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I don’t have a screenshot of what the earlier design looked like, but you can check out an archived version of what the site looked like in Feb. 2009 at the Internet Archive.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 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.
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.
September 28, 2010 in Redesigns
The Daily Collegian at Penn State redesigned their web site this summer. They are also now using Movable Type 5 with a customized template.
Here’s the new site design:
And here’s the old site design:
One of the first redesigns I’ve noticed this year to make use of a background color other than white.
September 27, 2010 in Redesigns
The McGill Tribune at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, recently redesigned their site. They are a College Publisher client. This is the first Canadian redesign I’ve heard of so far this year. Here’s a screenshot of the new design:
Again, I do not have a screenshot of a recent design, but this screenshot is from 2007 (via the Wayback Machine) sans header:
via @collegepublish on twitter.
September 23, 2010 in Redesigns
The Montana Kaimin at the University of Montana redesigned their site this fall. They are on the College Publisher platform. Here’s a screenshot of the new design:
Unfortunately, I do not have a screenshot of the old design. (thanks to @collegepublish for the pointer)
September 22, 2010 in Redesigns
The SMU Daily Mustang accomplished a redesign of their online-only publication during the spring semester, but it’s worth noting. Adviser Jake Batsell said via e-mail:
Here’s a screenshot of the new design:
Here’s a screenshot of the old design:
Both designs are based upon the Revolution News theme for WordPress, but Batsell said:
The “old” Daily Mustang pretty much stuck to the WordPress Revolution News template that we started the site with. The redesigned site incorporates some of those elements, but the students wanted to make the new site more lively and interactive while somehow improving the clarity of design. Our traffic has gone up since the redesign — in part, I think, because the homepage now features more story links in a more succinct form.
