A New Look for Men with Pens
Welcome to our home. Kick off your sneakers, grab a beer and have a seat while we tell you a little about the new digs.
First of all, you’re looking at a massive collaboration project, the results of exactly what can happen when skilled individuals put their heads together. Everyone worked on his specialty, and we like to think we did a nice job.
(We also didn’t kill each other, which is a small miracle considering the number of times James changed his mind or got all picky about tiny details… always with good reason, though.)
We’d also like to thank the people we invited to critique our work along the way, and we appreciate the feedback you provided. As you’ll all notice, we listened. (Read: Fine, we made the banner smaller. Alright? ALRIGHT?! Are you happy now??!)
Special thanks go to:
- David L. – Thanks for the kickstart, man!
- Michael – For your… intriguing perspective, shall we say?
- Dave N. – Rock stars on the rise, bro!
- Nicole – You were a welcome friend during long, hard days.
And extra-special thanks to Charlie, for having patience of the gods, giving it your all and generally putting up with James.
Alright, put your Kleenexes away, people. Onwards.
We Listen to Our Readers
When it came time to redesign our site, we asked our readers what they thought. There was good feedback, and we tried to integrate every little bit of it while staying true to the needs of our business.
That said, some requests (like ditching our sharpshooter branding) couldn’t be met. Sorry guys! Others, like cleaning up the clutter and helping people know where to look, were ones we worked hard on. Hopefully we got it right.
There is one complaint we know we’re going to hear. “A white text on a black background is really hard to read…”
We’re all about you, but we’re about us, too. We need to feel good in our new home, and this site wouldn’t look the same with a different color scheme. Bitch, complain, whine, moan… it’s all good. We’re still not changing it, and people will probably be reading our posts through email or feed readers anyways.
We Listen to Our Clients
One problem with our old site was that not a heck of a lot of people knew what we offered as services. For a business gateway blog, that’s a pretty big issue.
This site corrects that problem nicely. If you can’t see right away at a glance what we provide, offer and sell, then your monitor is off and you’re listening to this blog through a text-to-speech converter.
It was also pretty clear to us that not many people realized the extent of our abilities with web design and coding. A common question we often heard was, “You can do that?”
Yes. Yes, we can. We can do anything. (Except fly. Still working on it, though.)
So go. Go click around. There’s a ton of stuff to play with, and it’s just a sampling of all the tricks we have up our sleeve. Call it showing off if you will, but when you’re profiling your skills, it’s important to have the confidence to show your best.
We Work for a Living
While working on the redesign, we had to make a decision. Are we a business first or a blog first? Are we blogging for business or a business with a blog? Tough questions, and it meant choosing our target audience a little more precisely.
The truth is that we’re a business. This blog is a gateway to our livelihood. We can blog until the cows come home, but if we haven’t sold our skills, then we’re eating lots of Kraft dinner.
That said, we made the decision to put our business front and center and put our blog … Well, not second, but a little less center stage. Forgive us.
We Don’t Promote What Isn’t Good
You’ll notice that there is no more paid advertising on this blog – we guarantee that if we haven’t read it, seen it, or used it ourselves and given it our gold seal of approval, then it’s not going to go up here.
We’ve also added review capacity to our Amazon widget, so not only will we recommend you read the books featured there, we’ll prove that we have too!
We Want to Share
One very new feature of our site is a forum where people can meet, discuss, share, get answers and ask questions.
We receive a great deal of private requests for advice and support. We bounce around business ideas, strategic plans, branding tips… and so much of the discussion could help others. We thought it was important to let everyone benefit, and a forum answered that need nicely.
Our forum will hopefully become one of the coolest, most helpful hangouts in the blogosphere, where members benefit just from being part of the gang. Want to ask any of us a question or talk directly with us about a project? Go ahead. We’ll be there.
We also know a good number of experts in the field (beyond ourselves, of course), and we’ll be inviting them to participate in the forum or chip in their two cents from time to time too.
Eventually, our focus will move to creating a members-only area with material specific to the forum that won’t be posted on the blog. For now, though, the forum is completely free – so register, join in, ask questions and have a great time!
