Announcement | Explaining the Changes
What the hell have you done?
Explaining the changes…
Site redesigns are always a touchy business. Will people like it? Will people hate it? Editor Lewis Denby explains why things are new.
So, Resolution looks slightly different. You noticed, then.
I’m always looking for ways to maintain Resolution Magazine’s rate of growth, and to ensure our ever-increasing readership – and anyone who might stumble upon the site for the first time – feels this is a place where they feel comfortable on the web. Of course, when you’re talking about comfort, making drastic changes is a risky business. Be hasty, do something wrong, and the whole feel of a publication has collapsed.
I’m confident this isn’t the case here. For the past month, we’ve been working away behind the scenes to reskin Resolution in order to give it a new, smart, professional aura. Certain changes are cosmetic – the way the bulk of the front page is presented, for example. Others are to assist navigation. You might notice there’s a sidebar login now available. Why not register, so you don’t keep having to type in your details every time you leave a comment? Further changes have been made behind the scenes, which have little effect on your reading experience but make it significantly less hassle for us to manage our content.
Work this way?
So. Do you like it? Don’t worry, we’re braced for the response. I’m fairly confident, though. The alterations were made through the feedback of community members, and the comments we’ve been receiving since the site changed over late last night have been almost exclusively positive. If you just hate the whole thing and want us to change back to how it was, well, tough luck, I’m afraid. The new look is here to stay. But if you have suggestions for further small tweaks, then absolutely tell us. We’re looking to implement a couple of new features and possibly make one further navigational change in the near future. Even though the bulk of the new look will remain the same from now on, we’re always open to suggestions for improvements.
One more thing you might notice: there’s a new site listed under Resolution Network on the right side of the website. Did we mention we’re having a baby? That’s right. B4HD, our new retro gaming blog, is due on Monday 19 April. We’ve already packed our overnight bags, and we can’t wait to be proud parents again.
And that’s that. A new look for Resolution Magazine, a new addition to the network, and – fingers crossed – many more moons of delightful content. We hope you’re here to stay.
The new look is pretty sweet.
The only thing I’d recommend changing would be to take the gradients out of the titles because it doesn’t really fit in and bigger pictures in the reviews would be cool.
Other than that it looks very nice.
I didn’t really notice the changes; it felt different, but I didn’t really know why until you posted this. Overall I’m pretty neutral on the changes.
Except one: the redesigned headline/thumbnails on the front page cause most headlines to feel like they’re obscuring half the picture or more: when the headline wraps to two lines, it is as high as the portion of the picture visible above. It feels a bit cramped as a result.
I agree that the gradients are rather grating. They don’t look very good on the new Steam, and they don’t look great here either. The monochrome look is already fantastic, and it would be a much better fit for titles.