Hello again everyone! How have you been? It’s been a busy time for all of us, and after a couple months of not updating this blog like I used to normally — I’m back, and Asnio is back in full swing.
There has always been a lot of plans I wanted to carry out here but never got around to in the summer. I plan to carry these things out this upcoming season however, and there will be more on that stuff later. But, I have exciting news for you now:
The New Design
Yes, if you haven’t noticed, the new design I have been tweeting about for the last few days on Twitter has finally been put up. I started the design back in July, but never finished it. At first I was going to release it for free at Blogussion, but as I started working on it more I decided it would be a great way to refresh Asnio for when I go back to working here. But there is more planned for this design later.
So the one thing I focused on with this design is navigation. Navigation is an important part of a blog, and I felt like the tiny nav bar at the top of the blog in the previous design wasn’t doing much.
New Navigation vs. old
As you can now see, the navigation bar sticks out much more than it previously did and looks much more appealing. In the blue bar, I have placed the pages on my blog that you can access, like learning about me, or my pile of free stuff. Below that are some of the categories on the blog where the most interesting content is placed. You can of course see the full list of categories in the new, gorgeous footer.
Right below the navigation to the right of the page I have used the Multimedia box feature in Thesis to create a random rotating images section where I have included three banners to different places on the blog that I want you to visit the most:
- Thesis Thursday — A weekly series dedicated to the Thesis framework
- Freebies — A place where I throw stuff I make for you to download. And it’s all free, hence the creative title.
- Young Bloggers — A weekly series where a new young blogger is interviewed.
New Footer, Better Steroids
I still have the same awesome footer in effect here (want it?), but it’s amped up a lot. It now spans across the page, holds much more relevant content and just looks a lot better overall.
A new feature I added to it is really cool, the smooth scrolling feature. It’s at the very bottom right of it, and if you click it, you will go to the top but it will be a much smoother ride if you understand what I’m saying.
Content Navigating
I made getting to more content a lot easier than before. I decided it would be a lot better to get rid of all featured posts and setting all of my posts to display as teasers. Now, more content can fit on the page and the size of the scrollbar is slimmer.
I decided to go a little more magazine like in the sidebar and put the latest post from specific categories in the sidebar. I use an incredible plugin by an amazing blog — Latest Posts by Category which is just an incredible plugin that is easy to use and style.
Look Around, Stay for a while. Grab the feed
Well, the Patriots game is starting right about now and I have to go. Rather than writing about every single thing I did here and why — I think you should go look around the blog. It’s quite easy to get around too, as you will soon find out.
Have fun, and go Pats!
{ 30 comments… read them below or add one }
It’s amazing how powerful subtle gradients can be when combined with a well-planned design. Welcome back
.-= Willie Jackson´s last blog ..Drinking the Corporate Kool-Aid =-.
Thanks Willie! Gradients do a lot of talking, and even two or three well placed ones can really do a lot visually.
.-= Alex´s last blog ..Refresh your Blogging Process in 4 Steps =-.
Yet another brilliant design from Alex. Fantastic work yet again – no question who I’m picking for my next design job.
Love the colors & layout on this one. Do you have a full-fledged portfolio site set up yet? If not you should – your work would speak for itself, and get you more business than you could probably handle.
.-= Simple Llama´s last blog ..SingleTasker Saturday – Banana Slicer =-.
Thanks a lot, I really appreciate the comment.
I don’t have my portfolio up quite yet, but even without it I am receiving more than I can handle! I actually have a few people on a waiting list because I am so busy, I can’t imagine how it will be WITH a portfolio up!
.-= Alex´s last blog ..Refresh your Blogging Process in 4 Steps =-.
Hey Alex! I know I’ve told you this before, but your work is incredible! You know how you should free up time for more clients? Start charging more. Seriously, dude. I’m not sure how much you charge, but if you have too many clients, raise ‘em up! It’ll still be worth it to them.
Plus, having a 16 year old develop their site adds a unique story to their company. In other words, it differentiates them from their competitors. Don’t sell yourself short, bud.
Another option is to hire and train one of your friends. More complicated though. And it’ll take them a long time to learn what you know.
I really enjoy following your story, Alex. Keep it up!
.-= Nick Tart | JuniorBiz´s last blog ..Don’t Buy a Book Without Finding Where It’s Cheapest =-.
Thanks Nick, glad you like the design!
I did just raise my price, and I am still unsure if I want to keep going. I have decided to only work with three clients at a time so I can free up my time for blogging and other things.
I think people enjoy working with me, and being young just makes it all the more interesting!