87 Responses to “A New Look for Men with Pens”
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Beauty! So proud.
Thanks! We’re pretty happy too!
Wicked! Rss feed rocks, and I love all the gun metal tones on the new site design. Well done all.
Nice new digs, guys.
I love it, I love it, I love it!
*skips off to play with your new site*
Congrats on the new design – it looks great!
And I’m SO glad to see you reference “A white text on a black background is really hard to read…†Although most people don’t mind it on my blog (mostly read by other web designers) – I’ll get the occasional comment from a not-so-happy potential reader who just couldn’t read what I wrote…
Glad to see you standing your ground!
I know I already commented, but then I went and played around in the forums for 45 minutes. Guys! That is SO huge and simply a brilliant idea. I can’t wait for things to get rolling over there, so I can get lost in… expert information.
Also, and I’ve mentioned this already to Harry, but the textures here on the site are magnificent. I keep saying it, because I can’t get past it. They have me drooling. (Yes, I drool over textures. So?! You’ll find me on the design section of the boards.) And the RSS button, another mini-masterpiece.
Bravo, Men. Bravo!
Holy S&$% wait, can I say S&$% here? If not, I am sorry. I can’t help it! This is amazing. Great work!
@Karen Y: the look definitely fits much better
@GDG: Thanks!
@Allison: Try not to get lost, this mansion is pretty huge
@Selene B: Yeah, we wrestled with that one for a bit, but in the end dark won out.
@Nicole: I know, I’m the same way. Textures, fonts, RSS buttons…I can’t stop collecting them, you never know when you might need just the right one.
@Mike: you can say holy shit too
Thanks!
Well, it DOES look great, but, um, yeah, I’m already having trouble with the white text … I’m seeing spots in front of my eyes when I close them, after reading this post. And, um, people might be doing a lot of their reading through RSS, but we still have to come hear to comment. Honestly? I think it looks so cool, and it suits you, but … well, I don’t do drive-by shootings, but I might have to come stab you with a knitting needle because I don’t feel as welcome as I used to. Love the texture. Love the cool graphics. But I don’t need the headaches, and it’s all a little dark for my taste. I want to turn on a floodlight…
(Ducking away from the “Are you crazy, Deb?” comments bound to follow…)
Nice new look! It’s tough and has a definite edge to it.
Very nicely done. Unlike anything else I’ve seen. Worth sacrificing a little readability for a ton of edginess. Great job MWP!
Thanks Harry
In the spirit of my new found freedom here, HOLY SHIT! I love the design 
Guys, the site looks great. I think the theme fits right in with the personality of the site. I can’t wait to see what all is going to flow forth from this meca of blogging goodness.
Wow, I see you have been really, really busy.
What can I say but “awesome” and whenever I finally *do* get my mind right and need that next blog design, I know where I’ll be coming…
-Brett
(PS thanks for having me in the Portfolio – lots of totally amazing designs in there.)
So different… and yet so similar.
I particularly like the header graphic – ’tis cool.
Nice job, guys.
Bravo, gentlemen, bravo! You have outdone yourselves. There is nothing else like this out there.
PS – question from the last paragraph – it says “for now…the forum is completely free…” are you planning to charge admission eventually?
Some things look the same, giving it a familiar feel, but the new design is smokin’!
I’m liking that guitar pic/ flaming/ clouding RSS button. I think you outdid the old one.
I think I’m gonna hang out and wander around for awhile. Great job James, Harry and Charlie. You SO rock!
I hate it.
(just kidding)
No… the new design looks great. Much more like an integrated, professional website than simply a reworked blog.
Was a bit of a surprise to see the black background, but will get used to it. It’s actually quite readable on my little eeepc am writing this on.
Can I tatoo that RSS icon to my forehead?
AWESOME redesign! I, too was surprised by the black background. It looks sharp though. The site is mean, clean and pretty to look at.
Once again, AWESOME!
