[Project Complete] Personal Webpage (Blog) Design - $450 - May 23rd

[JustinLloyd]

Admin code added by Abby - 7UA553137H056625B

I would like an updated look to my current website. The URL is http://www.otakunozoku.com. The website design hasn't really changed in 10 years other than a few tweaks and I'm getting a little bored of it.

I also would like to start using WordPress or some other CMS package to handle the updates so when creating a design, bear in mind that is the content style I will be using.

The goal of the website is a self-promotional vehicle that will feature my writing, ideas and articles about software and business development.

Colours I like:
Yellow, black, white, brushed steel or aluminium (silver and gold, yes, I know technically they aren't colours).

Colours or colour schemes I don't want to see:
Green. Blue. Anything that looks like Microsoft's or Design Outpost's colour scheme.

I'd also don't want it to look like every other blog out there so "think original."

I will require a webpage header, main index page, interior page for individual articles (note that articles on the website use slightly different formats depending on whether I am reviewing a book, posting a product review, or just posting a general article). I'd like you to create the PSD and HTML which I can then convert in to a theme for whatever blog or CMS package I end up using.

I'd like to get the final design by around the end of May.

[JustinLloyd]

Company Details

1a) Name of Company
Otaku No Zoku. Though it isn't a company. It's a personal web page. My company page is www.imf.la.

1b)Company Tag Line or slogan:
None.

1c) Do you have a company logo?
No.

1d) Do you have a corporate visual identity (a customized (non stock) logo and color scheme carried out throughout your office, stationery, business cards, etc.)?
No.

1e) What is the nature of your business?: Briefly describe your products or services:
Game development, software development.

1f) Who is your target market? Who are you hoping to reach with your site?
Software developers. Clients that need my services.


Website Details

1b) Do you have an existing website? If so, what is the URL?
www.otakunozoku.com

2b) IMPORTANT: Please list at least 3 URLs (web addresses) of high quality sites that you like the look of (these do not have to be sites who’s business is similar to yours. It aids us in determining what your design style is.) Please consider layout, colors, navigation, graphics, and typography.
I am very much open to suggestions at this point.

3b) What colors or color schemes would you like?
Yellow, black, white.

4b) List the Navigation links for your Site:
Home
Complete Archive
About









5b) What type of look are you trying to achieve? (e.g. clean, high-tech, conservative, warm, flashy, etc.)
Clean, warm, personal yet professional.

6b) Please provide the addresses of competitors' sites, if possible:
www.joelonsoftware.com
www.ericsink.com

7b) Do you have any images for use in the design of your site? If not, do you have images, can you offer suggestions of what you type of imagery you feel would be most suitable for your website:
No images available.



Deadlines and Deliverables

1c) What is the deadline for your template design?
31st May, possibly later.

2c) Will you require HTML coding? (Yes/No)
Yes.

3c) If so, will you require it to be ONLY CSS layout? (Yes/No --- {fees})
Not really.

4c) How many pages coded will you require delivered? ({fees})
Two.



Are there any other comments/specific ideas we should keep in mind while designing your project?
None that I can think of.

[JustinLloyd]

This doesn't bode well. No replies. Anybody thinking of entering for this one? Is there something wrong with the entry I need to correct?

[BrianDove]

I will post my entry asap :)

Brian

[belladonna]

Hi, sorry for the delay :blush: , Im working on something too!

[matude]

Hi,

Here's my first version.
What do you think?


Thanks,
matude

[JustinLloyd]

It looks good so far. One thing to bear in mind is that you are free to throw out any and all of the design elements or layout I have. I'm not particularly set on re-using the current layout as it is. My biggest thing is "don't make it look like every other generic blog out there."

Also, Otaku No Zoku loosely translates as "Tribe of Otaku" (Otaku in America translating in to nerd, geek, obsessive fan).

[JustinLloyd]

I think I am going to have to extend this project's deadline by two weeks, so the closing date is now the 10th of June.

[BrianDove]

If you extend the deadline, I will post my entry before then.

