September 7, 2011 in Redesigns, Websites
The SLCC-M Montage moved to WordPress this semester, and here is their new design:
Here’s a screenshot from archive.org of their old design:
The two-column format seems to look more pleasing. More white space, more graphic elements. There still seems to be a bit of navigation bar confusion at the top of the page. What do you think?
September 1, 2011 in design, Redesigns, Websites
The Daily Nebraskan at the University of Nebraska has refreshed their design for the new year. Here’s what the site looks like today:
And here’s what it looked like in February, 2011 (via archive.org):
I like the addition of more graphics “above the fold” to draw viewers into the stories. Also, the “flag” tones down the red somewhat. What do you think?
August 26, 2011 in Redesigns, Websites
Georgia Tech’s Cable Network recently redesigned their web site. Here’s the new look:
Georgia Tech
I don’t have a screenshot of what the earlier design looked like, but you can check out an archived version of what the site looked like in Feb. 2009 at the Internet Archive.
The front page of the web site is very graphic. If I could change anything, I’d probably try to make the white space between the elements more even, especially within columns (note the width of the video player center page above the MTV casting call graphic).
As always, if your media site has done a redesign recently, send me an e-mail at scmurley -at- gmail.com to let me know for a future post. And if possible, please include a screenshot of what the site looked like before the redesign for comparison.
August 25, 2011 in College Media, Redesigns
Earlier this week, College Media Advisers, Inc., the national organization representing those who advise college news organizations, relaunched their web site with a new design and a new CMS from WildApricot. Here’s the new look collegemedia.org:
It is less cluttered than the previous version of the site, which was put up in 2008, although I’m not a fan of too many items in a left nav bar. There are other changes in store for the new site, so it will likely change in the future. Any thoughts.
In a related vein, the planning for the Fall National College Media Convention is almost complete. You can see what’s going on in Orlando this October by downloading the convention brochure (PDF link).
August 25, 2011 in Redesigns, Websites
The Penn State Daily Collegian redesigned their site this summer. Here’s the new version:
Penn State Daily Collegian
The Daily Collegian upgraded their design last summer as well. Here’s what it looked like when we showcased it in 2010:
The move from a color background to a white background looks good. Also, they’ve moved more information “above the fold.”
August 24, 2011 in Redesigns, Websites
The Normandale Community College Lion’s Roar updated their web site design this summer.
Adviser Mark Plenke says, “Really a tweak to tone down the color, but it is new. We’ve gone online-only this fall, by the way, and have once-a-week access to the student email list to send a ‘what’s new on the site’ message.”
Here’s what the new site looks like:
Lion's Roar
As always, if your media site has done a redesign recently, send me an e-mail at scmurley -at- gmail.com to let me know for a future post. And if possible, please include a screenshot of what the site looked like before the redesign for comparison.
August 23, 2011 in Redesigns
As is tradition here, I’m going to be posting a series about college news org. redesigns for the new school year. Whenever possible, I’ll post a “before” and “after” image with each post. If your school news org has redesigned the web site for the 2011-12 school year, shoot me an e-mail at scmurley -at- gmail.com and I’ll include you in an upcoming post. If possible, include a screenshot of what the old site design was like.
You can see past articles in the series here.
As much as possible, each school will get its own post to highlight the redesign. I’ll also mention what CMS they are using, if I can figure that out.
First up, the Baylor Lariat. This redesign was actually launched in January, but I’m including it since it slipped under the radar last semester. The new Lariat is at a new URL (baylorlariat.com) and uses WordPress as a CMS. The new site’s theme is from GabFire.
Here’s the new site:
Baylor Lariat
And here’s what it looked like before:
The new site looks much cleaner, with a better use of white space, more visuals, and more information available on the screen. Assistant Media Adviser Julie Freeman said the new site has been met with enthusiasm.
March 15, 2011 in industry news, Redesigns, Websites
Perhaps missed in all the breaking news coming out of Japan over the weekend, the Washington Post launched a complete redesign of its web site on Monday.
Get to the content you want faster. Follow stories as they develop and share your ideas as they evolve. Watch events unfold with expanded video content. Know what’s getting the most buzz and what’s really happening in the D.C. area. Take the tour of our bold, enhanced reader experience—where every change has enriched usability, imagery and engagement.
You can read more details about the redesign here. And more details about the redesign in a blog post by Justin Ferrell and Sarah Sampsei.
For reference, here’s an earlier version of the Post homepage:
As you can see if you wade into the comments on the first article, there’s some negative feedback from site visitors. What do you think?
Now if someone could just convince the New York Times to get rid of their horrid left nav bar.
October 8, 2010 in Redesigns
The Daily Northwestern at Northwestern University in Illinois has redesigned their site. They are a College Publisher network client.
Here’s a screenshot of the new design:
I do not have a more recent screenshot of the old design, but here is a screenshot from 2007:
Note the (now endangered species) left nav bar in the old design.
October 7, 2010 in Redesigns, Websites
The University of Idaho’s Blot has redesigned for this year.
Madison McCord writes:
Blot, the magazine at the University of Idaho has moved away from a Joomla template to a completely hand-coded site. With this switch, the staff has more flexibility with multimedia integration and design. The highlight of the site though, is a fully interactive edition of the publication that brings together beautiful print design and web-only multimedia elements.
Here’s a screenshot of the new design (no screenshot was available of the previous design):