As much as I’ve heard people say that a light text on a dark background is hard on the eyes, I have never experienced that feeling. I actually find that a light text on a dark background is easier on my eyes, especially after 10+ hours in front of the computer. The trick, in my experience, is to use a light shade of grey for the text instead of a full white. (Ok… Having the lights in the room off definitely helps too… and makes the white background worse)
Anyway, I’m not exactly a specialist on design. I’m just a lowly coder, but I like the design!
This may be the coolest looking site I have ever seen! I’ll have to think about it to be sure, but y’all are definitely up there….
The white-on-black makes my eyes swim by the time I reach the end of the comments section, but I love it anyway—the whole thing just looks so GOOD, and it wouldn’t be the same if you switched it. It must be the designer in me, but I’d go with the look I love, every time, no matter what….
Great job: )
Impressive job. It certainly gets noticed.
(So you offer a chopping knife? Is that what it is in the logo??)
James, I like it! I think the best thing you have done is put a forum on here!
Simply awesome!
Also, I might be going to Canada for New Year’s…any suggestions on where to go with my friend?
Ow, ow, OW! My eyes. We are freelancers – we spend all day squinting at our monitors!
That said, it’s awful pretty.
Wendy
Whoaa, lookit what you ***boys*** have done with the place! It looks swell! Really swell!
Talk about a change! It’s great and I was glad to see the forum. I like the guns and bullets concept. If men with pens wasn’t enough to tell a visitor about you, the design of the blog screams ‘guys’ or ‘boys’ – whichever you prefer
Also love that you’ll be promoting stuff you’ve tried, tested and believe in. I’m always hesitant to click on advertisements on blogs, even if they’re on blogs I follow. Having your stamp of approval on them will certainly make me look at them with a little more trust.
…and on a side note, I really like the way you put your ‘about’ text first on the homepage, and then a featured post underneath. I’m going to do something similar on my own site.
I love this themes. It look warm and cute. But please, don’t remove the RSS feed ok ?
Congratulations on the new design — it looks awesome! Unlike anything else I’ve seen. A little surprised by the black background. Though it looks sharp, clean and pretty to look at. Good job MWP!
Hey, everyone – thanks for the compliments. That’s like manna, after the month or so that we just put in on this baby.
On the readability… I know. And I’m sorry. But honestly – what other color scheme would *this* theme fit into?
@ Akemi – I’ve been trying to figure this out for half an hour and finally have to ask… What chopping knife??
It actually took me a bit of effort to figure out it was a bullet as well… just isn’t something you often see in a banner or up close. The bullet is a lot easier to see in your competition banner where it is smaller and the smoke less solid. Now though I can see it, and it may just be my tiny eeepc, which doesn’t have the greatest screen.
But looking again at the black background… I like it a lot more than other black background’s because of the smoke whisps all over it. It’s ‘interesting black’ rather than ‘hard black’.
@ Patrick – This is about as up-close I’ll get to a bullet in my life. I did have a friend peer at the screen and say, “Oh, is that a [insert fancynumberrepresentingguage]?”
I turned, blinked, looked at him and said, “I dunno, dude. It’s a bullet. It looks cool.”
Ugly, ugly, ugly.
If I didn’t already know you, this scheme would end me off instantly without reading a thing.
Slow loading too. You’ve made a big mistake.
Hi Men, Your new look displays badly in the IE 6 that I have to use in the office. Have to scroll way over to the right to see the subscribe button. The recent posts and other nick-nacks are visible only below this comment box. Finally, the list of nick-nacks gets chopped off abruptly by the bottom of page banner.
I can send the screen shots if you’re interested.
@ Gary – It’s a good thing you said you “have to use it in the office”, because otherwise I’d be telling you it’s 2008 and time to update…
That said, we’ll take a look at it. (We spent freakin’ HOURS making sure the site looked good across all browsers… ugh.)
I’m a big fan of darker sites, but if I’m going to spend time reading posts and info here, the white lettering may drive me buggy.
Hey, I know. Put in a “View In Negative” button. That way after I’m over the initial “This site looks so bitchin’” phase, I can just switch to black on white text. I’m serious!
