30 Minute Redesign – Suggestions Needed!
30 Minute Redesign #74: 86 InventoryHave every post delivered to your inbox and get access to hundreds of useful design freebies.
PSDFan Extra
Week 31: AAPSL
In the space of 5 minutes I can identify some of the key strengths and weaknesses of this design, and sketch out a mockup.
STRENGTHS:
- This website has a bright, fresh color-scheme. The color-scheme is cohesive, and unified throughout the site.
- An attractive logo, and clean, clear menu
- The content does explain the purpose of the site, despite being a bit overwhelming.
WEAKNESSES:
- It feels a little strange having the menu in the top-left and the logo in the top right.
- The content is fairly well organized with clear blue headings. However, it’s simply too overwhelming, the blocks of text don’t encourage users to read, as there is too much information, with limited visual hierarchy.
- The stock photography is non-specific to the website, and feels a little corporate, ambiguous and cheesy.
- There is nothing to draw me further into the site, I’m not really sure where I should be clicking.
My Redesign
As always, I was limited by the 30 minute time-frame, but I tried to improve upon several of AAPSL’s features, adding a few design flourishes and a clearer layout that promoted content over wasted space:
WHAT I TRIED TO DO:
- Reorganize the layout, making it more conventional. I put the logo in the top left, and the menu to the right of it.
- I maintained the attractive color-scheme, integrating it as part of a clean, professional design.
- I reduced the amount of homepage text, making it more accessible for visitors. It’s now not quite so overwhelming, and feels more broken up.
- I included a couple of call to action buttons, drawing users further into the site and encouraging them to register.
- I increased the padding/white space in the design, making it feel less cluttered and more usable.
Comparing the 2 Designs:
Here is a quick comparison between the original design and my 30 minute redesign. Sure, my design could be more polished, but I believe that a lot of the basic elements have been improved upon, creating a more pleasant browsing experience.
How and Why To Enter Redesign Saturdays
You can have the chance to have your website redesigned in next weeks post. All you need to do is leave a comment to this post with your website address and why you think it needs a redesign.
*NOTE: I can only accept sites with English content, as foreign language websites are simply too hard for me to work with.
The Benefits of Getting Your Site Redesigned Include:
- Most obviously – a FREE redesign job!
- Your website gets exposure to PSDFAN’s thousands of readers
- You understand how to improve your website. This isn’t just a redesign, it’s a lesson in design.
- You will get emailed the .psd of your redesign and can do whatever you want with it!
So please, leave a comment today for a chance to have your website redesigned next week!
About the Author:
Tom is the founder of PSDFAN. He loves writing tutorials, learning more about design and interacting with the community. On a more interesting note he can also play guitar hero drunk with his teeth.
13 Comments:
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THanks for the coverage. A very good guide on how to go about when doing a revamp of your design and which all things to keep in mind.
Regards,
H.
I love the re-design. This has to be my favorite one that you have done. Their site before was not bad and instead of totally re-inventing the wheel you just brought their older design into today’s web standards by making small changes that make a large difference. Love it.
Nice redesign!
Lot of good ideas and feedback here.
:thumbsup:
Bigger, bolder, clearer, stronger, brighter, roomier.
And it was from a good baseline, too. Good work, Tom.
Very well done!
cleaner, better
Thanks for the kind words everyone!
Remember, in order to be counted for next week’s redesign you must leave a comment to this post with your website.
Yeah nice redesign tom, umm i think i have to enter this redesign offer once again, hope this time all your readers vote my site to get redesign from you. thanks
The redesign just looks so much clearer. Keep up the good work Tom.
Who do I have to kill/hack/spam to get a chance at being put up for people to vote and maybe win hearing your redesign ideas ? Thanks.
Hey Martin. Unfortunately as laid out in the rules each week, I can’t redesign site’s that aren’t in English, as it’s simply too hard for me to work with. I hope you understand. You can always receive a detailed critique within our forums though, which I’d be happy to do: http://fanextra.com/forum/forum.php?id=12
Great redesign Tom. I like how you have made the site cleaner and easier to read while not completely changing the design dramatically. I always enjoy seeing how you improve sites in 30 minutes.