Textpattern's face to the public

giz · 2025-08-16 20:48:23

textpattern.com is where Textpattern starts for curious users who’ve heard about the platform.

We can do more to promote what makes our platform special; focus entirely on its core concepts (with tighter wording as attention spans are low). Lean and clean, like Textpattern.

How does everyone feel about revisiting the homepage design?

Personally I’d like to:

drop the animations and sketch diagrams; they do little to add to our message, and feel out of place with the rest of the site.
promote languishing content in the about section instead (its excellent :)
make more of the typography and text patterns (no pun intended)

The top of the page is critical; whatever we place there has to juggle many needs. I have an ideas for this, but first: comments, please!

Bloke · 2025-08-16 21:02:00

I’m always open to ideas, but have very little input on .com. That’s 100% Phil Wareham so you’ll need to win him over!

I actually like the sketches because they have a lovely homemade aesthetic, which echoes the fact that Txp is for people who like to craft things, rather than making stuff the same as everybody else. And it has throwbacks to Dean’s original “carver”.

Not married to the animation, but it is quirky.

By all means put some ideas out.

bici · 2025-08-17 03:05:37

giz wrote #340216:

textpattern.com is where Textpattern starts for curious users who’ve heard about the platform.

How does everyone feel about revisiting the homepage design?

Revisiting can only but be beneficial: Good to re-examine, gain new insights, and fine tune the message.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

jakob · 2025-08-17 07:32:37

Yes, I’m with you. I share your general sense that there’s potential for visual modernisation and more clarity in the messaging, and your initial suggestions sound good to me.

The sketch-puns and the underlying ‘craft’ notion make me smile more than the animations and sketches themselves. I’d prefer to see adaptability and versatility rather than homegrown as the message. The lone carver was fun in its day, but the actual image never transported the idea very well.

Bloke · 2025-08-17 10:29:53

jakob wrote #340219:

I’d prefer to see adaptability and versatility rather than homegrown as the message.

Works for me. I’m crap at visuals, so anyone with skillz, let’s see it.

giz · 2025-08-17 17:24:58

Thanks all; I’ll see what I can do.

giz · Yesterday 23:29:50

I’ve been perusing the content of the homepage:

The Adverts panel: In Safari (running no Ad blocker), all you see is a lone ‘Advertisements’ in a grey banner. In Chrome, you see the ad.; If you change the class of the div holder from “ads” to “adsz”, the ad displays. Go Safari :)
Site showcase: The offerings are very thin; surely we can provide a shitload more examples and display them in a carousel or something?; The detail showcase pages are nice, but I’d wager they get few visits. Their content requirements are also likely a hindrance; TXP users are more likely to promote one of their sites if all they need to provide is the url and an optional glowing comment.; How about the showcase being simply a thumbnail linking to the site in question, with a paragraph below?; If we have enough examples we can categorise them (small label on the thumb), revealing the various sectors that TXP is used.; Randomise da tumbs.
Side bar Featured at: Do we want this? It has no value, other than promoting website informer.

Bloke · Yesterday 23:43:41

giz wrote #340224:

Side bar Featured at
Do we want this? It has no value, other than promoting website informer.

It pays some of the bills…

Showcase. Sure if we get enough examples, it’d be nice to put some fresh content up there and rotate it. Don’t know about the ads panel. Haven’t looked for a while.

Textpattern CMS

Textpattern CMS support forum

#1 2025-08-16 20:48:23