New ELATED, and what should it look like?

In this week's newsletter, the ELATED Extra, I admit both that we're currently thinking about an ELATED.com redesign, and that I'm finding it very hard!

So how do you deal with designing your own site? Maybe you find the creative freedom liberating, and have some great tips for me?

Also, if you have any ideas about what a new ELATD should look like, or how it should work, we're all ears, so let's hear you!

Simon

[Edited by simon on 03-Feb-09 13:32]

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I often have the same problem of not knowing what to do when designing for myself.

And viewing other great sites out there to get inspiration also doesn't help because you'll then see different elements in different sites that you'll like to adopt, which at the end of the day make the whole thing look strange.

I think the 'bloggy' look would be nice on a white background with splashes of the elated orange here and there.

I would love to see an Elated Site with loads of white spaces and a sort of 'minimalist' look.

Would have suggested a kind of 'web2.0 look' but you guys at Elated always strive to be different - which is a good thing - so lets forget that!

Though I've never really understood the purpose/meaning of your current top banner image, I've always liked it. But please don't include it in your future design.

Have I been of any help? I doubt it! But I'll sleep over it and let you know if any ideas come up.

You guys - Simon & Matt - at Elated have really helped a lot of folks out there, myself inclusive! So the only way we can show our appreciation is to help you guys out too for a change....


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Hi Mauco,

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I would love to see an Elated Site with loads of white spaces and a sort of 'minimalist' look.

S: Me too, but I'm worried that it's not really very "us". Personally, I love it - the minimalist Swiss look is great, but not terribly "on brand" for ELATED maybe. I guess whatever we do it'll be more minimalist than this version!

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Would have suggested a kind of 'web2.0 look' but you guys at Elated always strive to be different - which is a good thing - so lets forget that!

S: I agree with you there. The web 2.0 thing is pretty much done now I think.

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Though I've never really understood the purpose/meaning of your current top banner image, I've always liked it. But please don't include it in your future design.

S: Again, I agree - I don't know what I was thinking to be honest!

Thanks so much for the thoughts - it all helps!

Simon

[Edited by simon on 03-Feb-09 18:52]

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I think it'll be nice to introduce some flash animation, just a little - what do you think?

Also if you can find a nice space for the teddy in the new site design that will be fine too.

Can we have the teddy integrated into your newsletter?


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I'm not a massive Flash fan, though I have seen it used beautifully. I suspect that any really dramatic elements will be more javascript/CSS than Flash, but we shall see!

The teddy. I was, I admit thinking of dropping them. A mistake?

Newsletter. I suspect the time may have come to start thinking about doing an HTML one rather than plain text, but what do you think? ARE HTML newsletters just a pain? It does worry me that we have absolutely no branding in the newsletters.

Simon

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I say keep the teddies!!

Hmm, HTML newsletters... not a great fan myself, but I can see the advantages... An alternative would be to have the newsletters on the site, and just provide a link to the current newsletter in the email?


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I have trouble seeing the relevance of the bears!

Shall we argue in open forum? That's corporate transparency for you!

If we put the newsletters on the site, is that not a blog?

Simon

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The bears are cute but not really relevant so you can leave them out if you want. I just felt they could be used to present the daily tips section.

The daily tips section happens to be my favorite section of your home page, so please, please, please, keep it.

Also can you make the daily tips section the way it was on your former site design whereby visitors who miss on a particular day could do a search for it on your site.

To me an HTML newsletter would be great. On the surface, I really can't see any problems with it. And if it's going to be on the site, then what's the purpose signing up for it, since it'll be available to everyone?... Or am I missing the point here?

Moreover if you end up adopting a minimalist look and a plain newsletter, things might start to look a bit bland... or don't you think so? You guys are great in design and I feel this should be reflected as much as possible in a very unique way.

Would you consider having the re-design of the ELATED site as a sort of competition open to users of your website - especially students of graphics design in resident in your country?

The days a lot of these graphic student are very creative and can come up with wonderful designs.


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Daily tips. We'd have to write more I think (they're currently on rotation), and it's probably better for us to focus our energies on other bits, but we shall see!

HTML newsletters. Good from a branding point of view I think. Plain text is a bit old these days, but HTML newsletters can be annoying too! If we did it on the site then only newsletter people would get the link - it wouldn't be on open access.

We'll try to avoid being bland. As I say, the ELATED brand doesn't really suit that totally minimalist look anyway I think. As to opening up the design for competition, it's an interesting idea, but for the sake of just "getting it done" we probably won't. I like the idea though. Maybe we could do it on a smaller scale somehow.

Simon




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