Men with Pens, the Drive-By, and Blog Banners
“Bob.”
“- - - -”
“Bob!”
“- - - -”
“BOB!”
“Uh, ah! Wha? Hooz air?”
“It is I, your writing muse, eh?”
“Dude. It’s like 5:30. Can’t you muse later? And when did you get the Canadian accent?”
“Never mind that, hoser. I bring you great inspiration from beyond.”
“OK, if I listen, will you go away so I can go back to sleep?”
“Only if you write it down.”
“My pen’s in the other room. I’ll remember.”
“Are you SURE? You remember what happened with that hottie from Topeka. ‘I’ll remember her phone number’ you said.”
“Dude. I’m sure. Now get musing or I’m calling the cops. ”
“OK, cool. So, I think you should begin all of your blog posts with an amusing conversation. It’ll draw your readers in, and by the time the conversation is over they’ll be hooked.”
“You. woke. me. up. for. THIS?!??! Get OUT! James and Harry have been doing that for ages! It’s not a bad schtick, but I am horrible with dialogue. I’m like George Lucas. (Remember that one? ‘I’m so beautiful because I’m so in love?!?’ GORRAMIT, GEORGE, WHAT WAS THAT?!?)
Now, you GET the FRACK OUT before I call the border patrol!”
—–
I have to say, I’m thoroughly happy with the drive-by website review James and Harry did for me last Sunday. Their criticisms were insightful and demonstrate a real engagement with the site. These guys really want you to know what is good, bad and ugly about a site when they do a drive-by.
I’ve also seen some of their work on my new friends’ sites, including:
If you’re in the market for blog redesign, consultation or even writing, you can’t go wrong with Men with Pens. And, no; I’m not getting paid for this in any way at all. I just believe in these guys. Even if they are Canadian.
At any rate, one of the biggest complaints I’ve had, both from MWP and from the March Madness writing blog contest over at Writers Resource Center has been the canned banner that comes with this theme. I make no claims to being a graphic designer, or having a good eye for graphic design. I can write about graphic design if you want me to, but I don’t have the necessary taste.
My wife, though, tends to have a better eye for such things. Plus, she’s becoming a Photoshop junkie. So, I’ve asked Angie to design an alternative banner. We’ve got a couple of ideas so far. There will be one change, and that’s the font. We’re going to switch “The Writing Journey” to a standard, more readable font, but keep the tagline as is.
Here is the first:
And the second:
If you can’t see them that well, they are clickable.
If you’ve got the time, let me know which you prefer and why, or if you think I should just save up and pay Harry and James to do it (Harry and James, I know your vote. hush-up.) I’d greatly appreciate the feedback!
Update: I’ve decided to leave the banner as-is for now, and revisit the question in a few months. - Bob
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20 Responses to “Men with Pens, the Drive-By, and Blog Banners”
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Of the two, I like the second one. But I’m not convinced you should be finished with your search. I hope that was honest and friendly enough?
I like the look of the second one better, though its brightness makes the small line of text very harder to read. Also, typo in “achieve”.
I’m not big on using Photoshop filters, so I’d lose the first one. The second one is the better of the two, just try out some different typefaces.
The key to coming up with something original is to work up as many different designs as you can. Do 50 or more. You’ll find that you’ll start off by doing the obvious (like the hands on the keyboard) and end up with ideas that are totally out there, but original.
Or just get Men with Pens to do it.
Hi Bob,
I’d say go with the second one, it seems clearer to me and easier on the eyes.
(PS - thanks for the link out!)
Hi Bob,
I learned from your drive-by too. Like you I am definitely not a graphic artist but of the two you presented, number two is my pick. It’s clearer. I would also play around with the font. Kudos to Angie!
Yo Bob, whassup bro
Get your ass into gear and shift tha banner from yo post. Hey man, really dug your post. I dig the second pic man since I can actually see what it is.
Would change the tagline to a stronger color (a little hard to see without putting on my spectacles)
High fives bro, over and out.
Okay. If you were over at the comments on Men with Pens, you know how I feel about telling strangers they’ve got something in their teeth, right? So I say this in that gentle, no-big-deal fashion:
You’ve got it spelled ‘acheive.’ Ought to be ‘achieve.’
And I totally know you know that.
I like the second one, but I think something needs to be done about the font, because I’m sort of losing it against the skin tone color. Maybe bigger, maybe a different font, maybe a different color? Not sure. Not at all graphically inclined, I. Just a horrible spelling Nazi. Forgive me.
P.S. I liked the dialogue. I was totally hooked. Do it again!
*waits patiently until he’s been given permission to speak…*
Silly polite Canadians…
Permission granted.
*ducks*
Disclaimer: I think your wife is very lovely and I adore how friendly and warm she looks. I think she’s fantastic for supporting you and wanting to help out.
