So, I took a look at the current page and came up with three suggestions to make it more useful and appealing.
1. Standardize photo size and make the play image horizontal
Wordpress templates don't adjust themselves to get rid of unnecessary white space, which means the home page can look messy if photos aren't cropped with an eye toward making the space around them work well. Solutions:
- In the carousel or rotator that is the dominant art element at the top of the page, make sure the photos are all horizontal and that they're cropped to the same size. If you don't, the whole page will jump up and down as the template adjusts to each new photo depth.
- For all stories teased on the home page, make the photos horizontal. If you don't, the coding will create chunks of trapped white space. To the right is an example of how a vertical and a horizontal photo at the top of two sections affect the space. The vertical photo creates an empty space.
- In the carousel or rotator that is the dominant art element at the top of the page, make sure the photos are all horizontal and that they're cropped to the same size. If you don't, the whole page will jump up and down as the template adjusts to each new photo depth.
- For all stories teased on the home page, make the photos horizontal. If you don't, the coding will create chunks of trapped white space. To the right is an example of how a vertical and a horizontal photo at the top of two sections affect the space. The vertical photo creates an empty space.
2. Replace the sidebar calendar with a list and move it to the top of the sidebar
Now that The Orion has a calendar editor, have that person pick three things of interest that are happening on campus or in the community each day and put them in a module at the top of the right column.
The list could be titled "What's Happening Today" or something like it and be taken from events that are already in the calendar. It should be changed every day, adding one more fresh element to the home page and training readers to come back to The Orion every morning. Topping it with a small photo would make it more appealing.
You should end the list with an invitation to see what's on the rest of the online calendar page.
3. Use the template better by emphasizing photojournalism
When the editors chose the FLEX Wordpress theme, I'm sure they liked the bold look of having a photo carousel stretch the width of the page. That's great, but it doesn't play to the strength of The Orion, which at the moment is hard news coverage. I was going to suggest that the paper look at a different template that plays to strengths instead of a weakness (see The New York Times homepage for a template that focuses on news), but a better idea would be to improve your photos.
Having a photo of the day consistently is a good first step, but in the web world it's essential to have good great visuals to attract readers. There are talented shooters on the staff this semester, so that should be easier than it has been in the past. But good editing is essential:
- Only include stories with great art in the carousel.
- Be sure the images are sharp and have enough resolution so they aren't pixelated or fuzzy in a large size.
- Be ruthless with crops. You want stunning images that are composed well as your invitation to readers.
- No more signs or logos in the carousel!
- Only include stories with great art in the carousel.
- Be sure the images are sharp and have enough resolution so they aren't pixelated or fuzzy in a large size.
- Be ruthless with crops. You want stunning images that are composed well as your invitation to readers.
- No more signs or logos in the carousel!
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