It was time for a makeover here at Vardy.me.
I’ve been using the Thesis theme for what seems like forever, but with the lack of progress on making it more suitable for tablet and mobile viewing, it was time for me to make a change to something that would.1
Enter Genesis.
The framework is super-responsive and now my weblog is (hopefully) going to be that much easier to read on mobile devices. I’m using one of the newest child themes known as Balance — and it’s pretty darn ideal for what I have going on here. The changes are subtle but solid, and overall I’m pretty pleased with the outcome.
But there’s still a lot of work to do…and it will be a work in progress.
Having used Thesis for so long, I was used to how it handled imagery, header tags and the like. Genesis is not terribly different — but also not too similar, either. So there will be some growing pains as I navigate through the new framework — and go back and fix up some older posts. Some of the things I have to get used to include:
- Image sizing
- Sidebar sizing
- The new widget layout
- …among other little things.
The things I want to get rid of include:
- The author attribution. (I think we all know who’s writing here.)
- The old “Subscribe via Email” widget
- Any plugins I no longer need (I think I might be able to get rid of a Feedburner one now, but i’m still not sure…)
A New Header
You’ll also notice a brand-spanking new Vardy.me header with a new look and tagline. I wanted something a bit more unique and I think this does the trick. I’d love to get feedback on it…I did it myself and think I didn’t do too badly. Eventually I’ll get someone to do a better one, but I think this one is the best I’ve had so far.
The tagline also got a redo. I went with a simpler one that would still fit the motif of the site (and fit underneath my surname), and think it is about as simple as it gets. I’m no longer really “musing” here; I’m flat out writing.
Awaiting Feedback
I’d love to hear your thoughts on what’s been and suggestions on what I need to do. I’m no designer; I’m a writer. I’ll listen and absorb all of it — and use what I can to make Vardy.me look and feel better for you, the reader.
So fire away. I’m all ears.
Photo credit: Ingrid Richter (CC BY 2.0)
1Credit where credit is due: Chris Smith and Michael Schechter either posted an article about the topic or did an overhaul themselves that I became envious of.