Waaaaayyy long load time for me too. Maybe after the first load it’ll be quicker.
Cheers
George
@ Tumble – Can that “view in negative” actually be done? (I’m sure it can, but I don’t have my experts nearby for secret consults.)
James, Harry,
Do you know how much I love you guys? Umm, good. Because it’s beautiful, really for beauty’s sake I like a lot of it, no doubt, but it’s not a piece of artwork, it’s a blog.
I love you guys first… did I say that already? I can’t read what I’m typing.
It’s very slow loading.
It’s busy. BUSY.
There’s no CommentLuv, which helps your readers connect with each other and become a band (“ooh, let me see what Akemi wrote today…”).
I miss your signature, masculine red accent. The blue gets lost in the black and grey.
I’d live with all of that, but the body is making me dizzy. When you say, “people will probably be reading our posts through email or feed readers anyways,” you’re forgetting that your loyal readers (and anyone who gets engaged by what you’ve written that day) will be popping by to comment. And to try to wade past the spots in front of their eyes to read the other comments. This little bit of readability sacrifice is going to encourage skimming at best, and discourage popping over at all, at worst.
The busy-ness makes it as difficult as ever (on this interior page—the home page has that nice business feature front-and-center, which is super) to figure out what you DO. My eyes just rush to locate the point (the article or comment section), which makes banner blindness worse than ever. So as a business blog…
Did I mention that I really think you guys are super?
Sorry. I feel like I ought not to be an acolyte saying rah rah if I can’t mean it. Deb should have handed me a knitting needle. It might have been a blunter instrument.
Forum sounds interesting, I’m off to check that out.
Regards,
Kelly
Of course it can be done. Your colors are set with a CSS style sheet; you just offer an alternate style. Readers with good browsers can apply their own style sheets, but I’d have to really, really want to read something to bother with that.
In Firefox, you can add the Web Developer plugin and use it to edit CSS directly.
To make this comment without getting a headache, I just shut off all CSS styles. Messes up the page, but at least I can read it.
In Firefox on my Mac, the Name and Email slots above can’t be seen at all – background color is the same as the text.. it’s better in Safari but who uses that?
Bad design, guys – sorry.
And why so slow to load?
@ Kelly – Comment Luv will come back as soon as I have someone to upload it again. It fell off our blog by mistake – that wasn’t intentional.
And sorry, but Jesus, guys, you’re making it sound like the blog is a bloody nightmare to look at and our business is going to explode in the next five minutes. It’s not THAT bad.
@ Tony – I don’t know why the site is slow to load. *jots down question to ask Charlie*
I think we should start a pool for how long it takes for them to realize this was a bad choice.
I pick on or before January 15th
I’d like to add a prize of my own to your contest.
I can throw in a signed, original Deep Friar cartoon…valued at $2500.
(That is, if I can read the
Uhhh…just a minor criticism here.
But the field where we enter the Email Address in the comments is really hard to read.
(White lettering on a creamy-white background?) Sorry, but I can’t see what I’m typing.
@ Friar – That’s not us. That’s your Firefox form field settings
Friar,
On Safari it’s white on a medium grey. What are you using to view it?
James,
Could take ten, maybe fifteen minutes. But I’ll still love ya….
Until later,
Kelly
@James
Actually, it’s on Internet Explorer that I’m viewing this with.
(By the way, Sorry. My sentence being cut off halfway was my own typo…that had nothing to do with your set-up!)
“That’s your Firefox form field settings
”
Yeah – the DEFAULT settings.
I like the new digs–the design is nice but I have to admit, I find it difficult to read the white on black. If you could offer an alternative, that would be great. I like the brick background–that totally rocks and gives me the image of you guys creeping down an alley, ready for a Drive-By Sunday.
But guys, the elbows? As sexy as they are, I want to see you guys and see who’s behind Men with Pens. I think others might feel the same way– who are the guys behind this site, who are we working with?
Karen,
That was a made-you-look moment. I thought maybe they’d put up new elbows.
