Simple Template for Brand New BLOG -- $175 PRIZE

[nodyce]

(Admin code added by Palmer - 69574D)

Greetings all!

I've been digging around in the Gallery and it looks like most of you guys are over-qualified for this contest. Oh well, here goes nothin'...

I'm about to launch a blog called "In the Loop" that will cater to online marketers. It'll essentially replace my old HTML newsletter which can be seen at:

http://www.sitesightings.com

Anyway, what I need is a snappy new template for my blog that'll really make it stand out from the crowd. Simplicity and clean lines are the name of the game, and while I'm still open to different color combinations, I don't want anything too crazy (also pastels are definitely out).

I'd like a header of some sort that includes the name of the blog, "In The Loop", and possibly even a tag line that I can adjust later on. (The tag line isn't necessary, however, if you can't make it work with your design.) Ideally I would like the title to be made into a logo so that it is the primary graphical element. But again, I'm open.

Here are the primary components it would need:

1) Graphical header that's eye-catching but still loads quickly

2) Main area for writing the content for my blog. (The background for this area should be light with dark text so that it's easily readable.)

3) Sidebar where I could include links, quotes and possibly even graphical ads (125 pixels wide, give or take, would be fine)

4) I need it coded as well as designed, but there's no need to get fancy unless you absolutely want to. Basic HTML is fine by me.

Here are some other things to consider...

- I tend to lean more towards primary colors.
- Busy is bad...clean is good
- Rounded corners are nice
- Lighter is better than darker

I realize that I haven't given you a lot of specifics to go on, but I promise I'll realize almost immediately what I want when I see it.

Thanks in advance for your entries.

-Ryan

Deadline: July 6th

[nodyce]

Please let me know if you're planning to enter my contest. There aren't any entries so far and very few views, so I'm beginning to think that you guys don't like me. :unsure:

Just kidding, but seriously I would like to know what to expect over the next few days.

Thanks!

Ryan

[marengo]

Hello, Ryan ,
don't worry :) As for me i'll try to make something for you. I'm sure not only me. :D
Btw, can you give me some examples of sites wich you like (if it possible). It'd be helpful.

[nodyce]

Actually, I really like what D.Burton did for mayor over at http://www.CouponBlog.com

Mine wouldn't need to be that complex, but the colors and lines are very nice.

-Ryan

[marengo]

thanks for reply :)

[mayor]

Originally posted by nodyce@Jun 30 2003, 08:48 AM
Actually, I really like what D.Burton did for mayor over at http://www.CouponBlog.com

Mine wouldn't need to be that complex, but the colors and lines are very nice.

-Ryan
hehe.. just don't copy it. ;-)

Joel

[nodyce]

Hey mayor,

I hope you don't mind me mentioning your blog. If I had it to do all over again I would have asked first. Again, I apologize. (But it really is good.) :tup:

-Ryan

[marengo]

Originally posted by mayor@Jun 30 2003, 09:49 PM

hehe.. just don't copy it. ;-)

Joel
:D

[nodyce]

Just so everyone knows, there are only a few more days left to enter this contest.

And while I'm sure marengo would love to win by default, I'd personally like to see a little competition. ;)

-Ryan

[marengo]

Hello, Ryan !
i don't like to be winner by default. And i hope another designers will participate too.
Anyway, today i've made my draft, so i can show you "work in progress".
Feed-back is really welcome! :)

http://users.skynet.be/fa085740/blog/demo_draft.gif

[nodyce]

For some reason I can't see the image you attached. Can you post it to a server a send me the link?

-Ryan

[marengo]

http://users.skynet.be/fa085740/blog/demo_draft.gif

[marengo]

attached

[nodyce]

It's a good try, marengo, but the overall design is a little too bubbly and childish. I know I said I liked curves, but this may have taken it a step too far. To be more specific, I like the rounded borders but the curves in the header and the loops in the text-boxes are a bit much.

Still, now that I've seen this design I can be a little more specific with what I want:

1) The colors need to be strong. If you're going to use a blue, use a darker blue because lighter blues and greens venture very close to pastels which I really don't like.

2) As for the design theme, think more business/professional/hip than just fun and games. (At the same time I don't want to see the generic pictures of happy people next to stacks of cash.)

3) The look for the words "In the Loop" in the header should probably be more along the lines of a sans-serif font. It would also be good if you could incorporate some movement (a loop, perhaps ;) ) into the text.

4) Now that I see it, I would rather the sidebar for links and ads to be on the right-side rather than left.

