Should we redesign 3DA

[TheAllusionist]

I wanted to get honest input on our site design for the main site and forums. Since I am working on some things to improve the site or add features anyways, I really have to evaluate why the site hasn't done better than it has. Is the site design terrible? I want peoples honest opinions, I won't have hurt feelings, I need to fix things and input is the only way I can do that.

Certain items like not enough going on the front page is some of it and that stuff will get fixed in that the resources we will have will will show up on the front page as well as online shop items (Yes, I am working on the online shop now and talking with people on selling stuff here), so with all that I am going to do, should I change the site design as well.

Basically elegant simplicity in a unique layout and design was what we went for, but from my initial investigation people like the really busy crowed front pages of CGS or EverMotion for example, so I have to ask myself if I need to change. So I am looking for honest opinions on what may and may not work here. No hurt feelings on my part in any way, you aren't pointing at me directly and laughing and saying bad things

I just want to get it right and I actually like dark themes and that is what I had originally, maybe I should go back to that route. Look forward to your ideas and comments.

[bokkins]

right now, i think we have a unique identity that's 3da. but like what you said, you wanted it more maybe appealing, if its the right term. what I noticed with evermotion and cgs are not the design of the site itself but the works posted in the front page. Those stuff made evermotion more interesting since they have made the site very dynamic (images keeps on changing every now and then). also, those images are eyecandies. and I have also noticed most 3d artists tend to brag about there work in a very subtle way. Seeing their work in the front page sends the message.

[neil]

Russell, I dont think that 3DA site design is terrible, rather it is much better that many sites or forums. I think day by day you added lots of great features in this site so the home page/main site page looks bit conjested now. I like the EverMotion site design very much, specially the site structures and colors. But the button panel of EverMotion is not very brillient. I like EverMotion more than CGS. but in CG Society I like the "CGS Features" and " CG Choice Gallery" part in main page very much.
In 3DA, we have a unique area in Forum Portal where it shows the latest forum topics and news archives.
Though there is a reletionship between 3DA and MrMaterial I think atleast color scheme can be similar.

Let me think little more. I will write soon....

[TheAllusionist]

Yes, I think the news on the main site could go to the bottom and maybe a rotator linking to cool work in the forums, but the problems is, then some one has to update content and that is where we fall flat. Keep the ideas and impressions coming, I need to get a feel for things and make some decisions, but having other peoples opinions helps, need fresh eyes!

[Rod]

shazaaam, what is it with redesign lately... guess we keep hearing about change and it is making us think.
ok, perhaps it would help to go through the exercise of listing what you want to achieve.

of course traffic would be high on the list so building search relevance is important. A quick google of arch viz returned 3da as number one, but the link is into the forum.

a search of arch competitions, or charrette failed to bring us a good result.

news is a problem no doubt. as an overview there is seems to be a great deal of emphassis on having a visitor leave the site to go read something on another site. I've a large monitor and I see only a bit of 3DA on the static page. a reorgainization seems to be in order.

I always have a problem with what is a "good" news item. we seem to get all excited about refreshing the news with your ecouragement Russell, then we seem step all over each other for a bit then fall back a bit. just an observation, sorry no solution.

I tend to watch the who's online, I leave it up on a monitor and glance at it when it refreshes. Seems that there is huge interest in tutorials, challenges, and work that is being done.

on the main page, it is busy, and some of the real estate seems to be lost to the keywords. those could be made invisible.

site sponsors and site affiliates have the same relevance a link to affiliates would free up some space.

syndicated feeds, never clicked one myself, perhaps a link to them as well?

I think just cleaning up the page a bit, and reorgainizing it to highlight 3DA is all that is really needed. color and the like is secondary... I dislike sending someone who visits away from the git go..

[rpadc2002]

just concern with the vertical layout.

[TheAllusionist]

Good stuff Rod and I agree with a lot of it. Ronel is right about the vertical layout restricting content width, this is something else I am playing with.

As for the comment "color and the like is secondary", I don't know about that, I would like to make sure that most people don't dislike the color and theme before doing a lot of other work on the site. So I want input on the aesthetics as well.

[Rod]

I bet you have an identity established with your logo, wouldn't touch that.

There certainly nothing wrong with adding wow factor. Rather than news so much, that is a common trait on forums it seems, perhaps concentrate on interviews, tutorials, and the like.

I'm having a lot of fun working on some flash pages. I know we don't currently have that ability and I don't know what it'd take, but if it were a flip of a switch.. the ability to use asp, xml, etc would make changes fairly easy, and we could do a rotational style of highlight reel???? Just brain storming, bet you smell the rotten eggs all the way over there <g>.

[TheAllusionist]

Main site is a content management system, so there are some limitations to flexibility, but I have some ideas and some things in the works. I am trying to figure out if the theme itself is OK and then what items to incorporate, the thing is in the beginning we had images from the gallery pulled into the main site but after the bulletin board software and the CMS updated a few times nothing seemed to work anymore no matter how much dabbling I did! LOL

[cybeo]

Themes should be refreshed every 6 months. Keeps interest.