Over the last month or two I’ve mentioned on a number of occasions that I’ve had a small team working on a redesign of ProBlogger.
I’m happy to say that some great progress has been made and we are aiming for a release of the new design tomorrow (all going well).
While the current ProBlogger design and logo has served me well (thanks to the talent of designer Rachel Cunliffe who designed it – and who I might say came up with a very innovative design for the time it was done – over two and a half years ago) I’ve increasingly become aware that it’s become a little dated and tired – particularly as I’ve added new features such as a job board, b5 blog roll, new ad formats etc.
While I’m sad to see the old design go and I’m a little fearful of how the new direction will be received I’m also excited to show it off as it marks a new beginning and direction for ProBlogger.
As a result I engaged the services of Ben Bleikamp to redesign the template and Mike Rohde from MakaluMedia to redesign the logo.
Ben and Mike have both worked hard at their tasks and together I think we’ve come up with something both fresh and functional that will hopefully see the site through for some time now.
The Logo
While Ben puts the finishing touches on the new template I thought I’d start the show and tell sessions by revealing the new logo.
So without further ado….
A few notes/thoughts on the process:
- You’ll see that it’s a real departure from the previous logo (and you’ll get a hint at some of the colors of the new template).
- The brief I gave Mike was that I wanted something simple and clean – yet something with symbolism.
- We wanted to retain a ‘P’ but also keep the word ProBlogger.
- The colors are more subtle (no more bright orange/gold – a color that some readers struggled with depending upon their monitors). Having said this – the coloring isn’t a complete departure from the current design.
- The ‘atom’ like design is about community/network (although some who I’ve shown it to have read into it that it’s about the ‘energy’ of the ProBlogger Community)
I’ll be honest in saying that the design of the logo (and the overall redesign of the template) was not an easy process. Not because of the guys I was working with but because there were so many possibilities and potential goals. ProBlogger has come to mean many things to many people and to come up with something that summed it all up was impossible. My hope is that rather than the logo bringing meaning to ProBlogger that ProBlogger will bring meaning to the logo (for more on what I mean by this check out a short piece that Seth Godin posted a while back on Logos – thanks to Seth both for the post and for his feedback on the logo during the testing process).
The template – Teasers:
The new blog template will hopefully be launched in the next 24 hours and once again is another departure from the current design in many ways. I’ve been testing it with a number of readers and the reactions have been encouraging – although some have been surprised by the extent of the changes.
- The new design features no AdSense and will be monetized only by 125 x 125 ads (enquire about being an advertiser here) and a few affiliate programs/recommended products
- The blog itself will be fresher, cleaner and less cluttered
- We’ll be utilizing a footer area to de-clutter some of the sidebar
- The front page at problogger.net will look and operate radically differently – but there will be an option for people who just want to see a more normal looking ‘blog’
The new template is just one step in the evolution of ProBlogger and I’m certain that in the days, weeks and months after we launch it this week that there will be numerous changes, tweaks and new features added – many of which I hope will be a result of your comments and suggestions. I’d love it if you’ll beta test it with me over the next few weeks.
Thanks to Mike and Ben for all their work on this – particularly Ben who has been on the job for weeks now and has poured a lot of time and energy into the project. Thanks also to the numerous people that I asked to look over this logo and template design – your feedback and critiques were all very helpful in refining what we have produced).
So now it’s over to the ProBlogger community to have your say about the logo. As always, your opinion is valued and will be heard – all I ask is that you be constructive with your critiques so that we can continue to improve what we’re building here with the site.
PS: stay tuned for the new template design in the coming hours.
Yowza! That logo is a corker. Very powerful. No wonder people thought of “energy” when they looked at the design around the “P”
Yes, I think it is a very energetic logo, I look forward to witnessing it’s implimentation.
Can’t wait. When the leaders of the pack change everyone watches. You could almost do anything and people would like it. :)
I think it’s going to look really great. I like the new logo.
Darren, the logo is really cool. Its gives a good hint on the colour combo’s for your theme :-)
Looking good Darren. Can’t wait to look at the new design.
I like the logo, lots of energy. More “pro” looking than the current logo.
Can’t wait to see the redesign!
LOVE it! The circle to me, speaks of the connectivity and vibe of web 2.0; I love the clean look and the boldness of it. Bravo! Can’t wait to see the new template!
The logo is definitely a step up, but I have to say the symbol is a bit common and cliche. Better font can also be used.
Can’t wait to see the template, I have an impression that it will be very, very clean.
Great look. Kudos to you designers.
Bold move Darren. Best of luck.
The new logo is very impressive and as mentioned above I can see why people think “energy” when they see it. I like it… can’t wait to see the new template.
Great stuff, can’t wait to see the new layout! The new logo looks nice! Great branding! *=)
I love it when people change templates; i always find it enjoyable to see what people come up with. I really like the new logo, didnt as i glanced at it but looking at it more its definitely very powerful. I will be sad to see the colour scheme go as its something ive very much closely related with ProBlogger
I hope the new design brings more income and increased usability like you mentioned
Heres to the start of something even more special, Cheers!
Great job on the Logo. Nice bold color. Can’t wait to see the new layout.
Hey, I’ll take the old design! :-)
I’m sorry to disagree with the logo design.
The circle can be associated with community without the dots in it, but can never be associated with NET.
The first association brought by your logo, Darren, is physics (weblog about physics)
I like the colors and the rest of the logo banner.
