Stripping down to our undies : The RFB redesign
Liza Sabater
What do you see? Really. I need y'all to use this stripped down page as a Rorschach test.
I need feedback on :
- What do you see when you think Radio Free Blogistan?
- If you could summarize RFB in 3 words, what would they be?
- What's your favorite aspect of RFB?
The reason for this is simple : I don't have a clear picture of RFB's identity.
This is not all to consider but it is a start. Knowing what kind of publication it will be will help me assess better it's structure. But what's less tangible is how people regard RFB. I want to know what is RFB's myth and hence, identity in the world. These are important questions when considering the visual language of the design.
Back in 1999 I started my own personal chef service, The Comfort Gourmet. The premise was simple: prepare comfort foods in a delicious and nutritious manner that would not bust people's wallet or waistline. And I could not stop thinking of all those 50's images of mom and apple pie. So that's what I exactly used in my ads and marketing materials. It was a world brought in part by dincTIME, PixelDécor! and Rotodesign dingbats. With some Font Diner! font thrown in the mix as well. Alas, that site is no more but the next one is.
A similar thing happened with the N Y C H E A website I created last year. This is the site of the New York City Home Educator's Alliance. It needed a major rehauling but, more importantly, I felt it needed to say something about homeschoolers in New York. I came up with a few ideas but liked none. Then, somehow I started to hear a common theme among my homeschooling friends, especially the council members. I would hear people describing how they were 'on the road' constantly, shlepping from one workshop or event or group meeting to another". It was as if everybody was saying, "We NYC homeschoolers almost live by the subway". And that's what hit me for the new logo and the redesign. It screams NYC. And the newspaper feel is a shout-out to NYCHEA's newsletter, the other analog media that keeps it's members connected.
So please, get my juices going. When it comes to Radio Free Blogistan, what do you see, hear, feel, smell, even taste (if need be)? What is RFB these days for you?
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* OK, I can be a girly girl. So sue me.