (in a good way). I’ve been trying to work out what it is about your designs that screams “Vixx”, and I still can’t work it out… You manage to make all your skins look really different, but still distinctly your style, how do you do it? Is it the drop-shadows? The fonts? The palettes? I don’t know, all I do know is: I like it. :o)
There is but one niggle… On the blog, your comment link… At first I missed it totally, until you changed the colour as per Sasha’s suggestion, so now it’s a bit better…
But, I can’t help it, you see I just can’t get my head around the comments links being above the posts.
I struggle on all blogs where this is the case, as I really find that it breaks up the flow of reading/browsing, especially if the post is quite lengthy.
You’re reading away, engrossed and scrolling down and down and down, you get to the bottom of the post and want to respond and… What? Where’s the comment bit?! And then remember that it’s wa-a-a-ay up there and you have to go back on yourself by scrolling all the way up again. Drives me crackers.
Sometimes, if I’m not paying too much attention on other sites that have the comment link above the posts, I’ll forget that I have to scroll back up and end up accidently clicking the comments link for the following post instead!
Also, from an accessibility POV, people who tab between links will also be going mad as they’ll have to tab all the way back through any links they’ve already read in order to return the top of each post to comment…Just a thought…
Oooh and well done for being brave and ditching the sidebar - I’m currently redesigning my site and I can’t decide on what to do with my sidebars. I know it would look better without them, but I don’t think I can be brave anough to ditch all the stuff currently in them. :S
Comment by Vixx — 26 October, 2006 @ 9:16 pm
Claire: thanks so much for such a detailed critique. :)
Funnily enough, I actually (cos I’m sad) checked to see if the comments link could be seen - and therefore be clickable - from the end of my posts, and in 95% of my posts it is.
I changed the positioning for I wanted posts to end on the ‘V xx’ - like they were notes, rather than journal entries - and fought myself a little, for I’d never messed about with the structure of my index page before, just the CSS.
STILL need to fix this page though. Grr.
I’m going to chew on this awhile. I think your accessibility point is a good one and needs real consideration. Hmmmm . . .
V xx
Comment by Claire — 27 October, 2006 @ 9:03 am
Yeah, I saw the Vxx thing and thought that might be the reason behind the change (and no doubt I’ll soon get used to the comment link’s new home ;) )
Glad you’re considering the accessibility thing though. (One way around the issue, if you did have your heart set on the comment link’s placement, is to maybe put the link to your text only version with a explanation/sentence or two at the top, perhaps?)