Tuesday, March 10, 2009
News Sneak peek: Creative Loafing's website makeover
Posted by Mara Shalhoup on Tue, Mar 10, 2009 at 2:59 PM
Why, yes. We did get a haircut. And some new threads. We've been working out, too. A lot. So glad you noticed.
It's true — we've finally overhauled our creaky ol' website. Here's just a tiny glimpse of our new homepage, which we hope you'll find better-looking and friendlier than our old one. You'll be privy to the real deal later today NOW. (Please excuse anything that looks out of whack; we're working out the last few kinks this very moment.)
Our new-and-improved Music, Food & Drink, News & Views, and Arts & Entertainment pages — as well as our new A&E blog, Culture Surfing — are pretty damn hot, too. You'll see. Soon. Like in a few hours this very second.
Of course, our makeover won't be complete until you, dear reader, tell us what might be tweaked to make it better. Don't be shy (not that you would). Leave us a comment on this post, or hit us up here.
Comments (53)
Showing 1-50 of 53
Freshloaf and link should be more prominently featured on the front page, not just something you find under the blogs. it's the best portion of the website/news coverage with Wheatley doing a particularly freakin' sweet job.
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Is that CL's address up at the top of the page? I thought you were in Midtown? Address, phone, etc. would look much better at the bottom of the page. I'm liking the absence of the orange.
i like it. i don't recall what the other version of the site looked like (it's been a while), but this one is cool. maybe a little color behind each category (ie: behind "music", "food&drink", "news", "arts&entertainment", etc.) nothin crazy or saturated out the ass, just subtle oranges and whatnot to help denote each section. 'cause right now there's a LOT of stuff on that homepage and it all kinda melts together with all the white.
wtf? all this white space and white light suddenly eminating from the screen totally slapped me sideways... please bring back the yellow.... i hate it... it was so integral to what made creative loafing worth browsing through in RGB ... i hardly read the print version because it looks and feels like a newsprint mag... hell thats what it is. but the online version had the umpf... now reduced to trite blahness.... FIX ASAP
CL - you look so bland and corporate now - absolutely nothing in the new website design to distinguish you from zillions of other visually identical sites...doubt that I will read either the print or web versions now...sad.
Holy crap -- my eyes! My eyes! The brightly-colored and heavily-contrasted graphics & ads that are usually on the CL page margins (and still are) are now conspiring with the new all-white background to create a garish landscape on my monitor that is totally harshing my web-surfing buzz. Did I just write a sentence that has four hyphens in it? Yes, I did. That's how freaked out I am by the new template. Please add some kind of background color to the layout so I can look at this site without squinting. And please, please bring back the thing on the old home page that had all new blog posts & news around the web combined.
The format is ok...will take some getting used to. The white background is blinding to my eyes and makes the site look bare!
It looks kind of like the old site with all the color sucked out of it. I know CNN's recent redesign made lots of white space trendy again, but I don't think it works here. Also, the light gray links on the footer and the dark blue links on a black BG near the Fresh Loaf sign are difficult to read. Needs more contrast all the way around.
A little bland... More RIA-esque, yes, but "sexy" doesn't always equal "usable." The primary reason I ever come to CL ATL is to check out the calendar...which I cannot find now! =\ I highly suggest doing some user testing if you already haven't! <3
Hey guys. Thanks for your astute observations! @paul — Per your suggestion, we added links to each individual blog in the left-hand column of the home page, a bit further down the page. Hope that helps. @jason — Duly noted on the need for a bit of color to break up all the white. I'll see what we can do on that end. @mallory, qwill, darin, toni, rusty, wesley — I totally see your point that the white background is quite bright. But our staffers and many readers thought the tacky orange background was so horrible/distracting that ANYTHING would be an improvement. Hmmm. Does anyone have a good example of a non-white background on a news site that works? Please post. @ruth — I hear ya. But our first and foremost initiative was to make the site (and particularly the home page) more usable/functional. Hopefully it will get a little prettier and less bland with time, as we continue to tweak and improve. I do like how "clean" it is, though. What do the rest of you think? @astrid — Sorry that you're missing the calendar. We're actually building a really cool one that will appear on our Events page (accessible from the homepage), as well as specific Music/Arts calendars that will be found on those respective pages. The "Events" box on the homepage highlights what our critics think are the best events of the day, across genres. Does that help? If you've got more suggestions, keep 'em coming!
The site looks great. I think it's a lot more user friendly, definitely more appealing to the eye. I'm enjoying the organization that went into this overhaul. Thanks for the awesome change!
I liked the old color scheme... but i guess i can get passed that. My real problem is that i used to come to CL daily to find out what events, entertainment, food, happenings,and nightlife...etc. were going on. i could easily search by category and day of the week. Now i cant seem to find the darn thing! Its one of the main reasons i use this web site. where is it? do you still have this feature, its certainly not on the home page. rojo
RE: news sites with non-white backgrounds, here's a few that have gray outside the main content areas: www.cnn.com www.time.com www.telegraph.co.uk You wouldn't want to use gray with this template, though, since your content blocks all have gray gradients in their backgrounds. Maybe blue.