Charlie doesn’t get nearly as sexy a shot. Boo.
Later,
Kelly
@ Kelly – It was worse before. I said, “Dude, we need a photo.” He sends me a hand clutching to a rock.
I take a look. “I think we have a failure to communicate, Charles,” I point out quietly. “See here? Arm. Mine. See here? Arm. Harry’s. See here? Fingers. You.”
So he found an arm. Clutching to a rock, of course. Stubborn.
James, CHARLIE (whom I love love love),
It worries me. Seems to say “desperation.” Like, holding on in your last ten, maybe fifteen minutes?
Okay, I’m having too much fun with this now. But going blind. Must head to a meeting.
Later,
Kelly
Kelly’s last blog post…Tip of the Week: Deliver the Essential *Boom*
@ Kelly – See? SEE? Our site makes you PRODUCTIVE!
” if we haven’t sold our skills, then we’re eating lots of Kraft dinner.”
Well, at least you hopefully are enjoying it with all the fanciest Dijon ketchups…
Sorry, couldn’t resist.
I think it looks positively smashing, boys. And I may be in the minority, but I like the white text on black. I don’t plan on staring at any of your posts for hours, and as you said, I generally read it in my feed reader, anyway.
Great work!
The site is bold, different and completely reflects your collective talents and brand. Most importantly it is a wonderful marketing presentation of your company and skill sets. All too often we (okay me) tend to clients, and have no energy left over to showcase our skill with our own site. You have clearly given and demonstrated the best of MWP with this site. I also applaud you on focusing on busines and designing the site for your target audience. I could continue to heap praise on you but I’m getting a bit misty eyed. Well done gentleman, well done!
Karen Swim’s last blog post…How Comfortable Are Your Customers?
Can the forum have a skin so that we can read it? That dratted black and white text business has given me a headache in five minutes there. Sorry, I know you don’t want to hear it, but if you’re hoping to start a membership site, it’s pretty important for everyone to be able to view it.
I know I’ve seen forums with a skin selection option before.
Gen Schmidt’s last blog post…Why Do The Plant Tags Lie? How To Plant For The Future
@Gen: If you go into your profile after you’ve registered then go to the Look and Layout Preferences, at the top is “Current Theme: Forum or Board Default” and right next to that a link to choose the theme you’d like to use instead.
I love the new look. Black is awesome as it lets things stand out better. Black goes with any colour. I can find everything easy. The brick wall speaks of masculinity, etc. The blue was a good choice too. Nothing wrong with white text on black either. Awesome header pic.
I like to use black for my blog and websites too.
Now I’ll go see ’bout this contest thingy.
Michelle Kafka’s last blog post…Blog Action Day 2008 – Poverty, Island Whispers Blog
Looks good, guys.
It’s always a fine balance between designing your site the way your readers want and also the way you want. Looks like you’ve found a way to balance it out.
Also, I love this from the post:
“You’ll notice that there is no more paid advertising on this blog – we guarantee that if we haven’t read it, seen it, or used it ourselves and given it our gold seal of approval, then it’s not going to go up here.”
Good direction to take.
Jesse Hines’s last blog post…5 Ways to Become a Good Writer
Okay, you guys are the masters when it comes to RSS icons. That animated shield is completely badass. I just spent about five minutes hovering over it.
Here’s what I love:
-The “Men with Pens” new font and style
-The black brick background (SO awesome!)
-The sheet metal navbar that goes all the way across
-The background on the header and footer
-Did I mention the RSS icon?
Here’s what I don’t love:
-The bullet doesn’t look real and doesn’t go with the RSS icon, in fact it contradicts the medieval feel of the rest of the design. What about one of Harry’s swords instead?
-Yep, as Friar says, the comment form is pale yellow with white text (I’m using Firefox on a Mac) and hard to read.
-I like the light blue but on the contest post it’s really hard to differentiate text from links and the headers don’t stand out enough.
-I’m with the crowd who says no white text on black background. It’s killing my eyes.
