Main Page graphic re-design

[icactus]

So i thought the Main Page could benefit from some pro-bono graphic design so I made some tasteful (i think ) and modest changes to the design to keep the main themes but de-clutter and unify the design.

It just needs the div id tags rewritten for the mp_nav and mp_intro to place the text over the background graphic and i can turn the top gradient into a tile effect for more effective browser resizing.

I hope you like it enough to try it out! Here's the link:
http://imslp.org/wiki/User:Icactus/sandbox

[NLewis]

Dear icactus,

We appreciate your work with the main page as it has been a topic of controversy in the past. I had previously designed a second main page, and a bit of drama went on behind closed doors over its "1990's" design. The chief problem with the main page right now is the balance between its visual composition and usability. My design had emphasized the importance of usability, while it seems that yours emphasizes the importance of visual appeal. Both conceptions are equally valid and should ideally be split 50/50 in terms of importance.

I want to note that there will be a few site changes in the near future which will impact the utilization of your reverberant innovation. Therefore, I do not think that now would necessarily be the best time to act on the new design. However, I am certain that we will keep the brilliant design in mind when the changes are underway.

Cheers,

Nicholas Lewis

[steltz]

When the changes are made, I would like to ask if it would be possible to uncover the rest of that beautiful painting again. We haven't seen it in a while, and I think it's a pity it got partially, in fact about half, covered up. Just my 2 cents.

[icactus]

who else is actively working on this new design?

[icactus]

also, just some notes on good web design:

The major problem with the "1995" version (aside from aesthetic) is that it equally emphasizes all information (like the yahoo.com design from 1995) and so I would say it is actually a bad example of usability with no visual impact either and can see why others weren't so crazy about it. If there are large structural changes in the works I'd be happy to advise or assist in the visual layout and graphic design but I don't know who to get in contact with.

[NLewis]

The person to get in contact with would be Feldmahler. He is the project leader of IMSLP.

[icactus]

oh ok. thanks!

[Leonard Vertighel]

http://imslp.org/wiki/User:Icactus/sandbox

Some quick observations and general thoughts to keep in mind:

The colours of the current design were chosen to match the colours of the painting. This way, the painting and the page form a coherent whole, rather than one being attached to the other like an afterthought. This is not to say that the colours should not be changed, but I feel that in this draft the fairly saturated colour at the top makes the painting look pale in comparison. If you want to use such vibrant colours, I'd suggest you try using them further away from the painting itself.

Margins and paddings need some attention. In some places, the text sticks to the border of its container. One should also try to match visual cues (mainly size, colour, and distance between elements) to the logical structure of the content. For example, logically the library statistics and the languages form two groups, whereas in the above draft they are visually mixed up and somewhat randomly split into three groups.

[aldona]

The new Main Page design is beautiful, but it doesn't match my mug any more!

Our esteemed Mug Designer will have to create a new range of merchandise.

AJ

[feldmahler]

Philidor?

[Phidias]

Goddamit! I was rather fond of the previous one.

I prefer a usability approach and a more... hmm... 'formal' appearance, but this one is good too.

[imslp]

No need to replace anything

[WilliamBunting]

Hello friends:

The new main page is a great improvement. Thank you admins.

Can I ask about the butterfly object on the main page?

It' pretty, but doesn't mean anything to me.

Is it supposed to be a letter of the alphabet?
Previously when it was red it looked like a dead octopus. Now it's more like a ribbon on a new baby boy gift.

Doesn't IMSLP need a logo that communicates its purpose? In this respect the old picture of people at a piano was meaningful. In my opinion neither the rather geeky-looking grey square nor the ribbon image are effective.

Perhaps we could have a forum page where we can post our ideas for a logo.

Regards
WB

[KGill]

Can I ask about the butterfly object on the main page?

It' pretty, but doesn't mean anything to me.

Is it supposed to be a letter of the alphabet?
Previously when it was red it looked like a dead octopus. Now it's more like a ribbon on a new baby boy gift.

As you can read somewhere around here, the new main page logo is the letter A taken from an example of musical engraving by Ottaviano Petrucci. (You can see the original image here.)

Doesn't IMSLP need a logo that communicates its purpose? In this respect the old picture of people at a piano was meaningful. In my opinion neither the rather geeky-looking grey square nor the ribbon image are effective.

The picture of people at the piano was never on the main page; it is still to be found at imslp.org. Indeed, this logo is more relevant, in a way.

Perhaps we could have a forum page where we can post our ideas for a logo.

We already had a thread to hash out the Main Page design, and you can criticize any aspect of it there

[pml]

You can also see the original, here. :-)

Hmm. Would it be possible to hotlink the graphic to the page for the Odhecaton? We could put a special explanatory note at the head of the target page to explain why this particular glyph is providing an elegant incipit to the main IMSLP page.

PML