Thanks
brian

[Aliska]

Hello
I'm also working on my concept

[Aliska]

Hello
Please check concept from me.

[vhgdesign]

Here is my idea. I think this design can work with wordpress.

[gypsimind]

Hi here's my first concept

http://www.netavantage.com/app/photos/Sites/otaku1.jpg

[JustinLloyd]

I can't really say that I am totally overwhelmed by any of the designs but it seems that VHGDesign seems to be on the right track by moving the design away from the classic "blog look."

[matude]

Hi,

Here's my revision.
Navigation opens up when cursor goes on it.

I hope this looks less like a classical blog.

Here's also a version with silver logo. (http://work.matude.com/otaku/otaku2_s.jpg)


What do you think?

Thanks,
Matude

[belladonna]

Hi sorry for the delay, Im almost done with my submition, I´ll have it ready in a couple of hours :blush: .

[belladonna]

Hi :) , finally, here it si, hope you like it!
http://www.julieta-garcia.com.ar/julieta/do/bella_otaku2.jpg

[JustinLloyd]

belladonna: Yes, I do like it actually.

I'm not too sure about the mouse & monitor though. I understand there needs to be some sort of design elements in those two locations, and the text of "Otaku No Zoku" is zooming out of the monitor, but I'm not sure if those two particular items work for me. Do you have any suggestions?

[belladonna]

Hi, thanks :) , Im glad you liked it. This is an option: for the mouse part is not really necesary to have an image, and for the logo, we can have just the logo, or if you have any kind of image you would like to see there, you can let me know and I can try something else :)
http://www.julieta-garcia.com.ar/julieta/do/bella_otaku3.jpg

[JustinLloyd]

Belladonna: I am going to go with your design. Thank you to everyone else who made an attempt.

The project was for the front page and one interior page.

Can you take a look at: Interior Example Page (http://www.otakunozoku.com/Articles/Development/GBCribsheet/GBCribsheet.html)

I split the web page up in to sections, I'm not saying you have to duplicate this style identically, but I like the design element of separate sections.

Can you come up with some ideas for the interior article pages? I am thinking along the lines of mostly re-usable elements in the page design that I can use for different layouts.

What do you think?

With regard to the logo in to the top right of the front page. I don't know. It needs something more than what it is now, but I have no idea what that would be. The image of the LCD monitor helped, but the actual LCD monitor image didn't work for me. Something needs to be with that logo. Are there any suggestions you can make? Text suggestions are fine, you don't need to do the design work until we settle on something.

[belladonna]

Hi, thanks for choosing my design! :D , I´ll work on the interior page and think of something new for the logo part.

Take care
Bella

[Fabian]

Congrats:)

Project has been moved to revisions, client could you please post a quick note once files received.

Thanks
Fabian
DO Moderator

[belladonna]

Hi :) , here is an idea on how you can use the interior page, and also changed the logo part a bit, let me know if you like it:
http://www.julieta-garcia.com.ar/julieta/do/bella_otaku_interior_page.jpg

[JustinLloyd]

Belladonna: Yes, that looks good. Can I make two requests? One for a section at the bottom of the page for a "related articles" that would have related article links automatically generated by the blog software. And two, for a second, possibly on the right hand side, differentiated somehow from the "features" section you put in, for the same "related articles" section. I want to have people poking around the site and finding other interesting articles based around the one they are currently reading.

[belladonna]

Sure, here they are, let me know if they are ok :)
http://www.julieta-garcia.com.ar/julieta/do/bella_otaku_interior_page_change.jpg

[JustinLloyd]

Belladonna: Yes, that looks like it could work and the yellow of the section header differentiates those sections from the ones that are part of the article.

[JustinLloyd]

Quick question: With regard to the "Home," "Search," "About," "View the complete archive," etc buttons, were you intending for them to be rollover buttons that change when the mouse hits them? I don't care whether they are or not, I was just curious.

[JustinLloyd]

Can you create a section at the bottom of the page, either spanning both columns (like the copyright section is now), or just in either the left column or the right column -- I have no personal preference, just pick what you think looks good and balanced -- that has a section for people to subscribe with their e-mail address to an automated service for announcements? At the very bottom of http://www.joelonsoftware.com/ you will find what I am talking about.

