Justin, to my eye, your urge to pep up the GoMa page is a good intuition. However, I don't think your change in font styles is the the answer. Dot is right, in that your serifed style, “is not as legible as the current design...†Contrarily, your new type face in the logo at the top (moved to the right) does not seem to violate too much the sans serifed style of the existing body, and it adds a bit of relief. It gives the whole page just a hint of designed intervention.
That said, You and I must realize that functional legibility in type, once achieved, does not necessarily bring about an interesting page. The Maintainers seem to be of a different mind, but for me, if Justin wants to improve the Maintainer's page (really guys, there is room for improvement) it should be done as a matter of page design more than as type design, or even color design, alone.
The standard GoMa page is composed of two horizontal bands at the top and one at the bottom. This does a good job of basic formatting for all pages using this form. It is has a variable body in between, in whic a variety of verticals may take place without violating the basic format. [Hmm. That was a gob of 'v' words in that sentence.] So, it is in this area of the body where improvements might more easily be made.
And indeed, it is the design of the body which might bring about a sexier looking page in general, while maintaining the general control now offered.
One suggestion: Subdivide the body into three columns:
This could be done by moving the left margin in, and using that extra space for headers;
Generally, the headers in brown type could start where they now do, while sub heads would move over in line with the newly indented margin;
This would give the body three vertical columns, but each column should be of a different size – using a proportionally significant relationship between them;
Another suggestion would be the possibility of using larger main headers font sizes, effectively introducing another size of header. I say this in order to break the blandness of the current body.
**********************************************
THE CONTRARY ARGUMENT:
The GoMa does not seem to want a sexy looking page, but being engineer-oriented guys, they want a sober presence. They want to look somber and down-to-earth to get across their investigative persona.
Of course, this vision is also the same one a cop would have, and they may find it difficult to be convincing: That they are the new maintainers – while wearing the same old stern clothes?
*********************************************
THE RESULT
So, Justin, does this sort of analysis give you any new ideas?
And don't let the Maintainer's glum face put you off; they are not the only ones who do not smile on change; they would not even be the only ones to refuse suggestions made by outsiders – if indeed they wind up doing this.
For me, the question is: Can you make a designed page body (assumed improvement) but which does not seem frivolous and out of character with the Maintainer's preferred persona?
by Justintime9 » Mon May 19, 2008 7:41 pm 
