A New Design for Instigator Blog

January 7, 2008 by Ben Yoskovitz 72 Comments

I thought I’d start 2008 with something new … so after many months and a few delays in-between, I’m very happy to launch the latest design for Instigator Blog!

If you’re reading this via RSS — come check it out…

This is a completely new design from my old one. And for this go around, I brought in some heavy hitters. I came up with much of the original design, but then worked with Francis Wu and Nicolas Pin to get it done.

I really feel this design does a great job of raising the bar. It adds a serious element of sophistication and professionalism, but continues to maintain an edge. It’s certainly a softer, more subtle design than before, but it’s still the Instigator Blog after all.

In redesigning the blog I examined every single element of it. This wasn’t just a facelift, it was reconstructive surgery. I examined every nook & cranny, and made a number of fairly significant design and information architecture decisions. Of course, there are still a few details to iron out, which I’ll be doing in the coming days. And, I’m writing a much more detailed post explaining the process I went through in redesigning the blog, and that should be coming soon.

But for now, please come check it out and let me know what you think. Thanks!

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Rob

I really like the new design. Not to cluttered like some. Nice one!
Rob

I really like the new design. Not to cluttered like some. Nice one!
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Terry Ng

Not too bad of a design, but I feel more work could’ve been put into the “branding” element. There’s not much in terms of a logo besides a bold font face.
Terry Ng

Not too bad of a design, but I feel more work could've been put into the “branding” element. There's not much in terms of a logo besides a bold font face.
Ben Yoskovitz

@Terry: Thanks for the feedback. From a branding perspective, it’s tough because Instigator Blog is a brand, somewhat, but really it’s about “me” more than the blog name. So I’ve tried to balance that by keeping the signature boxing gloves (which were there on the previous design) but not come up with a specific logo.

In the future though, that might be something I look at doing to evolve the Instigator Blog brand itself.
Ben Yoskovitz

@Terry: Thanks for the feedback. From a branding perspective, it's tough because Instigator Blog is a brand, somewhat, but really it's about “me” more than the blog name. So I've tried to balance that by keeping the signature boxing gloves (which were there on the previous design) but not come up with a specific logo.

In the future though, that might be something I look at doing to evolve the Instigator Blog brand itself.
@Stephen | Productivity in Context

Hi Ben, it looks good, but I agree with Terry, it could have stronger branding. I’m not sure about the boxing gloves…
@Stephen | Productivity in Con

Hi Ben, it looks good, but I agree with Terry, it could have stronger branding. I'm not sure about the boxing gloves…
communicatrix

That “top categories” thing is ingenious (speaking as someone who spent three hours today with a UE expert trying to corral my own).

I actually liked your old design, but this is calmer and probably places more emphasis on the content than the party, which is probably a good idea.

Good luck with it! Please update us on how it’s working for you.
communicatrix

That “top categories” thing is ingenious (speaking as someone who spent three hours today with a UE expert trying to corral my own).

I actually liked your old design, but this is calmer and probably places more emphasis on the content than the party, which is probably a good idea.

Good luck with it! Please update us on how it's working for you.
Justin Khoury

Very nice clean and easy to use design. Good work.
Justin Khoury

Very nice clean and easy to use design. Good work.
Candice

Hi, looks much better.
Candice

Hi, looks much better.
Goal Setting College

Ben, nice look. Clean, professional yet warm. Good job..

Cheers,
Ellesse
Goal Setting College

Ben, nice look. Clean, professional yet warm. Good job..

Cheers,
Ellesse
Leah Maclean

A nice change Ben – clean, professional and yet still warm (all the things you were looking for).

Can I make a suggestion??? H2 headings in the sidebar and the navigation in the top right really need a little bold action to help them be a little easier to identify when the eyes just scan over the page (they get lost amoug all the other style: normal fonts.
Leah Maclean

A nice change Ben – clean, professional and yet still warm (all the things you were looking for).

Can I make a suggestion??? H2 headings in the sidebar and the navigation in the top right really need a little bold action to help them be a little easier to identify when the eyes just scan over the page (they get lost amoug all the other style: normal fonts.
Malin

I’m a bit late here but it looks fab! 😀
Malin

I'm a bit late here but it looks fab! 😀

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