THIS FORMAT SUCKS! ITS CONFUSING AND THE COLOR MAKES IT LOOK SO BLAND. WHOEVER IS THE DESIGNER FOR THIS NEEDS TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL
Don't like it. Flagpole made a similar change. I liked it when both resembled the print versions and I knew where to find what I wanted. No time to dig around for stuff.
I agree with many others that the pure white is harsh. You need to find a middle ground with some color contrast. Each section is so closely placed, that the page looks a bit congested. More importantly...Where is the Soundmenu???? Restaurant search??? Some of the links within each section seem to be haphazardly placed without logical organization. It's tough to tell which are the new key articles of the week and which are older.
NO...we definitely need some color here! Site looks too plain..like you guys JUST started doing this or something. I agree that there should at least be color behind each section or something. I'll have to play around a bit to test the functionality but I had to comment on the look..
Just wanted to offer a big thanks and a (sorta) quick update to all who've given feedback: @darin — I appreciate you posting the links. It seems like the widespread plea for more color might be answered with a few subtle changes. We're working on it :) @robert, rebecca, cd — You'll find the restaurant search button at the bottom of the food & drink section of the homepage. Same goes for concerts, at the bottom of the music section. I just realized that the actual food and music sections are missing some key search links. Arrgh. That should be fixed today. Please bear with us. You can also click on the "events" box, immediately to the right of music and food on the homepage, to find stuff. Of course, if you didn't see immediately see the "find restaurants" and "find concerts" links, we obviously need to do a better job of hyping them — and of making the searches more friendly in general. We're working on that, too. Today. Promise. What else?
I think it's nearly impossible to navigate. I was trying to find some fun stuff going on this weekend, and ended up reading '5 things to do on October 5th 2008'. It should be easier to look for this issue, what's going on now, etc. Visit metrotimes.com. They get it. It's easy to use, well-written, and interesting. Maybe CL need some serious competition; this is ridiculous.
One of the nicest things about the old website was easy access to "See and Do" and "Soundmenu" which gave the editors picks of the best shows of the week. If this website is supposed to improve things then give us more of that. CL is a resource to Atlantans looking for genuinely good food/entertainment and the website should not make the user have to start from scratch to find these things.
Since I just blasted the stupid Facebook story, I'd like to say the website is much better, cleaner and easier to use.
I hate to say it, since I'm sure you spent a lot of time on the redesign. But, um, it sucks. Very hard on my eyes. I liked the old site. I liked the earthier tones. I think its also very important to be able to search events by neighborhood/city/ Especially since people are trying to drive less. Let small bands promote their events on here. Most importantly, give lots more information about each venue with reviews.
On the new wite it is hard to distinguish content from advertising. It LOOKS like one giant ad, and doesn't hold my interest in the way the old site did. Not that you shouldn't change your look CL, this look just isn't doing you any favors.
Too white and the font is horrible. The navigation on the left hand side should not be broken up with an ad placement. I saw the top few links and then wondered where the rest of the content was hidden. The site is like a jig-saw puzzle now. I am all for change but not this one. Ugh.
I like the new look! I do miss the ease of searching for an event on the home page. If you could return that feature it would be great for quick find! Have a good one. -Patrice
WHAT is up with all the white space? It's boring and...is somebody depressed??? LIFE! Where is the LIFE? Need some color and some...it's just boring man. Creativity is NOT timid.
MUCH better. More professional looking and easier on the eyes, the old orange one was antiquated. White is associated by the brain with clean and the site does look clean, but looks aside the layout and the amount of information available is excellent. Many people will always resist change at first, but they will come around. God job.
BTW one note The link to me under sex and vice should probably have linked the individual article which was probably the review of "American Swing". As it is now it links the site, which is fine by me but potentially confusing to the reader.
Still can't find the weekend Sound Menu...? Thought I had it a couple of weeks ago, and now it is lost again :(
I liked the previous setup way better. I just do not like the brightness of the sight, the white is very boring and unpleasant on the eyes. I know for sure that you guys can do better.
I'm with Geoff. I think all this white space is tough on the eyes after a while.
I actualy think it sucks infact the whole rag has begun to suck what happened to the hookers in the blotter? That's why I read CL. Ever since you moved fom wallaughby street things have tanked.
i like the new look, but i can't find anything as easily as i use to....i'm torn
You are loosing money and in bankruptcy so spending thousands on fixing something that is not broken is a great idea? Do you share management with AIG?
The new layout blows chunks. Where did you put Bizarre Crimes from the APD? That was practically the only thing worth reading since you closed down Karma Cleanser! Leaving CL, nothing left to see. Slams door. Stomps away.
It doesn't really matter what the web site looks like when the content is no longer there. I miss the in-depth news articles and commentary you used to have.
Can't find my happenings, events, by date and location. Truly the best section. What happened?
I'm sure your web gurus will say "Oh, people always hate it at first when you change your site." But trust me, this site sucks. The old site reeked of hipness. This one's like an amateur version of a corporate site. And you've hidden (or maybe removed?) the stuff I really liked. Switch back or prepare for your online demise.
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