Help Design the new Charas Website

[Osmose]

So, murmuring in the background are efforts to improve Charas slowly over time. However, I have a weakness: I find it difficult to work on a website when I don't have the final design down. Also, you guys could use a prettier website. Hence, I call for your help in designing the new Charas (no version numbers this time).

I'll go into more detail below, but in summary, I'd like you guys to work together on making a mockup of what you'd like the final design to look like, visually. I will then take this, slice it up, code it up, and launch it for most parts of the main site.

The Current Site

The current site is pretty bad looking by today's standards. Here's a few sites that can give you inspiration and help contrast with the current site and what should change:

• Design Bombs
• Pattern Tap
• Inspiration King

The design will be based on the front page for now; It helps to take a look at the major elements of the front page and how they're laid out:

[spoiler][/spoiler]

These will be the things that are required to be SOMEWHERE on the new design.

The New Site

There are only two restrictions on the new design:

• The image above under the spoiler contains all the required elements. As in, anything on the image under the spoiler needs to be on the new design, but not necessarily in the same form or place.
• The design must be 1024 pixels wide and as tall as you like.

Here's a few example ideas I've been throwing around in my head:

• The footer is kind've small and provides little real use. Things like the site search that are used infrequently or provide no use could be moved, as well as some navigation links. In general, a footer is widely considered to be a "where do I go from here?" area that leads to other parts of the site, since they appear at the end of a page.
• The language bar seems to take up more space than it needs to. Perhaps a drop down box in the top corner would do.

COOPERATE

This isn't a contest. Alter other peoples' designs to improve them. Add different styles or alter layouts. Make the entire design look like it was sprited instead of smooth like most websites. Go crazy. Have fun.

It doesn't matter if you have little to no graphic skills, you can help out anyway! Make suggestions, or make crappy looking mockups. Do SOMETHING!

Because otherwise no new website for you. 

[Grandy]

Great! I'll grab my stuff!


...

My design stuff!

[Uberpwn_w00t]

Oh Osmose. You know I'm in.

[Osmose]

This thread has some posts that could be reused too.... I like gemini's.
http://www.charas-project.net/forum/index.php?topic=21398.0

Yeah, this time I hope to emphasize having a working copy that people edit. The examples show the level of quality I'd like as well.

Charas needs to look sexy. If this doesn't work I'll resort to hiring a real designer.

[Fortet]

Here's something:
[spoiler][/spoiler]
The empty spot to the left of the text logo would be the giant charas head.
All of the nav stuff would fall under either the "Home" or "Forum" box (Languages would be under home)
Half of the side box would be generator news, and the other half would be recent forum stuff.
News box is pretty obvious.

[fruckert]

Hey, maybe we should have some of our awesome artists draw some Sarah C. and Murof thingies.
...

And I am out of ideas.

[lilsniffs3]

Thrown together in GraphicsGale.

[Archem]

Looks too similar to the current. Almost no serious changes, and certainly not enough to constitute any work.

Yeah.

[Osmose]

So, in order to make an effective layout, you have to actually consider why you're putting things where they are.

For example, the links to the generators are in big bold font near the top specifically because they are intended to be one of the main components of the website. Moosetroop's mockup from the previous thread was nice because it added graphics and shoved these front and center.

lilsniffs: My main complaint with your design is that it is too busy and doesn't use space effectively. It's more than just using less space; it's not intuitive as to where the navigation is at first, and some of the more important items are shoved off to the right side, which is usually a side not looked at.

Studies have shown that people read web pages in a shape that roughly resembles a capital F. Important and frequently use elements, like the navigation, should probably be near the top and left, although some designs can pull off navigation to the right.

Fortet: Roughly similar criticisms. Your design has a better logical form, but the drop down menus just create more work for anyone navigating through the site. Two clicks to go from one page to the next is one click too many.

[Felix-0]

'we'll I know what I'm doing in digital media today. Dreamweaver here I come

[Grandy]

I lost my stuff.

Namely, Photoshop.
Now I can't help.
...

Gee, it sure is booring around here. *rolls eyes*

[Fisherson]

Here's something:
[spoiler][/spoiler]
The empty spot to the left of the text logo would be the giant charas head.
All of the nav stuff would fall under either the "Home" or "Forum" box (Languages would be under home)
Half of the side box would be generator news, and the other half would be recent forum stuff.
News box is pretty obvious.

This one has style, I like it.

[Fortet]

Well, I was thinking of more of a rollover drop down. I'm almost certain it's possible. Maybe I'm wrong.

[Grandy]

Here's something:
[spoiler][/spoiler]
The empty spot to the left of the text logo would be the giant charas head.
All of the nav stuff would fall under either the "Home" or "Forum" box (Languages would be under home)
Half of the side box would be generator news, and the other half would be recent forum stuff.
News box is pretty obvious.

Only, I read is as "Charai" forums.

[Fortet]

Font pending. I wanted a nice pixelated font, but the 's' pretty much sucked...