Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Siibillam-Law]

BIzzarely enough I was thinking it would be cool if he changed around the FAQ and Cast and such, which was the only thing he didn't ^^

[bicostp]

Well, increasing the width to 1000 pixels makes enough room for a second sidebar. This does make the site feel less cluttered and more balanced, and as a bonus (for webmasters anyway) it makes room for an additional 160x600 banner.The problem is, the code keeps doing this:



Anybody know how to fix this? I've already messed with the column widths, padding, order they're written into the page, and z-index.

This is what it should be doing:



Also it screws up beyond all belief in IE 6.

[Random832]

My first thought was "ugly bitmap font" ("Courier", on windows, is one of these. "Courier New" should go ahead of it on the specifier.)

My second thought was "no forum link".

[dguitaramann]

I also prefer the old format for most of the same reasons given already.

[Kineticist]

I don't object to the light beigey-brown in theory, but it clashes with the black accenty-color scattered throughout the site, and it doesn't work with QC's black frame either (most of the comics that work against a white background have white panel borders and such, if I recall correctly). And the old fonts looked cleaner. And demoting the forums to a tiny sidebar link is lame. And put the newspost back where it belongs.

EDIT: Just looked at a strip in the archive. The comic looks really out of place against the background color.

[Matdredalia]

Okay, I'm not one to gripe about new layouts and change 'cause they can be good things.

I just have a few opinions to stick in here:

Sidebar blog = infinate win. Having it at the bottom basically hides it, and it's just awkward. Totally bring back the sidebar, Jeph!

Forum button so needs to be put up top.

There should be SOME border on the left side of the comic, just for fluidity. Having color and ads on one side and having the comic flush against the left side of the table just doesn't work well.

Basically I think right now the layout looks kind of cheap and will scare off new readers. And seriously the blog-not-in-sidebar makes Fetus Jesus cry.

[Random832]

My second thought was "no forum link".

My third thought was "oh, THERE it is" - but, really - most webcomics do have the forums more prominently linked.

[Random832]

Well, increasing the width to 1000 pixels makes enough room for a second sidebar. This does make the site feel less cluttered and more balanced, and as a bonus (for webmasters anyway) it makes room for an additional 160x600 banner.The problem is, the code keeps doing this:



Anybody know how to fix this? I've already messed with the column widths, padding, order they're written into the page, and z-index.

This is what it should be doing:



Also it screws up beyond all belief in IE 6.

Can you post the code somewhere?

[bicostp]

Sure!

800 pixel: http://bicostp.portablesofdoom.org/projects/qcremix/
Support files: http://bicostp.portablesofdoom.org/projects/qcremix/home_files/

1000 pixel: http://bicostp.portablesofdoom.org/projects/qcremix/1000px/
Support files: http://bicostp.portablesofdoom.org/projects/qcremix/1000px/home_files/

Apologies in advance for the messy code edits.

[Somebody]

Okay, sleep and most of a day later, I've had another look...

And I have to say, it was a very courageous decision to have an excrement-based colour scheme.

[i.e., still hate it. If it gets kept, I'm going to end up just looking at the images for the strip and bypassing the site altogether. Note, BTW, that he said on the twitter that he expects three days of complaining, then everyone to shut up...]

[smilesvssmirks]

This is what it should be doing:

See, brown and white are my favorite colors. So I don't hate the colors. But the layout is a disaster. the one you've posted, however, I could definitely get down with!

[Deacon]

Good lord this new layout is hideous...

[snalin]

Jeph, do this.

[Cateyes]

I am not a fan, I was confused when it first loaded and the news post was lost at the bottom of the page.  I don't mind change, but making the page less user friendly and an eye sore is not the way to go.  Sorry Jeph, I hate to talk bad about something that someone worked hard on.  I like the new banner but the other fonts are hard to read and it feels to congested (I know others have said all this, just putting in my two cents worth.)

[Rei]

I don't really mind the new layout, but I'm liking bicostp's changes too, except for maybe the second sidebar. More ads are for ick. But besides that personal bias, I could think of only three little tweaks that would make it better.

First, a darker and more burgundy background instead of the brown. Seriously, brown is icky. Like horse manure. Secondly, for the righthand sidebar, move the "Other Good Comics" panel to above the ads. And lastly, give the "First, Previous, etc." links some arrows. It just looks better with them. See, look:

<<First <Previous Next> Latest>> Random
Or maybe put 'random' in the center, since it doesn't really go on either end.

[pwhodges]

I don't mind the colours, nor the reordering - their both within bounds for an OK change.  But what would be an improvement, I think, would be to move the comic slightly over so that the pale background from the top, right and bottom goes up its left edge as well; that would define it better.

