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#181 2008-09-12 20:54:09
Re: TxP.com home page
Neko’s link to this copywriter showed Jennie Robinson and textmodern.com but that site redirects elsewhere. However I found this and she sounds like she knows what she is talking about. Perhaps a donation would be enough to tempt her to help out? What if I gathered all the copy together, all the links she needs and made it as simple as possible for her to see where we are at, so she can advise about what is good or bad or even rewrite the home page copy? Then someone very tactful can get in touch (if we can find a contact address/website). She has the advantage of knowing txp a bit and presumably about other CMS. Another copywriter might not know, or might charge at least $40 per hour (the cheapest I’ve seen after a little investigation), so would be more risky. We wouldn’t want the cheapest anyway as they might not be much better than us.
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#182 2008-09-13 13:15:22
Re: TxP.com home page
I’ve summarized attempts at home page copy in this overview so if you feel it needs changing or adding to, then please do so. Please note this is intended to make it easy for a professional copywriter to work with.
So what we need now is someone with great charm and tact to find Jennie Robinson or another copywriter who knows TXP and persuade her to advise us and if possible to write the elevator pitch. And if anyone would like to donate towards this, as Renobird suggested, then that would be an added incentive. Now is that a great opportunity for someone to positively change Textpattern for the better or what?
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#183 2008-09-14 00:22:54
Re: TxP.com home page
I had a play with the design: http://www.simplecandy.com/txphome/txp-home.html
I think the H1 is much better as the main brand logo, and i think dropping the border on the header has made it feel less cramped, and i also think you should use a subtle grey and have white ontop for emphasis of certain areas. x
~ Cameron
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#184 2008-09-14 01:51:02
Re: TxP.com home page
driz wrote:
I had a play with the design: http://www.simplecandy.com/txphome/txp-home.html
Nice, but isn’t Matthew officially doing the layout based on the content :) As he is a real pro in designing. Also remember default/official types and colors ;)
Last edited by Gocom (2008-09-14 01:51:25)
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#185 2008-09-14 01:57:31
Re: TxP.com home page
I wouldn’t call that layout Pro. In fact I think it’s quite poor and I prefer the current design over that proposed refresh. Also I have used official types? I used the Verdana type, but Lucida Grande is a much preferred type when available.
Last edited by driz (2008-09-14 01:57:45)
~ Cameron
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#186 2008-09-14 02:29:42
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#187 2008-09-14 14:57:11
Re: TxP.com home page
I just realised when looking at your version, Driz, that your Michelangelo copy (which is the same as Dave’s) uses ‘web publishers’ instead of ‘web designers’. I don’t know how I missed that before but it’s much better, imho.
Some of the wording in the carousel is mispelt misspelt or awkward so, fwiw, I offer these alternatives:
1 Start writing, skip the kerfuffle. When your site is built, you want to publish. So by default, Textpattern takes you right to the Write tab where you Just Write.
4 Build it once, use it many. Textpattern reduces clunky repetition and maximises managability through tags, Textile integrated syntax and more.
5 Overclock your CMS. While Textpattern is lightweight, lean and stable, there is a whole library of plugins and extensions available. Beef up your installation as much or as little as you like.
A pro copywriter would do it better but will one come to the rescue before it is too late?
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#188 2008-09-14 17:51:05
Re: TxP.com home page
Well I wasn’t fussed about the content, that’s up to the rest of the community. I was talking about the design, such as using a image for the H1 instead of using actual text, the brand logo MUST be present on the home page all else their is no brand awareness. Secondly the top border on the header made it feel cramped and killed the whitespace, especially when you already have a border on the body, so I made the yellow band a background and then added a subtle white line to make it more minimal.
But I still think this design sucks, I hope they have something better in development!
Last edited by driz (2008-09-14 18:13:02)
~ Cameron
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#189 2008-09-14 21:44:00
Re: TxP.com home page
Oh and here is a high quality version of the Txp logo: http://www.simplecandy.com/txphome/carver.png
~ Cameron
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#190 2008-09-15 03:58:03
Re: TxP.com home page
driz wrote
But I still think this design sucks, I hope they have something better in development!
Driz, you seem eager to be involved – and that’s awesome – but your approach needs a bit of refining.
A comment like the one you made above comes off as disrespectful, and probably won’t do much besides cause folks to lose respect for your opinion. Remember to treat others ideas/questions/requests-for-assistance with the same respect you want for yours.
“…And now children, we will read a story before nap time.”
- P
Last edited by renobird (2008-09-15 03:59:30)
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#191 2008-09-15 04:36:16
Re: TxP.com home page
renobird wrote:
“…And now children, we will read a story before nap time.”
Tommy-daddy, which story? May I deside? I wanna hear the story when Textpattern became the ruler of elves, which eventually caused the war where for a 347 days, Dean fighted agains enourmous army of WordPressians alongside the Carverharden’s Textpatternists.
Seriously speaking, cary on mates :)
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#192 2008-09-15 08:14:15
Re: TxP.com home page
Here’s an honest question: Textpattern didn’t have any slogan (whatever) before. Does it need one now? All signs seem to indicate not, so rather than recast the net for flashy fish, what if you just dropped the Michelangelo… lead-in, adjust the last sentence of the trailing paragraph (which was tied to the lead-in line) and let the paragraph stand on its own.
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(Ed. As recently added to the home drafting page, and initially conceived here.)
Textpattern is a versatile, elegant and easy-to-use content management system. It is the catalyst between imagination and reality in web publishing. If site creation done right with maximum efficiency is your cup of tea, Textpattern is for you.
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The first line is the existing Textpattern line. No change there. The second line is a tad colorful, but nothing wrong with not sounding like dry toast, and in any case it’s accurate. Taking into account the idea Reid mentioned about “how did you come to Textpattern?’, the last sentence aims to steer potential newbies to Txp as the right choice from the start. The the last line is also neutral to anything or anyone which might be more to people’s taste in recent light. Even more, it speaks a bit competitively with other systems, and marketers will tell you that’s not a bad thing.
(Ed. By the way, I’m all for a real copy editor lending a hand, because honestly, I’m curious what a real copy editor would come up with that didn’t sound like CMS oatmeal.)
Ed. This one’s not meant to be serious, but a play on the “just write” idea…
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Textpattern is a flexible, elegant and easy-to-use content management system. It is the catalyst between imagination and reality in web publishing. Intuitive, stable and secure; there’s no wrong with Textpattern, just write.
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Last edited by Destry (2008-09-16 09:16:50)
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