Archive for reviewme
3 column layouts for sites
May 11th, 2007 • design, layout, reviewme, reviews, web
Many years ago, I was a web designer on the forefront of the now commonplace table-less layout. Places like CSS Zen Garden didn’t exist and many people were still stuck wrapping their heads around a 2 column table-less design. Then someone came up with the old Holy Grail: completely fluid 3 column designs. Now, three column designs are not new in any sense, they’ve been employed in other media for a very long time — namely newspapers. A lot of software back in 2002-2003 used them but only with tables, software such as PHP Nuke and all of its horrible branches used — and still do — a stock 3 column layout. You’ve all seen them: two smaller flanking columns around a larger one that is supposed to ‘attract’ your eyes to the content. Problem is they’re so widely used and so full of cruft that you frequently lose sight of the content itself. Thankfully, I left that game a long time ago when I realized everyone was going to be copying the work I’d done and the others before me.
Now there’s a new 3 column layout: a large block for content with two side-by-side flanking columns for everything else (but mostly ads). These are very common these days as well. You can find one almost anywhere, especially in the blogosphere where people want to do one thing and do it well: monetization and displaying ads. However, this design is not a true 3 column layout, the side-by-side flanking columns are almost always nested inside a larger box and split vertically. This makes them truly a two column layout with nested boxes — something not so easy when I was doing this. These designs are becoming all too common place for my liking.
This brings me to the whole point of this: the PurpleCrunch 3 column WordPress theme. Aside from being purple, I saw this design a while ago and it’s still uninspiring. It’s a pastel purple which, while easy on the eyes, reminds me of grape juice. Luckily, the only purple is the background and the link text as you can see here. This brings me full circle to the concept of 3 column layouts versus the flanking columns nested side-by-side in another box. Glancing at the source of this theme, this is exactly what this layout does. If you want to be pedantic about it, it’s actually merely three boxes. The outer box encapsulates the content and the right flanking column, each with its own <div> making them singular boxes nested in another. The flanking column is then split in two: left and right and each is given its own <div>. These designs are tired and uninspiring.
Overall, I remember when the box model of CSS2 was to be the catalyst for creative design but all I see is a bunch of the same. They were highly creative and original in late 2004 and early 2005 but that was then. These days, the problem isn’t a lack of creativity, it’s a lack of motivation to be creative. Honestly, if I’d found this theme back when I was helping maintain Greymatter, I would have dumped it and switched to WordPress far sooner. The next time I need to blend in with the crowd, I’ll think about using this theme.
The preceding has been a sponsored post.
Buying sandals online
May 8th, 2007 • reviewme
I, like many people, prefer wearing sandals to full fledged shoes any day. For me, sandals are much less restrictive and infinitely more comfortable than almost any pair of shoes I’ve ever owned. However, I’ve never shopped for them online as I like to try before I buy for things like fit, comfort, and such. That was until I found active-sandals.com. They’ve got a large selection of sandals for both men and women in a variety of colours and styles. If I find a sandal I like, I’ll probably purchase it from them given the nice discount I can get if I’m willing to wait for them in the mail.
The site is dead easy to navigate although I found the graphics to be a bit dated and on the verge of cheesy even though they’re very high quality. The women’s selection is a tad larger than the men’s even though some brands such as Crocs have meager offerings and the men’s Crocs section is completely bare. That’s not very good for the most common place sandal I’ve seen here in Boca Raton in the last few months. I can attest to their sheer comfort like so many other people have whom I’ve asked about their selection of Crocs over some other company. This lack of selection in such a popular brand will not get a lot of sales and instead will lose those customers to other sites. Active-sandals.com also sells sandals from companies I’ve never heard of such as Cobian and Sanuk but sell the common ones such as Reef and Rainbow that you’ll find in any local Pac Sun.
The site also sells jeans and shirts although I do not know why since their focus is on sandals and not designer jeans. While this does not detract from the main focus of the site it seems kind of tacked on, almost like an after thought. Apparently Joe’s Jeans are designer but I’ve never seen them in the designer shops here, this may be a west coast thing. Aside from Reef Apparel I’ve never heard of any of the “designer” clothing they sell and I live in a town that thrives on designer names.
Overall, the site is easy to navigate and is very easy on the eyes. The selection for the sexes is varied and can be a bit scant but if I’m going to buy some Rainbows I know where I’ll be buying them. I hope the selection in the future for men grows and the selection for women is more fleshed out to include more styles.
The preceding has been a sponsored post.