Sep7agon_V2 > Project Thread

The next step of Sep7agon's website is being developed. Unlike what has occured on Bungie.net with the latest updates which drove off most of the community, my objective is to instead cater towards the community.

Community driven content, from news posts, reviews, other articles, to spotify, youtube, and so on are to be given a focus whenever someone visits the main page. Links and profiles reworked to look sleek, clean and showcase your participation in the forum, and gaming profiles.

The plan is quite straightforward. What I hope to achieve in the following months from October is to create a more engaging, cool, and unique website based on what was liked, and what is currently favorable in the community.

• October 2014
  Initial sketches, designs and interactive versions.
• November 2014
  The design is implemented to the current forum software in a testing ground.
• December 2014
  At some point in this month the new version is released.

Now, the purpose of this thread is for me to share the ongoing progress to exchange feedback actively with users and staff. I encourage everyone to leave their thoughts to each new submission, elaborate ones, simple ones, that will help with shaping what's being worked on.

Sexy

We could use a good graphics artist...

I am skilled. The process of working on a certain design though has many steps. One of the first steps is to figure out what should, and shouldn't be there. Since the community is small enough to allow this, I think it's better to show some concepts I have to what I want to change, and how, to see if the direction in my head is the one people generally would enjoy here. Last thing I want is that I come up with an idea, and that only few people like it and we end up like Bungie.next.

We could use a good graphics artist...

Pretty good, maybe change the location of it to put slightly less focus on it.

Pretty good, maybe change the location of it to put slightly less focus on it.

Anything else that you're working on?

I like the design of it and I disagree with putting less focus on it; this is for an unapproved post, after all. It needs to stand out.

These kinds of posts should carry a "moderated" badge under the avatar as well, which I think you already showed off.

Edit: it also needs to have a shorter title, as mobile screens will break the line.

It'll not be the same on mobile. They are a step after though. For now I am focusing on the desktop concepts, then I'll move onto the mobile ones.

Edit: it also needs to have a shorter title, as mobile screens will break the line.

It'll not be the same on mobile. They are a step after though. For now I am focusing on the desktop concepts, then I'll move onto the mobile ones.

Edit: it also needs to have a shorter title, as mobile screens will break the line.

Eh, fair enough.

Right now I am working on the next step in the website's overall design...

How would you feel about profiles actually showing Xbox Live, PSN and or Steam information such as gamer tag, latest played games and such, for those that have their gamer tag linked? Instead of it just being a simple link to your profile?

Right now I am working on the next step in the website's overall design...

How would you feel about profiles actually showing Xbox Live, PSN and or Steam information such as gamer tag, latest played games and such, for those that have their gamer tag linked? Instead of it just being a simple link to your profile?

Depends on how it's displayed I suppose.

Right now I am working on the next step in the website's overall design...

How would you feel about profiles actually showing Xbox Live, PSN and or Steam information such as gamer tag, latest played games and such, for those that have their gamer tag linked? Instead of it just being a simple link to your profile?

Wouldn't that require the accounts to be linked? Which in turn would require working together with Microsoft, Sony, and Valve to do?

Not really, it's just using their API. You don't even need to connect your Xbox Live account, simply having the gamer tag's name can pull out the public data at any time. Same applies with PSN and Steam. They are different systems, some work is involved, but it's nothing tragically difficult. (The two accounts will never be intermixed, since we don't need that, and that's more complex than what is needed)

Wouldn't that require the accounts to be linked? Which in turn would require working together with Microsoft, Sony, and Valve to do?

The first sketches for the main page, and profile ones are done. I'll proceed to implement them in photoshop later. I will also work on the sketches for the mobile version of the website.

This one is not necessarily an improvement, but I sort of wanted to play with branding ideas for Sep7agon to match with the design I have on my head, the current logo wouldn't match. (The edges look a little rough because I carelessly scaled it down from its original size, without cleaning it) The purpose is to listen to feedback though. Do you like the "O" being twisted like this? Do you feel the font matches more the polygon effect?

Spoiler

This one is not necessarily an improvement, but I sort of wanted to play with branding ideas for Sep7agon to match with the design I have on my head, the current logo wouldn't match. (The edges look a little rough because I carelessly scaled it down from its original size, without cleaning it) The purpose is to listen to feedback though. Do you like the "O" being twisted like this? Do you feel the font matches more the polygon effect?

Spoiler

I'm not really liking the logo. It's very...jagged.

I am a fan of giving more room in between the outer septagon and the inner one of the logo, though. Also, what don't are you using?

The font is "Play" I chose it based on the license and looks. I am going to look into more fonts, but the purpose of that first sample is to get a better idea of what it should look like. (Keep in mind to send those statistics when you can, though, I am sorry to bother you this much, but I need to have an idea nonetheless)

I am a fan of giving more room in between the outer septagon and the inner one of the logo, though. Also, what don't are you using?

hot

This one is not necessarily an improvement, but I sort of wanted to play with branding ideas for Sep7agon to match with the design I have on my head, the current logo wouldn't match. (The edges look a little rough because I carelessly scaled it down from its original size, without cleaning it) The purpose is to listen to feedback though. Do you like the "O" being twisted like this? Do you feel the font matches more the polygon effect?

