UPDATE #2: A variant of the Grid Focus is now available for download. Feel free to visit the project page for details.
UPDATE #1: I’ve since updated. Feel free to see a preview of Gridded Focus on Flickr.
I spent some time today today making use of some new Moleskine Gridded Journals, a mechanical pencil, TextMate, MAMP, and Transmit to get Grid Focus from paper to front page finished product in about 12 hours. I’d like to take the time to thank the amazing Mr. Vinh for helping me realize a few important points - via email, and Mr. Watson for allowing me to use the helpful grid background. Make sure to check out Vinh Khoi’s Grid Computing…and design.
I decided that it was time for a 5thirtyone.com refresh. For a number of months, I had successfully used and shared the October Special WordPress theme. Although the theme featured SEO optimization by Neil of Pronet Advertising, and a number of contextual advertisement placement opportunities, I was not content.
I wanted to be able to write - both shorts and longer entries. Due to the presentation of the theme, and my own anal-retentiveness, the layout demanded lengthy posts which matched or exceeded the height of the sidebar in order to look "balanced". Anyone who has or is using the theme will surely agree. The demand to write longer entries dissuaded me from updating the site on a regular basis - which explained the dry content periods.
So what was there to do? A full refresh. The creation of a layout that would be both forgiving and open to accepting shorter posts when laziness overcomes all that is blog-productive.
Inspired by content-rich grid focused sites such as the New York Times & Subtraction, the result is Grid Focus - a layout which imitates the background image used to aid in lining-up various elements.
Next on the blog house-cleaning list? The age-old question concerning time limited discussions (comments) on older posts. I’ve received a rather noticeable number of repeat comments on older posts due to some readers neglecting to take the time to read. I’ve contemplated this topic before, and find myself mulling over the idea again. I’ll follow-up the time-locked comments discussion with a realignment & refresh of older public themes and their distribution method(s).
60 Comments
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Great redesign Derek! I think I’m going to need a refresh my blog soon as well.
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Nice. I like the heavy display of content, very well organized.
Left aligned though? Just curious why.
Interested to hear more about time-locked comments and how you plan to solve the repeating comment problem.
Glad the moleskins payed off… Wish I had the time to refresh mine.
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Derek, the design looks great. Coincidentally, I just put up a new design for LifeClever today as well.
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Left-aligned only because all of my previous re-alignments have been centered. Concerning the comments, I’ve done some homework and am aware of a few plugins that can assist in locking comments on posts older than “x” days (where x is a number specified as 10, 15, 20, 30, etc). I may end up moving heavy commented posts to single pages with comments disabled.
Chanpory, nice to see that refresh on LifeClever. I probably would have seen it earlier had I actually opened my RSS reader today. I’m anticipating a couple hundred unread items to go through.
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Great re-design Derek, love the new look. Clean, simple, and sleek.
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Looks great as every theme you’ve designed before!
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Derek,
Congrats! I dig it. I think it works from what you were planning from step-1. Thanks for the inspiration… making me want to realign soon =)
BTW, WP to TextMate? Reasons, comparisons, and experiences so far?
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Excuse the last line, my brain isn’t functioning at the moment. Totally confused TextMate and TextPattern lol =)
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I knew as soon as the site loaded that you had been inspired by Khoi. Subtraction is certainly a prime example of fantastic typographic layout in minimalist fashion on the web, and this new design follows its lead very nicely.
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First thing that came to my mind was Subtraction as well. The new high-contrast look works well with your stuff and I love that with the new layout I can see what many posts at a time. I have to say I really didn’t like the old design because of the larger first post.
I’d like to see some real kind of archives page though. Categories can only do so much for me.
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I should have appended Archives to the todo list above. I completely agree, categories for archives just don’t cut it. I hope to get a matching archive.php page up some time to sort through the older stuff.
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Derek,
I’m stunned, actually. I love Khoi’s site, and now yours as well. Dare I say that this layout is more ‘readable’ to me, and well presented.
Unfortunate for me though, I was coming here to consider comments about the SEO-October release, which I installed last night. I was going to tweak it to look something more like this.
So I guess the question is. Any plans to release this as a WordPress theme? This is definitely more of what I’m after for the site that I’m trying to build.
Also - what plugins are you using? I haven’t been able to locate all the plugins that I notice people like you use, in regards to comments (the follow-up with email checkbox, little things like that). Thank you for any wisdom you might be able to bestow.
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Hmm, it’s good… but I’m not so sure about the left alignment. There’s all this spare space on the right of my screen now!
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This is amazing but it makes me think that im colorblind
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At this time, I can’t say whether or not this will be released as a download. Concerning your question about the plugins. There are three that I use consistently throughout which users are in contact with - Quoter, Subscribe to Comments, and Related Posts. Make sure to check out Riding shotgun next to WordPress where I include a few other plugins in use.
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Thank you so much for forwarding me to the plugin informations. That’s really helpful, and highly appreciated!
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Looks awesome actually, loving the grid work. Clean and simple with nice contrast.