Nice logo but in my opinion is too similar to MakaluMedia’s logo: makalumedia.com/images/theme/logo.gif
Personally I think that the crucial thing about ProBlogger is the content and design is only here to make us feel comfortably as we read. But after some time this always same blog design becomes boring and the fresh one is going to be a real freshness for all us readers. I’m very curious to see the new template in action.
Hey Darren – the new logo looks awesome, and I can already tell I’m gonna be a fan of the new colour scheme rather than the gold stuff at the moment. I’m so excited about the new twist to the homepage and can’t wait to see it.
I’m also intrigued as to how the private ads will work out for you. I’m sure with a more dedicated advertising position, you’ll be able to charge more, and that will probably make up for your missing Adsense income.
Good luck and I’ll be checking back in a few hours – don’t forget to tell us when the new design is out!
I like the old logo. This new one looks like a high-tech logo
I’m with Truden – I would associate it more with physics. And it doesn’t look that different from MakulaMedia’s own logo. Anyway, looking forward to the new design!
That’s a slick-looking logo Darren. I’m excited to see the evolution of this site.
I like the logo, but I have to agree with Truden that it made me think of physics first. Energetic, yes, but energy as in science. It’s a good, strong design, but I’m not sure it really says “blogging” to me… And since I’m not much of a designer, I can’t say exactly what kind of logo would say “blogging”. I wish I could come up with a suggestion, but I don’t have anything right now. All I can say is it could use a little something — either something extra or something to get rid of. Something a little more fun and light to minimize the serious, scientific feeling about it.
Logo looks great, can’t wait for the new design to launch!
Personally I feel there are too many “web 2.0 feel” logos around like this. They’re all starting to look the same and it bores me. If you look at the contest section of the digital point forum you’ll see that most of the logos are designed in this way.
Your site is impressive to me the way it is now. I’ve always heard that you shouldn’t have a lot of white space; however, you have a lot of white space and you are one of the best bloggers out there.
Can’t wait to see what the new blog looks like.
Brandon J
Money for Military
Looks nice. Can’t wait to see the new blog template.
I like the sound of the new design :)
I got a bit of a physics feel from the new logo, but my first reaction was that it looked like the ubuntu logo. I’m probably just focused on that particular flavour of linux at the moment because I’m installing it on a work box right now.
I like the thin font for ‘Pro’ mixed with the thicker, coloured, bold ‘Blogger’.
Mike Rohde does powerful good work – he did my 47hats.com logo a month or so ago. Darren, seeing your post reminded me it’s high time I share how Mike turned my conflicting desires into a great visual too!
Lookin good Darren!
I like the new logo, and the colors (they are not completely deferent to the current ones, which is good because I’m used to them and I relate them with you and your blog). I believe that the new design will be amazing and that it will reflect “problogger personality”.
I like it Darren! Can’t wait to see the rest tomorrow. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that everything goes well. :)
I’m very curious about the new design. The actual design of ProBlogger is like an old apartment: I like it, because it’s familiar, but it’s a little bit cluttered and the wallpapers are -ahem- aged… ProBlogger on the move! Will there be a reopening party? ;-)
Ben does some great work. In fact, he did *cough* my blog’s theme. I get compliments all the time about how great it looks.
I like the new logo. I know what Truden means about the physics feel but that kind of design also always has a good dynamic feel to it.
I remember dimly from my old IT job what a challenge logo design is – it’s so easy to go round in circles for months and months revising all the options!
those are my favorite colors! I like the logo…can’t wait to see the rest of it!
nice one let me know if you want template for free
the new logo design looks great can’t wait to see the whole layout when it is launched…
I wouldn’t normally think it’s possible, Darren, but after seeing the logo, I think ProBlogger might even look more professional.
RE: the logo talk- I think that in the context of the full website, the logo won’t have anyone thinking they’ve visited a physics site, and the words ProBlogger are distinct enough to make the content-topic fairly obvious. Well done D, look forward to see what magic you’ve worked.
Like the new logo, and looking forward to seeing the new design. I hope that you will clean up the typography (i.e. fonts), because I honestly can’t stand the fonts that are being used in this template.
I LOVE the logo! But I hesitate to call the color scheme more subtle, combinations of black & white or black & red are some of the most powerful color schemes that exist. The added gray is the only reason this one works, it makes it infinitely softer and less obnoxious. Black & red by itself creates some pretty nasty associations.
I wonder what personality traits most people associate with the current color scheme? Undoubtedly you come across as friendly. The new one will be more professional.
Christ on a crutch, that dots in a circle thing was done to death and then some as far back as 2001. The current logo’s not perfect, but at least it’s a little more unique.
Is not it scary to change templates when you have built so much database of good blogs? Maybe, I am just not familiar, but only the thought makes me scared. I am crossing my fingers. Are you also going to change the platform one day from WP to something else?
Your logo looks great!
Mike did you right! I’m loving the logo.
No adsense is an interesting development for a blog about making money online.
It definitely looks more professional without adsense but maybe its easier to talk about adsense if you use it.
Gosh it’s about time! I never read ProBlogger outside my feed reader. I hope the new design is more readable.
Nice new logo! Very creative looking….
We’ll still be coming in droves to read everything you have to say. The design just puts the icing on the cake! :)
sorry to tell you but the logo is not looking that good. The design is… well, at least 3 years old. You deserve something better. I bet that Mike can do a better job. I know that he like circles and to put the letters from the name of the company in them (look at his logo). I think that he can try harder and come with a better result. Cheers!