Author Topic: Unicomp Website Redesign  (Read 5192 times)

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Offline zwmalone

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Unicomp Website Redesign
« on: Thu, 04 June 2009, 18:39:24 »
I've started on a serious redesign of the unicomp website.  I created this thread because it was spilling over into the Praise for Unicomp thread.  Unlike my previous design, this one is a fully working template, ready for  completion.


If you have any shots of your Customizers/Spacesavers (Modified or not) you'd like to donate so I could put them in a gallery, it would be most helpful.
If you have any web or graphic design skills it would be most appreciated.

ALSO, on a completely unrelated note, this is my 500th post, making me a senior member!
Can't get enough of them ALPS

Offline huha

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Unicomp Website Redesign
« Reply #1 on: Thu, 04 June 2009, 19:00:24 »
I actually quite like the current Unicomp website. Yes, it is extremely ugly and devoid of almost all information, so I'd like some of the specs and stuff to come back, but at least it doesn't look like every other web 2.0 site. Really, I'm so sick of seeing the bland web 2.0 designs I'd much rather prefer a bland 90's design.
Your design is not bad per se, but it just looks so uninspiring.

-huha
Unicomp Endurapro 105 (blank keycaps, BS) // Cherry G80-3000LSCDE-2 (blues, modded to green MX) // Cherry G80-3000LAMDE-0 (blacks, 2x) // Cherry G80-11900LTMDE-0 (blacks, 2x) // Compaq G80-11801 (browns) // Epson Q203A (Fujitsu Peerless) // IBM Model M2 (BS) // Boscom AS400 Terminal Emulator (OEM\'d Unicomp, BS, 2x) // Dell AT102DW (black Alps) // Mechanical Touch (chinese BS) Acer 6312-KW (Acer mechanics on membrane) // Cherry G84-4100 (ML) // Cherry G80-1000HAD (NKRO, blacks)

Offline ch_123

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Unicomp Website Redesign
« Reply #2 on: Thu, 04 June 2009, 19:05:28 »
I wouldnt exactly call it Web 2.0... Not enough flash for that xD

I'd take a look at some of their old website designs on the Internet Archvies. They look dated, but the whole structure/layout was quite good.

Offline bigpook

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Unicomp Website Redesign
« Reply #3 on: Thu, 04 June 2009, 19:09:06 »
No, this is uninspiring

HHKB Pro 2 : Unicomp Spacesaver : IBM Model M : DasIII    

Offline zwmalone

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Unicomp Website Redesign
« Reply #4 on: Thu, 04 June 2009, 19:33:15 »
Still working on the design.  Here's what I've got so far...
Can't get enough of them ALPS

Offline zwmalone

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Unicomp Website Redesign
« Reply #5 on: Thu, 04 June 2009, 21:02:38 »
I shot Unicomp an email...
Can't get enough of them ALPS

Offline zwmalone

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Unicomp Website Redesign
« Reply #6 on: Fri, 05 June 2009, 04:15:43 »
Suggestions on what to do to make it look better (besides making it look like something from the '90s..., I'm not trying to make it look web 2.0, just something modern and professional...)
Can't get enough of them ALPS

Offline cchan

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Unicomp Website Redesign
« Reply #7 on: Fri, 05 June 2009, 06:51:36 »
Quote from: zwmalone;94306
Suggestions on what to do to make it look better (besides making it look like something from the '90s..., I'm not trying to make it look web 2.0, just something modern and professional...)
flash only, gaudy backgrounds, annoying background music, real life navigation metaphor... makes everything better!
HP Envy17: Core i7-2760QM, 8GB DDR3, 128GB Crucial m4 + 750GB Hitachi, Windows 7 Home Premium x64, Cherry ML4100, Logitech M500, HP zr22w
IBM Thinkpad X60: Core Duo T2400, 2GB DDR2, 128GB Samsung 830, Xubuntu 12.04 x86, Cherry ML4100, Logitech M205, HP zr22w
Raspberry Pi Model B: BCM2835, 0.25GB DDR2, 8GB Samsung SD card, Raspbian Wheezy, human interaction devices as above

Offline itlnstln

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Unicomp Website Redesign
« Reply #8 on: Fri, 05 June 2009, 07:09:45 »
I like it. Simple. Clean.