Having said all that, it does look fantastic. Couldn’t you keep the black background and white text on the home page and use a light background with darker text once visitors click into the site? I think it would look fine – a pale grey concrete background with black text…
In any case, I love looking at it – LOVE the castle-like feeling and the color scheme. It also has Harry’s signature all over it, and I’m a fan of Harry’s art forever and always.
-
@ Melissa – It’s pretty cool to see how people perceive the site! But I did want to correct that perception.
The shield is a guitar pick.
The castle walls are brick from a dark alley
The “genre” is modern, not medieval
Regardless, I’m glad you like it!
Okay, I didn’t see that as a guitar pick, either, but I WAS thinking dark alley. (Though I keep wondering why there’s a chalkboard in a dark alley, because the textured black background keeps making me think of high school.)
Oh, and don’t scoff at the knitting needles–sharp, little sock needles can do some damage! Heck, my sister skewered her hand on a crochet hook last year and needed stitches….
Still not liking the black, though (and glad I’m not alone). And, even worse than reading the light-on-dark text here? Going from here to any other website–it’s worse than leaving a dark movie theater on a sunny afternoon!
@ Deb – Textured background – leather. (I know you don’t like the black. You’re still outnumbered!)
Far be it from me to scoff at knitting needles. You forget that I have plenty a pair. En garde!
It might be meant to look like leather, but it looks like a dirty blackboard to me–chalk smears, and all!
And yes, I KNOW you’ve got knitting needles. I bet mine are in better practice, though….
–Deb’s last blog post…Ooh, Shiny!
Wow, guys! The new site looks fabulous!
Way to go!
spyscribbler’s last blog post…How Do You Plan Your Writing?
*scratches is head and wonders where his last comment went*
Anyway…
Here’s another perspective on it:
Right now I’m considering how much to employ Men With Pens to make over my site – little conversion or big conversion.
After seeing this site, am leaning much more towards big conversion. This is because the new site actually says visually ‘we can do really unique designs that stand out’. The old one just said to me ‘we can tidy up your blog a bit’.
So that’s the perspective of a deliberating client. In this case, the design actually works to convey an impression of a unique design. Is shifting me to spebnd more money on design, anyway.
Hey James! Tabarnak! Well I guess it was about time I get out of my feed reader and visit! And what a surprise! hehe
Well, I have to say the new design definitely shows off your skills, that’s for sure! I love pretty much everything about the new design! Like everyone else I love the RSS shield, that is soooo freakin’ cool! So, yeah, I like everything… except 2 things (and James, how can I visit and not comment on the new design? Ya know me!
)
Here we go! Don’t hate me hehe
- In the header section (I love the header art and logo btw!), the ‘Smoking Business Tips’ part above the RSS shield.. is it me or you already have a tagline? Shooting From The Hip. I feel that part above the RSS shield is saying something like ‘well we wanted to specify that cause our tagline wasn’t enough’ and the text color is the same as the RSSSUBSCRIBE link, which is confusing, first thing I did was I tried to click on ‘Smokin’ Business Tips’ text.
- the dark background for the content area…. I LOVE dark designs (Selene’s site for example, I love the pattern she used)! Don’t get me wrong! But a textured background for the content area… when I was done reading the post I felt a little dizzy… dark background=fine, pattern background=sure!, textured background=me dizzy.
Yeah, apart from that, you guyz rock! (well, you still rock anyway!)
Jon Phillips’s last blog post…Launching SpyreMag + Rebranding Of Spyre Studios On The Way
@ Patrick – That was one of the problems with our old site. At the time we launched it, it was the cat’s meow. A couple of months later, it didn’t at all capture what we could do with a site.
Just goes to show you how important it is for people with an online presence not to cut corners or skimp out!
@ Jon – Calisse, mon esti! D’autres critiques? *groans*
We’re having varied responses to the background.
Some find it extremely easy to read because it’s not flat black, some find it hard to read with the spots of lighting effect, and some just hate that it’s dark. Generally speaking, though, most feedback has shown people like it, see no issues and read easily.
We’re still thinking about what to do – the leather has to stay.
