More like a blog, less complication, refreshing everything

It’s come time to rethink the way content is displayed on this Web site, let’s call it a refocus

Welcome our new mascot Mr. George, he runs the business side of things

I decided it was a long enough time with the old design. At the time I created the second version, I was more focused on creating some serious content. I was ready to put tons of time into creating podcasts, and ensuring that people visited the blog on a daily basis to get their morning inspiration. But I soon realized, I didn’t have the time to do that. My design business began growing, and growing fast. I focused on creating what I feel are great products for some amazing clients. But I never let this Web site go.

I’ve spent some time answering interviews, where I explained where this Web site failed, and how it could benefit from having a more direct focus on content. So, after spending a couple of weeks purely thinking, then spending a couple of weeks creating. I ended up with what you see here today.

I have archived the old version of the Web site, including all of it’s articles. Unfortunately, this is going to cause a lot of people 404 errors, so I have made my 404 page as descriptive as possible for the time being. I also realize that this may cause my page rankings to decrease for a short period of time, but that’s okay!

From form to function. 87 pixel wide columns, with 30 pixel gutters, 8 columns total with a 940px wrapper

Every comment is a contribution, and now you get more out of being a contributor to this community

Comments are a serious thing, I love it when people get involved in the conversation. But I realized that most people don’t see the huge benefit in taking part of a community, or being frequently active in one. So I took some steps to help you benefit more from being a part of this one.

The way I see it, your comment is just as important as the content, if not more

Now, when you comment, your thoughts will appear on the front page, where your Web site is linked directly. Does this mean that people could leave Hell Yeah Dude and jump into your Web site? Yeah, but I think that’s a good thing! Focusing more on discovery of new content is an important thing. I have also improved the way that comments are displayed on a single page. Making it easier for you to have conversations with others, and for your comment to be apart of the main content.

Modular color schemes, to better express the mood of that month, week, day, or year

Modular color schemes, making it easy to change the “design” in only a couple of minutes

I really love color. Understanding that what we perceive to be Web design is mostly a mixture of great typography, attractive color schemes, and organized content, I have decided to change my “design” often. Some days I really love orange, some days blue, some days yellow. Now, when you visit the Web site, you will be surprised every so often with a new color scheme. This will keep things fresh, and promote you to visit the Web site often (not just reading the RSS feed).

Last but not least, more content, but less text

Not just articles, but topics. When topics are posted, they could be general news about the industry, or maybe albums or authors that I really enjoyed. Sharing my inspiration with you, should hopefully help you with your inspiration journey. You may also notice in the sidebar that you can now promote your own Twitter account, tweets, or links directly on this Web site. Just use the hash tag “#HYD” and it will instantly appear in the sidebar. Another great way for you to contribute to content without taking tons of time away from your day.

Finally, thank you to all the readers here in this community.