Offline Hak Foo

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Unicomp Website Redesign
« Reply #9 on: Fri, 05 June 2009, 19:15:36 »
I'd say they might want to consider a proper shopping cart, like Zen Cart or Magento.

This will leave them free to host wherever they want (I don't trust Yahoo anything), and, with the right cart, they can do nice things like showing disabling sold-out items automatically, postage estimators, etc.
Overton130, Box Pale Blues.

Offline cchan

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Unicomp Website Redesign
« Reply #10 on: Fri, 05 June 2009, 20:44:10 »
Quote from: Hak Foo;94431
I'd say they might want to consider a proper shopping cart, like Zen Cart or Magento.

This will leave them free to host wherever they want (I don't trust Yahoo anything), and, with the right cart, they can do nice things like showing disabling sold-out items automatically, postage estimators, etc.
How good is OSCommerce? I've noticed a few sites I've been on use that.
HP Envy17: Core i7-2760QM, 8GB DDR3, 128GB Crucial m4 + 750GB Hitachi, Windows 7 Home Premium x64, Cherry ML4100, Logitech M500, HP zr22w
IBM Thinkpad X60: Core Duo T2400, 2GB DDR2, 128GB Samsung 830, Xubuntu 12.04 x86, Cherry ML4100, Logitech M205, HP zr22w
Raspberry Pi Model B: BCM2835, 0.25GB DDR2, 8GB Samsung SD card, Raspbian Wheezy, human interaction devices as above

Offline Hak Foo

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Unicomp Website Redesign
« Reply #11 on: Fri, 05 June 2009, 21:32:50 »
It's like the grandpa of the industry... there's a lot of modules, but it's pretty creaky and old.  I seem to recall it was a pain to get running on PHP 5, but that was in 2006.
Overton130, Box Pale Blues.

Offline zwmalone

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Unicomp Website Redesign
« Reply #12 on: Sat, 06 June 2009, 14:58:13 »
I got an email from Chuck, he forwarded my message to their "web department" (A term I use loosely)
Can't get enough of them ALPS

Offline Mr.6502

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Unicomp Website Redesign
« Reply #13 on: Sat, 06 June 2009, 20:03:41 »
I like what you are going for but personally there are some things that stick out and make my eyes not like it (I often talk about my eyes as if they were a separate entity because when people are looking at things they often do what their eyes tell them to without realizing it).

It appears you are going for a simple and clean design, but then I think you should figure out if there is a reason for the gradient background and solid borders.  The borders are so bold against the overall background colors of the page that they stick out to the eye almost as much as the writing does.  Their purpose is to divide the page up into visual pieces but I think there are much more subtle ways to accomplish that that aren't as confusing to the eye.  

Also all the text at the top is so similar that it ends up being a jumble.  Is the logo, the navigation menu and "Welcome to Unicomp!" all going to be present on every page?  If so I would question the logic of having the huge Unicomp logo followed almost immediately by the huge "Welcome to Unicomp!" text.  If the welcome message is a title to a specific page, I think there needs to be something that more clearly defines the transition from header to content.  

All my opinion of course and if you say "that's all crazy talk" I wouldn't take offense.  But if you agree with my POV I'd be interested in playing around with the mockup you've got to show you what I'm getting at.

Quote from: ripster;94518
Web Department:
Show Image


That's the Crayola Keyboard BTW.


Sidenote, I have to get one of these for the office!  If someone messes up a keyboard or mouse, they'll be demoted to "Kindergarten" status!
« Last Edit: Sat, 06 June 2009, 20:07:54 by Mr.6502 »
"Engineers are really good at labeling and branding things ...  If we had named Kentucky Fried Chicken, it would have been Hot Dead Birds."

-Vint Cerf

Offline Hak Foo

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Unicomp Website Redesign
« Reply #14 on: Sat, 06 June 2009, 21:23:22 »
I thought generally they just bought those awful 'corporate' PCs where the BIOS has no options more advanced than 'set the date'
Overton130, Box Pale Blues.

Offline zwmalone

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Unicomp Website Redesign
« Reply #15 on: Mon, 08 June 2009, 16:46:49 »
Restarting from scratch... My "reliable" hard drive (reliable as in it's not my 7200.11 series) crashed...  This time I'm hand-coding everything and taking everyone's suggestions to heart, and hopefully implementing most of them...
Can't get enough of them ALPS