If you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you may have noticed that its aesthetic is somewhat... minimalist. And by minimalist I mean black. Lots of black. This blog wears more black than Johnny Cash. Which has been fine so far; it's been functional and effective. However, I feel like it's time to make a few changes around here, and that includes upgrading the visual appeal of the blog.
After extensive searching around, here are a few templates that I like. I need some help making a decision, and since you, the reader, are the ones who will have to endure looking at whatever template is chosen, I want to hear you guys sound off in the comments. Anything from "I like this one best, and this one least" to a detailed ranking with pragmatic and philosophical reasons for each position are highly encouraged. Most of all, say something! I can't take your preferences into account unless you reveal them! I'll probably wait about a week or so, but after that, you might be too late.
Irresistible - I like the colors on this one. I am also a fan of the translucent post background over the regular background, and the rounded edges. The white lettering might be a bit of a problem at the top, though.
Zanblue - This one has a simple layout that I find very easy to read. I'm a big fan of two column blogs, and I like the sidebar and menu buttons on this one. The red provides a nice break from the grays. I also like to offset bars around the comments. It might be a bit too monotone.
The Peaceblogger - This is actually based on a template called Revolution Elements. It's probably the most professional, classy setup I'm considering. This would be a great setup for a serious academic blog on the level of William Easterly's AidWatch. I'd like to recommend it to the guys over at Kids Prefer Cheese, since the seriousness would fit some of the major academic topics they discuss, and it would just feel ironic with posts like this one. It might not blend well with a blog that regularly features the tag 'zombies,' though.
Black Grass - I really like the layout on this one. I like the comments flags, I like the sidebar, and I really like the search bar. Actually, there's only one thing I'm not a big fan of... the grass. I mean, it's grass. Actually it kinda looks like carpet. It doesn't really fit the vibe here at Metadoxy, which is a problem because it's prominently featured and there's no easy way to change from grass to some other background. The corn bullet points are really easy to change, but the grass is integrated into several images, including that wicked sweet floating search bar. So the question is, do I live with the grass in order to get the other cool aspects of the template?
Charcoal 2 - This is a nice template. I like the colors, the way the menus and sidebars are highlighted, the timestamp on each post... it's nice. However, I'm not a fan of the three column setup. Combined with the color scheme here, it gives me the feeling that I'm on a forum for some kind of MMORPG or something like that. The new comments sidebar is a big plus, but it doesn't seem to have an archive structure, so that's kind of a minus.
Of the five, I'm leaning most toward either Black Grass or Charcoal 2, but they're all still in the running. This is only a part of the new and improved blog experience I'd like to provide, but it is a big part.
So let me know what you think in the comments. The more thoughts you provide, the better informed a decision I can make. I need to hear from as many readers as possible! (Did I mention I want to see some comments?)
UPDATE: Just found out that there is a two column version of Charcoal. It is now in the running as well. Keep those comments coming!
HOW I FEEL WHEN I’M TWO WEEKS OUT FROM QUALS
9 years ago
Posts
4 comments:
Charcoal 2 is my vote.
The meta blogging tag made my morning.
peace blog
Peaceblogger. That is the classiest of the five. And hey, they always say to dress for the job you want, not the job you have, right?
(And you know how I feel about professionalism.)
I find it amusing that in your search for a different look from the more-black-than-Johnny-Cash layout that you have now, you've chosen, for the most part, very dark blog templates.
Peaceblogger is just as dark as what you have now without any addition of color and would hardly be much of a change. It has less side border, ahem "white space", making me feel like my face is closer to the screen without moving (and part of that comes from the heavy use of pictures), but that's not enough of a draw for me.
Black Grass. Um, yeah. I wouldn't go with the green carpet.
I find Charcoal 2 unsettling. I wasn't sure what you were talking about when you said 3-columns, but I agree. It's too busy; I don't know where to rest my eyes. I do like the way the sidebars highlight. The timestamps are okay, but a bit hidden. I'm also not sure if the curly pattern in the top right corner (which makes me think of tattoos) suits you with it's flowery/butterfly-esk-ness.
Zanblue is maybe a little monotone, but not so any more than the others. It doesn't have a searchbar that I could see, but I like the side buttons and the red tabs are pretty neat. You're right, the red helps. The lighter shade design at the top is nice. At first I thought it was just a little bit of angle highlights - that's neat. Then I saw it made more like a starburst - pretty cool. Then I saw the little design in the middle - and it lost a little of its appeal for your blog. It just doesn't seem to fit your academic posts or zombies to me. It looks too much like a cornucopia for that. And I'm just not sure if the whole layout gives the right atmosphere for your posts. Still, for a change in your bloglook, I think I could get used to it.
Irresistable is probably my favorite. I like the blues. I like the color gradient. I like the paper texture background. Very academic, but not too much. Very I'm-writing-a-letter, which suits a number of topics. I also like the scalloped edge at the top. It adds variety to all the straight edges and hard corners. The side buttons are a little hard to see at the top, but not so that they're invisible. And in general, it looks pretty easy to read and straighforward without being bland. And the white text isn't a problem for me anywhere it is.
As for comment flags and text colors and even some border colors, you might find that there is some choice in the editing settings so you can customize whatever you choose to your preferences...at least a little.
And that is my pragmatic and philisophical reasoning.
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