[CitizenKane]

As a web designer/developer, I feel inclined to point some things out:

On colors:

• The human eye is drawn to bright colors.
  Because QC makes (somewhat, not always) limited use of bright colors, the new beige color is frequently going to be the brightest color on the page.
  I found, as I sifted through old comics to get a feel for the new design, that the beige background was actually pulling my eyes AWAY form the comic itself.
• I completely understand that these colors are supposed to reflect coffee of doom's colors. This, however, causes the problem of the edge of the comic feeling ambiguous. Where the comic ends and the background begins isn't as immediately clear as it used to be on some strips.
• Blue is a calming color. It helps a reader to focus on what they are reading, and can actually reduce external "mental noise." Beige, while still a neutral color, is warmer, and thus can increase the number of other things a reader might be thinking about.

On hyperlinks:

This might be more of an opinion - but the new design just wreaks of web1.0... to me it just somehow feels too oldschool.
I think what it is are the floating hyperlinks. Everywhere.
I'm not saying you should make everything look like a button, but a different background color for your hyperlinks would be nice.
Perhaps perserve the idea of a 'navigation bar' up top.
And maybe put all the links to the right in some sort of box...

in short:
Hyperlinks everywhere that look like plain links are no fun.

Finally:

Jeph,
I'm sure you have stared at this site FAR more than any of us. Things get boring after a while. I can totally relate to your desire to just change things up for a bit. We all need change.
Overall I like the new design. I really do.
With a slightly tweaked color scheme (which I know you are working on) and fewer 'hyperlink-looking' hyperlinks, everything will be dandy.

Also, for some lulz, here's how NOT to make a web site:
http://www.pfa.com

(I'm a long time QC fan, and forum reader, but I had to register just to make this post XD)

[Dragons777dr]

I really don't like the new layout. I mean, it's peach... 

[Random832]

Sure!

800 pixel: http://bicostp.portablesofdoom.org/projects/qcremix/
Support files: http://bicostp.portablesofdoom.org/projects/qcremix/home_files/

1000 pixel: http://bicostp.portablesofdoom.org/projects/qcremix/1000px/
Support files: http://bicostp.portablesofdoom.org/projects/qcremix/1000px/home_files/

Apologies in advance for the messy code edits.

Fixed in four; remove clear:both and float:left from #comic; Remove #comic img from the specifier list for .clear; Once these [your original problem] are fixed, #comic's top margin rears its ugly head: change #comic's margin property from '190px' [all four 190px margins] to '0 190px' [side margins 190px, top/bottom 0]

No idea what it'll look like in IE6, but this fixes the 1000px version in firefox and makes it do what you want.

[bicostp]

Thanks! That fixed it! And by some miracle, IE 6 doesn't turn it into a pile of randomness!

Uploading the fixed version...

EDIT: 1000px wide version updated. Made a few formatting changes to make the sides feel more even.

[pwhodges]

The human eye is drawn to bright colors.
Because QC makes (somewhat, not always) limited use of bright colors, the new beige color is frequently going to be the brightest color on the page.

That does for books, then!

the new design just reeks of web1.0... to me it just somehow feels too oldschool.

Web 2, as I understand it, has no relevance to a page of this sort.  Nothing wrong with not beeing too modern-looking - could date less fast.

And yeah, I do web design as part of my job too; but sometimes I think half the world does now!

[iroquois]

everyone uses a screen bigger than 800x600 i hope.
so the 1000px width should be ok (looks very neat actually).

and oh, i wish that he had more updated flash banners for us to put on our site.
the old one uses those prehistoric-look characters.

[bensickle]

the only thing i don't like is the font. i think it'd be tight with a handwritten font.

....but now that i say that, it seems that may be how it used to be....
i can't remember.

[sam metal]

The layout is awful. It looks really cartoony (no pun intended) and childish. It doesn't match with the comic at all. I'd bring the old design back and just change the colors or something.

This in no way reflects my opinions on the comic, which is awesome, and has always been!

[Shawn]

This makes my OCD happy. The site should look like this.

Even though I still don't like the colors, the organization of that layout makes them bearable.

[Dragons777dr]

There should be a option to the homepage skin...

[Eternal_Newbie]

Overall, I like the new QC look, which is surprising as I usually hate change. I think it's because the new theme, while very different is as uncomplicated as the old one.

I do have one niggle though, I have noticed that the forum link and associated links in the side bar only appear on the front page, not in the archives. Otherwise good work.

(Using FF3.0.4 if that matters)

EDIT: posted before finished post. 

[bicostp]

the only thing i don't like is the font. i think it'd be tight with a handwritten font.

The problem with that is, whoever doesn't have your special font installed will only see Arial/Helvetica anyway. The only way around that is to put all your text into images, and that's one of the worst things you can do.

[Random832]

the only thing i don't like is the font. i think it'd be tight with a handwritten font.