5) I'm not really crazy about having the URL run vertically down the side of the page. (Also, the URL this site will be hosted from is InTheLoopMarketing.com, not SiteSightings.com. I hadn't made that clear until now, so thanks for the reminder.)

marengo, although your design wasn't really what I had in mind, it did help me hone in a little better on what I wanted and for that I thank you.

Sorry to have to send you back to the drawing board, but at least this time you'll have more to work with.

Thanks again,
Ryan

[marengo]

nodyce,
Thanks alot for feed-back! the most important that now designers will be more informed that would be desirable for you. :tup: I hope your constructive criticism and increase of the price of this contest will motivate them :)

Not looking that you do not like my work, I shall show the completed version tomorrow. Just because i like to finish all my works. Is it ok?

Thanks again! :)

[Palmer]

Here's my entry for your contest. The template will be coded by hand for quick loading and uses mostly editable html text so you can change links etc as you please. Hope you like it :)
<img src='http://www.yourwebbuddy.com/templates/itl/1.png[/img]

[lang]

Hi Ryan,

Tried to incorporate everything that was mentioned. This template is super-fast too.

Image removed to save bandwidth.

[nodyce]

Here's some feedback for Palmer and Lang:

Palmer: I appreciate you trying different color combinations, but those shades of red and green really aren't working for me. Also, the swirls in the header don't really seem to fit the "look" that I had in mind. Try going for something with a little more punch.

I'd also like to see the sidebar placed on the right-side rather than left, and the inclusion of a "Search Archives" box at the top. As for the newsletter signup box, keep that like it is. The rounded corners are also nice. ;)

Lang: You've more or less captured what had in mind for this template. :tup: I love the colors (although I'm not crazy about the green in "Make Money") and the overall layout is perfect. I especially like that graphic is seperate from the header, because that'll allow me to change it from time to time.

The only things I'd like to see you work on are the logo and the sidebar. In actuality, the logo is fine. I'd just like to see if you could dress up the words a bit. It doesn't need anything fancy, it's just that the font is a little bland. (Although I do like that it's a sans-serif.)

As for the sidebar, the blue background just looks a little flat. I don't mind the color itself, but it needs some depth. You can maybe try adding a gradient or other texture. Of course, if this would drastically slow the load time then don't worry about it.

The boxes in the sidebar are also a little boring and flat. Is there any way that we could dress them up without sacrificing speed?

Finally, I like the way you have the horizontal menu bar, but I won't want most of the links that you have in there. Can they be changed down the road? Also, I'd like it if the search box said "Search Archives" and not just "Search".

Thanks again, Lang and Palmer. I really appreciate the entries.

-Ryan

[Palmer]

Do you have any suggestions for colors you like? I'm afraid that's not one of my strong suits (obviously) :D

[nodyce]

From the beginning, my idea was to go with either a red or a blue as the main color. If it's going to be rd, however, it needs to be a darker red like what is currently at my other sites...

http://www.SiteSightings.com
and...
http://www.PopUpRotator.com

I also like the blue/yellow combination that another designer did for me at:

http://www.EzineExperiment.com

I hope these help.

-Ryan

[nodyce]

I have somemore inspiration for you guys if you're fresh out of design ideas. Here's a blog that I really think looks great:

http://scripting.com/

It's very simple and clean, and most importantly the text is readable. The header is eye-catching, but not overpowering and the shadow around the border really give it a lot of depth.

Like I said...it's just something to consider. Hope it helps. ;)

-Ryan

[lang]

Hi Ryan. Thanks for the feedback and lets address your modifications:

Logo - spruced up the text just a bit without taking away from the logo.
Sidebar - slight gradient added
Sidebar boxes - those are actually just filler ads I found on Amazon. The actual content will be decided by you once you get the site running.
Navigation bar - you can either go with text links if you'd like (which is easier) or if you feel adventurous, you can work with a button file I'll include that'll quickly let you make new ones in Photoshop. Either way, it's your call. :)Look forward to hearing back from you.

Lang

<edit> And lest I look like Forgetful Jones, perhaps I should include your template. :rolleyes: </edit>

<img src='http://www.mynics.net/intheloop/InTheLoop_v2.gif[/img]

[crimsondesigner]

Here is my entry. Any feedback would be much appreciated.

Erika

[BrianDove]

Hi to all!
Here's My entry:
Hope you like it :)
- Nav bar can contain text links if you prefer ( easier to update ) The actual ones have mouse over effects but have the disadvantages to be "images".
- The left bar can contain anything.