[JustinLloyd]

I am also going to need "Subscribe" and "Bookmark" buttons -- like on the left hand side of http://sethgodin.typepad.com/ -- and you can again put them wherever you think they look best.

[JustinLloyd]

I don't know why but I keep looking at the new version of the logo and thinking there should be more stars around it, like they are trailing around it in a Nike swoosh like look. Or maybe just more stars around it. Is that too gay? Maybe it's just too early in the morning and I'm not thinking straight.

[JustinLloyd]

If the fonts you used in the buttons, etc, are non-standard, i.e. not available with Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office or Adobe Photoshop, please let me know the font names and foundry so that I can license them (if commercial) or download them (if free.)

[JustinLloyd]

On the sections on the right hand side with black headers, the bullet points are silver. On the sections on the right hand side with silver headers, the bullet points are black. On the section on the right hand side with a yellow header, the bullet points are regular boring HTML bullet points. Any possibility of getting yellow ones perhaps?

[belladonna]

Hi, here you can see the coded site, with all the combinations you can use on your pages, and the css for the texts and the bullets, also take a look at the rollovers and let me know if you like them. I added the subscribe box and more stars on the logo!, hope you like it :D :
http://www.julieta-garcia.com.ar/julieta/do/otaku/

[JustinLloyd]

That looks great!

Let me just digest that and I will post feedback later this evening.

[JustinLloyd]

Belladonna: O.K. I have thought about the design and I have only a few minor requests.

1) Would it be possible to lighten to grey background a little? I am specifically referring to the grey area that has no text in it. I just would like to see whether lightening it up would alter the contrasting colours.
2) I think the stars around the Otaku No Zoku logo need to go. Perhaps I was delirious, perhaps I didn't say it the right way, either way, the stars aren't doing it for me.
3) The text for "Features" has changed. Was this a conscious decision or just a coding accident? Was the original text a graphic image or just plain text? Would it be possible to see what "Features" is like in the previous style? (all upper-case, slightly larger)
4) I think I prefer the single ":" on either side of "Features", so that it looks like ": Features :" instead of the ".: Features :." If anything I would rather have a small graphic image on either side of the text that looked interesting.
5) The "calendar page" for the date on the entry from Aliska's, VHGDesign's and Gypsimind's design I liked. Without violating their copyrights, is there anything you can come up with that would do a similar thing?

[JustinLloyd]

Oh, one more thing, when stretched over two 30" monitors, the dark to light gradient behind "Welcome to Justin Lloyd's Tribe" doesn't tile correctly. ;)

[JustinLloyd]

And one more thing. The gradient background behind "Welcome to Justin Lloyd's tribe" does not align to the left edge of the "Features" that is immediately below it. It appears different to the last static version you posted in this forum. Was that intentional? Can it be fixed?

[belladonna]

Hi, take a look at this link for the table adjustments and the titles. I was thinking you can use images for the main titles that you will always use, like features, or otaku flash, etc, and use text for the ones needed for articles, or secondary sections:
http://www.julieta-garcia.com.ar/julieta/do/otaku/

And here you can see the light background and the modified date, let me know if you like it:

http://www.julieta-garcia.com.ar/julieta/do/otaku/bella_otaku_light_version.jpg

[JustinLloyd]

I believe that is it. I cannot think of any further revisions to do. I am happy with the final revisions. Can you create the HTML pages for me and send both them and the original unflattened PSD to me?

[belladonna]

Sure, =), no problem, just one question, do you prefer the light gray background?

Thanks!
Bella

[JustinLloyd]

Yes, please use the light grey background.

[belladonna]

Files sent!, please, let me know if you got them :)

[BlueCherryGraphics]

PROJECT UPDATE: This thread has been moved to Template Archives.

[JustinLloyd]

Files sent!, please, let me know if you got them :)
belladonna: Files received. looks good. Thank you very much for your hard work.