Submitted by Rebecca Hughes on 24 May 2009 - 9:55pm

Nick started a Twitter account for the CfJ a while ago, so I started the design for it. However, I've never made a layout in my life and I'm lacking inspiration.

I just spent the last 10 minutes creating this. It's unfinished and incredibly flawed as I've lost all interest in it for tonight, but I just wanted to gauge everyone's opinions. Scrap it or keep it and improve it? Someone else can feel free to make one, or pitch me your ideas and I'll see what I can do. 

And I know many of you are anti-Twitter, but it creates a lot of traffic at least? John's latest blog got about 20 tweets!

Comments

johnsaunders

25 May 2009 - 12:27pm

I would maybe change the woody background, maybe to something echoing the colours of this site?

I like the banner across the top and the photos, though.

Rebecca Hughes

25 May 2009 - 1:49pm

That was really useful, John. I experimented after with a similar colour scheme to this website - and it does look okay! I need to either get hold of, or make a similar stripy background as a plain block of blue looks awful. On the photos bit - what does everyone want on it? I have been patiently waiting to capture a sunset over the campus, and likewise down at the docks. Hopefully I'll be able to snap it soon.

Ian Reeves

25 May 2009 - 10:15pm

It looks great Becci. I like the way it echoes elements of the main site. I'll send you the gif file for the stripy blue background just so you can see what it looks like - but I quite like the wood background.

Ian Reeves is head of the Centre for Journalism

Rebecca Hughes

26 May 2009 - 12:21pm

Okay, so Twitter layouts aren't quite what I thought they were. I've had a go with the blue background - take a look. I know they're still incredibly flawed, but it's a working progress.

Wood one

Wood two

Blue

Oh and Ian, can you send me the Centre for Journalism sign please?

johnsaunders

26 May 2009 - 12:36pm

I prefer the grain of wood two to wood one. And the blue looks good, too. It depends how similar you want it to be to this site, I guess.

jaakpardi

26 May 2009 - 3:46pm

I rather like the blue background - fits the CFJ web and stays relatively neutral throughout. However, I do find, that all the pictures and the birds do come on rather strong - what about putting two pictures on one side (and removing the bird from there) and keeping one bird on the other (left side). Not saying you should, just wondering how would that look. (Minimalism seems to be the general idea of twitter in any case - for large piles of information, there is always the possibility of reference to CFJ home page.)

Rebecca Hughes

26 May 2009 - 6:15pm

We've come across the hurdle of different screen resolutions, so I'm thinking a more minimal look is going to be in anyway, Jaak. 

I'll experiment with it over summer... maybe by then they will have introduced proper layouts.

I'll bump this blog back up in a month or so. Still, if anyone has anymore suggestions, chuck them this way.

Ian Reeves

26 May 2009 - 1:21pm

The blue looks better than I'd thought, so my vote is leaning that way at the moment. Have sent you the logos.

Ian Reeves is head of the Centre for Journalism

AlanMcGuinness

26 May 2009 - 3:02pm

The blue is my favourite so far as well.

brian (not verified)

25 December 2009 - 8:54pm

Yes, the blue is the best. A winter layout. Make it at least 1920 pixels in wide. On a big screen I have it alligned to the left with ugly bar on the right.
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Brian, twitter polls.

Centre for Journalism Twitter Layout