.-= Alex´s last blog ..Refresh your Blogging Process in 4 Steps =-.
It was a nice idea to explain the nitty-gritty details of your Design and the reasoning behind it.
Good job!
.-= Ashwin´s last blog ..Thesis Theme : Setup Pagination on Home Page =-.
Thanks for dropping by Ashwin, glad you like the design!
.-= Alex´s last blog ..Refresh your Blogging Process in 4 Steps =-.
It looks nice and fresh, maybe I will take some of the ideas to my blog, lol
.-= George Serradinho´s last blog ..Thesis 1.6 Beta – Custom File Editor =-.
Well George, nothing in the past seemed to have stop you from taking my ideas and code and then writing them as your own on your blog, so I wont be surprised. But all I have to say to you is start coming up with your own ideas, because one day you are going to steal the wrong thing from the wrong person and you will regret it.
Hey Alex, NICE DESIGN!!!
You must have got some ideas from my site
Anyway loving the top navigation. I think your site designs are the best Thesis work I’ve seen. Clean code, original designs, good use of colour the list goes on.
Anyone who buys Thesis could learn a lot from you.
Keep Keeping On!
.-= David´s last blog ..How to Secure Your Gmail Account =-.
Hey Alex,
Dead link in the footer: http://asnio.com/teentrepreneurship/
Thought you should know.
Dave
.-= David´s last blog ..How to Secure Your Gmail Account =-.
Thanks David! Yeah, I may have gone a little overboard in taking ideas from your site, but I think everything is all good.
:p
And that link is dead for now, but I made it months back and planned on adding a post to it that ended up only half written. :S
.-= Alex´s last blog ..Refresh your Blogging Process in 4 Steps =-.
The design looks great Alex. Nice work and welcome back
Thanks a lot Abdel, it means a lot!
I must say the new look is great. It feels open, kind of like a happy feeling.
.-= Deneil Merritt´s last blog ..Flashback Monday – 100th Blog Post, Affiliate Program, & Super Mario Bros Z =-.
I’m glad my designs can have that kind of effect on people. Thanks for dropping by Deneil.
Hey Alex, did you build this template yourself or did you buy it? If you bought it – where did you get it from? Cheers!
.-= Alex @ Storm Shadow Costumes´s last blog ..Childs Storm Shadow Costumes =-.
I modified a version of Thesis.
.-= Alex´s last blog ..7 Lucky SEO Tools for Your Blog =-.
I thought, you installed a new pre-designed blog theme. It’s good to know that , it is your own customized work.
Thanks! Yeah, I’m really not into using premade themes now that I know how to do them for myself. All I need is a good framework, and I’m all set to start up on a new theme!
.-= Alex´s last blog ..7 Lucky SEO Tools for Your Blog =-.
Hi Alex, definitely a great design! Only a site with as much content as yours could pull this design off and your site does it with ease. Keep up the great work, the wonderful articles, and the beautiful designs. You are definitely making an impact on the web, and the WordPress and Thesis communities
.-= Jermaine´s last blog ..Are Premium Themes Worth Buying? =-.
Thanks Jermaine!
I love using those little Thesis thumbnails on my blog, and I have always constructed the theme here around them.
.-= Alex´s last blog ..7 Lucky SEO Tools for Your Blog =-.
Alex,
Came across your site via a tweet from a colleague. I’m impressed with your Thesis and design skills. Also, the content on the site is engaging. Hat tip to you young man.
Would be great to collaborate with you sometime.
Keep up the good work.
Best regards,
Bert
(aka Berchman)
.-= Bert´s last blog ..A good week for links =-.
Thanks for stopping by Bert! Really glad you like the design here, means a lot coming from another DoubleMule Designer.
.-= Alex´s last blog ..7 Lucky SEO Tools for Your Blog =-.
I’m very happy to have found your site! Thanks for all the great info.
It’s great design. Thank you for your useful contents..
Cheers!
.-= Taufiq Hasan´s last blog ..Fake Google Adsense Income! =-.
Well the new layout is just so awesome….loved it…!!..great going Alex.!
You are one talented kid. Beautiful design!
.-= Peter´s last blog ..Blueprint For How To Make Money With A Blog: Creating Content, Optimizing SEO And Promoting Your Site =-.
Alex,
I can’t seem to see your nav bar (using Firefox). Perhaps it’s gone since you wrote this article, or its my browser or you aren’t displaying it for some reason?
.-= Somone | Thesis Theme HQ´s last blog ..Photoshop Header Logo Design: Hand Drawn Illustrations For Beginners =-.