cabinfever is the blog of bhg GRAPHIC DESIGN. cabinfever offers design and technology advice, tips, and resources to business' for their web sites and blogs.
bhg GRAPHIC DESIGN is a graphic design studio and we specialize in web and print design/development.
Hey, I am proud to say we have some pretty smart and talented people around here.
We have a client, that requested to have the last comment posted to a particular post, display on the index.php page inside that post. (Confused? I am.)
Hmmm… after exploring the webs, the internets, and the Expression Engine knowledge base we came up empty (see this thread). Not that others hadn’t asked and tried, but we found no solutions. Evidently, this is an “EE” no-no, showing comments is for post perma link pages only.
Well I have news, James, one of our smart/talented developers, formulated a solution.
{exp:query sql=”SELECT * FROM exp_comments WHERE entry_id IN ({entry_id}) ORDER BY comment_date DESC LIMIT 1″}</p>
<p>
<strong><a href="{profile_path=members/profile}">{name}</a> | {comment_date format=’%F %j, %Y’} at {comment_date format=’%h:%i %a’}: </strong><br />
<a href="{url_title_path=posts/{my_location}}#c_{comment_id}">{exp:word_limit total=”10″}{exp:html_strip}{comment}{/exp:html_strip}{/exp:word_limit}</a>
</p>
<p>{/exp:query}
This will allow you to show an excerpt of the last comment in a post on the index.php page. Great job, James!
We have designed plenty of sites for small business’ and individuals and the one thing that I find is that often these clients do not have the need to present copious amounts of information or the desire to create it.
Fact is most users that visit such a site are there for just a few reasons. One is to find out how to contact your business or get directions. The other is to get a little more information about your products or services. That’s it! This is the reality for most web sites. When’s the last time you have read through in depth case studies presented on a companies web site . . . Aaaaah, NEVER!
The Golden Rule is give the users what they want. Given this fact, I often wonder why more business’ don’t opt for a simpler approach, I have my theories. But why not consider a one page web site?
In the past, “brochure” sites were rather uninspiring and offered a fairly flat user experience. But, one page sites today can contain a wealth of information and functionality. With the deft use of social networking sites, Content Management System software, Ajax and Java Script one page sites can match the same user experience as multi page sites with only half the hassle and cost.
So say for instance, your a restaurant, you could easily posts events, promos and/or daily specials, display menus, link in Google maps for directions, offer an in-page contact form, hook in your Flickr (see sidebar) or Picasa account for displaying photos, and even offer a guest feedback form all within one page. Page navigation is handled with links, like on any site, but happens within one page with a really slick Java Script scroll or you could opt for collapsing boxes or the like.
Honestly, why don’t I think business owners opt for the one page site? Sometimes I think it’s ego, sometimes I think it’s just habit. But there are some real advantages to one page sites. Most importantly COST! From a development and design end it’s faster and easier to develop, design, host and manage one page sites. And when things are easier they are CHEAPER! Additionally, you don’t have to spend hours righting pages of content. Generally, speaking getting content out of client can be an ordeal. So why not minimize the headaches and focus on what your site visitors really want and what will bring your business results.
I subscriber to innumerable RRS feeds from sites about design, tech news, blogging, marketing and so on. Here are a few about making your blog work for your business and how to get the most out of your web presence. Each has a wealth of information and won’t put you to sleep while reading.
Last night we sat down to watch the video documentary Helvetica and at some point, the realization dawned on me, “Hey I am watching a movie about a typeface and I am enjoying it!” None the less, Helvetica is a must see movie for anyone, designer or non-designer alike.
Neue Haas Grotesk, or Helevetica, isn’t just any type face (font) it’s all pervasive, from the logos of the biggest corporations and ordinary signage to your computers system default fonts and one of just a few fonts considered “web safe.” Helvetica follows the journey of Neue Haas Grotesk from creation, to it’s demise at the hands of the “Anything But Helvetica” (ABH) crowd, to it’s rise again in the computer and internet world. A handful of graphic and font designers talk about the profound effect Helvetica has had the way we view and perceive the world.
Don’t miss this opportunity to experience a little designer geek. You’ll enjoy the ride!
Since many business owners come to the web with a defined sense of who they are and what their product is, creating content can be easy. But creating a web site that visually compliments that content can be a bit vexing. This isn’t to say that you can’t have a great looking web site . . . YOU CAN! However, you should keep a few things in mind whether you decide to design your own web site or you hire a designer to do the job. With that said, here is a short list.
10 Essential Design Tips!
The Whole is Greater Than the Sum of It’s Parts. Consider the ideas or values you want to convey through your web site or blog. Make a list! For example, is it important for clients see you as professional and serious, or can you afford a little sense of humor? Do users see your product/services as dynamic, fresh, and youthful? When you determine these values think about how to represent visually, to provide a cohesive statement about your product or services.
Less Is More. Edit! Edit! Edit! Having a good editor makes for great design. Don’t make the mistake of trying to jam everything . . . I mean EVERYTHING! onto your web site. Be succinct and get to the point. Allow space for good design to happen.
Let Your Width Out. Still stuck at 750px? Most users screen size and resolutions can accommodate larger sites. Try expanding the width of your site up to 900–1,000px.
Control Your Color Palette. Controlling your color palette is critical in composing a site that looks uniformed and well thought out. Most of the sites I design start with two primary colors and one accent color. I may add a few shades (primary color plus, black or white) for variety, but don’t overdo it. Use your accent color to add a little pop!
White Space and Lots of It! White space is important. Having a web site with lots of white space keeps the user from being overwhelmed and makes your site more user friendly. Increase you body font size and your line height (space between lines) for greater readability. Also, provide plenty of space between design elements. Reading from a monitor can be tiring but adding white space will make your design easy on the eyes.
Group Things. Strong design is a process of organization. The key to organizing is the careful grouping of elements. Look at your overall design and make sure similar items, ideas, and themes relate to one another. Use design elements and spacing to correlate relationships.
Create a Clear Center of Interest. Create a visual hierarchy that adds interest and pulls the user to certain areas of your page. Avoid designs that have an all over feel. Decide what’s most important and make it larger, bolder, and more prominent. Use other visual cues to direct the user to secondary elements.
Use Strong Images Nothing kills a good design faster than bad photography and visuals. Make room in your budget to hire a professional photographer or illustrator. Don’t rely on your brother-in-law Sal just because he will do it for FREE!
Don’t Forget the Details. Adding small design elements to your pull quotes, list items, category listings, and so on will add the final bit of polish to your site. Don’t overdo it, but a few well placed graphical elements can go a long way to giving your site a professional, well thought out appearance.
Finally . . . Avoid Things that Flash, Scroll, or Blink. It wasn’t long ago that almost every web page on the planet had some kind of flashing, blinking, or scrolling going on. These effects (including copious amounts of Flash animation) maybe effective at first. But users soon tire of the Flash animation that plays every time they reload a page and an element that once created interest, NOW becomes plainly annoying!
To go along with Holly’s post on 10 things to make your blog or web site look better I decided to include a selection of links this week of blogs and web sites that just look DAMN GOOD! I can’t vouch for their prose, these selections are based on looks only. The common link between all these sites is a clean well balanced design statement and plenty of white space (or not so white space). Resisting the temptation to try cram everything onto the top half of you homepage can be a struggle for most, but these designers no when to say when.
Calm Banana
Holly likes this site. Simple straight forward design, balanced, pleasing to the eye, with some striking graphics.
Hey, I am proud to say we have some pretty smart and talented people around here. 
