At long last I have found time to work on my own site! I have needed to redesign with a theme of my own for at least a year, but have just been too busy until I took this “maternity leave” time. I’m still doing some tweaking but for the most part it’s complete.
One of my goals for this design were to bring my design work more “front and center”, and have done that with the “Welcome” section at the top of the main page, as well as the client testimonials at the top of the sidebar. I also wanted more color than the prior design, because lots of color just makes me happy! Here’s a screenshot for those of you who are subscribers:
If you find any issues with the new design, let me know!
Looks awesome, Randa. Everything has a very clean, vibrant look when you first open the browser. I’m a fan.
One suggestion: The container that is holding the background ‘swirlies’ could be 100% width, or perhaps the background of the body itself. This way the browser window doesn’t have to be quite as wide, to prevent scrolling. I use a large browsing window and had to widen it a bit to see the full design. Just a thought, I know you’re still fine tuning and everything.
Keep it up!
Gorgeous reboot, Randa. Normally I prefer a minimalist approach, but this looks really nice you’ve. You’ve harmonized and balanced the colors very well.
Randa,
I think it is great! It is extremely organized and that makes it comfortable to browse thru. Nice job
You’ve done a lovely job, and I’m impressed that you’ve been able to manage a site redesign with everything else that’s going on. I love the background pattern and the bold colour scheme.
Your designer might be an artist therefore he have created out such a beautiful design. This design will be the best design around the blogosphere!
This new design looks really great. It would be nothing for me, because I think it’s too colorful for me, but I like it.
I really like it. The arrangement is top notch and the colours are very happy.
I second Ryan’s comment. At my normal-ish (it changes, but accommodates almost all designs) width, the page show right up to the right edge of the white box (maybe 5px short of it), then I scroll to centre it.
Wow, looking at your CSS it’s actually bigger than 1024px! I’m using a 1280 screen, but I never have my browser full screen. I see how you’ve done your wrap bg and everything… would probably be a pain to change. I would just suggest looking at your stats, if almost all your visitors have huge screens then stick with it.
Really lovely theme.
this design looks very beautiful
thanks
I particularly like how you incorporated the simple ‘welcome’ section on your homepage. That’s an idea that would serve my blog well, giving first-time visitors more of an indication of what to expect.
Great work, Randa. I much prefer this design over your previous version.
Thank you for sharing…
The new design looks great, Randa. I like the color palette, and the overall feel really goes well with the vibe of your blog. I would work on the scrolling issue, though. Not a big deal but worth working on.
Well done! I like it. Seems a lot of blogs I subscribe too are redesigning… maybe I need too?
The scroll thing is definitely going to be fixed. I need to change how it’s set up and go back to my original plan of the swirlies being the body background. Thanks for the feedback!
Very Nice. I like this design much better.
[...] RandaClay.com has been completely re-designed, with a nice splash of color and comforting organization. The background image in the header gives her site a nice design that follows through to the line breaks in between each post and section. A cool feature on Randa’s new site is the small "testimonial" snippet that seems to change regularly. Also, she has decided to display samples of her work more prominently on the homepage, with an aim to get right to the point with any potential clients viewing the site. [...]
Love the swirlies in the background! Pretty!! The header is simple, clear and functional. Colors are friendly and cheerful. The Welcome section on the homepage is a very nice touch. It definitely tells people what you are about right away.
The only thing I wonder about is the similarity in the red and orange colors used in the sidebar; the similarity isn’t a negative, but perhaps they are too close together (in the layout) and therefore there isn’t enough distinction between the double sidebar columns based on color alone. But maybe that’s the intention? They blend together but are still separate?
Shows up just like the screenshot in IE6 on XP!
Ha, I know that feeling Randa, I’m in the process of re-designing my own site at the moment
I really like the look of your new design. It looks very stylish and well spaced out – well done.
I like the new design. It looks nice and crisp. Especially I like the blend of colors.
Heh, I quite liked the orange and red. I wouldn’t have thought those colours go together, but you’ve made them work.
New design looks great! I like the flooral background that you have at the top and the bottom of the website.
Okay – I fixed the scrolling issue as far as I know. Let me know if anyone sees anything else.
WoW, I loved the new design, and it’s a whole lot better than the old one…
The floral background also matched the blog theme very well.
Overall rating: 9.5/10
Wilson.
I don’t know how you do it—completely re-designed your blog while taking care of a newborn and a toddler—but you did an amazing job here. I really like the new look. My favourite new features here are definitely the welcome section, the RSS section and what clients say, also the fixed swirls in the background. Glad to see so much colour here, while keeping a clean elegant look.
Not too crazy about the shadowed borders that separate the section titles from the content in the sidebar, look a bit too rough for me compared with the rest of design.
P.S. Shouldn’t you update the year in the copyright section in the footer?
Yup, no more side scrolling! And the background is fixed now. Nice
I really like your designs. it looks very professional.
you are very talented.
Way to go!
Yes, very nice look design.
I really like the way that you made the side background static, but the top scrolls with the page. Then when you go up to the top it matches perfectly. Very neat idea (I’ve never seen that done before).
Really like the new design. Very clean and easy to navigate. I have to concur that the fixed background is a very nice touch.
The best desing for wordpress:)
It looks great. Classy and easy to read. Also the choice of colors is great.
Good work!
Great job on the design! I enjoy your posts as well..
I love the new look, it seems very soft and inviting. The colors are very nice. Congratz!
Your new theme is very stylish and pleasing to look at. I am interested in buying your themes, but I do not find any page here – except the one for the free themes. It would be nice if you could also have a page for paid themes with instructions for customizing them.
I really think you out did your self this time. SUPERB Color scheme and bg.
What a fantastic re-design! Clear, clean and easy to use. Love your welcome box and thumbnail pics on the home page.
For me, the general look of the site is way too colorful. However I just love the background!
Good job Randa. I loved the blue matching with red looks strong and and clean at the same time.
Interesting design. I really appreciate how it flows so smoothly within itself. The color palate is very prominent as well. My only concern would be ad placement, but that looks like it seeps into the content very well too. Nice work.
I know how it is and if your anything like me it takes a long time to get round to thinking about your own site when there’s other work to be done. Ive also got the other disadvantage of starting a design then not being happy with it and assuring myself that i can do something better so i start again – it’s a vicious circle =(
Nice new design
Regards =)
wow nice background, and i like your collor scheme. really suits your blog
I found the red background and white text overwhelming and hard to read. I am sight challenged and found this area very difficult.
this cool randa.. cleann i like it. keep th good wook
GEEK ALERT!!!
Only joking, we’re all geeks! Geek, Chic!
Like the new design, congrats!
Looks better than the older version. When I am going to have time to work on my personal site????
I like the new design a lot – though I don’t know if I know what the old one looked like! I really like your big subscribe section – I need to figure out a way to incorporate that on my blog.
I like the new version because it is more colorful. That welcome message makes me feel like home, among friends. And I love to pictures, your designs say a lot about you. Maybe I will add at least one more testimonial in the testimonial section; but it is OK as it is now.
I really love the color scheme you are using. The red, blue and orange seem to compliment each other really nicely. The one critique I have is that your logo is not as crisp as it could be. The serifs on the font have some pixalation (or relics) making it look a little blurred at the bottom. Perhaps it’s just my resolution and browser that is showing that though.
Simon
Really nice design. It stands out from all the other blogs out there!
New design looks slick and inspiring Randa! Good job!