The dizziness comes from one too many beers, I think…
Truly a masterpiece, and a good display of what your company can do
Now to frame my screen and hang it on the wall – because, well…
To bad you have set your minds on not listening to your readers about the white text on black – Sort of like saying you can have it in any color as long as it’s black
Anyways, will grab the feed – because I think your selling point is your words – and that is where you should shoot from
Jonathan
@ Jonathan –
Small correction. We do listen, all the time. We pay attention and we take everything into consideration. That does not mean we’re obligated to acquiesce to everything our readers ask of us.
The problem is two-fold. One, we love our readers – but our readers are not typically our target market for our business. Two, we have over 3,000 readers. How do we please each and every person, knowing that each person has unique tastes and preferences?
Quite the quandry!
And, here we each thought we were your FAVORITE….
–Deb’s last blog post…MM: Six Degrees of Separation
@ Deb – You are! You are! Who else would fondly threaten to stick my site with a knitting needle? I mean, how can I *not* call you my favorite?
Laugh. Love that one…
@James…
I see your point and I think it is valid, my only concern is that your readers are your future clients??? They come, they see your design skillz (which is right up there – you guys have talent), then they read, they like, they buy.
My concern is that businesses want the best of both worlds – they want the flashy, slick design that makes their clients drool puddles into their keyboards. But they also want their clients to be able to read the buy button… okay (It isn’t that bad – In fact I really like it as I am color blind – so this is my world baby) But my art teacher never appreciated my individuality or how I view the world – I mean since when is grass supposed to be green??? Laugh.
Guess it will take some getting used to… as nobody likes change
Jonathan
Ahh…. I always knew I was special….
–Deb’s last blog post…MM: Six Degrees of Separation
@ James – Readers could be our future clients, yes indeed. We had to take that factor into consideration. The problem is that we don’t know how many readers actually read directly off our blog and how many don’t.
Loyal readers? Most read from feed readers.
What may be interesting to note is that only a very small percentage of our clients claim to be readers. Most find us through other means or via other sites. Some readers are our clients, sure, but not all by any means.
So which audience do we cater to? The random hits? The loyal readers who don’t read on our site? The readers who do prefer to hit our site to read? The clients who come from god knows where? It’s truly a puzzle and not such an easy decision at all to make.
We also can’t predict how many people may be so terribly turned off and negatively affected by our black background that they would absolutely run screaming and never consider hiring us.
I mean, hell. I’d like to think it takes more than that for people to say, “That’s it! I’m never coming here AGAIN!”
And I still stick by the fact that the majority of people have given *positive* feedback about the background. The ones who don’t like it are just more vocal, as is human nature.
@Tony,
That Web Developer plugin is great…
Brett Legree’s last blog post…the game.
Hey guys, I don’t know how I missed this post in my RSS, the first one I noticed on Monday was the contest post….
I love the site (and avatar’s, too). Congrats on a great job!
@ Harry – is there nothing you can’t do with Photoshop? The graphics on here freaking rock!
John Hoff – eVentureBiz’s last blog post…Open Discussion: What Would Make For A Great WordPress Hosting Company?
well, i don’t really see the identity ? who is this company ? what is the personality of the site ? who is your target audience ? the site is confusing to me the color choice is dark to me, it does not seem sophisticated ? what is it that your design is saying ? the brick background ? i do not know what it represents ? the vintage worn logo ? a bit dated a fad i think, not very serious , ok well that is the way i see it , you may see it differently ? I still remember what you represent to me (professional copywriting) so the design is really not important to me anyway. i wish you all the luck and look forward to using your services
just going through my reader, catching up, and had to come take a look — awesome job, gentlemen!
Wow! It’s dynamic and layered. I’m wondering how much you would charge for a similar design?
Karl Staib – Work Happy Now’s last blog post…CommentLuv needs updating on this site. Please download the latest version and install it on your site. This message will apear during the first 10 minutes of each hour. This remote script will cease returning posts in 7 days
@ Karl – You know how the saying goes… Every project is special and it all depends.