Regards,
Brian loop: :blink:

[BrianDove]

Another template :)
Feedbacl welcomes as usual !
many thanks
Brian

[BrianDove]

hehehe, [ sorry for taking so much space in Designoutpost's server !!!!! ]
here's another template....
:D
GRAPHIC DESIGNER :ph34r:
:tup:

[Radu]

Here's mine. Let me know what you think.

-Ruairi

[nodyce]

Wow, lots of new templates have been posted since I last checked. Thanks everyone! Here's a little feedback for each:

Lang: I like the new logo, but I can't tell if I like it MORE than the last one. I'll talk it over with my partner and see what he thinks. In the meantime, don't change another thing about the site unless you feel a creative urge. In my opinion it looks great!

If you'd like, however, please feel free to try different logo combinations as I'm still not 100% sold on either.

Erika: This design and color scheme isn't really working for me. I know I said that I liked rounded corners and movement, but this really isn't what I had in mind. It's also just a little too blue. I'm sorry to send you back to the drawing board, but this just isn't working for me. :)

Brian: Man, you've been busy! Of all of your entries I think I like the first one best. The others seem a little washed out with the light colors on white backgrounds.

(NOTE: All my comments from here on out will pertain to the first template only.)

First off, the logo and colors are very nice. The only thing I'm not crazy about is the middle part of the header...it just gets kind of boring in their with the flat blue. Can we maybe try adding a little something in their? Maybe a slogan or something? (Just make something up to fill the space.) I also like that you used an image on the righthand side, but I'm not certain as to what it is. Maybe you can try a different image.

Finally, I'd really like the sidebar to be on the right-hand side as opposed to the left. Would you mind flipping it so I can see what that would look like?

I'd also like to see the text in blog format with a date and subject line, rather than just straight text. I ask this only because I'd like to see the color combination that you'd use.

Ruairi: I really really like the logo with the concentric circles, but the horizontal red bars are just a little too much for me. They may work for the header, but I'd like to see you try something else for the actual blogging area.

Finally, like I told Brian, I'd really like to see the side-bar on the right-hand side rather than left. If you can flip it I'd really appreciate it. Also, I'd rather the graphical elements from the blogging area not flow into the sidebar like you currently have them doing with the red bars. The sidebar should be a totally set apart from the main text area, so that there is no confusion as to where the blog ends and the external links and ads begin.

-----------------------

Well I hope the feedback helps. Thanks everyone again for your hard work.

-Ryan

[BrianDove]

hi to all,
My question will seem stupid but what is BLOG
Im sorry, im "french"
:D
Brian

[BrianDove]

last entry, I'll leave the space for other designers :)
sorry for the inconvenience caused !!!!
Thanks again, do you like this template :unsure: nodyce ?
Brian

[crimsondesigner]

If possible, I'll try posting a few variations on my original design.

Erika

[nodyce]

No inconvenience at all, Brian. I appreciate the fact that you provided as many templates as you did. By the way, this latest template is great. I can't think of any changes to make to it. Unless you get a creative spark, leave it as-is.

I can already tell that this is going to be a very tough decision.

-Ryan

[Radu]

Here's my template with the required changes.
Let me know what you think.

-Ruairi

[nodyce]

Wow Ruairi very nice!

I'll want to add an archive search box at some point, but you don't have to mess with that now unless you feel like it. Again I say, you guys are making this decision VERY difficult.

-Ryan

[nodyce]

There's only one day left in this contest, so if you plan to submit a template and haven't done so already, please let me know ASAP. Also be sure to let me know if you're working on any revisions, otherwise I'll assume that the last template you posted is your final entry.

-Ryan

P.S. Unless I hear from you, I won't take any entries after 11:59 PM (CST) on July 6.

[Radu]

I am willing to work on small changes but not on something that will radically change the design. :)

-Ruairi

[nodyce]

Ok, since I haven't heard from anyone else I'm going to call this contest OVER, talk with my partner and hopefully get back to you guys with a winner later on today.

Thanks again to everyone who entered. I will be using this service in the future.

-Ryan

[nodyce]

Ok guys, we have a winner!

I know everyone says this, but it really was a tough decision. My partner and I were actually split as to which design we liked the best, so I had to get my wife to break the tie. :P That being said...

Congratulations koolbrian, you're the winner!

To everyone else who entered, thank you very much. I will be using this service again in the not-too-distant future.

Thanks again!

- Ryan

[lang]

Congratulations, Brian. Well done! :tup:

[Palmer]

Congrats Brian on your first win. Send me a private message with your PayPal address.

Thanks for the contest Ryan. :)

[marengo]

Congratulations koolbrian! :tup: Good job! :)

[Radu]

Congratulations Brian :) :tup: