Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/Newsroom/Redesign

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You have new messages (last change).

The front page right now looks really plain. Why not create a newer, fresher look? (more like Wikinews, is what I was thinking) I'm going to work on a mockup...post any ideas here. Ral315 21:30, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

While the original "plain" design was partly a deliberate effort to avoid "busy, cluttered, and unreadable", I think this redesign is quite attractive. I definitely prefer version 1 (given that most people have the general Wikipedia sidebar on the left, two sidebars on the left unbalances the layout).

I made a few minor changes to that version, the most important of which is restoring the shortcut. Many people use these shortcuts and learn to navigate the Wikipedia namespace by using them, so it definitely needs to appear somewhere on the page. I also reversed the order of volume/issue number vis-a-vis date to what would be my initial preference; that's an aesthetic matter and I certainly can be overruled on it. --Michael Snow 04:57, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

No, it's fine either way. I wasn't sure what way you liked it - on the original design, it's hard to tell, since they're on one line. I like the idea of a redesign partly because it allows us to incorporate a calendar, as had previously been discussed (the one that was commented out really didn't fit that well with the current design anyway...)
I also like keeping the shortcut, but not the way it is right now...what about creating it below the "Archives" link? Keep it at the bottom, like it is now, and have it not stick out too much, while still being there. Ral315 17:29, 21 September 2005 (UTC)
At the bottom works for me, my point was just that it needs to be on the page. --Michael Snow 18:12, 21 September 2005 (UTC)
I kind of like the current version, but version # 1 is fine with me. But what are we going to put on the sidebar that now has holidays? Flcelloguy | A note? | Desk 21:15, 21 September 2005 (UTC)
Upcoming Wikimedia events, board meetings, wikimeetups, elections- anything, in general. Ral315 01:34, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

A couple additional things occur to me. While differentiating the right sidebar with a different color is not a bad idea, this needs to be done with care. It's okay in monobook, but have you checked how it looks in other skins (notably Classic, which I understand has quite a few loyalists)?

Also, it might be helpful to split the calendar into a separate subpage, then put it back in with template brackets. This will hopefully make it easier for people to watch and maintain. I think the calendar will work best if it gets updates from many more people than usually write Signpost articles. --Michael Snow 15:52, 23 September 2005 (UTC)

I like #1 better. The calendar is a great idea, but I think the writing might be a bit too small. the wub "?!" 21:48, 23 September 2005 (UTC)

I'm moving it up to font-size 85% from 80%. But you can't make it too large, because otherwise, it can be multi-line (especially in Firefox). Ral315 22:29, 23 September 2005 (UTC)
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../w/i/k/Wikipedia%7EWikipedia_Signpost_Newsroom_Redesign_7830.html"