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9/27/08 Announcing DotQ v5!

By Flak | Comments: 7

I started work on this redesign on Tuesday the 23rd, and am calling it done now.

It was tough going, but I think I managed to improve DotQ considerably. We’re using space better than we were before and there are fewer font discrepancies across platforms. The site’s also narrower, back to 800 pixels, which is a good thing according to the new layout info page. In addition to these aesthetic changes, there are also some new features. Comments got a revamp so check’em out!

A few random changes I feel like listing:
- post navigation is now left to right (prev / next instead of next / prev)
- the wiki has a list of recent forum posts now
- post meta data (tags, categories, etc.) is at the top of the sidebar now for single posts
- avatars float at the tops of posts instead of being in a box
- comments and trackbacks are separates
- ads and affiliates are conveniently tucked away when the page is short, but zoom to the sidebar if you’re viewing a post or page!
- the archives page is much better than the old six archive pages

There are probably still some rough edges here and there, but hopefully they can be ironed out. If you notice anything “wrong” with the site, please let me know. I’ll try to fix it as soon as possible.

In addition to whatever rough edges remain, it should be noted I’m not done. The main site and wiki have been revamped but the forums have yet to be styled (this will be my next big design project). Also, the RPG character archive (hehe, I bet no one knows what it even is!) is confused about how it should present itself. And beyond these layout problems, there’s a big content-related revamp I’m working on that will make navigation of writings MUCH simpler and better. Also, a bunch of tags are getting retooled here and there.

So! The main site has been switched to v5, which is more or less complete, but the fight rages on.

Cheers, and I hope you enjoy the new look.

Archives | Older: Night Switch 06.10
Newer: Comment Flood, part 2

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  1. 3/28/09 Spring Cleaning, Part 1 :: Dreams of the Quill v5

Post a Text Comment Text Comments (6)

  1. i like it, though it could use a color change or banner change as well. beside the layout, what i am more interested is the graphics around it.

    ReplyReply

    TNH — 9/27/08 @ 1:58 pm | #Link |

  2. @TNH: yeah, I agree that we need a new set of banners. Tell you what, make me some ;) You know my strength is webdesign, not graphic design! But uh, not changing the site colors. More info on why in the layout info page.

    ReplyReply

    Flak — 9/27/08 @ 1:59 pm | #Link |

  3. Very nice. I think it’s turned out quite well! I hope to see forum changes eventually, or at least a re-color for .Q forums!

    ReplyReply

    Alar — 9/27/08 @ 6:23 pm | #Link |

  4. @Alar: as I said in the post, those changes will be forthcoming.

    ReplyReply

    Flak — 9/27/08 @ 6:32 pm | #Link |

  5. Very nice. Looks different but feels the same. I like.

    ReplyReply

    Saurus — 9/29/08 @ 7:40 am | #Link |

  6. Yay! I tried to keep some of the design elements I knew worked, and I wanted the site to still look like the DotQ everyone knew, so the header, colors, etc., remained the same.

    ReplyReply

    Flak — 9/29/08 @ 8:12 am | #Link |

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