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Derek,
Well done. This is a great example of grid based layout, and after reading Transcending CSS, it shines.
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Love it Derek! To present a totally tone-driven theme is extremely creative and skillful - I love how this theme brings out the colourful post images so strongly.
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I just finished up a re-design as well on my site. I was going to do a grid design also but i found it too complicated at the time. I really love what you did to the place man! Keep up the good work (and sharing thoughts
) It makes me want to refreshen the place as well, again.
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Derek,
Long time reader, first time comment.
This theme is so SICK!
Unbelievable, dude.
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Top stuff mate… One of the best b&w designs I have seen.
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The site really looks great… very content-oriented, just like what you were going for!
About the left alignment: I’d rather see the content center-aligned. It’s just my opinion, but I notice that when content is left-aligned, I tent to tilt my head which can cramp my neck.. and my style..
haha, anyways, great stuff! I will miss the horizontal layout, though!
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I love the new look, great work!
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Great work Derek… You’ve really knocked it out of the park with this redesign. How long did it take you?
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Thanks for the comments all. Concerning the left alignment again, I figured it would be safe to do so based on the browser stats for the site. Maybe I’ll run it center aligned on the next post.
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Very nice; I’m amazed that you got it done in only 12 hours. I sorta wish there was a little color to the design, but whatever.
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Looks really great as usual Derek. My only suggestion would have been to center the layout horizontally or make it fluid, however a fluid layout would pose problems when it comes to posting blogs with images in them. All-in-all, I think you did a great job though. The design and thinking process is top notch. Nice work!
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I love it. It looks great. The home page looks excellent. The header and footer are great. The sidebars are great. I promise I’m not brown-nosing.
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I think the left aligned layout is just fine, I have a MacBook with Safari full width of the screen and I don’t mind the extra space.
Love the re-align
Derek, good work, keep it up :).
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Love the new look Derek. It is right…or is that left in line with your content!
Good Work!
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Seriously amazing. Thank you for bringing design back!
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*Wonders what everyone would have said with a right-aligned layout*
Finally got around to putting up a simple archives page. Strange seeing that I’ve actually posted as much as I have on this site. Seeing everything presented as a list really puts the archives into perspective.
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Awesome! Thanks Derek, been wanting an archives page like that for a while now.
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For the record, the archive tab at the top of the page presents visitors with a list of categories & a link to the Basement while the footer link goes straight to it.
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great. like the white-grey! looking forward for the download-area!
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Hmm interesting design Derek, but im not sure if I really like this one a lot. I am used to your unique designs for wordpress, like sylvia’s site, see that was a unique design.
This one, it seems like every other design on the net. Hmm…all i would say is that you can do much better
Overall it was a nice design, hope to see more unique stuff from you soon
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Fantastic! I love the grid, grey & white scheme and overall feel.
My only concern is that I, too, have a left-aligned, black and white, griddy layout with similar navigation in the works for my own site. Damnit, I knew I should have had it up faster. XD
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Reminds me a lot of subtraction.net, but I think you did a great job of making everything work with the elements you got going on.
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Wow the new archive thing you implemented looks nice derek!!! It was that the theme was missing
Any plans on making this public? Would be really hot!
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nice design derek. once, I used your V.2 and october special, but there is bug about the commenting system. anyway, this grid background is quite fresh idea. great job!
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The commenting issue with V2 was sorted in the comments for that post. It had to do with the recent comments widget that is included with the Widgets plugin. Please keep V2 related comments on that associated thread.
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I have always been a big fan of your work Derek but when I saw the grid I wasint as amazed. You can do better than this.
And why does 5thirtyone look a hellova lot like http://subtraction.com/? A RIP????? Derek cmon!
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I don’t see how this is a rip? Subtraction set the standard IMO as far as B&W grids but that does not prevent others from looking for inspiration. If you read my post, I even emailed Vinh (Subtraction) directly in order to check if he would have any issues with my layout. The answer was no. Read posts & comments thoroughly before accusing someone of a rip.
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hey derek. also a long-time reader, first time poster here. i love the simplicity of this b/w theme. very elegant. have to say V2 is still my fave of all your designs, but your work continues to inspire and more than anything, i’m envious of your ability to crack off a new look in 12 hours! it takes me days and weeks sometimes, and it’s discouraging. course, i have an 8mo old daughter who takes up a lot of my time
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Man, I know exactly what you are talking about. Try doing it with a 2 1/2 and 1 year old. Ha.
Still lovin’ the theme Derek, might have to rip you. Bwahahahah.
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Wow I just noticed the background image on the new design, very slick. Amazing that you did this in 12 hours…
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Can download this theme?
I like it .
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No this isn’t a public theme.
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Since you changed layout, will the grid one become available for download?
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Will you ever be publishing the archives.php file publicly? I love your theme and use it on my site, but I really need an archives page. Please let me know.
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Check out Justin Blanton’s Smart Archives plugin.
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I love this theme! I used it for my Musicmagazine - great Work!
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amazing work…liked it alot.
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