The problem with that is, whoever doesn't have your special font installed will only see Arial/Helvetica anyway. The only way around that is to put all your text into images, and that's one of the worst things you can do.

It wouldn't have to be all of the text. There's no reason it couldn't be done for, say, just the navigation buttons. And it's not like you couldn't specify a list of fonts for it to go down the list and pick the first one that's installed; and there are some handwriting-like fonts that aren't exactly rare.

[Fen]

it is HORRIBLE IN THE WORST WAY POSSIBLE.
Change it back before it spreads!

[Shadic]

it is HORRIBLE IN THE WORST WAY POSSIBLE.Change it back before it spreads!

That's pretty accurate, actually.

[rekenner]

Yeah, being not a fan of bright colors, this was a very much bad change for me.
Also -- Didn't the newspost used to have the date the comic was posted? That lacking is kinda annoying, too

[Chymes]

I'd have complained the first day I saw it, but I didn't care to stare at it long enough to work out where the forum button was... Horrifically tacky.

[Jackie Blue]

Interesting choice to change from something that was streamlined and looked very professional to something that looks like it stepped off Geocities in 1998.

[Somebody]

Interesting choice to change from something that was streamlined and looked very professional to something that looks like it stepped off Geocities in 1998.

^^ WIN ^^

[Eternal_Newbie]

It wouldn't have to be all of the text. There's no reason it couldn't be done for, say, just the navigation buttons. And it's not like you couldn't specify a list of fonts for it to go down the list and pick the first one that's installed; and there are some handwriting-like fonts that aren't exactly rare.

The only commonly installed handwriting font I am aware of is Comic Sans. And Comic Sans is so overused that it has become a major faux-pas (eng: balls up) to use it for anything other than a sign for the local chippy (eng: fast food outlet). There is even a rather nifty font called "I hate Comic Sans".

[bicostp]

Funny you should mention Comic Sans.

There's an entire website devoted to eradicating the font:
http://bancomicsans.com/home.html

And guess who made a poster for them a few years ago?
http://bancomicsans.com/propaganda.html

Anyway, I'll find a handwriting or typewriter font for the navigation and throw it in there. Couldn't hurt!
(Webbery is fun when you're not working with your own messy spaghetti code.)

[CitizenKane]

Interesting choice to change from something that was streamlined and looked very professional to something that looks like it stepped off Geocities in 1998.

^^ WIN ^^

yes. i agree it looks awfully web 1.0

[smilesvssmirks]

Interesting choice to change from something that was streamlined and looked very professional to something that looks like it stepped off Geocities in 1998.

^^ WIN ^^

yes. i agree it looks awfully web 1.0

Yeah. I'm still waiting for him to finish his "tweaking" but I don't think there is going to be any more.
I don't know what Jeph is thinking. But if he's thinking the layout is going to seem less ugly to us the longer it remains up and we have to look at it - that it will "grow on us" -  he is wrong. It looked awful the first day and it looks just as awful now. I really wish he'd just do something with it already.

And honestly I'm not griping just because "change sucks" or whatever. I'm not asking for the old blue layout to come back. I don't hate all change. I welcome it typically. Just this change in particular sucks. Alot.

[Rabdsquirlz]

Jeph, just put the newspost back on the side. I've already missed it once because I've closed the tab once I finish the comic.

[keikun496]

Don't particularly like:

(1) News posts on bottom
(2) Tiny forum link

Things I like:

(1) Color scheme
(2) Page header is nice

/my opinions

[Mystic Feeling]

Jeph, Just get rid of the brown background and it'll be fine.

The browness is making me want to bitch slap you with an AK-47 due to what it does to my eyes.   

[Shawn]

I'm trying to get used to it, but I still hate it. 

[Rabdsquirlz]

Please Jeph, just put the newspost back where it belongs.

[avra]

please change the color of the hyperlinks.  the normal blue that you see for every link looks sooo tacky and ucky with the othercolors

i dont mind the color change but i definatly don't like how everything was moved around.

[Siibillam-Law]

Don't particularly like:

(1) News posts on bottom
(2) Tiny forum link

Things I like:

(1) Color scheme
(2) Page header is nice

/my opinions

Totally agree with you there

[Jackie Blue]

In Opera I'm not even seeing a link to the forums at all.

Maybe that's a good thing.

[pwhodges]

I see it in Opera - but as someone pointed out, it's only on the main page, not on the archive pages (because it's no longer in the header, but in the links).

[bicostp]

Small tweak: I changed the color scheme to match the new one and stuck a handwriting font in for the navigation. (This was only done in Photoshop, the actual HTML page still just has Arial navigation.)

[snalin]

The bad part is that Jeph doesn't read these forums.

Bloody hell, I know it's mean, but maybe we should spam his inbox with Bicostps design? Since it's better and all that.