Monday, August 2, 2010

New Blog Template

When I created the blog, I picked out the most minimalist template that I could get away with because I just wanted to get some content up without agonizing over appearance.  I decided that it’s time to make the blog look a bit better now that it’s gained in popularity.

I’ve been scouring the Internet for awhile looking for a template that would be appropriate, but couldn’t really come up with anything that wasn’t stereotypical.  The standard technical templates are what you’d expect…pictures of computers, mobile phones, countless Matrix themed backgrounds, Windows themes, etc.

I like the white lettering on black background that the SANS Forensic Blog uses so I decided to just use the Blogspot template creator to come up with something workable that I hope you will like better than what I had before.

I have increased the size of the font in addition to using the black and white theme so that it would be easier to read.  I also have to admit that I’m fond of the juxtaposition of the scenic yet barren desert background alongside the highly technical content of the blog itself.

I’ve also put up a live Twitter feed for the AFoDBlog Twitter feed so that readers can get a sense of what I’m putting out through that account.

2 comments:

  1. Hey Eric,

    Overall, I'd say this is an improvement in terms of color and theme. But the right hand side feels a bit busy to me. I think I would make a separate "About" page for that information, and condense the other material to a single column. I realize you're trying to fit it all in a reasonable vertical space, but I find my attention split between the blog post and the right-side content. Right now, my impression is that the right-side content is competing too heavily for the attention and that the main post section needs more horizontal space.

    And that completes my $0.02 deposit for the day. :-)

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  2. Thanks, Greg. Good suggestion. I have now modified the template so that the middle section is as wide as the template will allow. I can shrink the right side, but I think making the primary column wider is the best option right now.

    I'll likely tweak things here and there as I come up with better ideas. This is the first blog that I've ever done so I'm still trying to get the feel for how to manage the aesthetic aspect of it.

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