What’s new?
I’m only half joking by using the Beta Logo Maker, because while the site is launching… there will continue to be new improvements, updates and features added regularly. So in order to prevent any discouraged people from thinking this is it and all our time and energy has been exhausted… COLOURlovers Coup.0 is in “beta.”
Most people will also notice a lot of “Web 2.0” like features on the site. With the new version of the site we’re trying to make the CL site not just more fun to use, but also more informative, useful and inspiring.
It is quite a big change from the previous version so I created a little tour to help any returning lovers get acclimated, or a if you’re new to loving colors with us… take the tour and get it on!
A little lift here… A little tuck there…
We gave the site a whole new design that opened up the content area allowing us a little more room to show the color love. When I first designed CL 2 years ago… I really had no idea it would grow to what it has become. For posterity’s sake here is a screenshot of the actual first version of the COLOURlovers.com layout. (Also note the file is saved on my computer as Untitled1.psd.)
With a wider layout we have more room to move things around in an attempt to make the site more user friendly, and we have more room to add new sections and features.
Web 2.0h No!
CL only scored a 3.5 out of 6 on the Web 2.0 Cliches list by Stuart Brown, so you could say we didn’t get to trend obsessed. What we tried to do was take some of the good from the “2.0 Trend” and blend it with what COLOURlovers has always been about… Making Love with Colour.
Lover Profiles
More personal… if you want.
Blogs. LiveJournal, WordPress, TextPad… If you write it someplace else, you can show it here on CL. Add your blog feeds to your profiles and share your thoughts.
Pics. Flickr and More of it & Bigger. Now you have a profile page dedicated to your Flickr pics.
Replaced with About Non-Profit…
The Technology Behind the New Site
COLOURlovers is running custom PHP applications with a mySQL back-end. The new site is W3C CSS Validated, using Ajax & JS modules to make finding, loving and sharing easier. The site is running on a (dv) Dedicated Virtual Server from MediaTemple. The forum is powered by vBulletin and stats are being tracked with Mint.
Several very talented people were a part of taking my vision for CL Coup.0 and making it happen. A large thank you is deserved by all the people who have been loving colors for the last two years and who have taken the time to provide feedback on the site. A big love goes out to:
Jay McLellan – User Interface Design
Chris Williams – Programming.
Information LOVERLOAD
New Interviews & Articles
There are two new articles from very talented individuals up on the site and we’re planning on adding new ones regularly.
Trends
We’re just getting started! Right now you can et a taste of the many great color trending tools to come, but visiting the Color Cover Models section to see what magazines are using what colors on their covers.
Cover Models
The Color Cover Models is the first of many great color trending tools to come in the near future. It isn’t an exact science, but it is meant to give you an idea of color usage in the real world.
With the Good… Comes the Bugs…
The love notes (private messaging system is not running right now. We’re going to be replacing the old system and integrating the love notes with the private messaging system in vBulletin. *The forum isn’t up yet either.)
If you notice any bugs, or have any comments you’d like to share… Please drop me a note.
Cheers,
-CL
