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30 Minute Redesign: Android Move

Week 41: Android Move

This week I will be redesigning: Android Move.

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:

  • The logo is really effective (despite the distracting animation)
  • The color scheme is limited, but this helps make the site cohesive and professional. The palette of green and gray works really well together.
  • The layout is simple and clean. The structure follows the primary design conventions, using clear columns and navigational structure.

WEAKNESSES:

  • The logo animation is distracting and feels a little unprofessional.
  • The main navigation feels obsolete, as ‘home’, ‘contact’ and ‘privacy’ links aren’t totally essential to browsing the main posts/content.
  • It seems unnecessary to have 3 columns in this layout, as there isn’t actually that much content. 2 columns should work better, making the blog posts more prominent.

My Redesign

As always, I was limited by the 30 minute time-frame, but I tried to improve upon several of Android Move’s features, adding a few design flourishes and a clearer layout that promoted content over wasted space:

MY AIMS FOR THE REDESIGN:

  • Simplified the layout to 2 columns, making the content clearer and better organized.
  • Created a more logical top menu, making the post categories more prominent.
  • Added a new lighter background, as the old dark gray background was a bit distracting.
  • The new layout is more sleek and clean. It retains the ‘feel’ of the old site, but is more modern.

Before/After:

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.

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 principles.
  • You will get emailed the .psd of your redesign and can do whatever you want with it!

NOTE: I can only accept sites with English content, as foreign language websites are simply too hard for me to work with.

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.

Leave a comment

24 Comments:

  1. Tom, your redesign is wonderful as always!

  2. Jeprie says:

    The previous design is not so bad. Very good compared to other that you have redesigned. But still your redesign makes it more unique. I like it.

    • Tom says:

      I totally agree, I actually quite liked the original design. That’s why I tried to retain many of the good aspects, whilst updating with a more modern feel.

  3. Nirmal says:

    Hi Tom, your redesign is awesome. I’ve become an ardent fan of yours. Keep it up brother. I wish to become as good a web-designer like you. Cheers!

  4. Tom says:

    Hi Tom, I like the way you have tweaked it. It would be good to get your ideas on the webpage i designed.

    • Tom says:

      Thanks Tom. Your page actually looks good. However, I’ll include it in this weeks poll, and maybe I’ll get to redesign it this weekend.

  5. Dez says:

    I really like the new design, simple and clean. Anyway the previous was not too bad.
    Just a suggestion: I would add an image for each blog entry to make it more attractive and eye catchy.

    Tom.. great work, as always!

  6. Mark T says:

    Yes, yes, yes! I *like* that re-design a lot. It’s got space to give the blog posts room to breathe, captures the excellent existing logo and supplies extra prominence to the all-important content. Superb. :D

  7. Linda says:

    I am amazed Tom by what you can do in half an hour. Wish I had those skills, these redesigns are just fantastic. Can’t wait to see the next one.

  8. AndroidApps says:

    Wow, finally.. Thank you very much tom, your redesign look great, may i have the psd??

    • Tom says:

      Yeah, it’s often worth submitting your site for a few weeks :) . I’m really glad you liked my redesign. I’ve just gone ahead and emailed you the .psd.

  9. Capitol says:

    What would be the rules on having a site redesigned but not being the owner? I know the owner though and I would like to personalize it a bit and then surprise him with it. The site was apparently designed “professionally” but it’s noticeable and lacks creativity.

  10. Capitol says:

    I’d also like to add, I just found this site today, via a tut but haven’t left for hours lol, going through all of these.

    • Tom says:

      Thanks Capitol! :) I love hearing about avid new readers. Just a tip, but if you haven’t already I’d recommend the ‘browse by popularity’ feature in our archive pages.

      As for your redesign, that’s fine about you not owning the site. I’ve redesigned a few sites in the past that weren’t suggested by the owner, but they still appreciated it. Is the site the one linked to in your comment? It would be great to redesign a church website instead of a corporate one this week.

  11. Move says:

    Hello,
    Thank you for your nice Move. I like it very much.

    Thanks

  12. istoselidas says:

    Every redesign is a piece of art, I really have learned very much from 30 minutes redesign series.

    You are the number one designer that comes to my mind when I think “professional” and I was wondering if someone could pay you to do a redesign like this (I couldn’t find any info about that). Thank you!

    • Tom says:

      Thanks so much istoselidas! To be honest I much prefer my regular work, as obviously I can spend far more time on it. However, this series has definitely been a great experience. I’m afraid I’m not offering general freelance work at the moment as I’m simply too busy. If I do in the future I hope you’ll get in touch though :) .

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