Disclaimer Two: I am not a jerk or an asshole because I do not nod and smile politely. I’m a pretty nice guy. I hope. I think. I just have strong opinions. Please don’t think I’m a jerk.
It’s not a good idea to place font over an image, especially a script font. The font becomes illegible, and would still be hard to read even if it were black.
The image is too big and too overpowering. Hands are all you see. It would be better to find a smaller, more subtle image to tuck in a corner and leave the font on a solid background.
The image itself is quite busy. You have hands, fingers, keyboard, individual letters… there’s a lot to take in on that picture. It also doesn’t quite convey a strong message - it doesn’t mean anything or represent anything to my mind beyond “person typing”.
It’s a better idea to find a photo that makes you think, “Oh yeah. That’s Bob.” Not as in YOU but as in an image that represents your personality, or your work or the stance you take in life. You’re a single person, so you have to work on branding yourself and your business.
Also, your blog is about your business. If you were shopping for freelance writers, and you landed on this site, would you hire yourself?
*creeps off quietly feeling guilty*
I have to suggest changing the font. It is very dated and to unsubstantial for a header.
Consider your banner your logo. In that case, I have to suggest professional design.
Great post and gracious consideration of criticism.
Bob,
in case my comment was too subtle, I agree with James.
James, that was nicely said and he did ask for opinions, and I just got some good advice and education from that response myself. Please don’t feel guilty……
Wendi Kelly’s last blog post..In the Silence are the Answers…
Thank you all for your thoughts, they are helpful! Even yours, James. No need to creep off, either. Your thoughts were very useful and appreciated, truly.
In some ways, being on a 3 hour delay is a good thing.
(Insert all of James’ disclaimers here)
James pretty much said everything I would have said and now here are my thoughts:
Let go of the font. I know you like it, but you have to set it free. It’s too thin and light to make much of an impact.
I love Photoshop filters (Alien Skin has some great ones) but you have to know how and when to use them. The polarization is interesting, but the reflection on the ring is distracting.
If I were you, I’d spend some time searching out a good image to use. If you want to use an image that fills the banner, make sure it has plenty of open space to include text.
Think about the elements that come with the theme too. There’s that little logo square that you can use to add some depth to the banner using a gif with a transparent background.
I like working with this theme simply because the banner area is so large and it’s a single image. Gives you lots of space to stretch out and be creative. Take advantage of it.
Harrison McLeod’s last blog post..Who Would You Thank for Helping You Get Where You Are?
James says it all. No type over a picture because it makes it harder to read. In that way, the image is overcomplicated. While it is well composed, it doesn’t work as a website banner.
Trisha Bartle’s last blog post..8 Interesting Things About Trisha
James is spot on, and I’d like to second WW’s comment about multiple design concepts. I unearthed some of my old design notebooks (took 2.5 years of graphic design before switching to technical writing as my major) during the move. It’s like a game of word association, taking an element in one design and spinning it off into another. Many times the final concepts had very little that connected them to the first few I would sketch out. It’s a tough exercise; I have the tendency to get stuck on early designs, but pushing past them really opens up some possibilities you wouldn’t normally think of.
Kameron’s last blog post..Relvan reworked
Hi Bob,
Long-time reader, first-time commenter. (Should that be hyphenated?) I agree with the folks who say the image isn’t quite right. The only other thing I noticed is really small. It’s the “to” in your tagline. Will you lose anything by dropping it? So it would read “Helping Internet writers achieve their dreams.” Just reads a little more smoothly to me.
Of course, you may not want to listen to me on grammar things because I have hyphen issues. Enjoyed your sense of humor about the drive-by and agree with Tei on the dialogue.
Cara’s last blog post..Name your chickens (and your pigs and your cows)
I prefer the first one, the one that’s on top. The silver-lining effect of the hand over the keyboard reminds me of what usual writers experience, that is, writing late in the evening. It’s the kind of feeling that resonates in my mind once I’ve seen the picture. It reminds me of the moment when I just woke up late in the evening just to write something, or those nights when I hurriedly finishes a paper that will be passed in the morning. It captures the experience. While the other one seems so simplistic and doesn’t have any effect at all.
@ Harry - I leave filters and elements and aliens to the wife. I’m in a different world altogether! I like your suggestion about the logo square.
@ Trisha - Thanks for your input. I am really beginning to agree with y’all on type over pictures.
@ Kam - I never knew that about you. That’s really neat, and I like the word association analogy.
@ Cara - Welcome, welcome! Hyphenate or don’t. I don’t mind in the least bit. I’ve struggled with the “to.” Grammatically, it’s more correct, but it does seem awkward. I may yet drop it.
@ VA08 - Thanks for your thoughts. I like your take on it, and I’ll factor that in. I had the same feeling, that late-night writing thing.
Thanks, again, for your responses. I really, genuinely, deeply appreciate the constructive criticisms!
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