When I decided that I needed to re-redesign SBH, I did so with the understanding that it wasn’t just new headers or a banner image that needed to be changed, but rather the layout, and probably more importantly, the entire site architecture of Southbound Home, and so I went back to the drawing boards. I suppose I should first explain what I mean when I use the term site architecture. I’m simply referring to the decision of what should or should not be included in the content that is published on SBH, how that content is stored within the content management system (CMS) that is being used (Wordpress, in this case), and where that content falls within the site based on it’s ‘importance (I’m not naive enough to believe that any of the content that is on SBH is truly important based on Webster’s definition, I’m referring rather to it’s importance in relation to the other content on the site)’.

I spent a few days sketching out my new plans, focusing on three key elements:

• Arranging the site so that it was easier to navigate, with less redundancy of information.
• Uncluttering the design, specifically the home page, so that only the most important elements remained above the fold (i.e., within the part of the screen that requires no vertical scrolling to see).
• Simplifying the code used to build the site in the process, removing all tables and building a CSS driven layout.

The elements listed above are so intertwined that it’s virtually impossible to NOT expound on them all at the same time. The layout that I came up with, the one that I like to call Version 4.1, was actually pretty simply created. Looking below, you can see that the layout is separated into four main sections, which I’ve outlined (click the picture to see it full-sized):

The header and footer are outlined in red, the primary content is highlighted in yellow, and the secondary content is highlighted in in green. The header and footer are pretty traditional design elements, and while some people have been moving away from larger headers, and moving to larger footers, I decided to stay with something simple and traditional. I wanted to the header to draw the readers’ eye, and I wanted to simplify my footer, including only what I thought were the most important ‘footer elements’, such as a link to my site’s XHTML and CSS Validation, it’s RSS links, and my newly created Frequently Asked Questions page. As far as the secondary information, I wanted to keep my ‘Accolades’ incorporated into the site, for the simple reason that they make me laugh, and the Lagniappe and SEC Football sections were two categories of the blog that I wanted to be included on the home page, but which were, to me, different from th e rest of the posts in the blog. Next, looking at the primary content more closely (Once again, click the picture for the full-sized version):

Once again, the primary content is highlighted in yellow, and the secondary content in green. This time, however, the red elements are navigational elements within the section. As you can see, the above the fold section of the new design is drastically different from the old design, as well as the first redesign. It’s simplified, and uncluttered, but it contains more relevant information (i.e., more content from the most recent post), while still allowing for the other important elements (pictures, menu to other site pages, and a list of other recent posts) to be easily found and navigated through. The site is also fully CSS based in it’s layout, with all of the tables that were initially defining different elements and sections of the site replaced by clean XHTML mark-up, and structured by CSS elements.

Looking Forward

So in conclusion, am I happy with the design of the site? I am. Will I redesign again soon? Of course I will. That is, among other things, the reason for the site. To test, and learn, and try new things. Also, I’m the most indecisive person in the world, I believe. What appeals to me on Monday will be driving me crazy by Friday. In fact, I’ve already got preliminary plans in my head for the new and improved, again, Southbound Home. It’s only natural. I’ve got to have something to do when it’s not football season.