In search for a good site header (hello graphicians!)

Started by Saga Musix, March 17, 2010, 17:49:00

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Saga Musix

So I'm currently working on getting openmpt.com functional. Part of that is creating a new front page. I have settled with a rather simple page layout.



I guess it's really obvious that the header is currently looking... sub-par, to say the least. It's looking boring and uninspiring. I am not a very good graphician myself, but I know that some people here are good at stuff like this, or at least know people who could be interested in doing it. So what I need is a sleek background and probably a revamped logo - but if the current logo fits your background, there's no need to rework it.
The header area is 920x210 (the 210 pixels height is a maximum, less is possible) and should preferrably stay rather pale and the colours should be "compatible" with the rest of the site. Here's also the logo as it's currently used in that template, as well as a pattern and a sample:

http://sagamusix.de/openmpt/download/logo-less-bright.svg
http://sagamusix.de/openmpt/download/logo-less-bright.eps
http://sagagames.de/ithumb/show/patterns2389ku97.png
http://sagagames.de/ithumb/show/samples3865jr63.png

In general, I think it would be nice to have some patterns and sample waveforms in the header, but how you do that is totally up to you.
It would also be a good idea to keep the logo separate from the background, so that I can include it as a separate graphic file, but that's not mandatory (but it would be better).

If anyone would like to have a go at it, please don't hesitate to do so, I'm looking forward to your ideas! :)
» No support, bug reports, feature requests via private messages - they will not be answered. Use the forums and the issue tracker so that everyone can benefit from your post.

psishock

hmmm, some sketches, take ya pick


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I'm as calm as a synth without a player.  (Sam_Zen)

Saga Musix

Hmm. That's a bit "normal". I could do that myself. :D
I wouldn't include the main slogan ("OpenMPT.com etc") in the image. "discover the music inside", on the other hand, might be included in the picture like it's done on modplug.com.
Some advices:
- turn the patterns by some degrees!
- apply some effects! make it abstract, but not too distracting. just like the different startup logos MPT had in the past.
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psishock

abstract/artistic enough?


hmm, mayb i should stick with music, and leave these stuff to youngsters.
I'm as calm as a synth without a player.  (Sam_Zen)

Saga Musix

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Saga Musix

I can't help it, but the colours fit really well! :P

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Snu

LOL, that should be an easter egg... like if you click a random spot on the page, the header turns into that.

anyway, ill see if i can come up with anything, ill probably do something in blender

Snu

ok, got a test render:


also, if anyone's interested, i made a desktop bg of the 3d logo
http://www.snuq.com/temp/mpt3dlogoonlyv1.png

if anyone has any suggestions on improving it, or if you want the .blend file, let me know.

LPChip

Quote from: "Snu"ok, got a test render:


also, if anyone's interested, i made a desktop bg of the 3d logo
http://www.snuq.com/temp/mpt3dlogoonlyv1.png

if anyone has any suggestions on improving it, or if you want the .blend file, let me know.

Snu, it seems a bit blurry or something. As if its a bit out of focus. This makes it a bit painful on my eyes as if my brain wants to focus on it, but can't. Can you somehow sharpen the edges so it seems more focused?
"Heh, maybe I should've joined the compo only because it would've meant I wouldn't have had to worry about a damn EQ or compressor for a change. " - Atlantis
"yes.. I think in this case it was wishful thinking: MPT is makng my life hard so it must be wrong" - Rewbs

Snu

hmm, seems the default oversampling mode in blender is a bit weird with smaller images, changed the mode and re-rendered:


also made a couple different sized renders for the wallpaper
1600x1200, which it was originally supposed to be at, but i forgot to switch back the render size, and 1280x800 for my laptop's screen:
http://www.snuq.com/temp/mpt3dlogoonlyv11600x1200.png
http://www.snuq.com/temp/mpt3dlogoonlyv11280x800.png

LPChip

"Heh, maybe I should've joined the compo only because it would've meant I wouldn't have had to worry about a damn EQ or compressor for a change. " - Atlantis
"yes.. I think in this case it was wishful thinking: MPT is makng my life hard so it must be wrong" - Rewbs

Saga Musix

Interesting...


Some more ideas:
- I guess the background could be a tad brighter
- The font doesn't fit too well imho. Maybe some kind of "tech" font would fit better?
- Maybe some kind of motion blur effect would look nice on the background

But this is definietely a step into the right direction. I especially like the waveform on the logo, that is a fantastic idea!

BTW: It might be better to turn off resampling on the pattern texture on the wallpaper picture - i guess a blocky image would look far better than one with poor resampling.
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Rakib

I know this thread is only for header help, but the suggested header size is way to big. If you think about most netbooks have the resolution 1024x210. So this means that over 1/3 of the screen would just be the header with no use.

I have made a proposal on the layout. Maybe this would be a better use of space? It's very simple since I only have MS paint but you'll get the idea.

^^

Saga Musix

well, i guess the header could be decreased in height a bit (like 920x180 or something), that's no problem - i just took the resolution that was already there. The width is perfectly OK for 1024*x displays, so I won't change the column layout. And since the "my account/whatever" stuff will only be visible for administrators, it will stay in the side column as well.
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Paul Legovitch

I agree with Rakib, the header is too big for 1024*768 (17" monitors are still in use) as windows usually have borders and 1024 images create an annoying scrollbar at the bottom. I think a little header is always best (I like the 2-parts renoise logo).
Also I'm not a big fan of the flashy red :evil:
Here's a more "calm" color scheme :

(of course It's not a header, it's a splash screen I made for fun a few month ago. ;) )