Spoiler

The bottom of the Sep7agon not running parallel to the bottom of the text is actually bugging me a little >.>

I guess Focnr is out of the job....

Spoiler

Please don't hurt me Focnr.

This user has been blacklisted from posting on the forums. Until the blacklist is lifted, all posts made by this user have been hidden and require a Sep7agon^® SecondClass Premium Membership to view.

You are correct, I feel like punching in the face whoever d-- Oh. Anyway. Yes, I need to fix the characters' bottom parts to run at the same height.

The bottom of the Sep7agon not running parallel to the bottom of the text is actually bugging me a little >.>

Not sure who Focnr is... I am not being stopped though. So it means my work is welcome.

I guess Focnr is out of the job....

Spoiler

Please don't hurt me Focnr.

So is Isara the new Focnr?

You are correct, I feel like punching in the face whoever d— Oh. Anyway. Yes, I need to fix the characters' bottom parts to run at the same height.

The bottom of the Sep7agon not running parallel to the bottom of the text is actually bugging me a little >.>

Not sure who Focnr is... I am not being stopped though. So it means my work is welcome.

I guess Focnr is out of the job....

Spoiler

Please don't hurt me Focnr.

So is Isara the new Focnr?

Focnr is the second admin, he's the guy who's in charge of how this place looks however he's kinda died or something.

You are correct, I feel like punching in the face whoever d— Oh. Anyway. Yes, I need to fix the characters' bottom parts to run at the same height.

The bottom of the Sep7agon not running parallel to the bottom of the text is actually bugging me a little >.>

Not sure who Focnr is... I am not being stopped though. So it means my work is welcome.

I guess Focnr is out of the job....

Spoiler

Please don't hurt me Focnr.

So is Isara the new Focnr?

Focnr is the second admin, he's the guy who's in charge of how this place looks however he's kinda died or something.

Spoiler

He only really made the mobile icons and helped moderate the site.

Once I inevitably get the test site up, we can see what Isara can do and maybe add another web team member. That'd be cool.

Alright, work continues on the design. The header has reached the stage that this early draft is aiming for.

A little explanation; the news selection is highlighted as if your mouse were over it, ready to click on it. The others are on their "default" / idle state. The icons below the avatar are temporary, but I am tackling with the concept from Bungie.old of having some controls there, so I think that someone should be able to quickly check their PM's, alerts, settings and logout or login from the top right. (Also access their profile)

The location of the ads should be what's below that initial path / search bar combo. The plan is to also make the notifications appear in-between these two, which I will show in a later version.

I applied some changes to the logo, earlier in smaller resolutions it was clear it looked too jagged, and that the septagon itself, and the 7 were a little out of line.

Small version (Focus on header only)
Large version (So you can check the surroundings a little)

Small version (Focus on header only)
Large version (So you can check the surroundings a little)

Sleek, I like it.

Especially the centralized profile options.

Small version (Focus on header only)
Large version (So you can check the surroundings a little)

Sleek, I like it.

Especially the centralized profile options.

I'm liking the upper right and the style of the logo is starting to grow on me (still not completely sold on in yet, but I think it'll get there).

I am concerned about how you are wanting this thing to float on the screen (and by that I mean the image wasn't clear). Is it just the logo, forum link strip, and user info that floats? I am also worried about room for the forum links, as I'd like to have room for the HQ forum (for the staff) and a bit of wiggle room for another if we so please (and you're missing Gaming).

I'm a big fan of the color and layout choices, but the selection box around the forum links looks out of place to me. Just some critiques.

Critiques are the reason I decided to make the thread public.

Also, lol, why did I forget gaming? I am sorry, gaming. I also have the concern about the links being up there on a personal level. On lower resolutions it would shift the links into an additional bar at the bottom. Since the design as I said before aims to be dynamic, it means that it will adjust itself to the given conditions.

The group of forum links / header is what will float. Imagine that you scroll down and the distance between the top, links (if any in-between) and path/search bar will disappear and making it into an unique piece.

That's the first idea, right now I am working on the second one which should make things more manageable in both larger and smaller resolutions with at the same time being less of a long chunk of a header.

I think the second idea will prove better. I thought this one wouldn't take this much space, it's nice for a set of fixed links, but we dynamically have more or less links depending on the new, hidden forums that must appear up there.

Although everyone seems to like the sleekness it has, so at least that was proven as a correct direction.

I'm liking the upper right and the style of the logo is starting to grow on me (still not completely sold on in yet, but I think it'll get there).

I am concerned about how you are wanting this thing to float on the screen (and by that I mean the image wasn't clear). Is it just the logo, forum link strip, and user info that floats? I am also worried about room for the forum links, as I'd like to have room for the HQ forum (for the staff) and a bit of wiggle room for another if we so please (and you're missing Gaming).

I'm a big fan of the color and layout choices, but the selection box around the forum links looks out of place to me. Just some critiques.