Ideate: It’s time for a redesign!
by Fred Roed on 19/10/07 at 1:30 pm
8 comments
The evolution of Ideate has been something that we’ve watched with interest from here at World Wide Creative and Live Alchemy headquarters. As some of you know, this blog started when we were sharing studio space a good 2 years ago. Shane, Andrew and I all began contributing with earnest when we launched the first Extreme Business event in 2005. The first design looked like this:
In 2006 we started asking the question ‘What is Ideate?‘ and what the focus of all this writing should be. As with anything, blogging can be a little like farting in the wind if it’s not focused. All three of us were interested in, above most other things, small business and entrepreneurship. It was at this stage that the theme of the little superhero came about, and Shane started on a banner redesign. We evolved the new catch phrase into: ‘Small Business in SA‘ and introduced the little guy with the cape, pictured here:
Around halfway into 2006, Ideate started to hit its straps, and over the next 12 months we watched our stats in amazement as we went from 20 to 2000 page views a day. All of a sudden, there were comments appearing on our posts! – and not just from friends and colleagues. Now, all of a sudden, we were getting posts from people all over the world. Some of them were even fairly famous, like Jason Fried from 37signals, as well as a whole horde of local bloggers. Online networking, a new thing to us, became order of the day, and we started having coffee with luminaries across the blogging board – including David Duarte, Jon Cherry and Arthur Goldstuck.
Now, heading quickly into 2008, we realise that the look and feel needed an update. The Ideators got together for a brainstorm and we decided to step it up a level. We figured we’d flex our WordPress muscles, as well as push the creative envelope. The end result is what you see before you, with the thought process as follows:
- Design with a more magazine-like feel
- NOT ‘Web 2.0′ (mirrors and metallic shadows)
- We wanted something maybe a bit more real and edgy
- South African in flavour
- A mix of old and new
- A tighter set of categories
- Banner advertising (yes, yes, we know… the thing has to pay for itself somehow…!)
- The Ideatevision for our favourite vids
Phew! So there it is. Let us know what you think – we’d love to hear your feedback, comments and suggestions on content.
Fred Roed is the marketing guy in the Ideate crew. Fred is the CEO of web marketing company World Wide Creative and the co-founder of online learning portal Heavy Chef. Fred loves writing about people out there doing marketing right. Follow Fred on Twitter here. View more articles by Fred Roed.
Dave
Oct 19th, 2007
Congrats on building this remarkable blog. I think it’s a significant asset. The new design looks BRILLIANT chaps! Well done!
ps. my blog url is daveduarte.co.za (not davidduarte.co.za). “luminary” *tee hee*
Tyler
Oct 19th, 2007
It looks really good, great job guys.
Fred
Oct 19th, 2007
Thanks guys.
(Dave, change made. Thanks for the heads up.)
Norio
Oct 20th, 2007
I reckon it’s waaaaay to busy. But to each his own.
yasser
Oct 21st, 2007
Yasser likes your new Look!!
and he thinks its a 5 start design,
Awesome!
Mark
Oct 21st, 2007
Love it guys. Very uniquely South African.
Not working properly in Firefox though, which is where I saw your site first. The television is half cut off and there is a big white space below it, before the search box.
Bruce
Oct 22nd, 2007
Guys
Great stuff.
I think that anything with a SA flavour today will bring good feelings. I think you have done a great job of diverting from the ‘norm’ and created a new dimension of thinking – hey it is ok to be different and it looks good.
One comment on the Beer ad – what has happened to this old (good feeling) type of adverts. Why do we now have to revert to the confusion of misinformation and conflict that is then qualified in small white script at the bottom of the screen that not even I can read on my 72 inch set. What has happened to authentic solid honest marketing and relationship building?
Mark
Oct 22nd, 2007
Hey guys, your site is looking great and I think you’ve really achieved what you set out to do in terms of your redesign. Looking forward to some great content!