Welcome to the PI Test Site.
Over the past several weeks, we have been working behind the scenes to get Pens Initiative's new look together for Season 2 of our little adventure. There has been much back-and-forth figuring out general issues such as layout, coding and content separation during this process. Yet, while many swatches of hair have been pulled during this process, it is far from finished and some bugs are still being worked out.
Things can still be changed. Ideas can be integrated. All we've got is time.
Some of the other blogs that consider themselves to be either our competition or, more likely, our superiors lack some things that make PI stand out. We all have our own unique personality. We're all purpose-driven to elevate each other through both compliments and, more importantly, constructive criticism. We all respect each other's opinions even differ. We all want PI to be the place that people come first.
In many ways, PI already displays those collective traits. Everybody's goal should be to continually reflect that.
But right now, I'd like to show you what we've done thus far.
The Look
Clearly, the first thing you would have noticed about the site is the general appearance. A few months back, we asked what kind of direction regarding appearance you'd like to see the page take. The general look you see is what was seemingly liked the most.
The work that went into what you see centered primarily on how to maximize the functionality of the site while staying true to the initial concept. A sleek, classic look is what our aim was from the start. Hopefully, this achieves that.
A few months back, we received at least one complaint from a reader concerning the difficulty reading the white font on a black background. Since taking care of our readership is paramount, we decided to use the Vegas Gold background as a possible way to address that concern. The main body of the blog posts was formatted to have a transparent background, allowing the Vegas Gold to show through, and the font of the posts themselves were made to be black.
Functionality
To make this page work within the parameters we set, the focus on how the page will function was key. To have a beautiful background is one thing. Having it look good at all times, however, is as important if not more so.
The first few attempts we made looked great....so long as the user didn't want to look at anything below the initial screen load. To correct this, we attempted to lock the background into a fixed position. The result was not pretty either, as text that scrolled over the header screamed "AMATEUR!!!!!"
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| Delicious Cake: A Conceptual Depiction |
After many hours, all text now scrolls beneath that header. The header itself not only allows the site to maintain the look that we agreed upon early in this process, but also gives us the freedom to keep another important feature readily available: the navigation menu.
New Organization
If you look at PensInitiative.com as it currently is, you'll see a wide navigation bar, allowing visitors to the site to easily get from section to section in our little corner of The Internetz. But it's kind of plain. The new menu is a visual upgrade, first and foremost.
As with the header, the menu will be locked in place, relative to the size of the user's screen or monitor. While the "About Us" button needs to be corrected and the menu does still have bugs, each button stands out more. The mere fact that the number of buttons visible at any given time should present a more organized aura as well. Each button will be animated upon mouse-over as well once the bugs are worked out entirely (For now, the "Home" and "Shop" buttons are animated as intended). Each dropdown button will also be formatted in a manner consistent with the theme of the site as well.
Also of note, we will be working with each of you in an effort to reorganize the pages themselves in a way that makes logical sense. The first of these changes will involve Rob Ullman's artwork. As you may have seen in the Features drop menu, we will be creating a page devoted to Rob's work he does for PI, starting with First Star. Certain works, such as a series like First Star and Paul's Pens on Twitter article, are outstanding examples of things that set us apart and make our site a destination.
Feedback
It goes without saying that any and all feedback is welcome and strongly encouraged. Each of us has a voice and a say in where PI goes in the future. That future remains bright as we continue to grow and the upcoming Season 2 of PI should see a ton of growth as we all continue to help each other to realize each of our individual potentials.
No official date has been set for the visual relaunch, as we continue to work out the bugs. Progress is being made every day. Like in life, some days are slower than others and some days, you have to force yourself to slow down.
"May the Penis be with you." - Dick Skywalker
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