Cornerstone Press Concept
Nov 30th, 07 | 10 remarksWhen I released Cornerstone about two weeks ago, I was really excited to make the announcement. I kept the project very quiet while I was working on it - in fact only a handful of people knew about it until it was almost done. But looking back I think that was a mistake. I’m taking a different course this time.
Last weekend, I started hashing out ideas for a new theme, which I’m tentatively calling Cornerstone Press. It’s very much a newsy type theme, and I really like how it has taken shape. So I thought, why not start blabbing about it now and try to get some feedback BEFORE I start coding?
This theme was largely inspired by ABC News and MSNBC. In fact it started as a copy/paste mashup of screen shots from several different news sites. Once I had pieced together a layout I liked, I started filtering out “cluttery” items and things that wouldn’t necessarily be used on a blog, or that I just plain didn’t like. (News sites are entirely too busy in my opinion).
Instead I focused on maximizing content by minimizing distractions. ;) I wanted to fit the content into distinguishable sections, while still keeping the design open. I also tried to factor in room for ad placement without it being overwhelming. Last came the color embellishments. I wanted to combine subtle with engaging. I’m happy with the results so far, and I think there’s a lot of flexibility in this layout because there are so many “blocks” where different types of content could be dropped in. What’s more important however, is what YOU think!
This concept is still in the infant Photoshop stage, so nothing is set. What could be better? Is there anything that should go bye-bye? Anything that should be added? Constructive criticism is a highly valued commodity to a designer, so as a reward for yours, I’m offering a free copy of the theme to the best idea/suggestion when it goes live. (I don’t have a set date for that just yet).
Looking forward to your feedback!
I would like to put on some input - a little now, more later.
First of all, is this a public theme or a design for a company ? If it is a company, do they serve their own videos at all times ?
The Title of the Video would look better if it is Above the video.
Allright .. just finished doing a photoshop on this one ..
download –> http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/1065/designreviewhx2.jpg
Take care
Nov 30, 07 | 4:58 pmHi Ehab. Not sure why your first comment didn’t come through but you’ve got some good ideas. The theme is not intended for one specific company, but rather it will be another premium release, targeted at anyone who wants to run a “news style” theme on their blog.
One thing I was unclear on - are you suggesting I get rid of the tabbed section in exchange for more “breaking news” sections?
I like the idea of a second banner for categories at the top. I debated about where they should go and thought maybe they’d fit well into the tabbed area. I also agree about the video title being moved to the top. Great input thanks!
Nov 30, 07 | 7:23 pmYou are welcome. I think i was having some problem with my internet or something.
One thing I was unclear on - are you suggesting I get rid of the tabbed section in exchange for more “breaking news” sections?
Not at all ! The domtabs look great ;) I am looking forward to a theme that works flawlessly with this javascript. A lot of sites already do ofcourse. The best I have seen so far is kollermedia.at.
What I was suggesting is that you should add a little more news. Under the video and under the currently Breaking news section.
And since it would be for general public - you might consider reducing the video size and pushing some more text/image based news in there.
Those news, could be displayed by categories. Sports, Politics, International, etc. With one post in full display (till ). You could also add the titles of the recent posts in the category below or beside them.
This would give your page a little more height and a news site feeling -)
However, displaying the news is a bit challenging for us designers. You have to make the choice, to use custom fields for the thumbnail image and excerpts or not.
As you might notice, the beginning of the news (paragraph) might not always make sense to as what the whole news it all about. It is often a good idea to use the optional excerpt.
Using custom fields and thumbnails would give the site a very good and polished look, but it would give the users/editors/writer a hard time (but isn’t a news site supposed to be hard to manage ;) ?)
And have you given a second thought about the asides, flickr photos and else where links on the bottom ?
Dec 1, 07 | 2:03 pmEhab, I apologize that you’re having trouble getting comments through. It’s unfortunate they’re not showing up, but at least I’m seeing them in my admin panel. This has happened a few times with others and even my own comments and I’ve never found a solution for fixing it. :(
Anyway thanks for all the input! On the “breaking news” section, I think adding more would compromise the clutter-free layout I’m trying to stick to. It’s certainly an option for anyone who uses the theme to mod it that way however.
I’m going to leave the footer content intact as well, with the exception of Flickr maybe. I know not everyone uses Flickr, but the theme is intended for bloggers who want to have a news style theme, rather than to serve an actual news site. My guess is bloggers will want things like a blogroll, or Asides. If not, there are all kinds of other possibilities such as a poll, a short bio, or even a big RSS button that could fit in those areas. :)
Your idea for sizing the video down to make room for related content or something of that nature is interesting. I’ll have to play around with that one. ;)
Dec 2, 07 | 2:29 pmThanks for clearing my mind - I believe that 90% of bloggers who are up to speed, uses FlickR.
I was sticking to the thought of an actual news site ;)
So you can either include it or just include the styling in the css file, if a user wants to use flickR. Believe me, it gets very difficult for bloggers to style the flickr pluggin.
What are your thoughts on the use of thumbnails and custom fields ?
and as of the commenting problem, I don’t have a clue as well, but it might be a plugin causing the distortion, or something with *this post* only. all other posts are happy with my comments :P
Dec 3, 07 | 6:06 amLooks like a great concept…I like the idea of having what I’m viewing sectioned off to easily identify the content but keeping the page “open” like you stated. Best of luck with Cornerstone Press and wish you continued success.
Dec 3, 07 | 11:55 amHi Charity,
I stumbled upon this page, while searching for a a WP application for a magazine/press.
Here’s my feedback on the Cornerstone Press theme.
1) Wherever, there’s news, there are Main Categories. In your current ongoing design, i could see the Category tab between Popular & Videos. However, that would be difficult to find for a first time user.
So, i feel that the Page1,2,3 should ideally be the Main Category/Section Tabs.
2) Also, from an advertisers perspective, is the 125X125 Adblock the largest size available? Normally, an advertiser would want a larger piece of real estate.(is the Video the advt?)
I do not see a 468×60 size banner either.
3) Could not see a newsletter sign up box.
4) Date format/size is too large, it’s the ideal place for a 468×60 banner.
My 2cents.
regards,
Prashant.
Dec 6, 07 | 3:15 pmThanks for your feedback Prashant. You raise some good points, particularly regarding advertising options. I’ll have to see if I can fit a newsletter signup section in. I had not considered that but it’s a good idea. :)
Dec 8, 07 | 4:10 pmI’d suggest a double-column across the top for the lead story. Then two equal columns underneath. Then (possibly) irregular columns below that. A single-column lead doesn’t have quite enough ‘punch’. Have a look at http://www.smh.com.au/ for more ideas. Good work! :)
Feb 4, 08 | 5:04 amRegards,
Terry
Thanks for the suggestion Terry, I’ll check it out!
Feb 5, 08 | 8:09 am